Where Drawing Meets Skin and Soul, interview with Klára Svoboda

I’ve been following Klára and her work for quite some time. Thanks to my job, I had the chance to connect with her and peek a little under the lid of her creative process — and now you can too. Her words radiate love for the craft and authenticity — in my opinion, probably the two most important aspects of creating anything.

She works as a tattoo artist and, together with her colleagues, runs a studio in Prague. Some time ago, she launched her passion project: Svoboda Paper. On top of that, she enjoys photography and coffee — just for her own pleasure. Discover Klára’s work — and hopefully, her words will captivate you enough to treat yourself to something from her little workshop, whether from the tattoo or illustration side.

What were the first impulses that led you down the creative path? It’s a risk — but sometimes it’s worth it, right?

I think I just kind of slipped into it naturally. I grew up surrounded by brushes, paints, books, and this strange sense of ease — that creating is just a normal way of being. My grandma and grandpa are academic painters, and my parents aren’t far from art either — even if it’s not their professional field. Art school then felt more like a confirmation of what had already been decided long ago — that this is my world. Of course, it’s a risk. No one guarantees that it’ll work out. But when you feel like there’s no other way — or rather, you don’t want another way — then really, there is no other option.

What is Svoboda Paper, exactly?

My goal is to gradually develop the brand into a self-sustaining stationery label that grows slowly and naturally — no rush, but with heart. At the moment, I offer original postcards, prints, and bookmarks, but that’s definitely not where it ends. I’m already preparing lots of new things to be released throughout the summer — and in the fall, I’m planning Christmas wrapping paper, tags, canvas totes, and other little surprises. BTW — the postcard was actually the first thing I designed for SP. I really miss the joy and magic of that moment when you open your mailbox and find a handwritten message inside. There’s nostalgia in that — a sense of slowing down, something personal and real. A feeling that digital messages just can’t replace. One of my big dreams is to connect paper with coffee — to open a little space where you can pick out a card, wrap a gift, and have a coffee while you’re at it. My husband even owns coffee shops — Coffee Cube — so that dream might not be that far away. :) I also want to offer custom illustration under the Svoboda Paper name — but only when there’s a real match and true symbiosis can happen.

I also want to offer custom illustration under the Svoboda Paper name — but only when there’s a real match and true symbiosis can happen.

What do you do when the creative wave fades? What helps you stay in shape?

Honestly? When it’s quiet, it’s quiet. I don’t force it. I’ve already realized that breaks are a part of creating. Sometimes a walk is enough, or tea — or just unlimited time with no art or creating at all. I stay creatively fit mostly by doing things at my own pace and according to my inner compass. I don’t compare. I don’t push. When I need time — I give it to myself.

What do you do when complete creative burnout hits? Do you take a break or push through?

It depends. With illustration, I can afford to slow down and let my hands rest — even not create at all, as I already mentioned. With tattooing, it’s trickier — I usually have to show up and meet a person, and that often pulls me right back in. But — and this is a big but — I’ve learned, even recently, that when I push myself too hard with tattooing, my body stops me. So now, I’ve limited tattooing to just a few days a week — that way, I can avoid burnout and know I’m giving clients 100 percent. Tattooing isn’t just about art anymore — it’s about people too. And that’s a whole story in itself.

You’ve traveled as a tattoo artist — where have you been, and why those places?

Yes, my work has taken me to several European cities — I was especially drawn to Berlin, Hamburg, and mainly Amsterdam. I also had the chance to visit Milan and Barcelona. Amsterdam is my heart city. It has this unique calm and freedom — something softly dreamlike that keeps calling me back. I share that with my dad — he loves the city too. I think there’s just this deep connection there. What I love about traveling is the feeling of being completely myself. As if I become a slightly different version of Klára. More receptive, calmer, more tuned in. I also bring back different colors from each place. Traveling as a tattoo artist was honestly a dream I had from the very beginning, when I first started thinking about becoming a tattooist.

For a long time, I even considered moving to Amsterdam. In the end, I stuck with frequent visits — and that suits me better. I need my roots. My landscape, my language, my family — those are the threads that inspire and hold me together. The muse from outside is wonderful, but home is here.

My goal is to gradually develop the brand into a self-sustaining stationery label that grows slowly and naturally — no rush, but with heart.

Your illustrations feel gentle, dreamy, often connected to nature. How did you find your style? What inspires you?

Thank you! In some way, I can’t really describe what my style is, or how I found it — but I’d say it probably came to me gradually. Like everything that wasn’t really mine slowly peeled away, and only what I truly want to express remained. I look for inspiration everywhere, but I often find it in nature, in silence, in details others might overlook — the light on trees, the rustle of leaves, the moods that can’t be described. Sometimes I wake up with an idea. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved melancholy — nostalgia — and I always sought them out, both in drawings and in illustrated stories and books. I think that really shows in my style.

Does your work change as you change? Could you recognize what period of life you were in based on an illustration?

Absolutely. Creating is like keeping a diary. When I look back, I see what I was going through — what colors I lived in, what I was hiding, what I wanted to say but didn’t know how yet. Sometimes I can tell by the atmosphere, sometimes by what’s missing. Even emptiness is a message. More than once, an illustration helped me out of the darkest moments of my life.

I have drawers at my cottage — and actually also at home — anywhere I have a little base or nest — full of sketches. I can stop at each one and be instantly pulled back into the past. Sometimes it’s not pleasant, and there are drawings I can barely look at. I really do leave one hundred percent of myself in my work — my little pieces. :)

Do you have a ritual that gets you into the creative flow?

I do! And I think everyone who creates must have their own rituals, in a way. I have different versions of them — but the foundation is: I need a clean space. I just can’t create in a mess. At least the part of the apartment I’m working in has to be tidy. Then I need a variation of drinks — at least two — tea and water. Good lighting, music, spoken word, or a film. My range goes from true crime to the Harry Potter series. I also need fresh air and super comfy clothes. Writing this down now, I realize there’s actually quite a lot that needs to happen — and how I need to feel — in order to create, haha. Anyway, it’s more of a pre-creating ritual — not something that directly triggers creation. It has to come from within.

"Through this, I’d love to wish all creative souls not to be afraid of their dreams — and not to let bad days define them."
— Klára Svoboda

Dream project?

Svoboda Paper is currently my biggest joy and challenge. I’ve searched for a long time — under various names — for different projects. But now I’ve finally found what I was looking for.

Right now, I’m preparing a Christmas paper collection and other stationery treasures. I’m also working on a few beautiful collaborations that will be revealed in autumn — and I’m so excited.

It may sound simple, but my dream is to create my own book. Illustrated, quiet, dreamy. Maybe for kids, maybe for adults with a child’s soul. At the same time, I’m still searching for balance between tattooing and illustration. One day, I’d like to tattoo only occasionally — and all the more fully. But I’m not closing myself off to any path — it might happen that I won’t tattoo at all one day. I see it this way: life has different chapters. And who knows when one ends? For now, I’m letting it be. I don’t want to know everything right away or make sudden decisions. Some things are meant to come at the right time.