29 Compelling And Thought-Provoking Illustrations By Steffen Kraft (New Pics)

Bored Panda reached out to Kraft to learn more about his creative process and himself. In one of his interviews, the artist mentioned that due to the overabundance of images and impressions, we lose the ability to reflect on ourselves and see the world from a different point of view. So, we asked him why he believes self-reflection is important and if this is what he aims to achieve with his illustrations. "I am often overwhelmed by the flood of images on social media. The dangerous thing is that I don't notice it when I scroll," the artist shared. "At some point, I realized that I actually wanted to do something completely different. And all of these images that are now in my head first have to be processed and classified, mostly unconsciously of course. As a result, I sometimes lack space in my head for self-reflection because there is too much other stuff flying around.

When I self-reflect, I try to recognize my own wishes and needs or to classify my actions in the social environment. When I calm down and reflect, I sometimes recognize connections that I hadn't seen before. Either in a private environment or globally. This process is extremely important for coming up with ideas for my illustrations."

"Viewers can use my illustrations as a mirror to reflect on their own experiences, emotions, and beliefs. Engaging with art can encourage individuals to slow down, contemplate, and see the world through the eyes of the artist, prompting a shift in perspective."

The most challenging part of the creative process for Kraft is trying to develop a consistent style that suits him. "For me, it's often a balancing act between two things: on the one hand I want a consistent style, on the other hand, I want it to be varied and surprising."

On the flip side, the best part for Kraft is when he finds a good idea, starts sketching it out and sees that everything clicks. "Then I get into a flow, get impatient and want to get it done as quickly as possible. This impatience sounds a bit negative, but it is a good motivation."

We asked Kraft what makes him passionate about doing creative work, and what he would want other people to take away from his illustrations. "The passion comes from being able to create and represent something that I have previously imagined," he replied. "You can now do this with AI, but for me, ideas often arise during the drawing process. In contrast to AI, where the results are often random products, when I create things myself I can determine and decide everything. This creates this great flow state for me that I don't find in AI. Creating illustrations is also a mixture of self-therapy and meditation. I can process things here that I would otherwise have trouble finding words for. When I create, I focus on one thing, start it and finish it. And in the end, I created something, as if from nothing, it has something magical.

There is no specific group of people that I am trying to reach. But I often reduce and simplify my illustrations so that everyone can understand them. At the same time, I try to make sure that my illustrations show cultural diversity."

At the moment, Kraft works with analog printing processes, such as linocut printing and screen printing. "Especially with the advent of AI, I feel the need to do something real, something handmade. My next big project is to publish a children's book and a book about my art." So, stay tuned for more exciting chapters in Kraft's artistic journey!