Katarina Hornwall

An internship at Art. Lebedev Studio is the kind of experience where you don’t fully understand the impact it has on you until you leave. But the things most tangible I will try to put down in writing.

The studio\\Time:
I have learned that in the studio, time works not as it usually does. Working hours normally start at somewhere around noon, but that’s defiantly not set in stone. Shifts end somewhere in mental twilight. Time almost always flows too fast . After all, for me in particular, time went unexplainably fast.

The studio\\Projects:
There are always many projects running parallel which is a great exercise in project juggling and administration. It taught me to grasp projects fast but sometimes it also got me a bit nuts. No project is like the other and I flew myself out of my safe zones very fast, sometimes burning and sometimes not.

The studio\\Inspiration:
Excursions, weekly lectures, discussions and an impressing library worked well as motivation and inspiration for me; and so did the brandy shelf. I won’t try to count the hours I spent in the «brain», the studio’s internal network, obsessively google translating and getting nurtured. In the end though, getting to work with other interns and employees, was the most rewarding and inspiring experience!

The studio\\Other:
I wouldn’t have survived the internship without the the studio coffee so thanks to the coffee-guys for that! The studio is located in an old factory building, with neighboring magazine manufacturer which gives you a time-travel experience when you take a step out from studio borders. And to take a look out of the window at the Moscow skyline will put your mind in a zen-mode.

In conclusion, I feel I learned a lot during my internship and that my personal path as a designer has become somewhat more lucid. For studio guys: Will miss you and tell me when you come to Sweden!