“It’s quite unrealistic to think that you can make great things all the time.”

Finnish artist Aino-Maija Metsola on her creative process and sources of inspiration

Märkää (Wet) 04, watercolour on paper, 2018, Aino-Maija Metsola

The first Marimekko piece that I ever purchased was a bowl with a beautiful moody pattern of watercolor and black lines. It’s the Kuuskajaskari pattern. Named after an island off the west coast of Finland, it feels like you’re standing on the edge of land and sea on a blustery day. My kind of place.

Marimekko is such an iconic design brand that it’s easy to forget that there are individual artists behind each of the works. Every piece speaks to their own inspirations and curiosities. I looked at that bowl every day, and I’m actually embarrassed to admit that I never thought about the artist who created it. Fortunately, many years later after the bowl purchase, I got a copy of the book Marimekko In Patterns. It’s one of my go-to resources if I’m ever feeling in need of some creative inspiration. In these pages, I learned about artist Aino-Maija Metsola. There’s a beautiful photo of her working on a sketch for a 2011 pattern, inspired by her own summer sailing adventures to the island Jurmo. Turns out, she had done the bowl too.

Weather Diary / Tableware, 2012, for Marimekko

Letto pattern for Marimekko, 2016.

Metsola’s work has since become a big source of inspiration. If I’m feeling in a creative void, looking at her Märkää series is an immediate reset. It’s hard not feel something percolating while looking at these emotive works of watercolor and gouache. Besides her personal work, she does lots of collaborations, like this stunning collection of covers of Virginia Woolf books.

Given how much I love Metsola’s work, I wanted to learn a little bit more about her process, and she was kind enough to share a little bit about her own creative practice and sources of inspiration.

I hope you enjoy the interview and seeing some of her work!

-Anna

Märkää (Wet) 14, watercolour, ink, and gouache on paper, 2021, Aino-Maija Metsola

Anna Brones: Do you have a specific creative routine or schedule to your workday?

Aino-Maija Metsola: No I think I don’t. I’m not naturally very organized, my way of working is quite intuitive. I have three rather young kids and this stage of life has forced me to change my routines and to adapt to unexpected situations. I’m often quite slow in the morning and when possible I like to start the day with a run or walk. I have my studio attached to my home but I feel it’s good to have some fresh air to start the day. Usually I work effectively in the afternoon and the late evening is also creative time for me. But because of kids and their schedules I have tried to learn to avoid working at late hours so I manage to get enough sleep.

Metsola in her studio

I'm really interested in how artists ebb and flow in their creative process. How do you feel like your creative process works for you? Do you have moments where you feel more inspired than others? Are there certain times of year that feel better creatively than others?

Here in Helsinki I believe the changing seasons have some effect in my creative work. The dark and cold time of the year is quite long, but for me it’s a time when it’s often easier to focus on my work. The summer in Finland is short but there is a lot of light so I like I think most people here really want to get the most out of it. In the summer I’m a bit more restless, I want to swim in the sea, enjoy the nature, pick blueberries, explore islands by our little boat, etc. But in the fall and winter there is usually less distraction, less colour, more time to think and work.

Generally I feel it’s always better not to have too many projects going on at the same time, otherwise my mind gets too busy.

Leppäkerttu (Ladybird), watercolour on paper, 2019, Aino-Maija Metsola

“it’s always better not to have too many projects going on at the same time, otherwise my mind gets too busy.”

-Aino-Maija Metsola

How do you work through creative block?

I haven’t found a bulletproof method, but often it’s good to meet people, to go outdoors, and simply to have more space and time whenever possible. If I notice that my work is not flowing well, I sometimes have to remind myself to step outside the studio and not try to force myself to be creative. I have learned that it’s quite unrealistic to think that you can make great things all the time. Mistakes, errors, and wandering are an integral part of my work.

Virginia Woolf series for Vintage Classics, Penguin Random House UK

What are five essential tools in your creative kit?

• Good firm synthetic watercolour brushes

• Schmincke Horadam watercolours

• Fabriano Artistico HP paper

• India ink

• Talens gouache

What are you working on right now that you're excited about?

I have been experimenting with animation a bit lately. The project has been on hold for a while but I’m planning go get back to it soon. It’s a project that I work on together with my husband and it’s been a little chaotic but I think and hope we come up with something interesting. I’m also at the moment setting up an exhibition in Riihimäki Art Museum, in Southern Finland. It’s a nice project, I’ll show fabrics, illustrations and artworks, both old and new.

What's a project that you would like to work on?

Lately I have felt that it’s good to have meaningful and motivating personal projects going on regularly, not only commissioned work. Although they are usually very nice too. Normally I start to develop the next personal project when the previous one is nearly finished. Maybe after the animation project is finished I might want to make another children’s book some time in the future.

Märkää (Wet) 20, watercolour and gouache on paper, 76,5 x 55,5 cm, 2019

What does it mean to be an artist?

Curiosity.

What does it mean to be creative?

I was drawing and painting a lot as a child and my family was very supportive, even though my parents didn’t have any artistic background. I just never stopped doing what I did as a child, so for me being creative means intuition and play.

Thank you!

I asked Metsola for a book, art, or podcast recommendation, and she offered this up:

“Lately I have been reading Carlo Rovelli’s book The Order of Time. It’s not a quick read and I have accepted that I won’t understand the book very thoroughly. But it is fascinating, inspiring, and in a way, comforting.”

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• If you weren’t able to attend this month’s Studio Session that I hosted last weekend with

  FogChaser
  , I put together the series of creative prompts and Matt’s playlist here. Basically sets you up for a 30-40 minute session of music and creative flow. A perfect weekend activity!

• After a great Create+Engage session this past Wednesday with artists Heather Bird Harris and Renee Royale, we have another date on the calendar. May 8, 5-6:30pm PT, free to attend! These community sessions are a blend of art and activism, we’ll be announcing May speaker soon.

• I just finished Weyward, and loved it.

• “A call to playfulness is not an individual psychological prescription – it is a call to collective action against the achievement society.” Alec Stubbs

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