About Bodil Jane
Chilly's: Can you tell us a bit about your typical creative process?
Bodil: Well, being an illustrator really fits me as I love coming up with ideas within the borders of an assignment. I’m not very happy when I get complete freedom and an empty page. So, my creative process starts most of the time with the brief from the art director. I always get a lot of images in my head right away and try to find specific inspiration that helps me to visualize that even more. This can be all sorts of things - people and objects I’ve seen in the city, on flea markets, in magazines etc.
C: What’s been a highlight of your career so far?
B: I was very lucky to be able to start a full time creative career right after graduating from art school. It was my dream to rent a studio for myself, which happened 1.5 years ago, after sharing a big studio with some amazing people for five years. I’ve had some amazing clients that I never expected to ever have, such as The New Yorker, Nike, Unicef and Viktor & Rolf. I feel very lucky for having built a great and longterm relationship with my agent in London, Folio Art. I can’t really decide on one highlight, I appreciate my career and lifestyle everyday.
C: Could you tell us a little about your background and how you ended up doing what you do? Is this your dream job or was it an unexpected turn of events?
B: My dad used to be an illustrator creating storyboards for ad campaigns and was an artist as well. My mom paints on ceramics and giant tile paintings: big creatures of the ocean and botanicals for restaurants and villas. My sister and I both went to art school. This was a very logical step after a childhood full of drawing, crafting, visiting museums etc. Because of my background I had a pretty clear vision of what the freelance creative life would look like and I worked hard and was dedicated to get where I wanted to be.
C: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to any aspiring creatives?
B: It’s funny, but when you’re just starting out, you can be afraid to get your work out there. Everyone you look up to, all of them still feel insecurities about their art. You just need to used to this feeling. You’ll always feel nervous if someone asks you “Can I see your work?” or when you’re delivering your work to a client. Just go for it!
Fruity Flex
“I thought about when I use my bottle the most, and that is during/after yoga. I wanted to show differnt kinds of yoga girls with different bodies. When I think about yoga I also think about smoothies and healthy food. It’s a playful idea that is emphasized by the size of the fruits, not very realistic!”