Berit Gilma is a Trojan horse infiltrating the mainstream. The punk, alternative and gothic vision of the GRAMMY-nominated new media artist goes against tradition and defies expectations — allowing her to stay true to herself as she navigates the multi-billion-dollar music industry.

The Austrian-born creator has served as the creative director for composer/singer-songwriter Danny Elfman for three years now, but prior to her current role she spent time studying under — and working for — Jame Bridle, Adam Harvey and Ai Weiwei, who were a part of her community in Berlin, Germany, while she took her undergraduate studies at Berlin’s University of the Arts. Being immersed in the new media art and hacktivist scenes of the city heavily influenced her thinking and worldview, and although it doesn’t directly shape the work she does for Elfman, she reckons she would be a very different person and artist without it. “I care about authenticity, so every piece of work I do has a lot of my personal aesthetics and experience in it,” she says. “It’s all part of a journey, with different chapters that build on each other, and I do respect my journey very much.”

While it was never a goal of hers to merge her passions for music and art, her adoration for the former and standing in the world of the latter allowed the connection to happen organically. Gilma began working for Elevate Festival in Graz, Austria when she was 19 (she’s now their lead art curator), and she initially met Elfman through a mutual friend. The two have remained close friends ever since, and prior to her relocation to Los Angeles for her Master of Fine Arts at UCLA, Gilma would send Elfman art and music from her world that he would always enjoy. “Meeting Danny allowed me to carve out a beautiful niche for myself, working at the nexus of visual arts and music,” she says. When Coachella 2020 was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two found themselves with more time to work — giving birth to what eventually became BIG MESS, Gilma’s first project as Elfman’s creative director.

“I care about authenticity, so every piece of work I do has a lot of my personal aesthetics and experience in it.”

Reflecting on their past conversations, Gilma theorizes that Elfman was inspired by their discussions and, at the same time, angry with the state of US politics. The complexities of those emotions permeated through the artistic direction of BIG MESS — the 3D scan of Elfman and his transformation to a grotesque digital sculpture and the music videos that utilized CGI, 3D technology, motion capture and AI evoke the feelings of anger, angst and frustration that many resonated with at the time. “My vision was to connect him with contemporary art and music movements,” she explains of the record. “He’s a true artistic soul, and we both try to push for high standards in whatever we work on together.”

In three words, how would you describe your job to someone who isn’t familiar with the industry?

Creative thinking overall.

Can you run us through a day in your work life?

It’s honestly quite loose, but I’ll usually jump on a call with Danny (if I’m not in his studio) for at least an hour, and we’ll throw some wild ideas around. It could be either for a music video, a design, or a new song/project.

Did you always know you wanted to have the career you do now and did school play any part in inspiring you to this path?

There is no blueprint in this industry. I just followed whatever felt authentic, creative, and exciting. School played a partin the sense that I was able to educate myself and practice critical thinking, and it connected me to a community that inspires me.

“Practice trusting your intuition, shape your thinking, and never lose sight of your moral compass.”

What are the necessary first steps a person should take to enter a career in music as a creative and art director?

I think studying anything creative early on is a good first step, and then you can go from there. Practice trusting your intuition, shape your thinking, and never lose sight of your moral compass.

What lessons and/or work ethics did you only pick up after working in the music industry?

Being appreciative of everyone’s work in a big team is important because everyone is trying their best. It shouldn’t be taken for granted, but unfortunately it is; credit everyone appropriately because everyone deserves to be seen for their work.

What was the biggest challenge you’ve had to face so far, and how did you overcome it?

The music industry is full of creativity and wonderful things happening, but it is also very harsh — especially for a young female. It’s a space full of glass walls, and it’s hard to find words to describe it if you haven’t experienced it yourself. We are forced to navigate through it somehow; it’s built into the DNA of the industry and needs to change radically. I definitely had to grow a lot to do it, but thankfully, my personality allows for the hardships and challenges. In general, I think it needs more women in important positions and female mentors. I learned to be bold and just say, “F*ck it. I’ll do my thing.”

What is one thing about your job that most people would find unexpected or surprising?

Because I focus on an overall vision, I do have to bring quite a broad skillset to this job. It’s not surprising for others per se, but I’m often surprised at how much of my past experience is required to do what I do.

“The music industry is full of creativity and wonderful things happening, but it is also very harsh — especially for a young female…In general, I think it needs more women in important positions and female mentors. I learned to be bold and just say, ‘F*ck it. I’ll do my thing.’”

Is there a secret to career longevity in this industry?

Ha, that’s a good question! But I wouldn’t know. I’m still fairly new to this industry and this role myself. Let me know if you hear of something.

What are some habits you follow regularly to always maintain a good headspace for work?

Don’t check your emails in the evenings (I’m mostly failing at this). Good coffee, healthy vegan food, nature. I have one health item that helps me calm down before I go to sleep, and I can recommend it to everyone. I call it the pain mat. It’s an acupressure mat with spikes that go into your skin. It calms your nervous system. It’s magic.

What does a day off look like for you?

I’d say either a day in nature or a hangover day (because of the night before).

If not working in music, what would you be doing?

In a parallel life, I’d be a politician fighting for environmental protection, doing art projects with NASA (still a goal) living off the Tasmanian coast, writing books and being the weird lady that befriends dolphins (still a goal later in life).

Stay tuned for more features with music industry professionals — from managers to sound engineers, stagehands and others; the people who make the music world go round without standing behind a microphone.