Following your dreams

Today I wanted to tell you why I started this blog in the first place. Exactly one year ago a good friend of mine died in a horrible accident in China. She was an amazing artist and very young. She had this amazing personality, she believed only in happiness, inspiration and that you should follow your dreams. From this moment on I realized I would start living this way too - and that I want to help artists follow their dreams and passion. 

Many young artists go on studying business or law, because they are told you cannot make a living from art. I really think you have to follow your true passion and inspiration, otherwise you spend many years in life working somewhere where you might be unhappy – and after a while you realize you could have been much more true to yourself by doing what you actually enjoy.

A year ago I started thinking of possibilities of how artists can be supported and how you can help them follow their dreams- and so I started Trade Your Talent. It also keeps my friend close to me in a special way – it makes me feel like I'm doing something in her name. It keeps me connected. With my own startup I'm trying to create even more possibilites for artists, and through this project I've started following my own dreams. 

Thank you Dana. Because of you I learnt that all that matters 

is being happy and true to yourself. 

Some doodling and surprises...

Today something really good happened... but I can't tell you about it just yet, but I hope I can write about it soon enough. Until then a small doodle that shows how I feel like right now: 

Book Arts: "Art as a healing tool"

Today I discovered another amazing arts project in New York and it is hard to describe my fascination. The moment I held the book art in my hand today, books created by people who recover from psychiatric disabilities, I knew I had to share this with you immediately. Looking at the individual books made me feel like I was looking at something really personal, it was a bit like taking a peek at someone else's diary. The honesty of the art is what I found most touching. The Art Collective, which is part of the New York Community Access platform, uses art as a healing tool for helping people recover from psychiatric disabilities. It expands opportunities for personal and artistic development in visual and literary arts and helps these people develop their own language. It is the only one of its kind in mental health services that specializes in teaching Book Arts: the process of creating, designing, writing, binding and exhibiting unique and limited edition handmade books. 

The Art Collective

621 Water Street

New York, NY 10002

212-780-1400, ext. 2000/1

If you would like to donate visit Community Access homepage: 

http://www.cairn.org/ways-to-give

Meeting illustrator Juliane Pieper in New York

gorgeous illustrator Juliane Pieper encouraged me to sketch, even though I think I'm just not made to be an artist. 

I met Juliane in Brooklyn with a gorgeous view of the Brooklyn Bridge, where Juliane discovered 

some gorgeous plastic material which she immediatley collected for her collages. Juliane is an 

illustrator originally from Germany, two years ago she received a Fulbright Scholarship and moved to New York. She recently completed her Master's degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology. We talked a lot about the possibilites of illustrators in the digital world, it was an amazing and very creative day! Her work has been featured in newspapers like the The New York Times. Max Bode at the New Yorker recently complimented her work »Juliane's work is bright and full of energy, which is a combo that is sorely needed in today's illustration world. It's refreshing to see someone who seamlessly breathes new life into illustration. A+«
 She was really amazed by the ideas for my startup, this kind of encouragement made me really happy! 

Kristen Cavallo "Cute Stories"

Kristen Cavallo is an illustrator from New York. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about comic 

strips, cute stories and why her goal is to illustrate a children's book. 

Kristen Cavallo, kristencavallo.com

You're an aspiring children's book illustrator. What would you do if could you get your first book published?

It's been a goal of mine to be a children's book illustrator or writer/illustrator.   I'd be really excited to have a book published by a major publishing company.  It would be such an honor to be apart of the Children's Illustration community.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

As a child, I used to copy the comic strips from the funny pages.  My Illustration style has evolved and is still changing as I am continually inspired. I am attracted to whimsical illustrations with quick line-drawn and textured qualities. I am a fan of children's book illustrators like Ezra Jack Keats, Miroslav Sasek, Quentin Blake, Shel Silverstein, and many others. 

Kristen Cavallo, kristencavallo.com

Which characters do you like to illustrate?

I like doodling children with personality who look like they have a funny or cute story attached to them.  I often sketch characters and then make up a back story on them.  I often wish I had more time to create finished illustrations on a lot of my quick character drawings.

If you could choose another illustrator to collaborate with, who would it be?

