Celebrating entrepreneurship in creative arts.

'I'm a graphic designer, illustrator and muralist based in Windhoek. My love for aesthetics and design was sparked by my family,' - Edith Wasserfall

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Edith Wasserfall, a freelance graphic designer, illustrator and muralist based in Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia, where I was born and raised.

I am a middle child with a younger brother and an older sister. I just turned 30 years old and also celebrated my first year of entrepreneurship as a full-time solo creative.

Both my parents are architects, and I thank them for passing on to me the love for aesthetics and design. My father's side of the family has a great affinity for the arts, and I am grateful to have been exposed to this growing up. My late paternal grandmother, Hilda Wasserfall, was a prolific artist in her time; my aunt Rita Van Lill is an artist I admire, and many of my paternal cousins have pursued various creative careers. It was therefore natural for me to do a four-year programme in Visual Communication Design at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

How did you get into this profession, and how has the journey been so far?

'I encourage you to explore what interests you and consider applying your creative skills to other projects and business ideas.

My parents played a major role in supporting and steering me towards the creative path, and I love and enjoy it. In high school, I excelled in Art and Design, but I also had many other interests, and it was not until Grade 10 that I chose to pursue it. It was compulsory to complete a few weeks of job shadowing and my parents encouraged me to job shadow a graphic designer at a local advertising agency. I was hooked.

At the university, we honed a conceptual approach that still guides the way I do my work.

I graduated in 2015, and interned at a small design agency in Salt River, in Cape Town, where I also secured my first job.

After three years, I returned home to Namibia where I worked at an advertising agency for three more years. During my time in both jobs, I freelanced in my spare time, building up a client base and strong portfolio. I ventured into doing murals in 2019 and realised quickly there was a much greater demand for this service in Namibia than I had anticipated. Unlike graphic design, I quickly realized that mural painting wouldn't work well with the freelance approach.

By April 2022, I built a solid freelance client base and interest in my work reached a...