Linocutting provides Gabriela Aguirrezabal with peace in the here and now, and she wants everyone to experience that form of 'print therapy'. The designer combines printing techniques with spoken positive psychology lessons and offers them as 'workshops in a box', so people can discover them at home.
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A crisis can be a breeding ground for new seeds. That's what Gabriela experienced during the time of Covid19. Suddenly, she had the space to pick up a lost hobby: linocutting. "I bought a set and started quite big, on A4 size. With a gouge, I made cuts in the linoleum, then I inked them and made prints." |
A crisis can be a breeding ground for new seeds. That's what Gabriela experienced during the time of Covid19. Suddenly, she had the space to pick up a lost hobby: linocutting. "I bought a set and started quite big, on A4 size. With a gouge, I made cuts in the linoleum, then I inked them and made prints."
The result was a piece of work symbolizing a time when little could be done. "You see waves that aren't drifting to the right but to the left, as if they're going the wrong way. That was actually unintended, but printing happens in mirror image. I saw it as a metaphor for that period. I wanted to do so much, but there was very little I could accomplish. I kept being pushed back."
Gabriela posted the print on Instagram, and to her surprise, someone wanted to buy it. That encouraged her to start an online shop. And guess what? Her print spread worldwide in no time.
The creative process also inspired Gabriela to do more because it had a meditative effect. "It's delightful to not be occupied with what's going on in my head," she says. "I only needed to focus on the carving and discovered it's a form of therapy for me."
In times of lockdown, it brought her the 'state of mind' she was seeking. "It helped me to stop worrying about things I have no control over. To be more in the here and now with my thoughts. And that felt really good."
Gabriela thought about the many other people struggling with mental issues during the pandemic: anxieties, loneliness, lack of sleep. And how the creative process of linocutting could also help them feel better.
"As a designer, I worked in youth care for five years, so I know a bit about mental health," she says. "I also thought: people won't discover what I've discovered unless I guide them through it. That required a change in perspective. As a strategic designer, I'm always used to designing from the perspective of the target audience. But as an artist, I want to show what I have to say. I am the target audience, so I turned inward."
This led her from her education (TU Delft) and experience in strategic product design to designing five workshops in a box: accessible do-it-yourself kits combining creativity and mindfulness. She uses the first one as an example. "In that box, there's a basic set for linocutting: plates, gouges, knives, ink, paper. You can explore that at your leisure. Meanwhile, you listen to the accompanying audio reflection, in this case, about perfectionism and how to deal with it. I call it a creative booster, drawing heavily from positive psychology."
Done with Video Calling
Screen fatigue inspired the idea for spoken reflections as a counter-reaction to digital meetings during the pandemic. "I was completely tired of screens from all those calls while working from home. I thought: I bet many more people can relate to this. It's nice not to have to look but just to listen. That's how I came up with the formula."
And it's catching on. Her workshops in a box are spreading worldwide. "People respond enthusiastically," she says. "Their creative self-confidence increases after the first workshop. They realize: hey, I can do this too. Or take the second one, which is about going outside and paying attention to the flowers and plants you don't normally see. To that little clump of weeds or that daisy. Or how the light falls so beautifully on a leaf. And then making prints of that, which often turn out beautiful due to the relief."
Her mission is clear: to inspire people with Printherapy to create creative work they're proud of. "And anyone can do it," emphasizes Gabriela, who also gives physical workshops to businesses and individuals. "I want to inspire as many people as possible. The great thing about businesses is that I reach people who might not choose this themselves but then become very enthusiastic."
She also sells prints from her studio in De Nieuwe Stad. Does she still find time for her own free work? "The itch is back, so it's coming!"