Meet Neuland Toolmaster® Liane Hoder

She's always in a good mood and up for anything. Liane Hoder, also known as Himbeerspecht (Raspberry Woodpecker), is a true, full-blooded graphic recorder and therefore a perfect fit for our select group of tool masters.

But what's the story behind the woman with the long mane? We interviewed her and can tell you: she's full of surprises. "Can't" isn't in Liane's vocabulary, because when she sets her mind to something, she simply does it. That's how she started a few years ago with the ultimate challenge, to which she has remained loyal ever since. Just a typical career path. 😉

Dear Liane, we would also like to know which 3 hashtags best describe you.

#aheartforteachers

#luckykid

#authenticity

Is there anything else we absolutely should know about you?

I'm terribly curious, impatient, and get bored very easily. This is quite the opposite of where I come from: a farm in the border region of three countries (Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic), right next to the forest. And it's this tranquility that I'm always drawn back to. To relax, I like to spend hours alone in the woods, fishing by the water, or practicing an old Sorbian craft. In contrast, my everyday life is anything but boring. Much to my family's dismay, a structured daily routine would probably drive me to the brink of madness.

You always seem to be busy. It's great that you also consciously make time to relax. 🙂 When did you actually decide to do what you're doing today... and why?

Decisive is good… Out of necessity, to solve a communication problem in a project, I saw drawing as the only option (and only because I've always drawn anyway). Two weeks later, someone called (my first client) and wanted to book me for a graphic recording – that sounded incredibly exciting. My first reaction was, "Sure, I'll do it," and then I googled what graphic recording actually was. That was in 2009. Aside from the terrible stage fright, I immediately felt: This is MINE! It appeals to the teacher in me: breaking down complex concepts into simple terms, guiding a learning process, always keeping the target audience in mind and ensuring understanding and retention. It touches my creative side. I've always drawn, which is why I studied art education. Explaining things with images, guiding processes, moving things forward, supported by images that create a shared understanding – it still sounds like my dream job. Without a website, business cards, or anything like that, things took off rapidly – fate gave me a BIG gift. In 2015/2016, it became Himbeerspecht (Raspberry Woodpecker). I am still very grateful for that and sometimes can't believe my luck.

So you're living your dream, that's great! Is there a specific event in your life that has particularly shaped you?

At university, I had a graphic design professor who actually gave the impression of being more like the janitor. During my first seminar, he switched on the overhead projector, sharpened his pencil on it, and created the most amazing pictures with just a few strokes of his finger in those tiny bits of paper. Then he said, "Anyone who's here because they got accepted to art school and thinks we train artists is in the wrong place. Anyone who wants to learn what 'Everyone Can Draw' really means and share that with the world is in the right place!" That really resonated with me! EVERYONE CAN DRAW is one of my favorite phrases in every workshop I give. And looking back—I've been giving workshops on visualization for seven years now—I can only say: He was right!

Simple yet meaningful. Now imagine you were locked alone in the Neuland Playground® at night. What adventures do you think you would experience there, and what would the Playground be like the next day?

Probably very colorful!

That already sounds incredibly promising: a place with all those wonderful markers in every imaginable color and variation, and on top of that, TIME. I'd probably grab a beer and start drawing, finally giving space to all those ideas that remain undrawn because of lack of time, without any fear of not having the right materials. Honestly, it would be even better if I weren't alone. Just imagine—a pack of Neuland Toolmaster® artists alone in the Playground at night… We should definitely do that sometime! Actually, wait: When are we going to do it?

We're ready as soon as you are! 😀 But now we have one burning question: Why Raspberry Woodpecker?

For a long time, I thought graphic recording was more of a hobby and never really considered it becoming my profession. But then there was a point where I started getting a lot of inquiries. I didn't do any marketing – I hand-painted all my business cards at each event. My husband works in marketing and eventually said to me: "You need a name!" All my suggestions were met with comments like, "That's so 80s, that's just not right." Finally, we had a fight, and I said, "Fine – no name."

A short time later, a German graphic recorder commented on one of my charts in a forum: "Not bad, Mrs. Woodpecker." I liked the woodpecker immediately... but HOW to convince my husband? I asked him about his favorite fruit, made some wild guesses, and then said: "My name is Raspberry Woodpecker!"

Yes! That's the kind of story we were hoping for, a really cool idea! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time for the interview, Ms. Raspberry Woodpecker. It was very entertaining, as always!