Damian Dideńko: an interview with the winner of #CreateAsUs

The #CreateAsUs competitions are not only a creative challenge and an opportunity to win interesting prizes, but above all a unique chance to discover interesting artists. We are excited to get to know them better and be up to date with their work! We proudly present the winner of the 12th edition of our project. Please read the interview with Damian Dideńko, who is an illustrator and tattoo artist. He has been illustrating for about 10 years, including professionally for 5 years.

Where are you from and how does the place where you live affect you?

I grew up in the city of Chrzanów, in the Lesser Poland province. Where I come from may have had some influence on me, but I don't think I have fully figured it out yet. The environment has always mattered to me in many important aspects. That's why I probably change it so often. I currently live in Katowice, but I'm considering moving. I haven't decided which city to choose yet, who knows, maybe a different country?

How did you learn about #CreateAsUs and what prompted you to take part in the competition?

I've been keeping an eye on the competition for several years. Many of the artists I value and whose work I follow are ambassadors of #CreateAsUs and it is thanks to them that I learned about the competition.

What was your idea for yourself [as an artist] and your project?

At the very beginning, I was planning to enter a work only in the Future category, but all the ideas that I had were somehow unremarkable. At that point I decided that I would try to tackle all 3 topics as keywords that my work would touch upon. I like the concept of the very distant future. One where the line between technology and magic has long been blurred. In this reality, technology is so omnipresent in everyday life, and thus so forgotten about, that it is mistaken for magic. The outcome is that my artwork fits in best with the Freedom theme, but also includes Future and Multitasking.

I feel honorem that my illustration win @createasus contest. In my work I focused on "freedom" topic but I also tried to touch the other two topics "future" and "multitasking" as much as possible. I really like the concept of some post-apocalyptic new world in which forgotten technology is so advanced that is taken for magic. This idea was one of my inspirations for this illustration. #createasus #asus #didiusz #didiuszillustration #illustration #damiandidenko #freedom #future #multitasking #kato #katowice #illustrationoftheday #artist #artistsoninstagram #digitalart #digitalillustration #artoftheday #fantasy #scifi #artwork

What is creative freedom to you?

This is a very interesting question, the answer to which may change over time and as circumstances evolve. I am constantly trying to shape and develop creative freedom, the way I understand it. For me, it is primarily the absence of limitations in the creative process. It is trying new techniques, media and message. I consider the process of stepping outside your creative comfort zone to be creative freedom. It's a situation where I have confidence in myself as a creator, I don't stop and keep trying. I believe it is very easy to become a prisoner of your own anxieties and fears. Therefore, creative freedom is for me a very important aspect of my work.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Actually, I draw inspiration from everything I like. I'm crazy about East Asia, especially Japan. I also draw inspiration from comic books, games, and the works of my favourite artists.

How do you leverage technology in your design processes?

It really all depends on how I feel about the project I'm working on. I usually start with a sketch on a piece of paper. However, at one point or another I digitise most of my works. After that I work on the computer. A graphic tablet is a very important tool for me, which I use to create the lineart and add colours.

What helps you develop and how do you look for motivation?

I develop by working, learning and stepping out of my creative comfort zone. However, the greatest source of motivation is observing how other creators work. Often, as a background for work, I play videos/streams of various artists on Youtube or Twitch. I also have my favourite podcasts that feature various creators. I like to listen to them talk about their workflow, as well as all their ups and downs. I enjoy it when creators/artists reveal more details and talk about how they came up with some of the themes in their work. This proves how personal some projects are. Knowing the background of the given project helps understand the effort put into working on it. I become aware of and understand the fact that the given work was not created just like that. It seems to me that it is easy to forget about it in the age of social media.

How did you react to the information about winning or is it something you expected? What's it like working on the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo laptop?

To be honest, I could not believe the verdict. I totally did not expect to win. Working on the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo is great. I really appreciate the compactness of the laptop coupled with its top performance. Devices with such parameters are usually gaming laptops, and are quite large. Two additional monitors at hand is like having a mobile workspace.

Do you have any tips for future contestants?

I don't really feel I'm in a position to give advice or guidance. I can only share my approach, which is to be myself and to include as much of myself as possible in the work. Also, to treat the competition as professionally as possible, like an order from a client, and try to address the indicated topics.

Read more about the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo laptop at www.asus.pl