We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eva Valentine a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Eva, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I certainly wouldn’t categorise myself as a “risk taker”…I prefer my comfort zone, familiarity and routine. Though life sometimes has other plans and you realise that something needs to change. For me, and perhaps like most, COVID was a time of personal reflection, and a time of losing your job. I was living in Los Angeles, for the past 10 years, as an event management professional and finding myself furloughed until further notice. This turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me, as I realised that I wanted a career that more closely aligned with my interests and passions. I owe a lot to my support system, family and friends, that encouraged and supported me to pursue something completely different. I was always interested in art and design, but never felt that I was “good enough” to have a career from this, but as I had the time, I felt there were no excuses left.
So I began to pursue a background in graphic design, working odd jobs for friends and family, and interning wherever I could find. Finally, the covid restrictions had lifted and I was offered an incredible opportunity in Paris, France working at a creative agency that specialised in luxury brands. Even though I spoke very little broken French, I felt that I couldn’t possibly refuse a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I packed my bags and my dog. I was going to move to Europe.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As I was, and still am, relatively new to the field of Design as a career, I felt that I needed to pursue additional education so I began to explore various Masters programs. As I mentioned before, I was offered this opportunity in Paris, but I had been contemplating a move to Europe for some time before that. I not only had friends living abroad, but I also hold dual citizenship through my Italian heritage. So there were a combination of things, or signs, that kept pointing me in the direction of living abroad. I was lucky enough to be one of 35 students selected for Masters of Digital Design program at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. The global program focused on literacy, research, creation and strategy applied to interactive digital products. During my time in Paris, I gained invaluable insight into luxury fashion brands with a particular focus on print and digital products, but it was during my masters program, that I really discovered my passion for the digital. While print has tangibility and longevity, digital has unlimited possibilities.
It was during the masters that I was able to work on a unique project centred around decolonisation in Dutch museums, and how that narrative is being portrayed. Our final experience, called Hidden History, received recognition for it’s engagement and I am beyond proud to have been apart, and played a key role in designing and developing this immersive audio experience, that sheds light on silenced perspectives from the period of Dutch Brazil in the 17th century.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Rick Rubin, author of The Creative Act: Way of Being, has a great way of articulating how it is being an artist or a creative. One of my favourite quotes is “The goal of art isn’t to attain perfection. The goal is to share who we are. And how we see the world”.
The most rewarding aspect is not only being able to share who I am, and how I see the world, but see how others do the same.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Before I landed my current, full-time role; the whole process of job hunting, especially at a Junior level, is unbelievably challenging. It’s competitive, lack of opportunities, cultural fit, experience, salary etc. Design is subjective and perhaps oftentimes misunderstood. You kind of have to come to terms with the fact that it might take a while, and honestly, don’t give up. I was initially rejected by my current role, only to realise later that it was a mistake. So, just keep going. Things can turn around in an instant.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.evavalentine.com
- Instagram: @evaivalentine
Image Credits
Photography – Mary Rozzi