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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you:
My name is Rachel Katstaller, I’m a cat obsessed illustrator from a tiny tropical country located in Central America.
Your current job:
I work as a freelance illustrator, currently concentrating on children’s books.
In which city are you located?
I’ve been living in Innsbruck, a beautiful city in the Austrian Alps for over a year now.
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
Probably meticulous, to not say perfectionist…
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
I wouldn’t be able to do most of my work without Photoshop, a good scanner, and my MacBook Pro. I love mixing digital with handmade things so colored pencils, gouache and so on.
What does your office space look like?
I work in a co-working studio in the city center, sharing a space with a photographer and a 3D artist. I have lots of gorgeous natural light from the beautiful large window next to my desk and a slightly tropical feel from all the plants overgrowing their pots.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working?
When I really need to concentrate I find music and any sound too distracting. In some phases of my creative process, I enjoy listening to an eclectic assortment of music or a good podcast.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work?
Every day after leaving the studio I leave my workplace tidy and organized so that the first thing I get to do in the morning is to look into my planner and plan the days ahead without any digital distractions. I work on any urgent projects and after lunch dedicates myself to e-mails and less pressing matters.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
It’s essential to find your own flow and how you work best, in my case I need to start on any project right away from early in the day until I finish it, no matter if it takes until 4 am the day after next.
You’re better than your colleagues to:
Overthink everything.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
To keep a playful state of mind to illustration/work/life/everything.
What is your best tip for saving time?
As a general rule in life, mainly due to bad experiences while hiking, I don’t believe in shortcuts: sometimes things just need that amount of time to get done.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
Getting awakened by my cat meowing and dozing off while trying to get some reading done.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
I love my Kindle and my skateboard, which is not a gadget, but I can’t live without it.
rachelkatstaller.com | instagram.com/rachelkatstaller | behance.net/rachelkatstaller