Kami Hensel (You Know Me Well) Artist and designer.

Grubby weather sweater or favorite mug. Certain things have a history with you. I was a globetrotter until I was 35. Like many others in Asia,
I traveled with loose hand luggage in the classic checked shopper plastic bag look. In my case, I always had stickers and graffiti stuff with a
blanket stolen from the airline for naps at the airport. I wanted to capture this feeling.

I and my art live in the now. But they often tell one or more stories. I’ve always found it difficult to plan too far into the future. Very complex. I hope what I do every day, both privately as a daddy or partner, lets the ‘others’ sleep happily and inspires everyone around me in his/her creativity.

Just do it.

I don’t think so much. Germans often like to pat themselves on the back about what ‘hard workers’ we are. But after more than 10 years of living and working in Asia, I think everyone else can do it just as well. Personally, I draw a lot from my immediate environment and try to integrate that into my daily flow. (Good artists copy great artists steal, lol.)

Zoeppritz x You Know Me Well. Yes, corny, this answer here 🙂 But hey. As told. I was just traveling and had very few, if any, possessions. I am still very selective when it comes to my home. However, with children, this discipline has moved to a new level. A cuddly blanket (of my own) that has a direct connection to me and my story is fantastic. Thank you.

I like tradition and customs. I also really like immersing myself in those of other cultures, even though I don’t always understand them or can’t understand them. This is probably how new traditions and customs emerge over time, generally speaking, and in the combination of new materials that, for example, have to be exchanged locally or are not available, progress is made through creative innovation. Without rap music, I would have no idea about soul, jazz and funk. It was only by sampling ‘old’ songs in ‘my’ music that I became aware of it. It needs all the parts.

Not at all. In my world, everyone is allowed to do as they please.

In terms of my art and design, I have to like it myself first and foremost. I find it difficult to produce something that I don’t like or even need
myself. This creates a game of function, feel and look. The better each of these players, the more likely the touch down.

Research and communication often cover 90%. But look, if you order ‘a soup’ in France and in Vietnam, you may have two very different
dishes on the table. If you don’t like the soup, the smartest thing to do (in my experience) is to go to a new restaurant.

Difficult and important question. Artists and designers (at least I do) don’t ‘make’ for money. As trite as it sounds, but: (quote) ‘Make something you love and people will pay you for it’. I have often (pre-)financed my art and projects myself and covered them with ‘jobs for rent’ so as not to have to compromise. Sooner or later you figure it out … ?

This formula may not apply to everyone: Focus plus deadline. Focus provides clarity about what you want. At least in the now. A deadline or time limit is incredibly helpful in defining what is feasible in a given period of time.

I just like to be active. I’ve never had a TV, for example, so when I really wanted to watch a movie, I went to the cinema. Perhaps a stupid example … I like to try out new things, I like to be inspired again and again. Depending on the mood of the day or the location, it can be very different things.

My first ‘creations’ were mixtapes as a DJ teenager. In my world, I still feel like I’m doing exactly that. Searching, collecting, compiling, archiving, rethinking, reinventing. Kirby Ferguson has an insanely good documentary on this called ‘Everything is a Remix’ – I’ve absorbed it and if you like, you can (definitely) watch it on YouTube.

In general, I am always positive, satisfied and happy. In my creative work, I almost always experience ‘The Rule of Thirds’.

1) Great

2) Okay

3) Shit

As long as these three are in balance, that’s perfectly okay, because I know it will always, and always again, be ‘Great.

I’m the wrong person to answer this question. I went out into the ‘world’ on my own and often went on ‘when it was at its best’. My circle is really, really small and I like it that way myself. However, I don’t believe in putting obstacles in each other’s way or even playing each other off. In a ‘game’, I see myself first and foremost in the position of a referee. I stand for fairness and equality, but I like it when I can switch to a new match and use my experience again.

I am very pleased. With the exception of street art, art is often only accessible to a few people after the exhibition, as the work hangs privately in an apartment, for example. A blanket is also a functional object and in the best case scenario, it goes on trips, lies in the park or warms you up while drinking mulled wine. That is exciting.

Cool and cuddly soft.

Washable at 30°, therefore: ‘Do what you please’. In addition, the design is created in such a way that stains or patched, small damages give the blanket a certain ‘Kintsugi life of its own’.