Friday, March 24, 2023

Interview: Christoph Niemann On Wit, Distilling an Idea, and How the Internet Has Made Us Better Readers

A drawing of an egg with legs and arms using a person to flip a frying pan in the air

“Turning The Table” (2022), from the book ‘Idea Diary.’ All images © Christoph Niemann, shared with permission

The act of drawing, of envisioning an idea and conveying it visually, produces the same feelings in Christoph Niemann as it did when he was a child. A wildly successful artist, author, and animator with a keen wit, Niemann reiterates in a new interview that “there is no trick” to making the creative process easier.

It’s actually kind of comforting that the reality of drawing is that there’s no secret. Most artists have doubt. I’ve always wondered: is there a secret? Is there something I don’t know? Is there a trick that people have to make less difficult? From what I’ve found, there isn’t! What I’m doing today is exactly the same thing, with different tools, with different input, but exactly the same thing that I was doing when I was 12.

In this conversation, Niemann discusses his practice and process, how he consumes news and culture, and how his openness when experiencing a new city or space has changed since the pandemic began. The conversation veers from poetry, distillation, and the purpose of art to the downsides of pitching and finally, to his profound and enduring love for the humble act of putting ink on paper.

Read the interview.

 

A sketch of a person in orange ink stretched out on a chair with a tangerine for a stomach

“Sunday Sketch (Tangerine)” (2014), digital

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Interview: Christoph Niemann On Wit, Distilling an Idea, and How the Internet Has Made Us Better Readers appeared first on Colossal.



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