July 01, 2021
Coffee & Conversations with ... Adina Orboi. An interview with the Head of Design at OSIER.
For this interview I'm meeting Adina, my colleague and a huge inspiration of mine. Adina is the Head of Design at OSIER. We speak about what fuels her creativity and how she stays inspired and curious.
Image above: Adina and her dog Fetita in her apartment in Rotterdam.
Adina's living space is full of thriving house plants and dried flowers, beautiful drawings and wooden elements, giving a fresh and natural atmosphere. Despite living in the buzzing metropolis of Rotterdam, her home feels calm and cozy. She brews coffee for the both of us with her barista machine and offered me self-made kombucha. We sit in the garden and Adina shows me a small book. When opening, I see an abundance of dried flowers. We start speaking while looking through this collection of fragile plants.
Adina, how are you, how did you start your day?
Hey, I am doing very good, thank you. I start every day with preparing my oat cappuccino. Today, I received it next to my bed, which made me happy. She smiles and points at her boyfriend who is at home too.
When is creativity integrated in your routines?
Again, it starts with my coffee when I experiment with latte art. And on my walk as well: I watch everything in nature. Recently, I saw turtles, laying in the sun. Watching nature's beauty is inspiring.
My own creativity comes in unexpected moments: in a cue at a supermarket for example, when suddenly something comes to mind.
In your eyes is creativity a talent or a skill?
Everyone is creative and has an imagination, but it needs practise to express your thoughts. There are so many ways of expressing ideas, everyone has to find their own way.
You embody creativity to me. Is inspiration always flowing your way or do you ever feel a lack of creative thoughts?
Yes, I do feel uninspired at times. But over time I learned to not be paralysed by fear anymore. Oftentimes, I have an image of the end result in my mind but projects can turn out in unexpected ways. At times that can be frustrating. But when surpassing this fear, creativity grows.
Have you ever been afraid of loosing your creativity?
No, I don’t think so. Intuition isn't something you loose and inspiration can strike at any moment. Creativity is more a feeling than a skill that can’t be unlearned.
Did you knew from an early stage in life that you want to follow a creative path?
I was quite an unusual child. I liked to be with other children, but I also enjoyed to be on my own, mainly in our garden. I loved animals and even played with snails. Adina smiles. I was content by myself.
Was it always drawing that you connected to your creativity?
It didn’t start with drawing, but with using my hands for practical things - like gardening and food. My grandparents taught me to use my hands. I always felt very free and inventive with them. Other than my parents - who've been strict at times - my grandparents pushed me to try out new things and to be curious in life. I was creative in all regards. I learned to sew from my grandmother, which started my path towards fashion. We would sew doll clothes from old textile scraps.
When did you decide to go to a fashion school?
In my high school, I had many art classes from graphics to painting. I enjoyed drawing, fashion, collage-making and textiles the most. My first attempts back then were horrible and it was hard work to get into the studies and to finish them.
If you could choose an object that everyone on our planet would receive, what would that object be?
Very good and hard question! Adina thinks for a long time and takes a few looks around. I would give everyone a personal object back that they lost in the past. An object that brings back memories from their childhood.
And what would you want to be given back then?
When I was young, my grandmother gave me a long, pink, pleated skirt, a very beautiful one that she wore too. I loved the colours, the textile and I would love to find it back one day.
The sun outside burns and we decide to go back inside. Adina brews another coffee and we continue speaking in her plantful home.
