Today we’d like to introduce you to Silvia Cantu.
Hi Silvia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Milan, Italy where I studied Fashion Design. I’ve always been a naturally creative person because of my amazing family: my grandpa was a talented painter, my grandma was a gifted dressmaker, my mother still loves making anything and everything from bookshelves to knitwear pieces, and my father loves to collect antique furniture, books and art. I was surrounded by beauty and inspiration—this allowed me to form my creative eye and become obsessed with design and art at a very young age. My need for creativity is definitely a constant in my life. I started working as a freelance graphic designer as soon as I graduated school, and I have been designing and directing ever since! Every time I felt particularly proud of a piece that I created, I would post the final product online, and eventually a few overseas brands started to notice me and my work.
Shortly after, I started working with a few brands in California, so I decided it was finally the right time to move to LA and switch up my scenery for a while. I’m always hungry for change—the idea of settling down really makes me uncomfortable. So here I am, in LA in the middle of a pandemic! Not the best timing, but I have learned a lot in the past year, and I have no regrets.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Growth is never linear, ups and downs are part of the journey. For me, the important thing is to keep going, so I always keep that in mind when I have any challenges. I never give up! When I started freelancing, the pay was not great, so I think that was a little bit of a struggle. I moved to LA at the beginning of 2020, which completely changed my life, and then shortly after, the whole world changed because of the global pandemic. If I’m being completely honest, it was pretty hard to adapt. Everything I knew and felt comfortable with was gone. I was so far away from my family and friends, in a brand new country, confined in my home… Some days were really hard, but it gave me the opportunity to truly evolve—both creatively and personally. Lessons were learned, my skin is thicker now, and this new mindset has definitely started to show up in my work.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance Art Director and Graphic Designer graduated in Fashion Design. As a freelance art director, I usually work on the visual aspect of photoshoots, digital campaigns and social media content. Some of my clients will ask me to curate their set design and styling for shoots, others will ask me to develop ideas for fashion and beauty campaigns. Recently I’ve started to work on creative ideas for TikTok campaigns—it’s so much fun! I love embracing new ways of communicating and making them a part of my everyday work life.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m vegan, so I’m basically the nightmare of every Italian ‘nonna’. LA is a paradise for vegan people, so I’m definitely not complaining. And two other very important things: I love mango-flavored beer and I wear only granny underwear.
Contact Info:
- Email: silvia@silviacantu.com
- Website: https://www.silviacantu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silviacantustudio/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@silviacantustudio
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