Real Talk: Gabriella Mussurakis, Illustrator
Gabriella Mussurakis is a freelance illustrator based in London, UK and originally from Crete, Greece.
Gabriella’s work is inspired by live music & extravagant fashion and her powerful, graphical and colourful style has led to collaborations with the likes of Adidas, Soho House, Lovebox and more.
In this issue of Real Talk, we discuss her recent work with Red Bull, growing up in Greece, the pros and cons of having a ‘style’, knowing your worth, eating plantains and more!
Enjoy 😀
Zack
Hey Gabriella. How’s it going? Where are you right now and what are you feeling at this moment?
Hello Zack! I am good, thank you! I think like everyone else, I am experiencing a mixture of emotions. I go through waves of productivity and working many hours till late at night to then hours of scrolling TikTok, playing Animal Crossing and watching Parks and Rec. I am quarantining in my flat in London with my best friend so at least lockdown hasn’t been lonely. Thankfully, we’ve been creative with our evenings by cooking and having our own faux Boiler Room nights.
You’ve been working with Red Bull recently to create illustrations for their e-sports studio. How did the project come about and what has it been like to work on?
Originally Red Bull reached out to me to create some illustrations for the reopening of the gaming sphere in Shoreditch. However, due to Coronavirus the opening obviously has been delayed. They asked me to create some illustrations to promote their online gaming sphere for their social media and discord channel to keep their audience engaged.
They have been a wicked client to work for as they are very direct with what they want but still leave me enough creative freedom. No major iterations and no beating around the bush!
This type of illustration around gaming is a completely new territory for me which was quite exciting and challenging. I have to admit that during my teenage years I used to play so many video games; I even hurt my wrist once because I played for so many hours, so I thought of this project as an ode to my teen self smashing hours of ‘World of Warcraft’ and The Simpsons ‘Hit & Run’.
How have you found adjusting to lockdown?
Lockdown has been mostly tough if I am honest. My Mental health really declined in the past couple of weeks. The nature of my job was already a work from home situation, so technically it shouldn’t even be hard to adjust. However, I am a really extroverted person doing an introverted job and now with lockdown, all my outings like going to the gym, restaurants, walks, etc have been completely wiped out.
I am forcing my creativity and once I get going it’s easy for me. I just started a little personal project drawing some skaters as I want to practice drawing the different shapes that bodies create as well as action shots! It’s been fun as I haven’t done anything personal in a while.
You grew up in Greece and moved to London to study illustration at UAL. How did growing up in Greece influence your work and has it changed since moving to London?
Growing up in Greece was Ace! I am from Crete, so my childhood memories are hours of swimming and being surrounded by nature, eating peaches, and catching cicadas which I then chased my friends with to annoy them. As a teenager though, it was so boring! It was just really repetitive, seeing the same people and going to the same places and I got really tired of the bubble I was living in. I found it difficult to adjust in school as arts were not encouraged as a career choice and I also come from a family of extremely smart doctors which added a lot of pressure. Luckily, they have been supportive of my career choice since day 1 and I couldn’t be more thankful.
During University, my art was completely different as I was really influenced both by Greece & the medical background of my family. I even created a Feta Manifesto (as the feta in London was terrible) and a Vaccination for the Nation book (a book about promoting vaccines). After graduation, I wanted to change up my style as I was severely influenced by the fashion street style scene, how people were dressed in the music industry but also how multicultural London is and how every borough of London dresses.
How important do you think it is to have a ‘style’ as an illustrator?
Having a style as an illustrator is probably a double-edged sword. It has been the reason why my career grew so sharp after graduation as it helped me stand out and attract great clients. However, it is also the sole reason I have been rejected from so many job interviews. The feedback is always: “You have too much of style”. I don’t want to discourage any illustrator exploring and experimenting with different visuals, it really boils down to what everyone wants to achieve.
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Who are some of your influences?
Some of my favourite influential Illustrators with really unique styles are Mason London, Kelly Anna and Caterina Bianchini (which now is Studio Nari).
What are the challenges of navigating through the creative industries as a freelance illustrator?
The hardest thing about being a freelance artist is to force my mind to think like a businesswoman and to put more effort into networking as it doesn't come naturally to me. After I realised that my skills were valuable, everything became easier and more respectful.
What’s your favourite part about being an illustrator?
Just drawing! I also love when I send my mum finished pieces and she always hypes me up, even when they are terrible; probably not the best for improving but still feels nice!
You’re represented by Illustration X. How has having an agent helped in your career?
I have only been with my agency for less than a year so our relationship is still really fresh, however, it feels nice as a freelancer to know that someone has my back for any issues.
What advice do you have for creatives who also want to find an agent?
My story about getting my agent is probably a little different than the average illustrator. I met my agent in Shoreditch House as I was part of a mentoring scheme and my mentor introduced me to my agent to give me some advice. She really liked my work and the next day I received an email saying that they would like to sign me.
Before that, I used to email the agencies that I would have liked to work with and hoped for the best. I would say that having an agent was not the end goal as you still have to do the majority of the work and it is not guaranteed that they will find you clients every month.
What’s next for you?
I am currently working on some more assets for Red Bull, some animation for an online music publication and illustrations for the socials of a makeup brand. Pretty busy on the creative side but I also try to have some time for personal portfolio work.
Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to a bunch of creatives on the internet?
I would like to remind all my amazingly creative friends that your talent and skills should never be free, no matter how cool and amazing the brand sounds. If a business is reaching out to you, they have a budget. The more you stand your ground, the fewer people will ask for free work. Also, the importance of networking is tremendous when it comes to the creative industry, so when the pandemic ends and life returns back to normal -whatever that normal is- I would encourage everyone to attend events and put themselves out there. My favourite website to find events is The Dots.
Also, when I went to New York I tried tostones, which are double-fried plantains and I have been making it since and I would like everyone to try them.
Thanks again to Gabriella for speaking with me. Check out her work and follow her on Instagram!
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