Meet Siena Rose | Graphic Designer, Photographer, and Artist

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

Hi Siena, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Yes, I do. It’s a quote I randomly found on Pinterest; it reads, “Actually, life is beautiful and I have time.” I think what makes this quote occupies a special place in my heart is the fact that it is a necessary reminder even though it might not always be nice to hear since life can blatantly suck and one can easily feel that they’re running out of time. Because despite all the tribulations and sufferings in this life, life indeed is beautiful; it is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. And the concept of time, the enigma of time is not as straightforward as a linear thing. So yes, we do have time to live our lives. Time is never going anywhere; it’s more about how we are both utilizing and enjoying the time that we have in our hands. Ultimately, the main reason why this quote is so special to me is that it gives me a space to take a breather as I struggle with acknowledging the overwhelming reality of being alive that comes and goes from time to time, and I hope it does the same to you as well.

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.
I mainly do graphic design and photography. As for my graphic design stuff, I do a little bit of everything, starting from logo design, packaging design, typography, and poster design, but my favorite would be working with posters; they are a lot of fun. For photography, I specialize in portrait photography, but I do take pictures of travel sceneries from time to time (which one can take a look at on my Instagram page @thenightmareofdaydreams). If I have to point out what sets me apart from others is that I work within a flexible range, always challenging, imagining, and experimenting with the limits of asymmetrical compositions as well as the power of symbolism. Perhaps, this is evident in these three works of mine which I am most proud of currently: “The Semiotics Trytptych poster series based on Joji’s Glimpse of Us, “Hand-rendered alphabet book project for the Netflix series Love, Death, and Robots,” and “Soul-Searching” (all can be found on my portfolio website datchindogurl.com).

What still manages to bewilder me is the fact that I have gone from just a little girl who would archive a lot of pictures I found on Tumblr, Pinterest, and Google that became my source of inspiration and dreams to the woman who would be standing on the other side of the screen today, taking pictures like those that I used to admire and creating designs that I could only wish to even think about at the time. What became the game-changer for me once and for all was an impulsive decision that I made in my junior year in college, which was adding a graphic design major to my program of study. Yet, this impulsive act of mine is something I cannot bring myself to ignore for the love of my life, and thank God I stick with it since I never feel more complete than I am now although the idea of pursuing art seriously and making it a full-time occupation is and has always been an underestimated option in my context as a Chinese-Indonesian (“Chindo”), a minority, in both my home country, Indonesia, and here in the United States + the fact that all of my family members chose STEM-related careers.

Needless to say, there would be times when my family questioned my decisions, which admittingly could be very discouraging, especially when it was my parents’ friends who asked and my parents did not seem to show any support or defense on my side. This last thing is what I find to be the hardest obstacle so far: not getting full-on support, appreciation, and understanding from my family about my art-making. I don’t blame them though for appreciating, understanding, and receiving art is a difficult thing. Considering this, instead of giving up, I am following the advice of Austin Kleon, which is to keep on going and creating art. Just because it is difficult does not mean it is impossible for people, my family included, to understand and appreciate my art. They just need further training which can only happen when art is continuously created and nurtured. Therefore, I might as well do that. Alas, art is the one thing that fuels life, and I am all but a mere lover of life with its enigmatic entirety.

Talking about the enigmatic energy of life, I have an upcoming senior show at my university in the Spring of 2024 which is a photo exhibition titled “Under the Mass & Velocity of Life.” I have included two pictures of the series in my submission photo submission here to give a glimpse of what it might look like (they are labeled “identity lost” and “stressed pink and blue”). The main idea of the portrait series is an exploration of humane dealing with the entirety of weight that comes with existing. In the series, by the use of extreme proximities, contrasting color palettes of the pictures, and various textures and motions, I present the whole process of one involuntarily gulping the burden of his existence as a trippy experience. What I hope from this portrait series as well as other works of mine is for people to be challenged in imagining the whole concept of being alive and life itself so that one would realize just how beautiful life is and the fact that time is always there, beautifully waiting for us to embrace it–from the smallest moments of a scenery to the more utility-driven packaging design of a product to the more philosophical bits out there.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a novice resident of Chicago, I am still discovering the hidden gems of the city myself. So unfortunately, currently, I do not necessarily have a set itinerary to show people around. Therefore, I am very much open to the idea of us traveling and discovering surprising spots around the city together. Whether the spots turn out to be enjoyable or not, I think the memory would still be a good one overall since they are done under the mutual desire to enjoy each other’s presence on top of everything. At the end of the day, for me, what matters the most is the “who” instead of the “where” and “what” when it comes to traveling. One thing is for sure though, going to a concert when one is in Chicago is a must!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give it up to my graphic design instructor in college, which is Vaughn Donahue. Not only did he help me harness my graphic design skills, but he also provided a rare safe space for aspiring artists like me and my peers at the time to have real conversations about being aspiring creatives/artists. Plus, he introduced me to the great Steal Like an Artist Trilogy by Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going), which by this point, has become a staple source of encouragement as I venture the journey of being an artist. I would also like to mention my dear friend Cedric Christophorus who referred me for this interview by Shoutout LA; thank you for supporting my art all these years, your silent yet persistent support is very much appreciated. You’re a real one for this, Ced. Love you.

Website: datchindogurl.com

Instagram: @thenightmareofdaydreams

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/siena-rose-31261320a

Image Credits
Siena Rose