Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you :
I’m Raman Djafari, person that draws a lot, enjoys good coffee, really likes the sound of a basketball passing through the net and is about to start reading “Narziß und Goldmund” by Hermann Hesse. Also, I currently plan to invest in a Game Cube and the game “Super Smash Bros Melee”
Your current job :
I’m a freelance illustrator, animator and concept artist and part of the OK_DOG collective.
In which city are you located?
I’m currently based in Hamburg, Germany.
A word to define what kind of worker you are :
curious.
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
My sketchbook is the centerpiece of my work. With my sketches as a starting point, I then branch out into digital and analog work. For my digital illustrations, I use Photoshop, for my animation work TvPaint and for the analog pieces I tend to use a range of utensils from colored pencils to markers and acrylics.
What does your office space look like?
I work in a studio with my fellow OK_DOGs. It’s packed with plants, prints, empty coffee mugs, various objects ranging from 2m tall action figures of Tal R in underwear to Nokia flip-phone-jetpacks and an upside down yakuzi that houses four double-headed turtles named Dänger, Akkuschrauber, Angela Lanceburry and Eukala.
What kind of music do you listen to when you are working?
Mostly rap and hip-hop influenced music. Currently, a lot of Kendrick Lamar, Denzel Curry, the new Tyler the Creator album, Frank Ocean, Thundercat and alike. Also, I religiously relisten to the German audiobooks of Harry Potter read by the one of a kind master reader lvl.100: Rufus Beck.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work?
Not really, I just try to work on what I feel like working on at the moment. Since I’m almost always have the urge to create something anyways this method tends to work out fine most of the time.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
I would advise anyone to be curious, actually, really honestly curious. About yourself, the world around you and your own perception of it. If an honest curiosity is at the center of your artistic practice, you will find an almost infinite resource of drive and motivation to create. One that is neither forced nor feels like a burden but instead is deeply engaging and satisfying.
You’re better than your colleagues to :
…be on time to meetings.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
Be kind to yourself.
What is your best tip for saving time?
Don’t save time, enjoy it.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
In the morning, coffee + a nice indie mag; in the evening touching the balding head of William Kentridge and listening to his wise words transcending through space and time.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not go without?
Definitely my sketchbook (if that counts as a gadget), my Wacom Intuos 4 and the fake Yu-Gi-Oh card with infinite attack and defense points that my friend Foodie once gave to me.
behance.net/ramandjafari | facebook.com/raman.djafari | ramandjafari.tumblr.com | instagram.com/ramandjafari |