I love the work of, accomplished children's book illustrator, Kristin Sorra.  She and I worked together at the same company as graphic designers and she taught me a lot about illustration. She currently works as a freelance illustrator and has illustrated many children's books. One of my favorite writers is Sally Lloyd-Jones.  I briefly met her at one of her own book reading events.  I like the perspective in her writing and I love her humor--I would be very excited to illustrate one of her books.  I also love all of the Mo Willems books.

Since when do you love to draw?

I think when I was around 6 or 7 year old.  My mom is an artist and she has been a great influence and encouragement in my life and in my artistic endeavors.

Kristen Cavallo, kristencavallo.com

New York, New York

Finally time to blog about my first weeks in New York. Yes, weeks ! And I haven't really been able to write about it up until now. To be honest, it took me some time to get used to NYC (hope I'm not the only one). Everything is louder and hotter - today I was practically melting, I will never complain again in Berlin about the temperatures. The city is chaotic but somehow everything still flows, even the traffic at some point (However, I will never get the part where you're allowed to cross the road when the light is red, I tried it one time New York style and almost got run over by a taxi. Now I'm always the only person waiting to cross the road - is that pathetic? ) But slowly I'm getting used to this new speed of the city.

I also have another confession to make. I didn't visit one museum yet, not the Guggenheim, not the Whitney... I wanted to give you juicy art stories from the Big Apple, but somehow I've been more occupied with getting to know this city and its people first. Which has been exciting on its own terms. It's interesting how this city has so many different looks, the Upper East Side is totally glamourous but somehow also a bit boring (sorry Upper East Siders, but it's true) and once you go downtown or to Brooklyn you sometimes don't even remember you're in New York (and I haven't been to many parts of the city yet!). Prospect Park is definitely adorable!

Plus a very good tip: I love the Italian Café "Eataly" next to Madison Park, the coffee is awesome and it's fun watching people walk down 5th Avenue.

One of my greatest moments up until now was a surprising experience with a friend of mine, who, I discovered, is an amazing photographer. We were walking through the streets of Brooklyn and she was taking pictures of families living in her hometown. I enjoyed being able to watch how she worked as a photographer, talking to the people she took pictures of as if they'd know each other for years. It also takes some confidence to walk up to strangers and ask "Can I take a picture of you?" I haven't realized before what an intimate question that is. When I worked as a freelance journalist I often walked up to strangers for interviews, but taking a picture of them is even more private somehow. I have always wanted to know more about how photographers create art, who the people behind the lens are and how they manage to transform a small moment into something much bigger.

I'm sorry for not being more artsy for you today, but I still wanted to fill you in on my first impressions of New York!

Mascot Competition: Vote for your favorite Mascot!

Finally I can show you all the mascots that have been submitted to TYT! Please comment below for your vote. And of course thanks to all the lovely artists who have submitted a mascot! Important for the big fans of Mr. Stick-Figure: you can also vote for him ;)


Max, who thrives on love, hugs and creativity, by Sue Pownall (Blog: Art of A Nomad)

Elizabeth Rose Stanton (Blog: Penspaperstudio) submitted a dragon couple trading their talent, Crayon Man and baby chickens.

Ann Hyde (Blog: Studiohyde) submitted a puppy

Exclusive NYC Scoop: Singer-Songwriter Eleanor Dubinsky

Friday night in Brooklyn at Pete's Candy Store (a very cozy bar) left me with an amazing discovery - singer-songwriter Eleanor Dubinsky. Her lyrics in English, Spanish and French are romantic and heartfelt,  I could have listened to her exceptional voice for hours. After a very hectic week it was just the  perfect way to start into the weekend. 

Everyone coming to NYC this summer should visit one of her concerts. Eleanor's songs are a mixture of many styles - folk, soul and Latin rhythms - every song is different in a surprising way. Her voice is soft and strong in a perfect balance - and when she plays the cello she is just gorgeous. I can only say, one of the best live performers I have seen in a long time. Here is an exclusive video of her concert on Friday: 

Her new album "Touch the Sky" was just released. You can also find Eleanor @


Website: eleanordubinsky.com
Facebook: eleanordubinskymusic
twitter: eleanordubinsky

Blog Art Exhibition, Suhita Shirodkar "India / Energy of the Moment"

Suhita Shirodkar  is an obsessive-sketcher and graphic designer. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about her recent travels to India and why she is addicted to sketching her surroundings. 

