We loved discovering Laivi on Instagram and we needed to have her in our Spotlight!

Laivi: I’m Laivi, living between two beautiful countries – Estonia and The Netherlands. I love nature, animals, and baking!

I graduated from nursing school and worked at a hospital for several years, but I dreamed of being an artist. So in my mid-twenties, I decided to quit my work and become an illustrator! I like to create illustrations that tell a little story and have a peaceful atmosphere.

Subsign: What was your childhood like? Do you think your experiences from childhood have influenced your present creative endeavors?

Laivi: My childhood was happy and adventurous. I grew up with my older brother and lots of cousins. We spent our whole summers at our grandparents’ place, creating all kinds of fun games and exploring the woods and seaside.

My grandfather lived in the countryside, surrounded by thick forest and endless fields of wheat and rye. We went out to play early in the morning and returned late in the evening. My art is definitely influenced by my childhood, I love painting nature scenes!

Subsign: What did you want to be as a grown up?

Laivi: I have a faint memory that I wanted to become a veterinarian like my grandfather.

Subsign: How does your workstation look like?

Laivi: I have a small table in the corner of my living room and that’s my whole studio. I recently got a little table that allows me to work standing up, it helps me to keep my mind running especially in the evenings!

Subsign: Do you have a work style? How would you describe it?

Laivi: I paint anything nature related, I also love to include animals and family-related quality time scenes. My work always starts with a background and then I start including details to the picture.

I have experimented with almost any kind of medium there is, starting with watercolor and ending with paper art and linocutting. After I started using Procreate my style changed a bit.

Now I paint with watercolor on paper, scan it and use it in Procreate (mostly as background for paintings) together with digital media. For my sketchbook, I always go to gouache and colored pencils though.

Subsign: Can you share with us how your creative process works?

Laivi: I love to check Pinterest before I start working, scroll through my boards and see what’s new. I don’t like planning my paintings, I have noticed that the more I plan the less I like the outcome.

Subsign: What is your favorite work you have done so far?

Laivi: Frida portrait – I made it a long time ago, but I remember it was the first painting I was 100% pleased, I guess that’s why I still like it a lot.

Subsign: Who do you follow for inspiration?

Laivi: I love Gordon Mortensen’s beautiful woodcut work!

Subsign: What advice would you give to someone starting out in the creative field of work?

Laivi: Be persistent and keep posting! Don’t get too hung up on what and how other artists create, you might subconsciously or even consciously start imitating them and lose your originality.

Subsign: If you would have a superpower, what would it be?

Laivi: Time travel! Or healing people from incurable diseases.

Subsign: Can you recommend for our readers a book, a song, and a movie?

Laivi: I’d recommend The Moomins by Tove Jannsson, there are books and also cartoons.
I really like Oskar Schuster – Sneeuwland, I think it’s quite inspiring.

Subsign: If you could throw any kind of party, what would it be like and what would it be for?

Laivi: As longs as there are all my good friends, lots of amazing food and many fun games, it’s a great party for me!

Subsign: What famous people would you invite to the party and why?

Laivi: The whole cast of Friends! In character, of course! 😀

If you know an artist that should be in the spotlight, contact us at jojo@subsign.co.

For more of Laivia’s work, you can follow her on the links: Laivi on Instagram.

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