Daily Inspiration: Meet Akvile DeFazio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Akvile DeFazio.

Hi Akvile, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up as the daughter of a professional pianist and an artist, I was immersed in auditory and visual creativity at a young age. My journey began from incredibly humble beginnings, as my mother and I fled Lithuania during the Cold War and found a new home in Canada. Subsequently, we moved to the United States, where I spent my formative years in upstate New York. However, my heart yearned for the West Coast, and Southern California was where I found my true home for the past two decades after a brief time in Seattle and San Francisco.

As I got older, my desire for creativity expanded. I delved into playing the piano and flute, ultimately falling in love with vinyl and becoming a DJ. However, life took its course, presenting me with challenges, relocations, and the pursuit of two different careers. Amidst the chaos, I launched an advertising agency, leaving little time to dedicate to my art.

One pivotal moment in my artistic journey was in 2008 when I created my most cherished piece, “Auditory Explosion” (pictured). It was a transformative experience that liberated me from the confines of a structured existence. Through the creation of this piece, I wholeheartedly embraced the freedom, catharsis, and thrill of merging music and art—two fundamental aspects of my very being. By manifesting this fusion in tangible form, I hope to resonate with others and invite them into my world, where you can have order but also a sense of spontaneity and release to explore. “Auditory Explosion” was showcased alongside several of my other pieces at a gallery in Seattle, and it continues to serve as the wellspring of inspiration for all my artistic endeavors to this day.

After my involuntary art-making sabbatical over the last decade, I could bear it no longer, and in 2023, I took that deep breath that I had so needed and rediscovered the vibrancy of my life with art. Immersing myself in my art once again, I have found a newfound sense of balance and sense of self. Although it feels like I haven’t missed a beat, I am now further evolving with new materials and ideas and even collaborating with other local artists I admire, like WRDSMTH (collab piece pictured). You can’t go an LA block without spotting one of his iconic typewriters and inspiring, thought-provoking words. Working with him on not one but six pieces was a highlight to kick off 2024 on a strong creative note. With art balancing my life out again, I am so excited to share the other pieces I’m working on and already planning out.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was far from linear and smooth, but like most things in life, we have to learn to be comfortable in the uncomfortable from time to time. It’s where we find growth and strength. By being able to embrace challenges, struggles, the lessons that come as a result, you will come out the other side as nothing is permanent, and it’s such a beautiful place on the flip side. I emigrated during a war, left everything I knew, adjusted in a new country with a new language, my parents divorced, I moved many more times, experienced trauma at the hands of others, had heartbreak, was married, divorced, lost myself, found myself, was alone and lonely at times, but knowing that there is a beautiful sunny sky waiting at the end of a dark storm is what gets me through – and has. Perhaps it’s the optimist speaking in me. Like my art, I have chips and cracks, but I’m not broken as optimism is my glue.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an abstract and mixed-media artist. My materials of choice are spray paint, acrylic paint, vinyl, and other musical materials that I deconstruct and apply to canvas. I am known for the way I break vinyl records as well as other items such as CDs, laser discs, cassettes, and headphones. I haven’t ever seen anyone else do art like this, so it feels very special to me that I hope to show people something new that they can connect with. Each record I break is unique, and it’s exciting to let go of the control and allow whatever happens to it to happen, which guides my creative eye on how the piece will evolve and what kind of journey it takes me and others on.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My daughter, my family, my friends, music, making art, dancing, the mountains in my backyard, the ocean nearby, and the many sunny days we are gifted living here in Southern California. People, art, and nature are the real deal. They breathe life into me, give me a bottomless bowl of gratitude each morning that I wake up, and make my human experience that much better. Contentment in this life is my ultimate goal and I hope I can spread it to others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyakvile
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AkvileDeFazio

Image Credits
WRDSMTH