Suhita Shirodkar 

Suhita Shirodkar 

During which moments are you most creative?

I find it hard to "set aside" time to be creative, so I carry my portable studio with me everywhere: a couple of sketchbooks ( in case I can make 2 quick sketches: while a sketch dries in one book, I start on a second one), an extra-fine sharpie ( I love sketching with these: the ink runs out of them real quick forcing me to keep my lines quick and fluid), colored pencils, a portable set of watercolors, a couple of brushes, and a water container. Sometimes all I have is 15 minutes between meetings, or before I pick up my kids: I'll stop anywhere that catches my eye during my drive and make a quick sketch.  ( I just did a posting about this. But I'm most excited by travel: it's always fun to draw places and things you've never seen before. There's something really exciting about capturing first impressions.

You recently travelled to India. How did you try to capture the travel experiences in your work? 

I was In India visiting (lots of) family, and I just drew wherever I could.. suddenly all the tedious parts- the long waits at the airport, the endless flight halfway across the world- became opportunities to sketch. One rainy day we were stuck at my in-laws home with the roof leaking. It was hard to even walk around the house without stepping into puddles. I sat in a corner and sketched the only view I had: the ceiling. 

Suhita Shirodkar 

Can you describe one special moment you tried to sketch?

I spent one whole week during my trip to India just traveling and sketching with my teenage nieces.Most of my sketching happens around  2 little kids aged 3 and 5, but this week was different. One peaceful morning in Delhi, we settled down to sketch Humayun's Tomb, a grand building that is the predecessor to the Taj Mahal. I thought I was going to capture this monument on a quiet, calm morning. But everything changed within a few minutes. A whole bunch of school buses arrived, packed with kids that were loud, excited and full of energy. They swarmed in a mass of red school uniforms towards the monument. It was fantastic to capture the madness and energy of the moment. I love unexpected things like that. Suddenly the sketch was about more than just another monument. 

Suhita Shirodkar 

Are you a full time artist,or do you do something besides art ?

I am a graphic designer, a mom of 2 kids, an obsessive sketcher and I run an online store on etsy. I'm little bits of way too many things! One day though, I'd love to be a full time artist. Until then, I plan to fill lots and lots of sketchbooks.

Where do you get your inspiration?

From the world around me. From my travels. I am particularly drawn to urban settings and vibrant colors. Chaos and color are two things I love to capture. Big cities, and cultures full of color, like Mexico and India, are very inspiring.

Suhita Shirodkar 

Suhita Shirodkar 

Suhita Shirodkar

 If you could give some creative advice to young artists,what would it be?

This isn't something I came up with, I heard it from a fellow artist, but it's worth repeating: if you love doing something at age 5, it is probably something you can be happy doing your whole life. I loved to draw as a kid. But somewhere along the way, I stopped drawing, and only got back to my sketchbook habit a couple of years ago. It's an addiction now. And I love it.

See more of Suhita's art @

Blog: http://sketchaway.wordpress.com/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/sketchaway

Online store: sketchaway.etsy.com/

Chloe Allred designed a logo for our Art for Rwanda Project

Special thanks to Chloe Allred,  a sophomore at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, for designing our first logo for our Art for Rwanda Project. Some of my readers might have been wondering why I often posted special interviews about art projects in Rwanda. During my studies of History I wrote a paper on the Genocide in Rwanda in 1994, and what happened there really upset me. This is why I'm also sponsoring a little girl in Rwanda. A couple of years ago I actually started my own "Project Rwanda" but somehow it didn't go in the direction I wanted it to. This is why I'm now very passionate about reporting on art projects in Rwanda, because art is very powerful in creating social awareness. An interview with Chloe about her own art auction for Rwanda will follow soon. This is the logo Chloe Allred designed

I know we also have the mascot competition going but anyone can submit a logo for Rwanda too, I will then post it on TYT! If you have your own passion about a particular country (and how you maybe supported it through an art project) feel free to comment below and tell us all about it.