We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sophie Auger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sophie below.

Sophie, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

I am a graphic design educator and one of the first things I tell my college students is that there’s a difference between a “kind” critique and a “nice” critique. A “nice” crit is telling someone their work is pretty good to avoid hurting their feelings. A “kind” crit is telling someone their design is not working so they can improve it. So students are encouraged to practice constructive criticism, both giving and taking. The kindest thing someone has ever done for me is probably to care and be generous enough to give me a kind crit.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a multidisciplinary artist from Montreal based in Brooklyn. I work in print and web publication, objects, hacking, video installation and blockchain experiments. I recently worked as a graphic designer with 2×4, and I am adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University. I graduated with an MFA from Rutgers in 2022. Additionally, taught experimental technology classes at The New School.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Two books. The first is Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet (classic, I read it when I was 18), and the second is Letters to a Young Artist. I read that one ten years later, but it really helped in reimagining my own discipline in the studio as an artist, and put it in perspective with artists who are older and who have a prolific and sustained career. I took from it what I needed, for example the importance of staying informed as an artist, reading the newspaper and also meditating.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The greatest resource are our peers. I know it now, but I wish I got that earlier when I first started making art in school. I was a typical romantic artist who thought she was misunderstood and alone, when I was just mostly confused about my own work. The art world is small and community is important. Art is what makes life more interesting than art (I like that phrase, it’s from Robert Filliou), and friends make art and life so much better.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://sophieauger.com/
• Instagram: @pistis_sophia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-auger-109b9423a/

Image Credits
Perri Hofmann Hongzhe Liang