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As a child I wanted to become a landscape gardener. But very quickly the desire to become a designer came. I always had a pencil in my hand. My mother, my grandparents, my uncle, I was surrounded by people who drew or painted. And the DIY I did would develop my imagination, which I also put on paper. I liked to make caricatures of relatives or famous people too, and to mix animals like the tiger with an ostrich body!

Bonjour Ben, thank you for answearing my questions. What kind of little boy were you?
A happy little boy because he didn’t lack anything, very much surrounded by his family and his two sisters and brother. A restless little boy, full of energy and certainly a bit tiring for my parents 🙂 a curious little boy, and collector/tinkerer.

What toys, memories did you have from your childhood in France?
I had a big box with lots of figures, the Smurfs, the Knights of the Zodiac…. I really liked the characters I made up stories for. I often went to the back of my parents’ shop. My father had lots of components and parts that I liked to collect and assemble to make robots. And I also remember my mother’s Sunday rice pudding.
I really liked Tom Sawer. But to choose only one is hard because The Simpsons or Olive and Tom are not far behind
The hero of my childhood? It’s probably silly but Reynald Pedros, the striker for FC Nantes when I was a child, was a lefty I could identify with. Much later there was Ron Arad, his work as a designer allowed me to discover this universe and made me want to make it my profession.

What issues/causes affected you as a child ?
I remember we had to bring rice to school for starving children in Africa. With hindsight it may seem silly, there were certainly more effective ways to help them. But this collective effort with my friends touched us and made us aware of how lucky we were.

What did you want to be when you grew up ?
When I was very young, I was a landscape gardener. But very quickly the desire to become a designer came.
But I always kept this love for nature. Through my garden I perpetuate this love of landscaping.
I also live it through photographs that I take in my lost time. I have an instagram page dedicated to pictures.

How did you develop your passion for drawing, who/what inspired you?
I have always had a pencil in my hand. My mother, my grandparents, my uncle, I was surrounded by people who drew or painted. And the crafts I did would develop my imagination, which I also put on paper. I liked to make caricatures of relatives or famous people too, and to mix animals, the tiger with an ostrich body!

What role did your parents play and how did they support you?
They always encouraged me, took the time to look at my drawings and listen to their explanations. Later on, when I wanted to study art, they never denied me this desire, I was even able to make my first models of applied art with my father.

What was your educational background?
An applied arts A level, a BTS Assistant Designer in south of France. A second BTS in Sociology and to finish a DSAA in Global Design.

Tell us more about your passionate job as a Designer
I am a product designer – graphic designer – textile designer. I create car seat covers with a textile approach for the top of the range, choice of materials, definition of cuts, finishes…. and a more graphic approach for seats under licence such as Disney. Recently I have also been working on beds, high chairs, pushchairs… I also do product photos and catalogues, a more graphic designer’s job.
Isn’t it nice to have a job that allows you to stay connected to your child soul (Disney…)
Of course it is! It’s especially nice to have a job where creation is daily and playful creation is colourful! And then, I worked 10 years as a fireplace designer, it’s sure that when I brought back a fireplace model I had more success with my daughters than when I bring back today a frozen seat to get their opinion 🙂

You and your wife have 2 daughters how do you accompany them, support them in their own evolution?
I try to cultivate their curiosity and creativity by trying to make myself available to see their creations, listen to their explanations as I was done for myself. I show them techniques like cyanotype, to show them that there are many ways of expression to discover. I challenge them to come up with ideas on a theme and share the results with them and I also let their mother pass on her curiosity and creativity to them 🙂 we still try too little to take them to shows, films or exhibitions.

What advice would you give to parents who project their ambitions or failed dreams onto their children?
It’s hard not to. I myself sometimes don’t understand why they don’t know what to do when I knew it when I was young. Sometimes I’m surprised that she doesn’t find something I’m passionate about interesting. It’s hard not to project onto your children but it’s necessary, so we take a step back, we listen to them and I try to be interested in what interests them in areas that I wouldn’t have gone into and that I’m happy to discover, make-up, film, etc. It’s difficult to have this exchange sometimes but it’s great when we manage to realise that we have as much to learn from them as they have from us.

Where can we find you and see your work?
You can connect with me on my two Instagram pages @ben.mesnard and @mesnard.photo

Thank you so much Benjamin Mesnard!
You are welcome Marie! I hope that my answers are in accordance with the questions which are sometimes difficult ;-p