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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2022 2 THE Q&A DANIELA ATTARD BY LAURA CALLEJA suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Daniela Attard is industry level illustrator and designer with years of in-house experience making, designing, drawing, illustrating, animating and creating fun bits of concept art for various creative projects. Since 2014 she been working full time at Warner media / Cartoon Network as a designer. Attard's latest exhibition Dying Planet is showing at Spazju Kreattiv till 9 October. What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Unless I have a scheduled spin class, I scroll Reddit for a good half an hour until I slow drip some coffee. What is the best advice you've ever received? Nothing matters – it's a mantra I learned from the movie 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'. What do you never leave the house without? Sketchbook, phone, keys and head- phones. Pick three words that describe your- self. Ambitious, hard-headed and adven- turous. What do you consider to be your great- est achievement? My first solo exhibition called 'Take me Home' – which occurred in three parts (and three different countries). It resulted from a lot of hard work and personal experiences put on paper. What is your guiltiest pleasure? Avocados on toast and other brunch-y food. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? Nobody will hand you opportunities; you have to chase and earn them yourself. Property and cars aside what's the most expensive thing you've ever bought? My soon-to-be e-bike! I love cycling, but my current bike needs a bit of an upgrade. What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger? Your 20s are for trying things out and taking risks. It's also ok to change career paths in life at any age. Who's your inspiration? I look up to career illustrators and painters such as James Jean, Karla Or- tiz, Kate Beaton and many, many more. What has been your biggest chal- lenge? Living in London. I love it but I need to work constantly to stay afloat. If you weren't a [illustrator] what would you be doing? Biologist or Palaeontologist. I did minor in Archaeology so I scraped the surface of that alternative unaversive. Do you believe in God? No. If you could have dinner with any per- son, dead or alive, who would it be? Egon Schiele – one of my favourite illustrator/painters who died way too young. What's your worst habit? Stubbornness, although this has helped me persevere sometimes. What are you like when you're drunk? I'm either a mess or the life of the party. Who would you have play you in a film? Mary Elizabeth Winstead (mainly for her role as Ramona Flowers in Scott Pilgrim vs the World). What is the trait you most deplore in others? Dishonesty and craftiness. What music would you have played at your funeral? Something fun and cheerful. What is your most treasured material possession? This is a weird one but my tattoos, they all have different meanings or signify big achievements. They are also done by artist friends of mine so they're extra special. What is your earliest memory? Making paper animals from crap paper. I really loved crafting rather than draw- ing when I was a kid. When did you last cry, and why? During my solo show in Australia last June, I took a side journey to see Fairy Penguins returning home on Phil- ip Island near, Melbourne. I was so overwhelmed by the number of cute little penguins that I absolutely lost it. It was a grounding experience and I realised how hard I had worked to get to that point but also how lucky I was to be able to experience this wonder of nature. Who would you most like to meet? Without being cheesy – David Atten- borough or Steve Irwin (RIP). What's your favourite food? Pizza every single time. Who's your favourite person on social media right now? Not a person but Hamlet the parrot. I'm a big fan of bird TikTok. If you could travel in time, where would you go? 'In the distant future - to see if we managed to destroy the planet and extinct ourselves or not' What book are you reading right now? Vox by Christina Dalcher. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Teleportation would be super-handy. What's one thing you want to do before you die? See all of the big natural wonders that might disappear in our lifetime (such as the Great Barrier Reef). What music are you listening to at the moment? Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts by M83. In the shower or when you're working out, what do you sing/listen to? Loads of Dua Lipa for some reason...