Growing up and becoming an adult turned out to be a bit of a letdown for artist and illustrator Giulia Beck: what was promised as freedom and independence turned out to be tangled with worry, insecurity, and stress.

That’s why under the pen name The World or Nothing, Giulia seeks to reconnect with the childhood passions that once made daily life feel magical, like her love for nature and wildlife, far-flung landscapes, and the people and animals she’s met along the way.

Through her characters and fantasy illustrations she unpacks difficult themes such as ADHD, climate change and melancholia, using humor, warmth, and color to soften the edges of heavy truths.

Working primarily in watercolor and black ink, Giulia has trained under renowned artists including Jonathan Hardesty, Wouter Tulp, and Nathan Fowkes.

Since moving from Brazil to the Netherlands in 2020, she has fallen in love with the Dutch and their gentle pace of life. Now based in Delft, she continues to illustrate while studying at the Venster Academy of Visual Storytelling in Utrecht.