We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arielle Goldberg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Arielle, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I actually do have a regular job, and it can be really hard to make time to do my art.

It’s important to me to have a steady paycheck – I grew up without a lot, and have student loans to pay and a family to support. Over the years I’ve found that learning about business and how the world works has made me a better artist. I have more chances to meet random people, go to new places, and I appreciate and have learned a lot about the business side of things. I’m also a Capricorn which might have something to do with wanting a strong career or getting validation from it 😉

What I found works best is infusing all the creativity that I can into my job, which is in corporate internal communications. You might think that is pretty dry, but you’d be surprised how much creative leeway some companies will allow – no… welcome! Being your artistic self in the corporate world is a challenge but also a fun adventure.

I also do my best to make time for art and keep that sacred. When I am on the job I give my all to that, when I am making art, I do the same.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

So I am a grownup who loves to play video games and tabletop RPGs. I found that a lot of the art that celebrates those fandoms didn’t vibe in my house. I wanted something that looked like art first, nerd reference second. I started a series of art that parodies the old masters and other famous art by taking out the featured subject and replacing it with someone from a game.

Painting, collage and colored pencil are my favorite formats, and I’m working on adding stained glass to the list.

I make a seasonal zine to let out all the in-between ideas and have a little fun vibing out to what is inspiring me lately. You can subscribe at different tiers to get the zine, zine + stickers, or zine + stickers + art prints.

When the opportunity arises I also love to do full room designs – especially if there’s a nerd theme involved! My dream job would be setting up a DnD room a la Joe Mangianello’s. Google it – it’s glorious!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

For me everything is derivative, inspired by, or a remix. Humanity THRIVES when we work together and inspire each other. That is something I celebrate in my art – taking a familiar image and turning it around into a new interpretation or format.

I also celebrate play. Play is important for your relationships, mental health, intelligence and problem solving skills. By featuring games in my art I want to help legitimize games as a productive way to spend time.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I did art for a long time (my whole life really) before landing on a business idea that incorporated it.

I started out as an interior design business. After several happy clients and very little time for myself and my family, I realized fast that while I absolutely loved the work, I couldn’t give my clients the end to end service I wanted for them while still giving my best to a full time job and being a real human. I made the decision to dial back to art to prioritize my own mental health and focus on something I could deliver confidently without compromising my wellbeing. I will still take on interior design projects but am allowing myself to be more choosy based on the goals and location of the project.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.trendprescient.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/trendprescient
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/trendprescient