Inspiring Women – Berry Aktuglu: Finding Wonder In Everyday Details

Today, Captain Don Fisher’s ship sails toward Berlin to meet Berry Aktuglu,  illustrator, designer, storyteller, and creator of a world where colorful shopfronts, playful details, and everyday moments are transformed into something full of warmth and wonder. Through her vibrant textile prints and joyful illustrations, Berry captures the kind of beauty that often hides in ordinary life, inviting us to slow down and look a little closer. Berry, your work feels both nostalgic and wonderfully alive, filled with color, movement, and personality. We’d love to go back to the beginning: how did your passion for textile print design and illustration first emerge, and what led you to shape this distinctive creative path?

Hi Sailors, hello Don Fisher crew! Thank you for the lovely description of my work. I am an illustrator and textile print designer from Berlin, Germany. I have always been drawn to creating things with my hands. As a child, my mother and I used to sew clothes for my dolls or draw and cut out paper dolls with colourful, patterned outfits. So, I can easily say that textiles, cute drawings, and a keen attention to colour have always been part of me. Even though my degree is completely different from what I do now, my passion for illustration and my journey of self-discovery began when we moved to Milan, Italy. Italy truly fed my eyes and my soul, and I felt ready to start my own creative business.



There’s a strong sense of storytelling in your work, from imagined shopfronts to intimate everyday scenes. When you begin a new piece, do you start with a narrative in mind, or does the story reveal itself as you create?

Thank you! Most of the time, yes, I do. Everything starts with a little story in my mind, and I immediately write it down so I don’t forget it. From there, the visualisation begins, and the story evolves as I draw. However, there are also times when I start painting without any clear image in mind, and then a cute character appears on the paper, ready to tell its own story.



Your visual world feels deeply rooted in observation, small rituals, objects, fleeting moments. What kind of details in your daily life tend to spark an idea or an illustration?

It can be anything! My eyes are always alert to the little details in daily life. I love drawing objects, funny or shocked facial expressions, animals in human clothes with human-like attitudes, or food scenes. Also, I have a very funny four-year-old son. He and his friends are a huge inspiration to me.



As someone working between illustration and textile print design, how does thinking in terms of repetition, pattern, and surface influence the way you compose your images?

Very technical, and a great question! :) There are many aspects to it. Illustration is freeing, as there are not many constraints on materials or surfaces to consider. However, textile design has its own boundaries, and I actually enjoy the limitations and the technical side of the work! I truly believe these limitations allow you to see the story from another angle, especially since my textile prints are also built around a little story.



Motherhood, routine, and creativity seem to coexist very naturally in your world. How has becoming a mother reshaped the way you approach time, play, and creative energy?

Motherhood is juggling; I don’t think you ever truly find a perfect balance between work, life, and motherhood. The proportions change from time to time, but the equilibrium remains the same when you love everything you do. I love being a mother, I love my studio, and I love my life. I just have to be more creative about making time for my work when the demands of life and motherhood shift.



You often move between commissioned work and personal projects. How do you protect space for experimentation while still responding to client expectations?

I’m a person of routine. Most of my work mornings start with drawing in my sketchbook before rolling up my sleeves and getting on with commissioned work. It’s like warming up my hand, and I think these two feed into each other: it helps generate ideas but also frees my mind by shifting focus away from the ongoing project.



There’s a tactile quality in your work, even when digital, it feels layered, cut, assembled. How important is working with your hands in shaping your visual language?

There are always hand-crafted elements in my work. This can be the characters, the landscape, or the textures. They might be paper cut-outs or drawings done directly on paper, while the rest of the illustration is created digitally. I like the wonkiness of something handmade; it feels personal, unique, and brings a sense of playfulness to the artwork. Also, hand-drawing is a real pleasure for me. In the end, that is the reason I started my art studio in the first place.



And finally, what would you say to young artists who are trying to build a creative practice that feels both joyful and true to themselves?
As I’m still learning about both myself and my work, I think my humble advice would be to stay open to learning, experiment more, and not get too caught up in trends. Thank you for having me on the ship!

We feel incredibly lucky to have welcomed Berry Aktuglu aboard Captain Don Fisher’s ship and to have spent some time sailing through her joyful creative world. Although it’s time to bring this beautiful conversation to shore, Berry leaves us inspired by the warmth, color, and storytelling that flow through everything she creates, from charming shopfronts like Rosalina’s Bakery to the everyday moments shaped alongside her little son, her greatest source of inspiration. Her work reminds us that creativity can be both deeply personal and wonderfully shared.

To all our fellow sailors, don’t miss the chance to keep exploring Berry’s colorful universe on Instagram and follow the many playful stories still waiting to unfold.

Interview conducted by Agostino Lo nardo, part of Don Fisher’s crew.