The design industry has also always been a male dominated industry, especially in Namibia. It’s great to see more women take charge and give a refreshing approach to the design industry we all needed.
Tanya Stroh, a graphic designer and creative, among other things, has proven and inspired a lot of other young and upcoming female designers. Letting them know that the Arts is not a dead end.
We caught up with the entrepreneur to find out a little more about her journey.
On Design
So who is Tanya…
I call myself a creative dreamer, thinker, maker and doer. I’m a creative entrepreneur, a Namibian citizen of the world and a caffeine-dependent life form. Windhoek has always been my home, though I was born in Tsumeb, a pretty creative town in of itself. Attending Windhoek International School just gave me a different outlook in life – everything was always an option, a possibility. I studied design and branding in Cape Town and Johannesburg followed by working for a few advertising agencies. Since reading The Artist’s Way I packed my bags for an artist residency in Berlin, which inspired me to open my own design studio. That’s the super abridged version.
When did you know you wanted to do arts? Passion or Calling?
I’ve found my life’s purpose in creativity. I live for it, or rather through it.
Did you have arts in school? What were your interests growing up?
Yes, art and drama, always featured throughout my school subjects, though funnily enough, not for my last two years at school.
I always had a passion for creativity and art. I was the ballet and drama kid. I grew up in a house where art covered the walls and my mom made a point of taking us to the theatre regularly.
So Graphic Design? Why that path?
I left school wanting to study psychology but I wasn’t sure. I took a gap year with a working holiday visa in England and the creativity of London had a massive impression on me. I actually didn’t know that graphic design was a career path until I’d read a description about it online. It got me in the gut. It was the thing I was looking for. It combines thinking, information and visual representation, these concepts are dear to me.
What’s your favourite medium of expression?
I love mixed media, combining the physical and the digital, and typography will always be my first love.
What does Design mean to you?
Taking something complex and making it simple, and, sometimes, beautiful.
Line, shape, space, value, form, texture, and color.
Which are your 3 favourite elements of art?
How are you making me choose?! Colour, form, space.
On Business
When did you decide to start your own company?
Although I learned loads, working for companies it just didn’t satisfy me after some time. Call it artistic license. I started thinking about the idea of working independently while living in Berlin in 2011 and seeing loads of creative co-op studios or designers working successfully as freelancers. For a long time I too just worked as a freelancer. Establishing a full-on business just seemed scary, overwhelming and beyond my ability. In 2014 I completed a Femtech course which really equipped me to just go for it. Since first submitting paperwork for Turipamwe Design in 2012, I haven’t looked back.
How has the entrepreneurship journey been since?
Entrepreneurship, like most things worth doing requires constant growth and attention. Learning, making mistakes, trying something new. It’s thinking differently with consistent inspired action to match. You have to show up and roll up your sleeves. Apart from that, it’s been about being able to create value in what I do.
What’s that one thing you wish you knew before starting?
How to cost creativity. It’s still tough. And, being super, super clear on who you want to work for and with, and why.
Do you think we need more female designers in the industry? If so, why?
We need more designers, period, though I would love to see young women pursue it as a career choice. The creative industries is a great tool for employment and opportunities for youth in Namibia.
What opportunities do you wish to create for other female designers/business women?
I’d love to help create an ecosystem where the real value for creativity is respected in both talent and economic value from all sectors of society.
Any advice to a recent design graduate?
Show and share your work. Be proactive with and practice our technical skill set. Be willing to keep learning and really put effort into what you do, complacency is never okay.
Quick Fun
3 words to describe running your own business?
Dreaming, making, doing.
3/5 quick fun tips on how to be a girl boss?
- Inspired ideas don’t keep office hours.
- Some decisions require consultation, some decisions require single-minded leadership, know the difference between the two and when to use them.
- You have to create your own work life balance. I once read “you won’t find your health at your desk.”
- Learn from others.
- Be willing to ask for and receive help.
What’s your favourite about what you do?
Meeting passionate people who love what they do and the creative AHA moment when you crack a design concept.
Fun fact about Turipamwe Design?
I started my business with a laptop from home and my first office eventually became the storeroom. Our days ALWAYS start with coffee.
Follow Tanya and Turipamwe Design to see what they get up to.
