Long-time love story of Steffen Mumm with graffiti
Have you ever thought about the power of childhood memories and how they can influence your future career? The friend of Handmadefont Studio and extremely talented graffiti artist Steffen Mumm has something to say to highlight the topic of developing artistic skills and gaining creative experience.
— So, Steffen, tell us: what is your story with graffiti and typography? How and when did you fall in love with arts?
— I’ve always drawn a lot at school and there were a few people who painted graffiti. I was fascinated by how they painted big pictures with just the can. When I was 7 years old, our school was designed by graffiti artists. This has remained in my head until today and when I was about 13 years old, I also started to paint graffiti styles. When I began studying design in 2013, my interest in the roots of letters, calligraphy and typography began to grow.
— But why typography? What was so appealing about it in your eyes?
— This is due to my roots as a graffiti artist. Since then I’ve always been writing and wanted to go one step further to develop and gain experience.
— Did you give other graphic design routes a try?
— I tried a lot. I took pictures for a long time and also filmed from time to time. During my studies I also dealt a lot with illustration and graphic design. In the end I stayed with the letters.
— What was your first big assignment like?
— My first big assignment had nothing to do with letters; it was a large wall in a garden that I photo realistically sprinkled with my colleague “Norm” with a jungle theme.
— Some artists have principles and patterns that help them to hone their own unique skills. What is your secret?
— I think the key is the practice. You always have to invest and practice a lot. Otherwise, it is worthwhile to also deal with other areas. For example, calligraphy and lettering have done a lot for me. That strongly influenced my work. And of course, you have to have fun and be excited about what you do, otherwise it makes no sense.
— Are there any things that make you feel inspired, like, you know, bring you to the thought that you can move mountains?
— A lot! Nature provides incredible inspiration for shape and color and everything else that you see in everyday life. Especially when it comes to letters – they are everywhere! Whether in the newspaper, on the Internet or on signs. Of course, there are also many good artists who inspire me.
— And since we have raised the matter of inspiration – what do you do when it leaves you? What is your tactics when it comes to overcoming this obstacle?
— I think that variety in life is a good thing. Beside your own passion you also should cultivate other hobbies, do sports and have good people around you. Up and downs are quite normal and you should just accept them and keep the line. Incidentally, boredom creates creativity, or a walk without a cell phone or other distractions.
— What do you do in your leisure time to relax?
— In any case. I like to read and do sports, that gives me a good balance. In my opinion, it is important to also do other things for which you are enthusiastic and in which you invest time, because in each of them there are many potentials. You just have to search for them and bring them out.
— Can you map out your plans for the year?
— There is no fixed plan at all. I definitely want to visit some places around the world to paint and meet other people. Everything else will be revealed.
Defining graffiti
Long-time love story of Steffen Mumm with graffiti
Have you ever thought about the power of childhood memories and how they can influence your future career? The friend of Handmadefont Studio and extremely talented graffiti artist Steffen Mumm has something to say to highlight the topic of developing artistic skills and gaining creative experience.
— So, Steffen, tell us: what is your story with graffiti and typography? How and when did you fall in love with arts?
— I’ve always drawn a lot at school and there were a few people who painted graffiti. I was fascinated by how they painted big pictures with just the can. When I was 7 years old, our school was designed by graffiti artists. This has remained in my head until today and when I was about 13 years old, I also started to paint graffiti styles. When I began studying design in 2013, my interest in the roots of letters, calligraphy and typography began to grow.
— But why typography? What was so appealing about it in your eyes?
— This is due to my roots as a graffiti artist. Since then I’ve always been writing and wanted to go one step further to develop and gain experience.
— Did you give other graphic design routes a try?
— I tried a lot. I took pictures for a long time and also filmed from time to time. During my studies I also dealt a lot with illustration and graphic design. In the end I stayed with the letters.
— What was your first big assignment like?
— My first big assignment had nothing to do with letters; it was a large wall in a garden that I photo realistically sprinkled with my colleague “Norm” with a jungle theme.
— Some artists have principles and patterns that help them to hone their own unique skills. What is your secret?
— I think the key is the practice. You always have to invest and practice a lot. Otherwise, it is worthwhile to also deal with other areas. For example, calligraphy and lettering have done a lot for me. That strongly influenced my work. And of course, you have to have fun and be excited about what you do, otherwise it makes no sense.
— Are there any things that make you feel inspired, like, you know, bring you to the thought that you can move mountains?
— A lot! Nature provides incredible inspiration for shape and color and everything else that you see in everyday life. Especially when it comes to letters – they are everywhere! Whether in the newspaper, on the Internet or on signs. Of course, there are also many good artists who inspire me.
— And since we have raised the matter of inspiration – what do you do when it leaves you? What is your tactics when it comes to overcoming this obstacle?
— I think that variety in life is a good thing. Beside your own passion you also should cultivate other hobbies, do sports and have good people around you. Up and downs are quite normal and you should just accept them and keep the line. Incidentally, boredom creates creativity, or a walk without a cell phone or other distractions.
— What do you do in your leisure time to relax?
— In any case. I like to read and do sports, that gives me a good balance. In my opinion, it is important to also do other things for which you are enthusiastic and in which you invest time, because in each of them there are many potentials. You just have to search for them and bring them out.
— Can you map out your plans for the year?
— There is no fixed plan at all. I definitely want to visit some places around the world to paint and meet other people. Everything else will be revealed.