In Conversation with Raissa Pardini

Whereabouts are you right now?

I’m Glasgow based right now since three years next month.

What are you working on?

January started off with a kick and I just confirmed a masterclass in Typography with Adobe which will be held on the 20th of January from their platforms. Working on a few British band releases, a brand new Italian artist campaign, some animations for a music video and a couple of rebrandings.

What’s something you’re really into right now?

Making pasta from scratch! I got gifted the dream pasta machine from my Italian family over Christmas and I’m obsessed with mastering my skills on ravioli. I’ve also been obsessed with Rocksteady again watching all Small Axe films. I have a small collection of Rocksteady singles I’ve purchased a decade ago and it’s great to re-discover this genre and give the records a fresh spin.

Where are you most happy?

In a club, dancing to music till the last tune. I really miss that. I also love floating in the Tuscan sea, where I am from. It really clears my head and I feel really happy and relaxed. A good old dinner with friends makes me extremely happy too. Chatting away about life, sharing opinions, laughing and drinking away.

Why do you do what you do?

It took me a long time to understand what I wanted to do. It has been a bit of a journey! I’ve done multiple things and moved to multiple cities before I knew who I was, what makes me happy and what I wanted from my life. I am a designer today because creating something everyday is a privilege I will never take from granted. It’s part of who I am and it’s so special knowing I can do this for a living.

What would your dream project or collaboration be?

Something big for the community. Design could be so powerful to inspire all kinds of audience when done for the community. I’d love to collaborate with a city council and re-brand a space filled with fun and positive design.

What’s inspired you whilst isolating?

Having a (sort of) routine I didn’t have before. I haven’t been really active on the digital front. Unfortunately, I’m not really into watching gigs online or an event though I attended lots of them to support artists and clubs. Instead, I’ve worked on myself and tried to be inspired by something I have deep inside me. My goal was to discover a child version of myself who works with more spontaneity.

Has social distancing affected your creativity?

Of course. Seeing people, not being allowed to walk around the city, attend events, travelling. These were my main inspirations and they were coming straight from my day-to-day routine. I can’t wait for things to ease up again 🙂

Do you think the current situation will change how you do what you do?

Yes. For better or worse. We learn how to be connected, how to work from home, how to take some time off if we need to. But technology showed us the other side of the coin as well. A lot of creatives (myself included) are taking a step back from social media and find the digital pressure too much at the moment.

What has the current situation made you appreciate?

My friends, my passions, art, music and culture in general. I haven’t been able to see my family since a long time and I always took that for granted. I moved to the UK knowing that travelling back and forth from here to my family’s was easy and I could do that anytime I wanted. One of the reasons why I became a freelancer was to be able to take my laptop away with me anytime I wanted to see them all. I never really appreciated that until it that freedom was taken away from me.

What are you looking forward to on the other side?

Travelling, visiting friends and family, lots of dancing and going out for gigs, going to the cinema again, dressing up, taking the train to the coast and getting a sniff of that salty crispy smell from the sea.