Talent Crush: Alina Zamanova
Alina is one of those rare people whose work immediately draws your attention. She is an illustrator and print/textile designer based in London where she currently studies Fashion Illustration at London College of Fashion.
KELLY KORZUN: You've been living in London for almost 4 years now. There's a lyric in one of the songs I love: "You don’t change the city, the city changes you." How exactly did London change you both personally and creatively?
ALINA ZAMANOVA: I dreamed about living in London since I was 13 years old. Deep inside, I think I was mentally ready to jump into this city. London opened up my eyes wider on the world and let me be who I really am. It helped me to spread my whole creativity hidden inside and I am very happy about these changes.
KK: You've done an internship at Alexander McQueen which must've been both extremely exciting and stressful. What was that experience like?
AZ: To be honest, it was the best experience for me. This internship has helped me to grow both as a print designer and an artist. I still can't believe it happened!
KK: What I really admire about your work is that you're not afraid of experimentation. I personally relate to that a lot because as an artist I don’t wanna be constrained by a certain style. Is it important to you to develop your signature style over time?
AZ: Thank you so much for these kind words! It's important to not restrict yourself in mediums and techniques you use and just try to create the pieces according to your mood and what you feel inside. I don't really think much about what style I want to have, it just comes slowly with time and practice. When you think to yourself, 'this line came out perfect, I am going to use it more', I think that's how you build your style, and as a result, people will start recognizing it.
KK: Everybody is obsessed with being successful these days, and, obviously, each person defines success differently. What does being successful mean to you?
AZ: Success to me is when people respond to my art, and it doesn't really matter what respond it is. You create something and share it with your audience, so getting feedback is the real success to me.
KK: I know that you’re in love with cinematography. What do you like most about this art form and what movies/directors have most greatly influenced you?
AZ: Yes, I'm very interested in this form of creativity because I think you can express your mood and style even more when you combine it with, let’s say, animated video or any kind of moving images. I love Woodkid's videos – he is a pure genius. I like to experiment, and the way he uses technology, 3D scanners and post production software to create his videos is just incredible.
