“It comes right from the heart.”
Sabrina Brügmann, or commonly known as Sasa Elebea is an Argentinean illustrator and tattoo artist living in Tel Aviv.
Her work is inspiring. Sasa’s illustrations consists of writing empowering quotes on illustrations of women and feminine objects- positive messages to get through the day.
One of her main goals, especially on her Instagram with now over 100,000 followers, is to keep people inspired and motivated.
We are excited to have Sasa as our April Creator of the Month!
Sasa started drawing as a kid because she always liked to express herself on paper with illustrations. She studied art when she was 10 and has been drawing ever since. With time she has developed her own particular style for illustrations.
“Back then, I was always making teachers upset because I was drawing during class in high school, so after I graduated I decided to start doing something related to fulfill that need. When I was 18, I started my degree in industrial design in university. During my studies I met a lot of people from different creative fields, that’s when I started to go to design conferences, paint in the street, and make character illustrations. Before I graduated, I started teaching and working with different clients and this has been going on for more than 10 years,” Sasa explained to me.
One of the most important aspects about Sasa’s journey is her decision to move and the confidence she gained from her move, “After finishing university, I decided to move out of the country to explore a different culture and environment. That was a great decision to make because after moving I discovered parts of myself that you didn’t know before, it was a way to find a new me, which is always fun and exciting.”
Sasa’s journey has now grown into using text on illustrations. She simply said, “and this is my way to share my message with the world.”
She has a goal of sharing positive messages to keep people inspired and motivated. For some, especially creators, keeping this inspiration and motivation is difficult. So, I had to ask about how she stays inspired to keep sharing these messages. She explained, “I write about my feelings on different subjects, and I like the idea of helping other people to see the situations through my point of view, which sometimes is positive, sometimes a bit sarcastic and always feminine because it is part of my identity. A big part of my inspiration comes from books, I read a lot and I listen to audiobooks, I take notes of all the ideas I have during my day.”
When she’s not inspired, she simply shares that feeling, “I don’t always feel inspired and motivated, and when I don’t I just share that, I try to keep it real and authentic.” Her work comes right from the heart.
“I try and keep it real and authentic.”
To stay connected and share part of her illustration and personal experience, Sasa occasionally posts videos on her YouTube account! Not only are these educational, informative, and sometimes relaxing, the audience has a chance to truly connect with Sasa and her work. Check out one of her recent videos here:
I asked Sasa about what she believes is important about the empowering quotes she shares and the importance of female and self empowerment, “I like to share my opinions, and I see many other women feeling identified by the messages because we are all like a collective mind nowadays, I see it in my daily life with friends and people I know and I get surprised to see that it happens online as well. I think is very positive to have a platform to express myself and help other people with my message, which is like big group therapy.”
The feedback from the people, her followers and supporters, on her work have been one of the most rewarding things about her art journey. Take a second to view a few of her pieces in the gallery below and be sure to visit her Instagram and Pinterest for more!
A few quick questions ended my interview with Sasa. She explained to me that her sister, mom, and in general, any woman is an inspiration for her, “My sister, she is an artist working on feminist Latin American art and ceramics. My mom because she is strong and she thought me how to speak my mind, and in general, any other woman that shares her message is an inspiration for me and for others.”
Sasa’s life experience, between moving and becoming herself, along with her work, is simply inspiring. She’s learned that, “… the goal of life is to explore who you are and become that person you feel comfortable being, even if other people don’t approve. We are here in this life to be ourselves, to be different because diversity makes the experience rich, so never apologize for being yourself.”
Art, in her mind, has changed the way she views the world and people around her, “I feel I’ve been communicating for a very long time and the changes are progressive and I’ve been learning how to stay true to myself despite external circumstances.”
The final question I asked Sasa may just be the most important message of all. If she had to give advice to her younger self, or an artist just starting their journey, she would say, “Be yourself and speak your truth.”
“Be yourself and speak your truth”
Earlier this year, Sasa was featured on a podcast created by Shacyz that speaks everything illustration. Click here to listen on Simplecast or below for Spotify listening.
The episode highlights her beginnings of industrial design studies in Argentina, moving to Israel worked as a web designer and the transition to independence freelance, her choices in life regarding clients, social networks, and more!
Connect with Sasa!
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | RedBubble | YouTube
