An Inspired Chat with Övgü Yeles

Övgü Yeles shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Övgü , thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
Yes, I would hire me. I’m adaptable and creative, and I’m open to learning new things that help me grow. In art, I believe that staying curious and open is what keeps the work alive, and I strive to bring that mindset into everything I do.

I take my craft seriously. I love dedicating hours just to learn a single trick, which helps me stay flexible and keep a grand perspective when things get challenging. I love exploring new styles and researching the subject intensively before I finally commit to the idea. I’m not the loudest person in the room, but I’m consistent, thoughtful, and intentional, especially if it involves the craft. Honestly, that would be the kind of artist I’d want on my team if I were an art director.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Övgü Yeles, Aria, a Visual Development Artist and Illustrator specializing in animation. I bring stories to life through color scripts, set designs, call-outs, and detailed backgrounds, while also enjoying character illustrations that complement the world I get to design.

I’m constantly refining my craft through personal projects, studying masters and learn from real life. I recently finished my portfolio based on Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame De Paris, which you can view at https://www.ovguyeles.com/notre-dame . I’m actively seeking opportunities where I can contribute creatively while growing as an artist.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I used to believe I had to be constantly working to improve. After finishing my portfolio project, I realized how much I had pushed myself to the point that I forgot to enjoy life and even the act of creating itself. It made me realize that experiencing things outside of art actually makes me better at it. Taking time to pause, let ideas settle, and allow scenes to form naturally in my mind has brought new depth to my personal projects.

Lately, I’ve started exercising more, and it’s changed the way I see things: clearer, lighter, and more balanced. Since COVID, I had mostly been surviving through drawing alone, until it started driving me a little wild. Completing my portfolio gave me permission to slow down, breathe, and rediscover the joy in simply sketching. Now I find happiness in working traditionally again, just with a pencil and paper, without feeling guilty for not being productive as much as I can. It’s helped me reconnect with why I started drawing in the first place.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Experiment. Don’t stick to a single project for too long, especially if you’re still early in your art journey. If you spend years on one thing, you’ll outgrow it faster than you think and end up wanting to redo everything because of how much you’ve improved. If you’re planning a series or a portfolio project, try not to dedicate more than a year to it. Even a year is a long time when you’re still growing.

Try out different styles, mediums, and subjects to discover what truly connects with your artistic voice. Don’t forget to learn the fundamentals and study the artists you admire, not just look at their work, but understand how they think.

And most importantly, have a life outside of just painting. I know it’s hard, believe me. Exercise a few times a week, pick up a hobby, learn an instrument, a language, or even just play games. It all feeds your creativity more than you realize.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I want to believe that hard work will pay off, one way or another, and that it will shape life in meaningful ways. I don’t want to think that all the years I’ve spent training were for nothing, because the improvement in my drawing and painting skills is proof of that effort. I know that one day I will reach the level of mastery seen in artists like Sargent, Mucha, Cornwell, and many others.

Even if progress is slow, I’m committed to creating art that tells a story and resonates with people, and I understand that this kind of growth is a lifelong process.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If immortality were real, what would you build?
I would build a gothic mansion with a grand garden, where I could wander and lose myself in painting while looking out over the distant city. I don’t think I’d change the essence of what I do now, but having all the time in the world would let me explore every medium, every style, and every subject I’ve ever been curious about. I would take risks without fear, experiment endlessly, and allow my work to evolve in ways that a normal lifetime could never accommodate.
Inside the mansion, I would dedicate a grand gallery wall to display my paintings, an ever-growing record of my journey, my experiments, and the worlds I’ve created. It would be a living archive, a place to see the evolution of my vision over centuries. And even as I grew older and my skill matured, I’d continue to create, to study, and to explore, knowing that time would no longer be a limit, only an invitation to keep imagining.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ovguyeles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ovguyeles/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovguyeles/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Ovguyeles