Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandro Aguilar Canela.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began imagining creatures and worlds since I was a kid. I remember I used to put a blanket in the bunk bed I shared with my brother, from the top one to the bottom one, imitating a movie theater and would create a whole story in my mind. From there as I grew up I began writing short stories, poems, and little after that I began drawing. It felt natural, I would do it all the time, so at some point in my life I knew this was going to be my path, art. I did my undergraduate in Graphic Design which helped me structure my ideas, although I kept illustrating more and more. I reached a point where design was left behind for the most part, and all I was doing was art pieces. I was hired in an animation studio as an illustrator, and I learned motion graphics in there. After that, I went to an artist residency in Tulum, where I did my first solo show and lived between the jungle and the beach along with other artists. After a while, I got too tired of huge insects, bats and crocodiles so I left and did an intensive course in creativity. I was soon hired by a tech and advertising company where I became Creative director. From there I moved to a job as an art director. During this time I always kept doing art and small personal projects. I began building a small fan base, and had exhibitions at the Miami art Basel in 2018, the Pictoplasma event in Germany, several small exhibitions in Mexico City, Canada, Brussels and won a Silver Cannes Young Lion and was part of the best young artists in Mexico according to Domestika in 2019. I got frustrated for having a job in advertising which was taking a lot of my energy, so I decided to quit, got a scholarship and leave everything behind to start an MFA in Illustration Practice, which I’m currently doing and finishing in a couple of months.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest struggles I’ve lived all my life is being a neurodiverse person in a world where it feels like you can’t hesitate. I was diagnosed with dysthymia and an anxiety disorder, which makes me take pills every day only to be able to get out of bed. It makes every day a fight to be ok, to enjoy life and not fall on my knees. It is not a tragic story per se, but one of endurance, where many days are just difficult and I have to go through them and overcome my symptoms so I don’t put my job at risk, end up having a bad relationship with a client or in the present situation, lose my scholarship. At the same time, it has been a motivation to create pieces that talk about mental health, and the processes of my condition. I try to put everything out and be completely honest in case it can be helpful to someone. When I was in my worst moment, not having enough information or believing that everything I was feeling was wrong, was driving me insane, so now I try to talk about every situation I lived, to let people know that whatever you’re going through, it’s ok, it’s a symptom of depression or anxiety (or both) and mainly, that it’s not something permanent, there is always a solution.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I mostly do traditional illustration, so I use acrylic, ink and pencil over paper. I mostly use physical materials rather than working on a computer since I believe whatever you’re working on, absorbs what you’re feeling. I think I’m known for doing stippling to create my pieces, and for doing monochromatic images, which is my specialty. I’m also known for being an interdisciplinary artist since I write, illustrate, paint, animate, design, do ceramics, sculptures, clothes and can lead advertising campaigns. Funny enough, what I enjoy the most is just using a mechanical pencil to draw on paper, there is something hidden in the simplicity of the action, and even though I don’t know what it is, I enjoy it. It’s something I like about my practice, how everything reduces to something basic and pleasant. In a more profound way, I have always been completely honest with my pieces, and my life. I’m not afraid of telling the truth about my issues, symptoms or obstacles, I talk openly about them and try to transform them into something useful for others through art. I am grateful for not losing sight of what is really important, of not losing myself in trends or trying to please the commercial side of illustration and keep trying to create meaningful work.
What does success mean to you?
I remember when my father turned 60, he threw a party where almost a hundred people including friends, family, business partners, attended and where extremely happy to be there. In that moment I thought “that is success”, being so close to so many people even when you have been through so much (’cause he has), and how everyone is happy to see you or spend some time together. It is something that I always keep in mind. I extended that to a more global aspect since I also want to help as many people as I can with my pieces. It seems simple, but it really isn’t. The hardest part is trying to achieve your personal goals and not end up alone. In my case, I have moved a lot of times from cities or countries, and it is a struggle to keep in touch with people, specially when there is social anxiety in between, but as I said, success for me is remaining close to people that are worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alejandrocanela.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alejandrocanela/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-aguilar-canela-46374347/
Image Credits
Alejandro Aguilar Canela.
