We are glad you are here! Art Side of Life is here to provide you with valuable resources so you can improve your art skills and make money as an artist. We are super excited to help you, wherever you are in your artistic journey.
MISSION:
“Art Side of Life is where artists, both accomplished and aspiring, find inspirational interviews, guides and reviews to improve their art skills and make a living from what makes them happy.”
Art Side of Life started as a YouTube show and podcast in 2017, interviewing artists from different walks of creative industry.
Iva loves learning from others by listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos with inspirational people.
She discovered there is not much of the content created about and for the artists. It was this desire, why Art Side of Life was born. Iva decided to create a place that would allow people around the world to have access to stories, tips, ideas, and concepts of accomplished artists. Place where we inspire each other, learn from each other and improve every day together.
Art Side of Life evolved into a learning platform where artists find resources to improve their art skills and learn how to make money from what makes them happy.
Whether you want to stay up to date, motivated or just not sure which way to go in your art journey, this is the place for you. We want to show you different ways how to make money as an artist. Whether it is working for an animation or gaming studio, getting a freelance artist job, selling your art in galleries or being a creative entrepreneur.
VISION:
There are endless possibilities to living a creative life.
You should know that you are not alone in this journey of becoming a great artist, a someone who is passionate about their purpose in life.
Never stop improving and let’s help each other succeed.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES:
“Do Your Best and Forget The Rest.” – Tony Horton (Creator of revolutionary fitness programs)
“Sucking at something every once in a while is how you achieve greatness in the long run.” – Tony Horton (Creator of revolutionary fitness programs)
“Silenzio, Bruno!” (sometimes you just have to take the leap) – Alberto and Luca from Disney movie Luca (2021)
“Finished, not Perfect.” – Jake Parker (Creator of #Inktober)
“Practice Makes Progress.” – Peggy Dean (Calligraphy artist and art teacher)
“Nothing will Work, until You Do” – Maya Angelou (Poet, singer and civil rights activist)
“It’s All Good in the Hood” – John Nevarez (VisDev & Story artist)
“I am Still Learning” – Michelangelo (Artist and inventor of the High Renaissance in 15th & 16th century )
Pronounced [ee-vuh] – rhymes with “viva”
I am an artist, illustrator, teacher and the founder of Art Side of Life Podcast & YouTube channel.
What do I do in Art Side of Life:
I have always loved creating something which brightens other people’s day. You can see my portfolio here.
I have multiple years of experience in the toy industry as an illustrator, character designer, art director, and branding specialist with a focus on storytelling, concepts, and animation.
I also teach art and work with businesses in the field of social media and visual communication.
My art inspiration comes from traveling, trips to nature, decorations on the old buildings, and animals.
I am currently based in Central Europe where I take advantage of beautiful nature and draw outside as much as possible.
Pronounced [m-uh-re-yan]
I am a project & online business manager and founder of Art Side of Life Podcast & YouTube channel.
What do I do in Art Side of Life:
I help Iva with everything related to the “back office” – business management, projects, production and marketing.
I have always had a very positive connection with art in all shapes and forms. You know as they say, the earth without art is just ‘eh’.
I am a big fan of all the animated movies from Disney, DreamWorks, Illumination, SONY Animation, SPA Studios, Laika Studios. Through Art Side of Life I could watch artists who worked on those great movies and learn their stories, and life philosophies.
My name is Iva (rhymes with “viva”,) and I’m a full-time illustrator, teacher, and nature enthusiast. I was born and raised in Central Europe; lived, worked in, and made friends from many countries so I feel like a “global citizen” at heart.
As me and my partner love to travel and explore different cultures, we lived in and visited various countries and I tried to learn several languages like French, English, Spanish, Croatian, German, Swiss-German, Japanese, and Danish … not that I can use them fluently, some of them are so hard 😳😊 … English is still my go-to language!
My life experience has been my best creative teacher!
Throughout my creative career, I went to a design college in Denmark, taught art and creative workshops in Germany and Switzerland, worked in advertising and design agency in Hungary for brands like Ariel and Wella, illustrated and designed for clients in Belgium, Switzerland, the USA, and around the world, and spent a quiet few years working in LEGO headquarters in Denmark.
In addition to working with inspiring companies, I started a podcast and YouTube channel called Art Side of Life, interviewing various artists for more inspiration for you, me, and other artists. I’ve published 200+ episodes and now continue with written interviews series.
While working as a designer and illustrator in LEGO, among others, I worked on award-winning product line called LEGO Friends. I helped to bring the toys alive in animated series which was aired on Netflix and Disney channel. I worked on character design, style guide as well as packaging, color scripts, storyboards, and with partners such as DK Books (concepts, layouts, style guide) and LEGO Entertainment Parks on costumes and designs. I was also part of the team working on the LEGO Lord of The Rings, Hobbit, as well as part of the team working on the early stages of the first LEGO Movie.
Alongside my commercial projects, I run my little online shop where I sell posters and other products.
I host workshops on creativity, illustration, acrylics, watercolors, patterns, concept art, and I speak on these topics too!
My inspiration comes from all around including exploring art in different cultures and meeting new people and hearing their stories. I grew up going to nature with my parents a lot, so I developed a strong attachment to everything nature-related, which you can see in my art. As well as seeing animals in the nature, one of my fav experiences was feeding seeds to wild cockatoos, snorkeling with manatees and manta rays and visiting Tasmanian Devil sanctuary and sketching those cute “devils” while they were running around 😊
In regards to cultural influences, I’d say some of my most memorable inspirations come from a trip with my art class to “renaissance” Italy and studying the works of the old masters, visiting creative cafes in Japan (Alice in Wonderland and Robot Cafe), getting lost in towns of northern Europe and admiring their colorful houses and taking walking tours in Australian cities with their imaginative murals.
Besides art, I have many other hobbies too, like drinking coffee or tea with a good book, snowboarding, swimming, a variety of other sports, and interior design. I love pizza and freshly baked bread but I am allergic to white flour…you can see the irony 😳😊. At least I learned how to make a good dough from the buckwheat flour!!
So whether you are here to boost your creative career or paint for fun in your free time, I am very happy that you are here! I hope you will find what you are looking for and more…
Love, Iva ❤️
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