An illustrious illustrator—Alicia Souza

If you have watched the acclaimed film ‘Taare Zameen Par’, you will remember the scene in which the little boy Ishaan’s father asks his art teacher what’s the point of the boy being a great artist? Indian society has always had such stereotypes that youngsters should only focus on academics since art doesn’t make for a lucrative career. Beliefs like this have probably forced many talented artists to pursue careers that don’t interest them much. But this young lady, who is a fabulous illustrator and doodler, has turned her talent into a full-time profession and proved that art can indeed be a great career. The self-taught illustrator and now a super successful entrepreneur, Alicia Souza is a well-known name among the art and social media community. Born and brought up in Abu Dhabi, Alicia studied Communication Design in Melbourne and later moved to Bengaluru to work for Chumbak. A year later, she started freelancing and today, through her Instagram and Facebook pages and a great website - www.aliciasouza.com, she sells a range of quirky artistic stuff like coffee mugs, stationery, apparels, accessories, phone covers, etc. Alicia Souza With over 213k followers on Instagram and 141k followers on Facebook, she is also invited to speak at many popular events (like ComicCon). In an interview, the effervescent and bubbly Alicia speaks about her love for art and what made her tread on the path less taken. BV: Were you always fascinated by illustrations and art? Alicia: I was! But then I was also fascinated by a lot of things so I find it hard to say that illustrations were my favourite thing as a kid. I remember being enthralled by images in specific books and it’s so funny because they were always cartoon-ish, which is the style I draw in.   BV: How hard was it to convince your family to take up art considering the importance given to academics and marks in our society? Alicia: My folks were the most supportive and honestly if they even had a twinge of doubt in me considering the field, I would have backed off because I was so unsure when I was starting out. My dad, in particular, always told us to pick a career that we loved, mostly because I think he disliked him a lot. I remember being worried about me though because I was a relatively good student and was wondering if the design (which is what I studied) was a good choice when I had many more options. BV: Is it hard to pursue art (or any creative field) full-time on your own? Alicia: Freelancing in any creative field is hard initially. It can take time to learn how to execute briefs, while not selling your soul and also paying the rent. BV: What are some of the challenges of your job? Alicia: I guess everyone’s challenges are a bit different but I had a rather hard time valuing my work. The fact that I had bills to pay made it easier but it’s a big challenge to many artists. Especially when you love what you do, it’s hard to value it with a number. BV: What do you love the most about it? Alicia: Being able to draw for a living, draw for a hobby and draw as a means of expression. BV: Who are your inspirations? Alicia: Everyone and everything around me. BV: Which of your works are the closest to your heart? Alicia: None. I don’t think I have ever had a favourite piece of mine.   BV: What do you do in your free time? Alicia: I have a bit too many interests so I don't remember the last time I had free time. A lot of my time is spent drawing for work or incidents that I itch to draw. I also cook, bake, sew, write letters and try to keep fit while maintaining a healthy social life. BV: Tell us about some of the interesting projects you are working on at the moment. Alicia: I just worked on a big project but I cannot talk about it till it’s launched. Another fun thing I worked on recently was an interactive kids book called ‘Kahaani Puraani’. I also have a list of many interesting products for my store that I have been working on. BV: Do you have any tips for budding illustrators and artists? Alicia: Be diligent, work hard, be humble and get a good night’s sleep. To know more about such incredible artists in India, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Download our magazine Spunky Indian for exclusive stories.