Takeover Tuesday with Sofie Birkin
Q&A with Sofie Birkin, a queer British artist currently living in Denver.
Q&A with Sofie Birkin
Read time: 5min
Playboy Magazine | US Summer 2019 Gender & Sexuality Issue
Madison Caprara:
Hey, Sofie! Why don’t we start the Q&A with you introducing yourself?
Sofie Birkin:
I’m a queer British Illustrator living in Denver with my dog, Arthur! I mostly do digital illustration and murals locally.
Madison Caprara:
And how would you go about describing the look and feel of your illustrations and murals for those who may not be familiar?
Sofie Birkin:
I make vibrant, playful, and contemporary illustrations informed by graphic design and fashion photography. My work features an inclusive cast of bold and empowered characters who might not often be represented in mainstream media or illustration.
Madison Caprara:
From the UK to Denver, CO. Quite a difference, how are you liking the States?
Sofie Birkin:
I love it here! I’ve been in Denver for about seven years now and don’t see myself moving any time soon--I got my citizenship last year. I definitely miss free healthcare, but Denver is such a charming city. I live in a 19th-century mansion converted into apartments. All my neighbors are friends, we share homegrown vegetables and have a pottery studio in the garden. It’s pretty dreamy!
Instagram: @sofiebirkinillustration | Dame Products
Madison Caprara:
A communal garden AND pottery studio? Sounds like the ideal living situation. I’m a bit jealous, to be honest.
Now I see you started off your career studying footwear design in London. What originally drew you to that specialty?
Sofie Birkin:
I took a millinery course when I was 17 to learn how to make hats and was hooked on it. I was struggling to pick a degree and my millinery teacher told me about the footwear course. She said something along the lines of, “a shoe is just a hat for your foot.” As it transpires, that was not quite true as a shoe also has to safely and comfortably bear the weight of a human being.
Madison Caprara:
Other than the dissimilarity between footwear and headwear, what ultimately turned you off of it?
Sofie Birkin:
After spending a year in the industry I realized that none of the career options available to me were super appealing. On top of that, my favorite thing about it was creating illustrated surface designs. When I moved to Denver I realized there wasn’t really a robust fashion industry here anyway, which gave me a good excuse to start looking at other options.
Madison Caprara:
What did the interim between your fashion design and illustration career entail?
Sofie Birkin:
Serving popcorn at an indie movie theatre, doing CAD work for a sports footwear production company, gluing rhinestones and bows to hideous shoes for brides-to-be, printing cutesy slogans onto baby clothes…At one point I had five jobs--clearly, I like to stay busy!
Madison Caprara:
Did you find that your support system encouraged you throughout the process of your career change?
New York Times x Visa
Sofie Birkin:
For sure, some with tougher love than others! Honestly, the most encouraging person was probably my old boss who hired me as an in-house illustrator at his design agency. My portfolio was dreadful. I don’t think they used a single thing I made for the first year, but for some reason, he had a lot of faith in me. It gave me the opportunity to practice for hours every day and still pay my rent, which was a huge privilege.
Madison Caprara:
Was illustration a conscious choice or something you found yourself falling into?
Sofie Birkin:
I definitely fell into it. I’ve drawn my whole life, but I felt alienated by what I understood to be “fine art” and didn’t recognize what I enjoyed creating as illustration. In retrospect, I can see all the things that led me to it, but it took me a long time to actually see myself as an illustrator.
Madison Caprara:
You briefly mentioned it, but tell me a bit more about your first position within illustration.
Sofie Birkin:
My first position was the in-house job I just mentioned (the agency is called Grit), but my first major freelance gig was creating queer and trans-inclusive sex position illustrations for Cosmopolitan magazine.
Madison Caprara:
That’s such a fun first project!
What had you making the international move to Denver? That first in-house gig?
Sofie Birkin:
I moved here pretty spontaneously. I had a long-distance partner and we ended up getting married here--we’re separated now.
Madison Caprara:
Now, are you freelance? What prompted you to make that decision? How has the experience been?
Instagram: @sofiebirkinillustration | Sassify Zine
Sofie Birkin:
I’ve been freelancing since 2017 but I went full-time with it last year. It was a nerve-wracking decision, but I was so busy and couldn’t juggle it with my day job anymore. Thankfully it’s been a positive experience. This has been my busiest year yet, and I’ve gotten a lot better at managing stress and having a good work-life balance.
Madison Caprara:
A common thread I’m seeing among many in the industry, particularly coming off of this period of isolation.
What has been your favorite project you have been involved with?
Sofie Birkin:
It’s a toss-up between the Sex Ed book I brought out with Ruby Rare last year, and the erotic tarot deck that was just released through Laurence King a couple of weeks ago. They were both great experiences! Everyone on the projects was just an absolute delight to work with, and I’m really proud of the outcomes. Of course, I mostly work digitally, so it’s a lot of fun to get to hold something that’s only existed on your iPad for months as a physical object.
Madison Caprara:
I’m pretty sure I could make an accurate guess, but do you find yourself gravitating towards a specific subject matter or look?
Sofie Birkin:
Obviously, queer representation is a huge part of my work, but it would be regardless of the content matter. In my personal work I’m interested in women’s experiences, and particularly within historical themes like mid-century Americana and Ancient Greek mythology.
Madison Caprara:
Speaking of, what are your thoughts on the industry’s diversity and queer visibility? Something to work on?
Sofie Birkin:
It can always improve, of course, but I do think it’s improving. I would say the majority of my clients this year have overtly requested me because of the inclusivity of my illustrations. It gets complicated when the line between what’s in good faith and what’s a marketing ploy becomes blurred, but I try to be discerning and work with companies that seem authentic in their mission. Most of the art directors who hire me are queer themselves.
Madison Caprara:
That’s pretty inspiring to hear!
When you find yourself in a creative rut, where do you find yourself going?
Sofie Birkin:
I like looking to fashion photography and graphic design for inspiration, as well as historical content that’s entered the public domain.
Madison Caprara:
Well, I’ve really loved this conversation, Sofie. Unfortunately, we’ll have to start wrapping it up. Do you have any closing advice you would like to end on?
Sofie Birkin:
Honestly, I feel strongly about artists being paid fairly for their work, so I would say if anyone is getting into commercial illustration, reach out to folks for pricing advice. We’re a super friendly community! There’s not enough transparency in the industry, and I spent too long being underpaid because I was uncomfortable with asking for advice.
Instagram: @sofiebirkinillustration | Photographer: @onegungutty