July 22, 2019Artists

Interview with Artist Alizée Castel

So, tell us a little about yourself and your creations:

My creative journey started with a love for crafting as a kid, later I played around with baking and food photography and eventually started dedicating more time illustrating a few years ago. Encouraged by my entourage, I recently opened my Esty shop where I sell prints of my illustrations. I look forward to keep bringing more goodness to this shop while maintaining my 9-5 job.

Alizée Castel surfer artist her waves

What inspires the art that you create?

Traveling the world is by far my main source of inspiration, especially the warmer colors that can be found in sunnier places. If you ever traveled anywhere around the Mediterranean sea you can probably relate to the explosion of warm colors coming from the architecture and landscape. These warm tones are everything! Summer is my favorite season and I think it is reflected in my art. I am also inspired by brave people (women particularly), fashion, food 🍋 and photography.

Alizée Castel artist her waves

What is your favorite part of the process when creating something?

My favorite part of creating something is both the excitement and energy I have as I start the project and the satisfaction once it's considered finished. The ideating phase is the one that brings me the most joy as the possibilities are infinite and my head gets filled with images. 🤯 The middle part is often a series of ups and downs that all artists go through as they work to find a way to bring their vision to life. Once you are in the groove, it can be very satisfying to see yourself make progress towards a finished piece.

The most pride I have as an artist is when I still love a piece months later. Over time, It happens that I get bored of some of my pieces so if I still love it months later, it feels very special to me. 🥰

Alizée Castel surf artist her waves

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist/entrepreneur?

My biggest challenge as an artist is confidence. I am completely self-taught so, I sometimes struggle with the famous imposter syndrome. Sharing my art and receiving positive feedback tremendously helps with that. It's like a lot of things in life, the more you do it, the more you build confidence 💪…so I keep doing my thing and try not to ask myself too many questions. It also helps to have a full time job that way I don't need to rely on my art to pay the bills.

Alizée Castel surfer artist her waves

How long have you been surfing and what does surfing mean to you?

I am not a surfer! I wish I could surf but I didn't take the time to learn as a kid. It's definitely something I aspire to get to during my grown up years. Never too late, right? 🏄🏼‍♀️

I was exposed to the surf culture by my dad, who loved wind-surfing and would bring me and my sister to surf competitions and shops during summer vacations. My name is related to surfing in a way - it happens to be the name of a Tropical Wind! The ocean is without a doubt my happy place so anything related to it, I love! 🌊

Alizée Castel surfer artist her waves