Meet Ulas Uygun | Artist & Brand Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ulas Uygun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ulas, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Till a few years ago, I thought I pursued a career in art & design because I could excel at it from a very early age.

I have always been a creative type but it wasn’t until I hit 30 that I started to learn on how to make the best of my creative thinking. Up until that point I drew, I designed and I painted very impulsively, going exclusively for originality and pizazz, following my gut in anything to do with design: colors, contours, forms: you name it. Once I started becoming aware of the patterns in the personal choices I made in life, I also started growing aware of the fact that I had always viewed creative practices as a coping mechanism.

Today I draw and design with a direction. If I’m creating a brand, I enjoy exploring the motivation of my client, rediscovering various ways they create value for their audiences. Same goes for painting: I don’t just leave strokes on the canvas, I tell stories of real people. Who I pick to draw and how, matters quite a bit now.

All in all, I guess you could say I now pursue a career in creative industries mostly due its incredible potential in shaping ideas, mobilizing audiences and doing good for various communities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My biggest challenge was the mismatch between my background and the profession I chose to do. I had already been working as a brand manager for 5 years when I decided to start pursuing a career in creative industries.

I had spent 2 years taking evening classes, learning graphic design, illustration, design theory. I was still working my 9-5 at the time, making it hard for me to have the time to attend the classes. But you know what they say, passion is the strongest medicine.

Once I started taking on clients, I quit my job and moved to Amsterdam. This was a huge risk on my part cause I now was living in a city where I didn’t even speak the language yet I found a way to work this towards my advantage. As a gay man that grew up in a small Turkish town, I decided to connect with the local queer communities, asking some of the lovely people I met if I could draw their stories. With time this turned into a series of artworks which eventually turned into a pride special exhibition in one of the hottest spots of the city!

I stepped right onto the perfect formula without even trying: be vulnerable and connections will come. I was doing art and design at the same time, but my art practice was providing my business practice something that no business ever could: a platform to connect with people on a personal basis.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Three spots on my lists, two bookstores one indie gallery: Skylight Books, very nice selection, good vibes guaranteed. The 2nd one is the Last Book Store, it is pretty well known but what a space! The gallery I absolutely adore is The Pit in Glendale. It is unfortunate that LA has a rather negative reputation (especially in Europe) despite having such a thriving local creative scene.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
In 2017 I quit my 9-5 as a brand manager and decided to move to Amsterdam to pursue a career in creative industries. I knew I wanted to become a new person, that’s what I called it back then anyway. Little did I know that in order to become anything, I first needed to rediscover my real self.

When you experience a major shift in the way you lead your life, it is pretty difficult to track its beginning to one specific thing. But I guess if I were to mention names, I’ll have to talk about this book by Alice Miller: The Drama of the Gifted Child, The Search for the True Self. After my move to Amsterdam, I started reading this book randomly and I turned out to be a huge eye opener, allowing me to see all the patterns in my life.

I guess you could say it kind of ignited this chain effect where I started reviewing every little choice I made in life and confronting all my patterns. Well, the rest is a long story since recovery is a never ending process. But let me put it this way: Fast forward 6 years, I’m now an internationally exhibited artist who runs a successful creative studio here in Amsterdam, delivering creative strategy to corporate clients.

It has not been the easiest ride, but I wouldn’t change it for the world for sure.

Website: https://www.ulasuygunart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ulasuygun/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulasuygun/

Image Credits
Ulas Uygun