Visited New York lately? You may have gotten a peek at Rafael Colon’s unique artwork.
His inspiration started with a request from his daughter. Today, his elaborate artwork can be found on various objects, ranging from sneakers to clothing, and most recently, skateboards.
We asked Rafael about his philosophy on his work and learned more about what it takes to be an artist. Keep reading for the full scoop. Don’t forget to check out Rafael’s page and his amazing art.
Kelly Shanahan is very familiar with stepping out of the norm and embracing her passion.
After years of education, Kelly realized law school wasn’t for her. Instead, she followed her love for fashion. Committed to making her “one day” dreams a reality, she threw herself into the unknown and created the company she runs today, Ziran.
We asked Kelly about what it took to start her business and where her inspiration came from. Keep reading to learn how her business idea came from a very unexpected place and the mindset she needed to build a successful brand. Don’t forget to check out Kelly’s page and her clothing line.
To become the illustrator she is today, Ana Caizerliu has had to experiment with her careers.
Ana grew up in Romania loving and studying fine arts. She first worked in advertising but spent hours drawing after work. Ana was very shy about showing people her work, but once she realized her talent, everything changed. Today, Ana is a full-time freelance illustrator who focuses on packaging design, animation, and painting.
Ana’s whimsical and colorful designs are so inspiring that we just may pick up a pencil and try our hand at illustrating one day soon. For now, we’ll let Ana stick to it. Check out Ana’s website to see all of her beautiful illustrations.
Read on to learn more about how Ana found herself drawing daily, her three tips for aspiring illustrators, and the greatest obstacle of her career thus far.
GREG MIKE’s art is a little bit twisted – but in the best way.
As a classically trained studio artist, Greg’s first real foray into the design world was in fashion. After founding a denim jeans line in college, Greg began putting his colorful designs on t-shirts. From there, Greg made a point to make his art his primary focus.
Greg’s colorful designs are a culmination of inspiration from all aspects of his life. Growing up loving skateboarding, Greg also names skate culture as having a big impact on his energetic and loud artistic works. Today, Greg’s work can be seen everywhere from music festivals like Outside Lands, to the Facebook offices.
Is passion a word you use to describe your job?
If yes, you’re like these three community members. Sienna Martz, pictured above, Marques Anderson, and Christine Hauer infuse high levels of passion into their work because they care about what they do. Their passion translates into highly specialized and impactful work, whether that’s in sculpture art for Sienna, Marques’s work as the founder of the World Education Foundation or Christine’s consulting and acting.
If passion isn’t necessarily something you associate with work, let these stories inspire you to move towards what you love.
Sienna Martz is a sculpture artist with a twist. Sienna designs art pieces that interact with the body, from hats to dresses to large installations. For Sienna, her work is her “outlet for self-expression and thought, a way to communicate without words.” Read more →
For Sofia Hellsten, creating something new is a part of her daily routine.
Her light-filled images snapped everywhere from Sweden to Tuscany made us want to elevate our Instagram skills. Sharing snaps of her adventures, Sofia took over our Instagram feed and did not disappoint. From a delicious breakfast snapshot to her favorite vacation spot, Sofia’s grams inspired us to hop on a plane and enjoy the world that awaits us.
Missed her takeover? Check our all of her beautiful and colorful images below or with the hashtag #SOFIAaboutdotme and don’t forget to read up on her foray into art and what inspires her in our interview here.
In her spare time, which blends rather seamlessly with her working hours, you might find artist, Jadranka Lacković by the seaside sketching, painting or maybe just gathering inspiration from the beauty of this historical city where she grew up, Rijeka.
Officially in the art world since the age of ten, much of Jadranka’s artistic inspiration stems from the multiculturalism of her home city and the diversity of the entire country, Croatia.
