Tatiasian, An artist, designer, model and world traveler, from Phoenix, Arizona, USA @tatiasian

What was the situation in which this photo was taken?

I am currently in Thailand so I took a bunch of selfies of myself with the jungle background because I thought the environment was gorgeous… I’m also just a selfie whore anyway haha.

Could you tell us something about what you do?

Well I am currently a graphic design student, but have been working in the industry since I was 16. I create logos, flyers, websites, you name it. I also model quite a bit on the side as more of a hobby.

How did you first become interested in graphic design and modeling?

I had always been an artist, since I was very young. I had always been very good at drawing anything, but eventually I thought that I couldn’t make a solid career out of drawing pictures, so when I was 16 my boyfriend at the time had introduced me to graphic design and I fell in love. With the modeling, I grew up with my mother being an internationally published swimsuit model so I always knew I would get into it someday.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I love just about everything I do. I love that I can make a living out of doing what I love, I love studying what I love to do, and I love being able to express my creativity through design and modeling.

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment, funny enough, I am actually at a rehab in Thailand. So I guess you could say I’m working on myself at the moment. I’m about to (or possibly already) travel(ing) the world. However, I have photo shoots lined up back home with some very creative photographers and I have amazing ideas in the works for that.

What are the challenges in what you do, and how do you overcome them?

Two words. ARTISTS BLOCK! Often I just put down whatever I’m working on or walk away/take a break from what I’m doing and listen to music and scroll through Instagram for some inspiration. Or I will think of a certain color and how I could somehow incorporate that with what I’m doing in an artistically appealing way, for example the colors pink and red never fail to inspire me. Different shades of pink and red tend to open up my creativity a lot more because I’ll think back on a look or work I saw that incorporated the color pink or red and I will immediately get inspiration and overcome that artist’s block, or I’ll just think of other styles of work I’m working on and try to blend both styles.

Could you describe your personal style?

I wear a lot of black. I am very body positive so I tend to wear clothing that contours my body, which often bothers other people, but it’s just me. I just recently cut my hair above my shoulders (the shortest it has ever been!) and I am loving it! I’m very different with my make up looks each day, one day it will be simple and the next it will be completely done up with the darkest lipstick I own. I’m a huge fan of platform shoes and heels, as well. I have this weird fetish for stockings, so I’ll often be wearing two pairs of stockings, one normal and one that is all ripped up with knee-high socks. That, or I’m wearing my baggiest sweatpants with a crop top, I love Adidas. I also have many tattoos and plan to get many, many more.

What is your present state of mind?

So currently, as I mentioned above, I am in rehab in Asia. I had lost myself completely prior to coming here. I wasn’t working on anything for months and I was just unhappy and depressed. My current state of mind is very happy and very creative. I bought myself a sketch book and some fine tip pens (I make stipple art in my free time) and I’ve been drawing something every day.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

At the moment I am very into Kendrick Lamar’s new album, the Gorillaz new album, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, Death Grips, Spooky Black, New Order, Rudimental, and Tyler, the creator is ALWAYS a must for me.

Which artists or designers inspire you?

The first artist to EVER inspire me was Alex Pardee. However now, a lot of tattoo artists inspire me, mainly Buena Vista Tattoo Club (Volko Merschky & Symone Pfaff) out of Würzberg, Germany. David Carson, the grandfather of grunge style graphic design, and I almost always try to go for a Terry Richardson look in each of my shoots.

What is the purpose of art, in your view?

Self expression, pleasing the visual eye, beauty, and of course there are no rules to art, so having the freedom to create whatever you want.

How do you spend your free time?

I’m quite an introvert. I spend a lot of time on my own, so I’m always on my iMac scrolling through Designspiration or on Tumblr or Facebook, or scrolling through Instagram looking for inspiration for my next shoot. When I’m not at home, I’m often at clubs with my friends because I love dressing up. I go to a lot of concerts alone because I feel I can enjoy them much more when I am by myself. I also go to a lot of music festivals, I just came back from Coachella a few months back.