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

Efe, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

That answer depends on how we define “success” and what isn’t. As a freelance illustrator and animator, I feel it’s not really up to me to judge how good or bad I am at my own work. Also, achieving success as an artist is one thing, while achieving success as a freelance artist is another entirely. If we define success in terms of a certain level of income or online/real-world visibility, it’s now much easier to reach than it used to be. I believe I’m improving in this regard every day and working toward it. But if we’re talking about professional, personal, and moral satisfaction as success, then to me, this is a never-ending story. I can’t believe anyone could truly say, “Okay, I’ve made it; I’m successful now.” I’m always a student in my life, open to learning and staying current.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello, I’m Efe Karadağlı, a freelance illustrator, animator, and director specializing in animated music videos, based in Izmir, Turkey. I’ve been in the industry for around 10 years. Earlier in my career, I explored a broader range of content, but now I primarily work with musicians, filmmakers, and writers, as well as partner with advertising agencies to bring unique campaigns to life for brands.

Music has always held a special place in my life, especially in indie and punk scenes, so much of my work focuses on creating animations and illustrations for these genres. I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing artists and bands like Tribal Seeds, Iya Terra, Jinjer, Dylan Dunlap, Mokita, and Second. On the brand side, I’ve also worked on ad campaigns for both notable local and global names such as Adidas, Tuborg, Gratis, Macfit, Yeni Rakı and Yemeksepeti.

In my style, I love to use a limited color palette with bold black outlines to create a cartoon-like aesthetic. My animations are frame-by-frame digital cel animations, enhanced with motion graphics to bring stories to life with vivid energy.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

After graduating from university, I started on my freelance journey right away. I studied Visual Communication Design, where I developed a stronger interest in illustration and animation. In the early days following graduation, I seized every opportunity, taking on various graphic design tasks, including logo and business card design, even if they didn’t resonate with me as much. My true aim was to be an illustrator, as drawing has always been an integral part of my life. I’ve been sketching since childhood, dreaming of turning my passion into a profession as I grew older.

That is true, I wanted to be an illustrator, but I didn’t feel skilled enough at the time. As social media began to rise, I started sharing my personal illustration projects on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Particularly in 2019, I experienced a productive year, witnessing a noticeable increase in my follower count, largely due to the more favorable Instagram algorithms for artists at that time.

I maintained a consistent posting schedule, which eventually led to a surprising message from the art director at Adidas Terrex. I could hardly believe it and questioned whether it was real. Ultimately, I collaborated with them to create ten illustration posts for their athlete, Mikaela Shiffrin. As I continued to showcase my work, I gained visibility among industry brands and influential figures, allowing me to build a valuable network.

While social media dynamics change constantly, I believe that active sharing and engaging with followers are essential. I work to build real connections with my audience and welcome conversations about both the good and the bad.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My main goal in my creative journey is to maintain the passion I had for drawing in my childhood and youth, while collaborating with others who share the same passion. In freelance work, it’s not always easy to find ideal projects, and delivering satisfying results can sometimes be tough. At this stage in my career, I feel fortunate to work primarily with musicians, as I’m a big fan of music, books, films, and comics! I love weaving these influences into my creations.

A comment from a follower in the past really opened my eyes once; they described my style as very “ligne claire”. For those who don’t know, “ligne claire” is a Belgian comic style developed by Hergé, the creator of Tintin, and it resonates with me deeply! I hadn’t recognized this influence until my follower pointed it out. Joost Swarte is an artist I greatly admire, and I also draw inspiration from Coles Phillips, who comes from a different era and style. I always take inspirations from these masters as I continue to develop my own style.

I’ve talked a lot about freelancing in this interview series, but I’d like to add one more thing. The DIY ethos plays a significant role in punk music, and I believe a similar approach applies to freelance work too. The DIY ethic promotes self-sufficiency by completing tasks without relying on paid experts. I handle my projects and find my clients myself, which I often enjoy, but at times, it can feel overwhelming.

In my future career, I want to continue pursuing my greatest hobby in a joyful way by collaborating with names from the fields of music, cinema, and literature. Meeting and connecting with people who share similar vibes brings me great joy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://efekaradagli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/efekaradagli_illustration/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@efekaradagl339/featured

Image Credits

All images I uploaded were drawn by me.

The first image was crafted for Adidas Terrex’s social media platforms, showcasing sponsored athlete Mikaela Shiffrin.

Second image was crafted for Bantmag, showcasing musicians, Arlo Parks, Japanese Breakfast, Loraine James, Vanishing Twin, Tirzah and Ben Lamar Gay.

Third image was created for Gig of Turkish pop punk band, Second.

Other 5 images are Efe Karadağlı’s personal works.