GLOBAL + PERSONAL - - - RESET

     If during the first month of lock down that I spent in Spain at my parents someone told me where I was standing today I would have never believed it. During those moths I experienced some feelings I had never felt before, with my mind constantly playing really bad tricks on me. After several months of living in denial I came to understand that life was not going to get better, or normal in just a day. My creativity during this time was null and trying to find sources of inspiration seemed like the hugest effort. Just sitting at the computer and being productive was not a possibility. Even though I overview this as a negative time in my life, I did achieve certain things that I am now proud of, specially looking back at how my personal state was. What I didn’t know is that my luck was going to give me a good surprise, finally, after a long time.

    This summer was a healing process for me. As I consider myself as a social person, I needed to see people in order to survive creatively and mentally. I decided to not work and take a couple of months just focusing on healing, though at the same time I was building a spreadsheet with all of my contacts and studios I admired. Moreover being able to develop interesting conversations with my friends was also very inspirational. The research must never stop! I kept taking pictures, going to as many places as I could. This all helped me get back to my real self.

    Since my Erasmus in Berlin UDK had been cancelled because of corona, I decided I wanted to move there to experience the city anyways. I needed a break from London. So I landed on an amazing opportunity through a friend: to have an amazing flat in Hermanplatz for 3 months, which I thought would be enough to get some work going. My duty was now find an internship. I visited some studios, with both positive and negative experiences. Overall everybody was too busy to look at my work or show me around so I kept applying online. I felt lucky when I got a response saying no (after sending 70 emails).

    I kept looking forward,  I had to find something , I was making a huge effort at this point, asking friends, family, I was selling myself to anyone even for small or unpaid projects. During this time, I designed a website for a NZ music project (unpaid) but still good experience. I also developed with my design partner, Yuan,  the idea for a studio/collective for our SIP project. I designed a logo with Veronica Alba for a brand of handmade up-cycling bags, Georgia Borrett Lynch. I attended modus system workshop… I was not hopeless but can’t deny I was having hard time, since nobody was replying to my emails.

​After a while, I decided that Berlin was not going to give me the opportunity I was looking for, so I started applying to different cities. The first place I applied to was a small studio in Mannheim, Germany called Deutsche & Japaner. This was the first studio I ever encountered when I first started uni about 3 years ago. I wrote a very honest email explaining my situation and interest, how I felt connected to them and why I liked them. I did not expect any reply. Within two days they asked me for an interview, even though they were not looking for anyone, I was shocked. This had been my biggest achievement so far! The interview went so well and I felt completely comfortable in my skin showing my projects. The next day I received a confirmation email for the position. After this, I spent the rest of my time in Berlin learning German. ​

    I started the first week of November, and by now I can say I have never learnt so much about design in such a short period of time. Since the start of my internship I have already worked on many different disciplines. I have designed different posters, postcards and merchandising for a women’s festival in Mannheim, I have also designed  and coded(!!!) a website and I am about to start the design of a 200 page journal starting next week. All of this while helping with whatever I can in the studio from bigger projects. I am trying to absorb as much as I can, I am constantly looking at everything that is happening around me: how they work, how they make presentations, how they explain ideas, how they go thought the different stages of a design concept… and it is already passing so fast!

   In my short time at D&J I have already experienced a huge personal growth. The team I work with is amazing and very experienced, learning by their side is the greatest thing that has happened to me this year. I am able to manage stress a lot better, have more resilience and confidence. I feel very lucky but at the same time I know that I have worked hard to be here.
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    For the next months I plan on developing more personal projects. I want to keep DJing and producing music and hopefully finish an album by March next year. I am currently working on a mixtape for a design related research platform on instagram. I will keep working on the collective with Yuan,  my SIP for DPS and also long term project and collaboration. I will also keep looking for more collaborative projects, like spam paper 📓(by Vero & Greta). I have a lot ahead and I am very excited! ​

​Patricia Núñez Núñez
@patricia___nunez