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TALENTS: Matilde Digmann – Danish Multidisciplinary Artist & Author
Matilde Digmann
FIND ME: @matildedigmann
SECRET TALENT: Making people feel loved
Who do you look upto?
Meret Oppenheim, Marina Abramovic, Jesus Christ, Elizabeth Gilbert, Julia Cameron, Lauryn Hill, Kevin Hart, Frida Khalo, Dr. Dawid R. Hawkins, Andy Warhol and Tarantino among others.
Last time you laughed?
Uh, I actually don’t remember – is that a good or a bad thing? I tend to laugh every day, but I can never remember why.
What is creativity to you?
To me, creativity is a connection to a higher power – it’s a meditative state where I can channel ideas from the divine. Whenever I’m creating I’m able to stay in the now, and the less I interfere, the better it is. I’ve had to work on controlling my ego and putting it to good use in order to be in a better creative flow.
“I believe that we’re ALL creative and creativity doesn’t necessarily have to be applied to the arts, but can be used in all aspects of life. To me, a day without creativity is a wasted day.”
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘gender’?
Well, it makes me think of my upcoming graphic novel, which deals with being a woman in today’s society. How growing up around beauty standards and being programmed by television and capitalist society affects us in the long term. How do we survive when we’re being told to be objects of desire from a very young age? How are we supposed to see ourselves? What is our value? I think so much has been stolen from us (our innocence, our ability to love freely, and love ourselves, our relationships with our bodies etc.) and I believe that we actively need to take that all back.
I’m writing my graphic novel from a woman’s perspective because that’s what I know – which isn’t to say that this doesn’t happen to men – to me it’s baffling that we live in a society that has so much invested in the genders being separate and non fluid. There’s a lot of shame attached to gender fluidity, and I think we all have to face the inner programming about what it means to be a woman and a man, or however we identify, and start to look at why powers in society have an interest in keeping this status quo.
What does your art mean to you?
My art honestly means everything to me. It has taken me so long to allow myself to just do what I love. I always knew I was an artist. But growing up I was told that if I wanted to be an artist, I’d better have something to fall back on – so I took a really long detour – I took a masters in art history and later studied to become a graphic designer. I guess I was insecure as an artist and as a person, and I just believed what they told me – that you can’t possibly make it as an artist. Now I think, well, some people actually have to be artists in this world – we fill an important role in society and of course it’s possible to make it, contrary to popular opinion.
When I finally realised that I couldn’t live a fake corporate life anymore, I quit trying to fit in at my office job, and I turned to doing what I love; as a result my work has blossomed. My art is in service to a higher power, and I believe that what I do is an inspiration to other blocked artists (being blocked is something I talk openly about in my podcast). Through my book I deal with my personal experience around addiction, being numb, online dating and internalised patriarchy, so I’m constantly looking to better the lives of others and uplift the community through my work.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Uh, that’s a tough one. I honestly have no idea – If you’d asked me 5 years ago i’d have no clue how far I would have come. 5 years ago I was still employed as a graphic designer and doing tedious work on the side, I had no idea that today I’d be doing art full time, so I think I’ll just keep an open mind. I’m releasing a book that might change everything, but it might also be that the world will just shrugs its shoulders and everything moves on like before. I like to leave that kind of thing up to my higher power and just live in the now.
What inspires you?
Spirit, nature, tombstones, my life story and my soul’s journey, higher states of consciousness, seeing structural issues in society, anger and resentment and… cats.
You can keep up with Matilde on Instagram, buy her amazing ceramics, prints and posters through her website, and listen to her weekly podcast episodes on iTunes!