Emilie Turcotte is the artistic director of Recreation who discovered her love of design before she even went to kindergarten. “I watched my dad play Nintendo,” she says. “I was fascinated by the graphics, covers, and game booklets. I loved seeing that it had its world!” 

Turcotte comes from a small village in the province of Quebec, Canada, which she cites as an early source of inspiration. “I believe that growing up far from big cities has always influenced me to discover more,” she says. “I love diving into the unknown.” She continues to derive inspiration from her surroundings, walking outside every day in the fresh air and keeping a keen eye on what’s going on around her. “A cat wandering down an alley suddenly seems like a perfectly balanced composition; the Gothic architecture of an old building I had never noticed among more modern ones reminds me that mixing styles can be inspiring; the soft green of trees in spring demonstrates a perfect color palette, or new graffiti gives me the idea for the punchline I’ve been needing for a presentation,” Turcotte says.

Her advice for aspiring designers leans heavily on stepping outside your comfort zone and seeking something new. “Don’t just follow what inspires you on the web,” Turcotte says. “Algorithms interpret what you might want to see, not what you don’t expect to see. Discuss and exchange ideas with professionals or even friends. It’s a great opportunity to learn, share, and discover new ways of seeing things. Disrupt yourself!”