Girl Crush: Victoria Cassinova

We got the pleasure to interview Los Angeles based contemporary artist Victoria Cassinova.  From creating beautiful expansive pieces that make a statement in our political world today to creating virtual realities, this girl does it all.  Read more below to find out about her latest exhibits, advice she has for young creatives, and more!

Valfre: When did you start creating visual art and what medium came first? 

Victoria: I started drawing when I was 2 years old, believe it or not. My mom had a note pad and gave me a pencil and I dove in and never came back.

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Valfre: From creating digital art, paintings, virtual realities, illustrations AND apparel, you truly do it all.  Is there a medium or creative process you love most?

Victoria:  I really just love to paint and draw because the end result is something I can hold in my hands and physically  touch. It’s something tangible I can leave behind.

Valfre: Your series “Monster Diary” is so wild and powerful, we love it.  Tell us all about it.

Victoria: That series came from taking a long hard look in the mirror after a toxic relationship I ended, and realizing that the same monster I saw in myself was also within everyone around me. We all have an inner monster or inner child. This series is a reflection of that, as well as it being my way of making sense of my own strange human experience. 

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Valfre: Do you ever get creatively blocked? If so, how do you get through that?

Victoria: ALL THE TIME. My creative flow comes through my choice of thought, and my choice of mindset. I have to summon that energy by thinking  “how do I want to feel as I’m creating this next piece” because the how you feel when you’re creating something will be the energy a viewer will most likely feel from it. If I’m sad or angry, I can’t create. I have to be in a peaceful state to constantly create. Mediation is something that really helps with that.

Valfre: Do you have a ritual you do before jumping into a new commission or personal work? (like lighting candles, putting on a playlist..etc?) :) 

Victoria: I just tune into an energy flow through either meditation or by focusing on the feeling of what I want to express. I usually instantly get the feeling of the vision of what I want to create first. It’s all about feeling and emotion for me.

Valfre: Are there any pieces or series you’ve done so far that you're majorly proud of? And why? 

Victoria: Probably my Monster Diary series and Diary series because both of those are my most vulnerable and real artworks that are naked pieces of me. They’re quite literally my visual diaries. It’s scary but also exhilarating to be open. I’m proud of that. 

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Valfre: How would you describe your art in 3 words?

Victoria: Raw, experimental, becoming.

Valfre: If you can collaborate with any artist who would it be and why? 

Victoria: Banksy for sure. I’m drawn to artists that influence one's perspective of this world, or of life into a more expansive state of consciousness. 

Valfre: What advice would you give young creatives?

Victoria: Stop worrying about if it’s good or bad or if you’ll be understood. You don’t have to be understood, and art isn’t always about how well you can draw or paint. 

Valfre: Do you have any exciting plans for the future you want to share with us? 

Victoria: I plan to be making a million more mistakes and growing a million more times from it.