You've probably seen this next Sharkfluencer's work on instagram under the handle @sharkingdaily. We're excited to hear from talented artist Rosaly van Dansik who's work is giving a playful look to one of the world's most misunderstood animals.
My name is Rosaly and I love to draw, the ocean and.. sharks of course!
Being born and raised in the Netherlands in a town near the coastline, I've always been drawn to the sea. But because the North Sea is too murky and cold, the first time I ever snorkeled was in Malta when I was ten.
Mesmerized by all the tiny fish I stayed in the water for hours and I think my passion for the ocean subconsciously started there. It took me another ten years before I finally had my first diving experience, in Thailand. That was right before my life as a student, so the ten years after were all about getting my Graphic Design degree in art school and starting my career as a designer. But along those years I became more and more aware of the impact we as humans have on our planet.
I realized that life started in the ocean, how ancient many sea creatures are and how us humans only just now appeared in this world. Compared to sharks we are only a blip in time.
To me, the ocean is a holy and magical place. I can't really explain it, but I just have a very strong feeling inside that I want to protect it. So I quit my job at the time, gave up my house and went volunteering for a marine conservation project in the Philippines where my passion for the ocean really started to blow up. I became a Divemaster and worked on the Ningaloo Reef in Australia and that's where I've had the most encounters with sharks. I came to realize how elegant and timid they are. Even swimming with tiger sharks wasn't scary at all, but a humbling experience. I thought it was interesting to see that most times I saw a shark, they'd quickly swam away. So any time I did see one I felt very lucky.
Being back in the Netherlands I really started to miss sharks, so I one day came up with the idea of drawing one of them, each day, for a year. That was probably the best idea I've had this year haha. Not only did I learn heaps more about sharks, I also met so many amazing people through my account! It's so inspiring to scroll down my ocean-filled content on insta each day.
My friends and family I have in the Netherlands are the best and are very supportive of me, even though they don't feel as passionate about the ocean as I do. Some of them are even afraid of the big blue and most don't scuba dive. But they love my stories and shark illustrations, they care deeply about the wellbeing of our planet and I can already tell I've changed the way they think of sharks. While I was working abroad I've met many other ocean conservationists and enthusiasts and I'm still friends with a lot of them. I feel very blessed to have all these beautiful people around, both near me and far away.
Q:) What are the most challenging aspects of your role/work? What obstacles do you face?
Usually it's fine, but to come up with a new shark illustration every day no matter how I feel can be challenging sometimes. Every time I sit down to draw one though, somehow a shark design always appears.
Most of the time I have no clue what I will draw before, it just sort of happens. And I always feel really good after, very accomplished. I even start to think maybe I should do another year of drawing a shark every day.. but I haven't decided yet, haha.
Q:) If you woke up as a shark tomorrow, which species would you be and why?
Aah, so hard to choose! Probably a tawny nurse shark, because they're so cute and they're cruisy as. I love their long elegant tail and 'whiskers'!
Q:) Do you have a favorite work? Why or what is it about that particular one that makes it your favorite?
I'm having a hard time picking just one! But my favorites are the ones that are both cute and tell a story, like Day 94 - the nurse shark with a shrimp, Day 120 - a crab holding on to a bull shark's tail and Day 83: the one with a manta, Goku and a bull shark.
I really enjoyed drawing that one, my little tribute to Dragonball. And I just want to hug the shark I drew on Day 142!
Q:) How has your art evolved over the time you've been doing it? How do you feel the public views/feels about it or how it impacts shark conservation?
My style is always changing a little bit as I'm always trying out new things. To keep myself from getting bored and train my art skills at the same time. So, I like to mix up techniques and I enjoy telling a little story in each illustration. And I've become faster at drawing sharks, but then I can still take a lot of time on detailing.
I reckon my followers really enjoy seeing a fresh new shark in their feed every day -
I get good feedback and my account is growing steadily. I get a lot of reactions from people saying they love what I do and think the sharks are cute and funny. The main reason why I've started this project is to put sharks in a better light, make people fall in love with sharks, because you protect what you love.
Movies like Jaws and what you see in the media have made people think sharks are monsters.
I make sure to draw my sharks extra cute, to balance it out. Of course, sharks aren't pets and you should always keep a respectful distance. You may have noticed I deliberately keep from drawing sharks in peril or anything bloody. There are already many other platforms where people can get information about finning etc., and while that is super important too, I'm choosing to provide a platform focused on only good things that are happening for sharks. Because I know that it can feel overwhelming to hear and see so many bad stuff happening in our oceans. A lot of good stuff is happening too, and I want to focus on that, to keep others and myself motivated to keep trying to protect our oceans. Every little bit helps and I've seen that we already are making a change, using our voices combined.
Q:) Do you believe we can change the negative stigma surrounding sharks?
Absolutely! Maybe we can't take all peoples fears away, but I have already seen people that do care about sharks even though they're afraid of them. There are so many photographers and other artists showing the beauty of sharks. So many conservationists, film makers and marine biologists showing the world their vulnerability. And we have to keep doing this. As long as people start to care and understand how badly we need sharks for the ecosystem, that's good enough for me. As long as it results in protecting sharks.
I think there are many things you can do, but the biggest impact I think is to vote for parties that promote ocean conservation and sign petitions that help safe sharks. It's amazing how powerful those petitions are, I've seen they really make a change! Get informed about what you're eating and where it's coming from and make your decision of continue buying those products based on that. And try to avoid using single-use plastics as much as you can of course.