We had the opportunity to speak with Josefin Norlin, a multidisciplinary artist and author, about balancing parenthood with a professional career and discovering inspiration in everyday life.
Being a visual artist, designer, and children's book author, where do you get your inspiration from?
From everyday life, really. On the bus, in the grocery store. And especially from nature. A piece of garbage on the street can spark an idea or influence a color palette, and a music video from the nineties can evoke an urge to create something.
I have quite clear memories from my childhood, and I remember vividly how I felt in different situations. I often use this as an initial idea when creating children’s books. Furthermore, I also enjoy looking at and experiencing other artists' creations. There is nothing as inspiring as someone who is excellent at what they do.
Creating is almost like a compulsion for me. I get this restless feeling, an itch that won’t go away unless it gets an outlet and I create something. At times this can be a bit exhausting, but at the same time, it gets things done. Maybe this is what you would call a creative flow?
How does sustainability affect your choices when it comes to your career and everyday life?
I strive to be a conscious and slow consumer. My family lives in a pretty small house (64 square meters), we commute mainly by bike, and try to limit our use of cars. We shop a lot of our furniture and housewares secondhand and try to source sustainable brands when we buy new things.
In my career, I try to source things locally and produce on a small scale. If possible, I love to promote sustainability, and one of my children’s books is about a cat that works at a thrift store and loves vintage sweaters. I want it to feel natural to buy things second, third, or fourth hand, and to repurpose or redecorate things when we get tired of them. We need to reverse back to producing and using our belongings as if they were meant to last a long time, not just for the short term. No one is perfect, but everyone can do something.
Balancing a career with parenthood can be challenging. How do you juggle both responsibilities effectively?
This is something I don’t think I have mastered at all. When I grew up, both of my parents had their own businesses. My father had his own company and worked as a visual merchandiser (the old kind that hand-painted signs and built things by hand), and my mother had a cafe. They worked a lot, and I was brought up with the belief that anything is possible as long as you are willing to work really hard for it. Since I am quite restless, I tend to work a lot — not the best approach when you have kids. During the day I work as a designer, and at night and on weekends, I paint, draw, and write.
To not make the same mistakes as my parents did, I try to keep the promises I make, and when possible, I work where my family is so that I can be present and talk with my child at the same time as I paint or draw. But this is a big source of guilt for me, and I most definitely have areas where I need to improve.
Finally, do you have any special projects coming up that you want to share with our readers?
I always have a lot on my plate. To mention a few things, I’m working on a children’s book that I have not yet signed with a publisher, as the manuscript is still being finalized. This is the scariest part. You think you might have something worth sharing with the world, but it could end up being rejected or completely misunderstood. And at the beginning of next year, I have an exhibition at a gallery in Stockholm that I am currently painting for.
Finally, where can our readers connect with you?
Find me on Instagram at @josefin_norlin or visit my website at https://josefinnorlin.com
