“LEARN THE RULES LIKE A PRO,
SO YOU CAN BREAK THEM LIKE
AN ARTIST”

- PABLO PICASSO

You know that feeling you get when you see a button that says “don’t push”? Or the compulsion to do the exact opposite of what you’re told? It’s the same curiosity and rush of excitement that happens if you break these rules that gets you in trouble in the real world, and it’s with this same curiosity and excitement that I explore when designing. However, it’s much safer and the consequences are much more fun.

Creativity is the strongest expression of freedom I know. I enter my own little world where anything is possible, there are no rules, wrongs or boundaries, and I can let my imagination run wild and free. It’s the same open-mindedness I have in life, and it’s from this point of view I try to see the world. For me, designing is not just a profession; it’s so much more. It's hard to explain without sounding like I should have been studied by Freud, but the core of my being and my look on life go hand-in-hand with my design. At its core, my designs revel in surprise, emphasize unpredictability, and evokes playfulness and curiosity. Some creations might even need instructions. Life doesn’t always have to be so strict or limited, which is the perspective I always aim for my designs to reflect.

As a designer, open-mindedness and curiosity are my greatest strengths. I studied Industrial Design and graduated with Honors from Pratt Institute, so I know the “rules” when it comes to drawing, color, light, form and proportions. But that’s just technical stuff. It doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t curious about life, have an urge to live, explore, be adventurous and stay open-minded to any possibility.

It’s that mindset that always makes me push the boundaries beyond the ordinary and beyond the standard. Resulting in an experience of uninhibited creativity.

- Anni Cernea