Issue 7 Artist Spotlight | Gabriella Giaconia
C+B: Tell us about yourself, Gabriella!
GG: I am an art teacher at a public school in New York City. In my spare time, I love to check out galleries and exhibits around the city, go to the beach, try different Italian restaurants around the city with my friends, and take figure drawing classes. Being by the ocean inspires me. It is where I feel the most clear minded.
C+B: Describe how you work through a creative block, or period where it's difficult for you to produce work.
GG: Morning pages have been life changing for me. Since I started doing them a few years ago, ideas and dreams that have been brewing for so long have come to fruition. So being consistent with those always helps me though a creative block. And I always feel clearer after spending time at the beach by myself.
C+B: Describe a time when you experienced a creative breakthrough, a change in process, or a realization about your work.
GG: I remember I was looking through an artists Instagram account that I found through a gallery she had work in. I saw she was also an art teacher around my same age and was actively showing her work at group shows in galleries and I became so inspired. During that time that I found her profile I felt as if something was missing from my life, like teaching was not my sole purpose, and I had recently started creating my own work again. So I really believe this was divine timing. It really motivated me to start putting my work out into the world.
C+B: How do you define the word "art?"
GG: I've recently been seeing a quote floating around my Instagram by actress Helena Bonham Carter that reads: "I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art." I think this sums up art perfectly- it is for everyone, all the time. Art is everything, not just old paintings hanging in museums, and I think the more people can adopt this concept the better!
Find and support Gabriella here:
IG: @gabriellagiaconiastudio
Website: gabriellagiaconiastudio.com
(Last Ones on the Beach, 24in x 36in, mixed media, ©Gabriella Giaconia)
My ideal creative retreat workspace: I imagine a very light and airy studio with windows that look out over the ocean, with a lot of open space. Lots of plants, disco balls, salt lamps, and art books. It would be the perfect mix of cozy, inspiring and calming. It ideally would be in Sicily!
If I could have coffee with any creator (past or present) it would be: The first person that came to my mind is Leah Kirsch. She's such an inspiration for me creatively and as a business woman. I've followed her for awhile and it just seems like she trusts herself and her ideas and the process so much that it just unfolds organically. I really admire what she's built so I'd love to pick her brain about creative entrepreneurship, showing up on social media and her creative journey in general.
Something I’ve learned as a creator that I want to pass on to younger creators: Just start the project or whatever your dream or idea is and share your work because it will eventually reach the right people. I have spent a lot of time planning and ruminating over ideas and projects but really the most helpful thing is just doing it and figuring things out as you go through trial and error.
My creative legacy: To have lived a creative life, not just had a creative career.
