Meet Nouna Daamen | Creative Director & Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nouna Daamen and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Nouna, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
I think people often link success to (career) accomplishments and wealth. Success, in my opinion, cannot be defined by the house you live in or your job position. I like to think of success in terms of how happy you are with what you are doing in your day-to-day life and the overall quality of your life. A top salary and top position might bring you satisfaction, pride and an easy life in terms of not having to worry about finances, but it does not automatically mean that you are happy. If I wake up excited to start my day, find fulfilment and joy in the work that I get to do, and go to bed satisfied, then it is a successful day for me. I also think that success can be defined by tons of other aspects of ones life, such as the quality of your relationships, physical and mental health, financial stability, inner peace, and personal growth. However, since your job is a huge part of how you will be spending your days, I think it is important to find a career path that makes you happy and that matches with your dreams and ambitions, so every day can feel like a successful day.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a freelance multidisciplinary creative director and visual artist with a focus on music industry related assets such as cover art and lyric videos. From a young age I have had an interest in pop culture and I used to spend my days watching music videos on TV. I have finished art academy 2 years ago, but I have learned that as a creative, you don’t stop ‘studying’ or learning when you get your degree. I think it is important to always put in a lot of effort in terms of making yourself seen as an artist and trying to separate yourself from other artists, so that is what I try to do. I constantly try to evolve as an artist and teach myself new techniques, such as 3D rendering, working with analog elements and combining both analog and digital work. I think that there is no better way to become better at things than by simply doing them a lot. I put my self taught techniques in personal artworks, and post these artworks to make myself visible and stand out amongst the many artists that can be found online. Another thing I like to do as an artist is to not limit myself to one medium, again as a way to teach myself as many new things as possible. When I get a job opportunity where I haven’t yet done what they’re asking of me, I am not afraid to take on the challenge.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I got my first big career opportunity through the incredibly talented directing duo Tusk Creative, which consists of Kerry Furrh and Olivia Mitchell. They let me work on the cover art and animation for the artist Zhavia, and they gave me lots of freedom in terms of combining my own style with their creative direction. When that work got released it reached not only my network, but also theirs, and soon I got more and more job opportunities. I am still really grateful for their trust so early on in my career, and they are such an enthusiastic and fun duo to work with!
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Website: nounadaamen.nl
Instagram: @ndaamen