Getting Creative With Anna Victor, LA Textile's Installation Artist
FINDing INSPIRATION WHEREVER YOU ARE
If you’ve been to any of our LA TEXTILE shows recently, you more than likely marveled at the statement-making, creative displays and art installations greeting you in our lobby and throughout the show floor.
These were created by the uber-talented, local artist and stylist ANNA VICTOR, whose prolific creative activity constantly amazes us.
We asked Anna for insights into her creative process and how she keeps motivated as an artist and fashion creative during a time many find unmotivating.
how do you get motivated to stay creative during this Time of social-distancing?
“What I have found helpful in keeping me creative while staying in is having my creative space set up and ready to go, so when I get that urge to sketch or write something, my supplies are right there for me. Cleaning and organizing has also inspired some projects — finding things that I had forgotten about that now carry new meaning. Also, if you go for walks, take your camera with you!”
HAVE YOU DISCOVERED ANY MATERIALS AROUND THE HOME THAT HAVE INSPIRED NEW PROJECTS?
“While cleaning my parents garage (which is where I have continued my ‘shelter in place’) I found boxes of old W Magazines that I had saved from the earlier 2000's — a gold mine! I have been working my way through them, seeing shoes and ads that I coveted back then and pulling tears for some new collages I am working on.
Other than that, lots of creative things can happen with a simple paper and pencil”
IS THERE A SPECIFIC LA Textile INSTALLATION YOU CREATED THAT STILL INSPIRES YOU?
“Oh this is a tough one! I would have to say ‘Origin' from this past show and the ‘What If’ wall tapestry from the Malhia Kent installation 2 years ago.
We knew what materials we were going to use for both of these installations, but we didn't really have a solid plan. We just had faith that once we started working on them the magic would happen, and I think it did!”
MAHLIA KENT X LA TEXTILE ART INSTALLATION | OCTOBER 2018
“ORIGINS” FROM LA TEXTILE TREND FORUM | MARCH 2020
What would you make for one of your mom-friends for Mother's Day?
“A handmade card containing elements that remind me of her loveliness.”
How do you stay sustainable in the creative process?
“I like to start a project with the materials that I already have on hand before I consider buying anything new. These materials often include old magazines, books, scraps of fabric, wood scraps, old candles, make-up... Everything you need is probably already somewhere in your space, you just have to figure out where it is and I love figuring things out.”
What do you suggest as a daily creative exercise?
“I am stealing this from something I learned from Tom Sachs' Paradox Bullets: 'output before you input.' So basically, first thing in the morning before you ‘input’ by looking at your Instagram or reading your Twitter feed or checking email — grab a piece of paper and draw something or write something, dance, or play an instrument (‘output’)... And don't think too much.”
ABOUT ANNA VICTOR
Anna Victor is a Los Angeles based visual artist and taste maker with an artistic style that has been described as a juxtaposition of raw and chic. She attributes her aesthetic to her diverse upbringing in Oakland, CA combined with her eclectic career in luxury retail.
She studied Design, with an emphasis in Costume and Interior Architecture, at the University of California, Davis, and has worked in the world of luxury retail for over 10 years, styling clients in couture & ready to wear at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco, creating captivating window displays for Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco and Beverly Hills and is currently Brand Manager for a Los Angeles based fine jewelry company.
Not limiting herself to one form of artistic expression, Anna's passions currently lie in her collage art, visual installations and photography. She is most often inspired by the unexpected beauty of common environments, her travels and the people she encounters along the way.
Learn more at avannavictor.com | @annavictor
