{local markets} :: anapinatelier

hello there friends, how are you doing today? yesterday was the city holiday in lisbon, so for us this week is smaller (for you lisbonners, how was your day yesterday?), which is always a good thing! and speaking of good things i shall introduce you to a very good person and artist. we met through the web and i think that though different, we have the same attitude towards a lot of things. we try to make the best out of our free time, looking for markets, art exhibitions, the sun… we love to cuddle with our pets… well, but let’s move on… her name is ana. ana pina. and she is the one behind {anapinatelier}.

can you tell us something about yourself?
hi, i’m ana and i live in porto, the second largest city in portugal. i’m a gemini and i’m constantly divided between the sense of responsibility, having my feet on the ground and the dream to be free, have wings and fly. even though my academic background is architecture, i’ve always been in love with arts, especially painting, and i’ve recently discovered a new big passion: contemporary jewelry. i have a cute and stubborn furry friend: my cat frida kahlo, named after the artist that i admire so much. i love the sea and the sun, sushi and chocolate, black and red, to read and to write.

how did {anapinatelier} start?
i’ve always felt a big urge to create, to get my hands dirty with paint and oil pastel, to express my feelings through drawing, painting or even words. as time passed by, i started to spend less and less time doing it… i graduated in architecture, started to work and to have bigger responsibilities… and at a certain point i decided that this wasn’t the kind of grey life i wanted for me, so i started to create again, this time discovering jewelry, a kind of art i’ve always admired. i began using glass, wood and clay beads and then evolved to metals and gems. now i want to evolve even more, so i’m taking a contemporary jewelry course, so i can learn metalsmith techniques and become a jeweler. i’m also investing some of my time in drawing and illustration, bringing to life my very first love.

what inspires you?
so many things! i believe that what inspires me most is art itself: i love admiring the work of other artists (contemporary or not), because my awe for their work makes my urge to create and grow even further. i can also feel inspired by many different things, such as a movie, a book or a music that touches me or the feeling of traveling and discovering new cultures and cities. oh, and time! i’d really love to feel that i have all the time in the world so i wouldn’t feel the pressure that makes me afraid of the results… time is the most precious good we’ve got – and we usually don’t give it enough value.

what advice can you give for those small business owners in our country?
this is a hard question! i don’t think i have the right answers or consider myself able to come up with the best political or social solution, but… it’s a fact that portuguese laws and bureaucracy don’t provide the best conditions for us, independent artists or professionals, to depend successfully on our work. my only advice is to never give up… i keep on repeating this thought for myself too: don’t give up, work hard and find your place in the world – i’m still looking for mine.

what do you think would be helpful for those small business owners  in our country?
the economy isn’t at its best and portugal is a small country, with a small market…  society must learn to appreciate the richness of portuguese artists, the interest of betting in quality instead of quantity, the value of handmade goods, the necessity to pay freelancers the fair price for their work. our laws could also work better concerning the sustainability of these small businesses. there are still some interesting events regarding portuguese artists, but there should be more, without neglecting the quality and variety of participants. but first of all, i think we should value and believe in ourselves!

this interview was really interesting… because it is amazing how much courage one has to have in order to follow dreams… and believe me sometimes dreams may seem a little hard to conquer. and sometimes we do not even know exactly what our dreams are. we just follow some clues around… until we have that brilliant idea or feeling that we are on the right track. ana shows this courage and the belief that she needs to have a coloured life… and she went after that belief. and that is also why i like her! if you wish to know more about ana, she has an amazing {blog}, for which she invites quite interesting guests for her {interviews series}. you can also browse through her work. she has two shops… {ana pina} and {anapinatelier}. and now i will be going now… are you following {local markets} on facebook? you should… you should!

images: anapinatelier via etsy (click on each image for further details)

what is {local markets}? a community dedicated to the very best portuguese talented & independent artists that strive for an original work and exquisitely executed handmade design & photography. once a week, there will be a special feature for these artists, to spread the word about their talent, to introduce you to new & fresh work. {local markets} is an original feature from {a place for twiggs}.