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REFLECTING

Life as far as I know it


PlaylistFirst part of my life ↗

RetrospectThe first part of my life was about building who I was, what I made, and finding my direction. I began mapping almost all of my years in themes (the beginning is a bit blurry). Not to define them, but to understand them. Just snapshots, notes, fragments. A way for future me to remember, not everything, just what stayed.



1991
Growing



1996 

Smiling




1998 

Learning



First day of school
I wanted to become an author when I grew up

1999

Reading


When my teacher asked who wanted to be the storyteller in our school play, I raised my hand without thinking twice.

When I got home, realising what I had done, I immediately regretted. I remembered I absolutely hated talking in front of people... and despite my dreams of becoming an author my reading and writing was terrible!

My parents also taught me to finish what I had started. So they helped me line up all my toys on my bed like they were my audience. I practiced until I had memorised the whole play.

On the day of the play I held my papers pretending to read everything, even though I knew the whole play by heart.

How my Mom found me after the performance of my lifetime, while the other kids where eating cake.

2000 +-

Playing




I could entertain myself for hours playing with my toys and create all these characters. My imagination was too wild for me to ever get bored being by myself.

2002  

Gaming


iykyk →

2003

Exploring

 


Arizona
New York

2005 +- 

Competing


2008

Rolling


Note to self
Street smart sister
Skulkeboller

I never ditched school. Something my older sister Ane didn’t exactly support. After a lot of convincing, I agreed to ditch one day with her—on one condition: that she promised to help me with my homework! To that, she replied, "Let's make skoleboller (school buns). It’s basically the same as being in school!"

Then she packed all the skoleboller in her school backpack, and we rolled down to Hvalstrand, where we soaked up some vitamin D and I learned a few life lessons they don’t teach you in school. 

We have a dream of one day open a bakery calld Skulkeboller (ditching buns).

2009

Puzzling


Visited Barcelona on a study trip in high school and made this Parc Güell-inspired zebra when I got home.

2010

Doodling

 
Started studying Graphic Design. Diden’t really know what i was doing. Only knew that I wanted it all.


2011

Illustrating

 



2012

Building

 

I carved, screen printed, painted, sewed, and built my portfolio from scratch showcaseing my work at Norwegian School of Creative Studies. Inside where case presentations and packaging protoypes. 

I got a C. According to the examiners, the zipper was "annoying to open." A bit ironic, considering I was studying graphic design, not product design.

21 yo me didn’t feel like arguing someone who had credibility I didn’t have. I channeled my frustration and determination elsewhere, and spent the summer documenting the work. I got a photographer friend-of-a-friend to shoot it, and uploaded the whole thing to Behance.

The work was later picked up, and published in the Hong Kong–based and globally distributed BranD Magazine ↗. I was also invited back to the school as a guest speaker.

That experience taught me that going the extra mile may not immediately be rewarded, but when put in front of the right people it rarely goes unnoticed.

2013

Immersing


Something to think about
Stone face
Out of the blue
Street view
Regulars at Punks Wear Prada
Slow and steady
Immersed myself in Milan’s vibrant art, music and design culture.

2014

Animating






Study break


Cathrine and I spent way more time than we would like to admit learning that cup routine.

Drawing the line





The film depicts challenges in relationships; rejection, recognition, establishing trust as well as the need for connection vs adventure seeking and open-mindedness. It also shows how dramatic change can lead to a return to a starting point that is valued in new dimensions.

Graduating


Double BA in Graphic Design and Art Direction, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan
Finito

2015

Winning


Nothing tastes better than gold

Dagens Næringsliv, 30 under 30 ↗
Hometown newspaper ↗

2016

Experimenting


Important things first
Coding
”Hvor udgangspunktet er galest, blir tidt resultatet orginalest.“ — Peer Gynt

2017

Melting

 


My brain literally melted when Hydro decided to work with another agency. R.I.P sketches.

2018

Cutting


Looks fishy, linocut

2019

Bouncing


Opening shot


Bounce back 8-ball

2020

Breaking


Struck


Shattered

2021

Moving

 
Holding position
Moving off grid 

2022

Learning

 
Shooting with John

Robotics with Sebastian and Isabelle

Tufting with Petter

2023

Listening

 
Silence

2024

Loving


Nicho
Biking
Liu

2025

Creating


Field Trip Report →
Sonic Gastronomic →
Porta →
After 9 intense years in Scandinavian Design Group, 2025 hit the hardest. The agency went bankrupt, a devastating end for Norway’s longest-standing design institution. Non of the other designers except me took the offer from the owners TBWA. 

I clung to a mantra: It’s not about where you are, but what you do where you are. I did what I could with what I had at SDG/TBWA. I’m grateful to the people who helped me in ways that truly matterd.

Still, I was starving for creative outlet that felt meaningful for me. So instead of waiting around for things to come to me, I started creating my own projects just for fun. No briefs. No rules. Just nights, weekends, and holidays filled with creating.

My boyfriend gave valuable feedback all along. He never made me feel stupid for pouring time into something with no return on investment. It was exactly what I needed to stay sane at the moment—even if it wasn’t sustainable forever.

2026

Reflecting


We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are. For me, this means I don’t see the world exactly as it is, I see it through my own lens. It’s shaped by how I feel, what I’ve been through, and the stories I tell myself. Reminding myself of that helps me understand others too. They’re also seeing the world through who they are.

Memory isn’t fixed. Meaning changes. Some years stayed as graffiti on a wall, distorted and layered, just like the stories behind them. What once felt like breaking, now feels like growing.

 Looking back, these years where less about what happened, and more about how I let them reflect back on me.

Maybe I’ll return when I’m old, when this second part of life has been lived—if I’m lucky enough to live that long. I don’t know what the future holds, or what format it will take. But I’m planting a hopeful seed of a sketch here.

MORE TO UNBOX


Ida Louise Andersen
under construction
© 2025