“I always knew I wanted to draw,” says Beci Orpin. So, it’s no surprise that this Melbourne creative has found success in her adult life as an illustrator, designer and artist. For more than 20 years she has been creating bold, colourful, joyful art for exhibitions, commercial collaborations, kids books and clothes, and even murals on Melbourne streets. Here, she shares some insights into her creative life.
Creative Beginnings
I had quite an alternative upbringing. I grew up in a commune for a part of my life, where I didn’t watch much TV and was encouraged to play outside a lot. My dad was a carpenter; I’d spend school holidays on building sites with him and I’d make things out of random bits of wood that were hanging around. My mum is a political activist, and has worked in various women’s rights roles. She’s a really strong force in my life. Both encouraged me to be creative from a young age.
Tapping Into Talent Early
There’s a drawing of a carousel I did when I was five or six that my mum always references. She didn’t keep it, but she remembers it being very detailed and amazing for my age. When I was in Year 9, I did a drawing of a cat hiding behind a broom which turned out really well. I thought, “Oh, wow! Maybe I can actually do this”. Before then, I was just messing around.
After I finished high school, I did textile design at RMIT. It’s a really great course for making. We learned things like knitting and screen printing, and we were encouraged to ‘make by hand’. Once I graduated, I fell into freelancing and I’m still here, many years later.
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Creating in Collaborative Spaces
My studio is in a warehouse I share with my husband, Raph. He runs his food truck business from there too. I was working solo at home before I moved into the space; it’s nice to now be in an environment where there’s a lot happening. I get to taste test food from Beatbox Kitchen out the front, I can use the warehouse for big projects, I have space for photoshoots and there are a lot of fun people around. It’s inspiring to be around creative people that work outside my field.
Mentors, Peers and Inspirations
My first inspiration [would have been] children's books — things like Miffy. So artists and designers such as Dick Bruna, Enzo Mari and Bruno Munari were hugely influential on me. I don’t have a specific creative mentor but Jeremy Wortsman, [founder] of Jacky Winter, is always great with advice, especially as I work by myself; it's nice to have someone to talk to. I've got a really good collection of peers who I share ideas with and talk about work with.
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The Day-to-Day of Creativity
I have definite routines that I follow. I always start with emails. And then lists – lots of lists. I've got a list for the month, and for the week, and then I write one for the day. Each day is quite different. Some days I'm in the studio; sometimes I'm out shooting or sourcing things. It's really varied but I work regular hours. Sometimes I work late if I have to, or weekends; I prefer to work weekends than late nights. I operate best in having routine.
Organised Chaos
My studio is fairly messy and colourful. It's got a lot of artwork: stuff I've made; stuff other people have made. It's got a lot of books and art supplies. Even though it's messy, I know where everything is. It has a system of organisation. And because I work on lots of different projects in lots of different mediums, I do need lots of... stuff. Also, I’m a hoarder: once I finish a project, I find it really hard to throw it out. So I’ve got lots and lots of projects that I've worked on as well.
The Creative Process
I always start with a brief, something I’ll set myself if I’m working on a personal piece, or from a client. I write down what I need to achieve before starting to digest it. This really helps me understand the concept and reinforce what I need to do. From there, I’ll start doing the research and gathering resources that might be relevant to that project. This might be images, concepts, colour palettes and references. I put that all in my sketchbook and then map out the ideas. Essentially the sketchbook is just for me to reference. It's not for anybody else to see. That brings a certain amount of freedom. I can kind of be as messy or abstract as I like. And that's a really important part of creating the ideas – being able to experiment and get all those things out.
Tools of the Trade
I do a lot of work from a computer, but when I'm actually making stuff, I love paper. It’s a really accessible medium and easy to use. I like paints; anything that I can get stuck down with quickly. I like quick expression of ideas. Also coloured pencils and markers. I use all of them. Coloured paper, markers, pencils and coloured pencils: that'd be the big four.
Embracing Child-Like Thinking
Creativity, to me, is free thinking. Somebody once told me that when you’re a child, your thoughts are free, and then, as you get older, they get more and more caged. That’s why creativity gets harder as you get older. Being creative allows your thoughts to be free, instead of being shut down by day-to-day things like the mortgage. It’s thought-freedom.
