Growing up in Zurich, Switzerland Denise Hauser spent most of her childhood making up stories and creating things. Not being allowed to keep pets due to an allergy of animal hair, she was obsessed with drawing piles of maps with futuristic visions on how to capture and tame wild lions in the African savanna. Up do date she has lived in three different countries and she’s currently about to move to the fourth, from a small town in central Norway to New York where, in a few weeks, she’ll be officially signed as a director to a major film and animation production company. She has also just completed a new short film inspired by her time in central Norway. The film is partly funded by Midtnorsk Filmsenter. Denise has a bachelor in graphic design & illustration from Central Saint Martins University, and a Master of Arts in Animation from the Royal College of Art in London. She has also designed window displays and taught animation & visual communication.

What inspires you?

I love big, busy cities like Tokyo, London and New York. One of my favourite things to do is observing people and I like the mix of different cultures all mingling in one place and transforming it. As an artistic person being surrounded by other creative minds is vital. However, isolation in small doses can be inspiring too. I have learnt to create even if I’m not surrounded by hundreds of other like minded people. Rather than giving up, I’ve learnt to motivate people around me who don’t necessarily share my viewpoints and interests involving them in my work process. This method has proved to be a challenging but enriching and inspiring experience for me.

How do you keep exploring and learning?

Moving around during the last decade of my life has kept me pretty busy exploring and learning. When you move to a different country or another town you see the things around you and yourself with fresh eyes. You’re also seen by others for who you are at that specific moment as compared to who you were years ago. Life in a small Norwegian town is very different to life in big cities like London or New York. Ideally, I would like to be able to one day combine all of these lifestyles in one city. My motto: Learn to adapt a little but at the same time keep on doing what you love most no matter how hard it sometimes seems.

When were you amazed last? 

In hindsight I’m amazed that i managed to keep on doing what I learnt at school in London in a small town in central Norway where there’s no animation production companies and where I did not know of a single other female person doing animation or mixed media film work. I also remember being pretty stoked when I saw two gracious elks standing by the road staring at us. The midnight sun in Norway never ceases to amaze me. This summer, I spent three months in NYC and I can’t get over the abundance of delicious food and the eclectic interior design in lots of restaurants and bars. My boyfriend and I are working on a NYC restaurant google map.

What is your favourite resource library?

Google because of the sometimes seemingly random search outcomes. TED is another inspiration source. I also enjoy flipping through the pages of a nice magazine like monocle.When it comes to finding good stories the best starting point is for me talking to my friends or family or using bits and pieces from personal experience. Other resources include visiting galleries or museums, watching a film at the cinema and going to film festivals.

What’s the biggest challenge the digital communications industry is facing right now, and do this lead you to some predictions?

I recall doing a workshop with some motion graphic students. Everyone was sitting in their respective groups working on their project assignments, except for two of them. I soon realised that the two of them were busy typing away on google chat…communicating with each other even though they would just have had to take a few steps in order to sit next to each other.

I believe, nowadays we’re no longer stuck to one specific space. In fact, I am already able to create that “imaginary city” I was talking about using Skype, google chat, dropbox and social networks like Facebook and Google+ to talk to my work collaborators in London, a friend in Shanghai or my family in Switzerland while I sit in a cabin somewhere in Norway. However, I still feel that there’s nothing better than talking to someone in person.