Have you ever wondered about how other creatives work or deal with the difficulties of the creative industries? Welcome to “Asking Creatives of Forward”, our new series in which we ask the creatives of our newly founded Forward Network about their daily hustle, their techniques and other advice.
Forward Network is THE hub between brands and creatives that aims to enable successful collaborations and projects that outshine the competition. By now the network already counts about 40 creatives of 14 different fields ranging from photography, AR/VR, motion design, 3D, creative code, film, sound design, street art, lettering, AI, text and illustration.
As Bounty Studio puts it: Collaboration is the way to go. But since we curated so many different creatives – different in terms of fields, styles, backgrounds and personalities – we wanted to know what convinced them to join Forward Network. Read all about their motives in this 5th edition of “Asking Creatives of Forward”. And if they have given you the taste to become a member as well, then apply via our website!
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on the ever-growing network and find more info about joining as a creative or starting a project with the network here.
A good start into our conversation is your series “indoor feelings and single-door kennels to your soul”, because that’s how we got to know your work. The images show portraits of domesticated and tamed breeding dogs, in a state of defense, gnashing their teeth.
These paintings are not dog portraits, they’re not so much about the dogs themselves. My work is always about humans, even when I paint dogs. Everything I create revolves around issues of perception, projection, interpretation, deception and illusion. Our senses are not a transparent window to reality, but a filter which leaves most of it out. The dogs I painted look very aggressive, almost demonic, but most likely they’re just yawning, or barking with curiosity and there’s nothing evil or scary about them: it’s purely appearance. I imagine them being very kind and sweet creatures, only captured in a moment looking their worst. But it’s completely deceptive: technological flaws or failures, trying to capture reality.
What made you join Forward Network?
David Silva:I watched the Forward Festival online, and I fell in love with what I saw. The guests, the interviews, the work they shared, and the overall experience of the festival kept me very interested in anything that comes from Forward. I also took my chances to say hi to the guests by getting in touch, and they answered me and we’ve been sharing kind messages since then. So when I saw you were looking for artists for the network, I didn’t hesitate to apply. I hope to grow and share valuable experiences with you and the clients that may come up with the network.
Rosa Kammermeier: I know the Forward Team since my Adobe Creative Residency back in 2017. Back then I was in the very beginnings of my creative career, but always felt so welcomed and really supported by the whole team – I always felt inspired by the amazing projects they create. Thanks to connections I made at the Forward Festival, I was able to work on an amazing project for Stefan Sagmeister and his “Beauty” exhibition. So it’s an honor for me to be on board, and I am looking forward to creating cool stuff!
keinGarten: 1+1=11
Friend: Good company & looking forward to juicy projects
Vincent Wagner: I’ve been following and enjoying the work of Forward Creatives & Forward Festival for a couple of years now. I think the first time I went to Forward Festival Vienna was in the 2nd year. Being sure that Forward Creatives know what they’re doing and seeing many of my peers in the initial Creatives pool made me wand to apply as well. I don’t have any specific expectations, but I’d be happy to see a couple of interesting projects coming our way.
Allan Berger: I had several touch points with Forward Festivals in the last 4 years and also had the opportunity to work with the nice team. I think Forward Creatives is a great initiative and I really appreciate being a part of it. It leverages the network of creatives and clients and fosters innovation and creativity combined with a great working environment.
Process Studio: Hopefully this will lead to fruitful collaborations and interesting exchange.
Artefact: Being invited to share ideas via the forward network by participating at previous festivals was a highlight and an exciting way to communicate with other experts within the creative field. Strengthening the connection between us and this creative community is one of our main goals in being part of this new network format.
PERKUP: For me, being self-employed also means working a lot alone. In some areas I find it difficult to learn something new. It’s not always easy to get exciting jobs. Communicating with customers is not my favorite thing to do. I thought I might learn something new. Get to know some people. And do some exiting projects.
LWZ: All our friends are part of the network. And we love to work with our friends.
CIN CIN: A network is an interesting system per se: bringing different people together and initiating collaborations can be a wonderful thing. We hope we will participate in some exciting projects and collaborations in the future, which are fruitful for the network and, at the same time, for each individual/team.
Zoe Guggenbichler: I am very happy to be part of the network because I have already been working with forward for a few years, and we did some very nice projects together. The forward team and I put a lot of love and joy into the projects – I am already looking forward to the next ones. 🤍
Marko Mestrovic: I hope to get to know a lot more creative people in and outside of Austria and work together on cool projects.
Andi Meier: I found the network through the Forward Festival, which I’ve loved for a long time and even though I haven’t known the team there for that long, there was a super friendly and nice interaction from the beginning for that I’m sure it will be great.
Maximilian Prag: Having worked with the talented team at Forward Creatives before, I couldn’t say no 😉 I expect to be onboarded into fruitful collaborations in between new media art and design for open minded clients, while being supported and backed by Forward Creatives.
Monika Ernst: At the Forward Festival, where I was also giving a talk, I connected with so many creative colleagues who also joined the network – I would be thrilled to collaborate on interdisciplinary and inventive projects with creative and smart people.
David Adeoye: I heard of it through a friend, really liked the website and vision and am convinced it’s a good fit for my style of work. I’m inspired by the other artists/freelancers in the network and hope some of their coolness rubs off on me 😀
Bounty Studio: Collaboration is the way to go. The best things come out of collaboration, cooperation, and meeting somebody. You never know where a different point of view can lead you. And to share a part of the way is always a good idea.
Thomas Waidhofer: This network consists of so many insanely good creatives, when I was offered to join there was no doubt to do it. For the future I hope to develop projects with clients beyond my current imagination.
Miró Tiebe: After working now more than two years as a Freelancer I understand that its always the best to take all help u can get. And this Network just feels completely perfect for everyone involved.
Toni Eisner: Joining Forward Creatives seemed like a huge chance to get my work out there and gain some more exposure. To be in a network with such talented artists is quite an honor for me.
Robert Wagenlechner: I joined because Toni Eisner is a member. And for this name drop I expect him to make the artwork for one of my next projects.
Wald und Schwert: We spoke at the second Forward Festival, many years ago and think that there is a good vibe behind the whole thing. Also the creatives who joined so far are amazing!
Lukas Diemling: I love working in dynamic teams that adapt depending on the scope of the project, I hope to find new connections and interesting projects through the Forward network.
Anna Hadaier: I hope to connect with other people who share similar values and hopefully create something wild! (or drink a lot of coffee, whatever comes first)
REVKIN: I really like the presentation and the artists already featured. I think it’s a good match and I hope we can all benefit from working together.
Lucas Christiansen: A friend of mine asked me to join the network. I don’t really know what to expect, but I do hope to be forwarded to fun and cool experiences. 🙂
Do you want to start a project or apply as a creative and join the network? Visit our website for more information.
The launch of Forward Network is supported by Vienna Business Agency.
Image Credits: © Forward Network Artists – keinGarten, Friend, Vincent Wagner, Zoe Guggenbichler, Andi Meier, Maximilian Prag, Lucas Christiansen, REVKIN, Anna Hadaier, 2023.