From Psychology to Illustration: How Research and Human Nature Shape Céline Moya's work

Céline Moya is an illustrator, animator, and all-around curious person who has both an MSc in Social Psychology and an MA in Illustration - because why settle for just one rabbit hole when you can dive down two?

Her work is all about human nature, emotions, and the weird, wonderful ways we connect with the world around us. She runs a newsletter called Human Nature, where she takes big psychological ideas and turns them into beautifully illustrated insights you won’t find on the first page of Google.

She’s worked with the likes of Friends of the Earth, Musicians Without Borders, and Saferworld - basically, people trying to make the world a bit better - and she brings the same level of care and curiosity to all her projects.

You hold an MSc in Social Psychology and an MA in Illustration. How has your background in psychology influenced your approach to illustration and animation?

I mainly got into illustration and animation to escape psychology, so for a long time I wanted to leave it behind and have nothing to do with it. But through studying psychology, I learned to be rigorous and research everything thoroughly, and I think I bring that approach into my illustration work as well. I always get so worried about putting something out into the world that is misleading or not factually accurate and spend a long time researching the tiniest details, like whether two plants can grow next to each other or what boy bands wore in the naughties!

Your newsletter, "Human Nature," delves into psychological concepts through illustration. Can you discuss your inspiration for this project and how you select the topics you illustrate?

The inspiration for this project actually came from a chat I had with Andy J. Pizza. At the time, I never thought I would be able to keep it up for long, but it’s now been a year since I started and it’s kind of just turned into a habit. I choose the topics based on what interested me or marked me the most during my psychology studies, then refer to my old lecture notes and look at new research that’s been done on the topic to flesh out the content of the articles. In this way, I hope to offer something a little different to what you might find through a Google search. Some topics are more challenging to illustrate than others, but I always try to incorporate nature into the work, hence the name Human Nature! I go into my illustration process more in my second newsletter, Drawing Nature, which you can find on my Substack.

You've collaborated with Friends of the Earth, Musicians Without Borders, and Saferworld. How do you approach illustrating for clients, and what have been some of your most rewarding projects?

I’ve been lucky enough to work with clients who are trying to do good in the world, and those are usually my favourite projects. One of the most fun projects I worked on was directing and animating a music video for Rwanda Youth Music through Musicians Without Borders. It was my first time directing, but they put their full trust in me and ran with the ideas I proposed, so I felt very free to be creative. When illustrating for clients, I take great care to communicate their message as accurately as possible while bringing my own voice to the illustration. I sometimes find it to be a tricky balance, but I usually find that my more “original” ideas are the ones clients respond most positively to, so I try to remind myself of that and be confident in my own vision.

As a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire and a facilitator of illustration workshops, what key lessons do you aim to impart to your students, and how does teaching influence your creative practice?

The main thing I try to impart to my students is to be confident in their ideas and tastes and not be afraid of making mistakes. I try to show what works for me without enforcing it on them. Seeing different people’s ideas and perspectives is always so eye-opening, and teaching reminds me to practice what I preach.

Looking ahead, are there any mediums, themes, or projects you're excited to explore in your artistic journey?

I am really interested in traditional animation, so I would really like to experiment with animating on paper and painting animation cells! I would love to find a residency or programme that would allow me to do that in the near future.

Follow Céline on Instagram @celinemdraws.

Interview by Johnny Larran, 2025.