Meet Alycia Shiann of Long Beach, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alycia Shiann

Hi Alycia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was little, I was always drawing little characters I liked like Hello Kitty or the Disney princesses until I hit middle school, then I had kind of stopped drawing almost altogether. At the time, I thought I wanted to pursue a STEM related career so I started to focus on things that would help me get to that goal. Most of my friends at the time were taking many math and science related courses, so I kind of just followed even though I knew I was horrible at math and science no matter how much I tried. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school when I got placed in an Intro to Art class. I was definitely caught off guard because it was my last choice for an elective and I had none of my friends in the class, but looking back it feels like a higher power was guiding me down the right path. From the very first assignment I immediately fell in love with it all over again and felt that I finally was doing something that I was succeeding greatly in. I became that one girl that was always carrying a sketchbook or my latest drawing. After high school, I attended California State University Fullerton where I got my Bachelors degree in fine arts in May 2023, despite many people telling me art would not be a lucrative job choice. In July of 2023, my art business Alycia Shiann Art was created and I was able to focus on my visual art career. I have participated in over 25 group shows around the Los Angeles area as well as San Francisco and New York and I just completed my first mural for the city of Long Beach. If I had continued to listen to everyone telling me what to do or who to be, I would have never made it this far and I am so incredibly happy with where my career has taken me thus far.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to becoming an artist has definitely not been a smooth journey and it continues to have its bumps in the road. My childhood and teenage years had some very difficult moments, however I believe they helped shape my art and myself in ways that cannot be taught. I wouldn’t be where I am today without having learned to persevere through difficult obstacles at a younger age. I’d say the biggest lesson I have learned as an artist is to never give up no matter how many people doubt you, push you down, and tell you no. If I had given up the first time someone told me no, I would have never gotten this far in my career. From my childhood to now, I’ve learned you cannot allow other people to dictate your life.

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?
My artwork shows the connection between nature and humanity through symbolism, surrealism, and vibrant color palettes. I primarily work with oil or acrylic paints as well as colored pencil. The subject matter in my artwork is a combination of personal experiences, everyday human experiences, climate change issues, and imagery I’ve created from my own mind. I’ve noticed most modern artwork focuses on abstract or minimalism which is beautiful in its own way, but that is not who I am. I create artwork for the people who enjoy staring at something that makes them think and is weird yet beautiful at the same time. I’ve also just recently began my muralist career which has allowed me to push myself more than I ever have before. I’m most proud of my artwork being an advocate for our planet. I want my audiences to know how important it is to immerse ourselves in nature and take care of our planet because it gives us so much and all we do is take and destroy it in return.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can always contact me or support me on social media which is @alyciashiann on all platforms and check out my website alyciashiannart.com for any commission inquiries, contact information, or artwork purchases!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alyciashiannart.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/alyciashiann/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070103143730
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alycia-walter-2376841a3/
• Other: https://artslb.org/artists/alycia-shiann/