Fab Friends #2: Aliyah Art
It's been a while since my last post but summer is here and so is the 2nd part to my Fab Friends segment. I interviewed Aliyah, a talented young illustrator from London. You can check out a book she has illustrated, Superstar Kids here
I'll let you read the interview below.
First tell us a bit about yourself:
Name: Aliyah Coreana
Age: 26
I grew up in Paddington, London but my background origin is Sudanese and Anglo-Indian.
Tell us about your work?
I am an artist. For my work I am a freelance illustrator and animator with two published children’s books I have illustrated and a lot of animation projects in the pipeline at the moment! I also branch out from these and do graphic design such as branding, album artwork, logo and poster design. I recently have begun to do workshops with young people who are interested in becoming artists themselves, I find that as a practicing artist my advice and guidance is well received and respected from the young people.
Tell us about your brand?
Aliyah Art is a brand that likes to inspire others with creativity and positivity. I aim to brighten people’s days with my art, collaborate with others so our lights shine brighter together, or to help express a moment, even a deep feeling of pain. My ultimate goal is to teach people of all ages how important self love and growth is.
What inspired you to create it?
What inspired me to create my brand was how driven I was to be successful and create my own niche identity. In the search to find my own unique style, I was experimented and found myself doing amazing projects that I enjoyed doing. I needed to brand myself to then reach out to a wider audience. I feel I have something powerful within me to share with the world and I say that best through my art and I wanted to showcase that.
What are your motivations for your work?
My motivation for my work is my family, friends and learning to love myself. By understanding the emotion of love in different forms, appreciating those around me, even as small as being grateful for each day and seeing a beautiful tree or a flower in full bloom. I try to channel these feelings of appreciation and fun in to my art.
Who inspires you the most?
Who inspires me the most… that is a difficult question to answer! Hands down Rebecca Sugar, the creator and artist for one of my TV favourite shows - ‘Steven Universe’; she definitely is up there at the top. Along with Masashi Kishimoto – the manga artist and creator of ‘Naruto’ and Tetsuya Nomura – the creator and artist for the video game ‘Kingdom Hearts’. All these franchises hold a very deep and close place in my heart because of their stories, character development, the art style; you could say they are the core of my art!
Where would you like to see your brand in 5-10 years time?
I would love to see my brand reach a wider audience in 5-10 years time, to be doing my freelancing full time, working in my own studio and really helping to make a difference in the world. As someone who struggled with confidence growing up and unaware I had self-destructive thoughts, I learnt that the way we think of ourselves echoes in to our reality. Loudly. By discovering the importance of self love, it has made a huge difference and impact on my life; I want to spread that message across to the world. If I’m being real here, I’m being the person I needed around when I was young.
Positive thinking and affirmation in oneself is vital for us all to feel fulfilled in our walks of life.
Website: https://aliyahcoreana.com/
Instagram: @aliyahart
Facebook: @aliyahartist
Twitter: @Aliyah_Artist
Youtube: Aliyah Art
