What do you do for a living, on the side and for fun?
What I do for a living, on the side and for fun sometimes get a bit mixed up! If I am creatively challenged I am happy, and I tend not to separate my creative outlets too much. My day job has included Art Direction and design for the interactive market, but I am currently freelancing to create more time for art and illustration.

What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I am doing online design for clients, but my main focus has been on getting back into drawing. I like to draw quite big, the scale of my portraits are usually 2m x 1.5m. I am taking baby steps into defining who I am and what I want to do as an artist. Everything I do until I find that voice is just practise.

What do you like and dislike about what you do?
I like the freedom of my current lifestyle and the stimulation that creativity provides. A creative person never has to be bored. Creativity has its drawbacks though, I am never satisfied and I am always restless. It is also a challenge to explain to people that what you do adds value to what they want, and that your time and talents are worth paying for.

Where did you grow up and how did this affect your life choices and aspirations?
I grew up in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. It is quite suburban and conservative, but there are quality people that originate from there and I got a brilliant art education at the University of Pretoria. I currently live in Cape Town, which is one of the most beautiful places on earth. My sister often describes Cape Town as a really pretty girl – all her life she had it so easy because of her good looks so she doesn’t have to try hard to be liked. Pretoria does not have that; if you are from there you probably had to develop a personality to get people to like you. I don’t think it is possible to be a South African without it influencing who you are to your core. This is not neutral territory!

What’s the best advice anyone’s ever given you?
Never make a decision out of fear.

Her top recommendations…
Always work with quality materials and tools.
Don’t be afraid to put your work out there.
Go easy on other creatives, we all know how hard it is to get something brilliant out there, despite budget, time and client restrictions.
Read Kurt Vonnegut.
Get mentors not bosses.

Elsewhere online
Genie Botha