Michele Tranquillini
Name: Michele Tranquillini
Website: http://micheletranquillini.com
Instagram: @micheletranquillini
Michele Tranquillini is an artist, graphic designer and illustrator. Originally from Trentino, yet an honorary Milanese, Michele Tranquillini has worked for a decade as an art director. He regularly collaborates with design and architectural studios, newspapers (for example Il Corriere della Sera) and international magazines, and creates personalised maps through the use of travel journals and architectural sketches. While studying Architecture in Venice and Illustration in Milan, he also followed cinema courses at New York University and calligraphy workshops at the Italian Association of Calligraphy. Over the years, working within the Milan area, he has created over a thousand sketches, views and videos.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? To wake up every morning grateful for what I have, full of energy, with someone and something to love… and something to do with my hands. To have a strong sense of meaning to be here on this planet
Which living person do you most admire? Monica, my wife, source of joy, clarity and inspiration for over thirty years, my “safe place”.
What is your greatest extravagance? Playing ukulele on high altitudes. When I go hiking, skiing or climbing I always carry my ukulele in my backpack.
What is your current state of mind? Gratitude. For every little thing as drinkable water, sun, clouds, sunsets, rain, comfortable shoes, food, music, wind, snow, freedom, wealth, Apfelstrudel…a long list. I make one every day.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? The meaning of the words changes, it depends on the times we are living in. I guess the bravery to fight, conquer, dominate, make your way with a machete in your hand, establish supremacy is not useful anymore. We need bravery to listen, to change and to mend the rips we’ve done to our planet.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Maybe is “never mind”, not very inspiring phrase but useful to release the pressure on details and go ahead.
Which talent would you most like to have? Better memory for people names, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, sons, lovers, ex lovers, would save me a lot of gaffes.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? The ability to show my enthusiasm immediately. I have the tendency to see things that does not work at first, until I “see the light”. I need some time to feel and share enthusiasm. I’d love to be an “instantaneous enthusiast”.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? I could say doing an illustrated map for National Geographic, that for me was an impossible dream. The real achievement is to be alive! Professionally alive I mean, after many years, keeping in mind to take nothing for granted, be flexible, trust in the process and be a long life learner. I am still curious and enjoy what I do.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Being formed 80% of water, I’m sure I would be a cloud. That’s perfect.
Where would you most like to live? I would like to divide my life in ¼ travels, ½ Milan + stays in big cities, ¼ wilderness.
What is your most treasured possession? A wooden house in the mountain built and decorated by my grandfather, and a second hand 1961 Martin guitar bought in a Greenwich Village shop. That means the first owner in 1961 could have been Bob Dylan or Joan Baez or Paul Simon or Jimi Hendrix. Even Edward Hopper! His studio was in the village at 3 Washington Square. I don’t know if Hopper played guitar, and I don't want to know. I’m just rambling on.
What is your favorite occupation? To create curiosity.
What is your most marked characteristic? I’m a good listener, I’m deeply interested in people’s stories.
What do you most value in your friends? Sense of humor and trust.
Who are your favorite writers? Saul Steinberg. He is an illustrator, I know, but in his few writings, especially in the correspondence with his Italian friend Aldo Buzzi, there are touches of genius and poetry as in his illustrations. Born in Romania, he said he started to express himself with drawings because he felt his own mother language was limited, a “shepherd's language” he said. He was a poet. I love Robert Louis Stevenson and Kurt Vonnegut too.
Who is your hero of fiction? Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt
Which historical figure do you most identify with? I admire the figure of Alexander Von Humboldt, naturalist, geographer, explorer. He had a different point of view on connections in nature and our impact on it, he laid the foundation of modern ecology. But I’m enjoying this game and I would say that Leonardo Da Vinci too is not too bad.
Who are your heroes in real life? All the people forced to move from their own countries due to wars, poverty, lack of freedom.
What is it that you most dislike? Arrogance (not the perfume)
What is your greatest regret? A gap year around the world, when I resigned and decided to open my own studio.
What is your motto? Keep going!