Meet Ana Tevšić Nauković | Industrial Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ana Tevšić Nauković and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ana, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
At the time, I didn’t really have a clear plan. I had the courage and naiveness of being so young that I believed it would all somehow work out. The circumstances in my life kind of steered the way into continuing and adapting my business, so I just learned to quickly pick up assignments and handle them the best way I knew how. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to work for myself and that my goal was to develop my own path creatively, but I definitely did not have a clear plan. I knew that I had so much to learn and that one of the biggest parts of handling my business was to surround myself with people who can and will share their knowledge with me. Because you know the theory, but practice takes time and it means a lot of mistakes are made along the way. So being able to fail and learn is a privilege I don’t take for granted; it made me better. I don’t necessarily like it – but it did make me better. The partners I work with have been with me since the very beginning and the mutual respect or understanding is what keeps us together, but it also provides the best possible solutions for my clients. We are all hard working and we always try to give our clients more than they ask for, because it is what makes us happy. Being happy with what you have created and delivered gives us joy as much as it does for the client we work for.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Honestly, I just love what I do. So I don’t mind doing extra work, staying longer, redoing something to make it better. Every project I worked on has made me better, so I am thankful to all my clients for giving me a chance. It definitely was not the easiest path to take, but it was mine. I did a lot of unpaid work, because I needed experience and knowledge to get ahead. I have learned that being kind and understanding of others is the only way to live and work, so I would take that as the most important lesson. Also, I am grateful for being able to do this work at all and I definitely don’t take anything for granted.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would say – take short trips and make the most of your time here! Zagreb is actually a city with a great location for a lot of things; it is the capital, so it has a lot of great restaurants and the old town is beautiful. Enjoy some craft beer from Medvedgrad. Go to Beštija and have some nice dinner. Have coffee at Cogito and enjoy a nice breakfast at Kazališna Kavana. Visit one of our old cinemas and enjoy a classic movie. Go see a baller at Croatian National Theatre. Definitely spend a day walking around the centre and simply look around. After that I would recommend to go on Sljeme and ski today, then go to the coast tomorrow and enjoy the seaside. Enjoy our nature as much as you can because there is nothing like it.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, without a doubt! We have been together even before I started my own business, so his role of being supportive and loving is what gave me strength and courage to continue my work even when it didn’t make any sense to do so. We had three children in the meantime, so a lot of help was needed at times – and he was there whenever I needed him. Not to mention that he has his own business that needs a lot of his time and attention. But he always had time for me – whether it was just to listen, or to help out with time management. He is my partner and his role in my work / life balance is everything.

Website: https://atn.la

Instagram: @anatevsicnaukovic

Image Credits
All image credits: Mateja Vrčković