Creatively Blog

Calyann Barnett is making waves in the fashion industry, whipping up expertly crafted outfits that are much like the human experience itself: layered. Barnett is a professional stylist and creative director who creates visual identities for an impressive roster of clients, such as Dwyane Wade, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, Shaggy, and Spike Lee, among many others.

It’s Barnett’s sharp eye and artistic inclination that lure top celebrities and companies to call upon her expertise. In 2009, Barnett co-founded WWB Lifestyle Agency, an artist management company that has since styled for films, editorials, television segments, and brand campaigns. Barnett’s daring yet dapper looks have garnered the attention of Vogue, GQ, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Good Morning America, and The New York Times. But don’t assume Barnett is some kind of “cookie-cutter stylist,” as she puts it; rather, she specializes in the bespoke, working across multiple aesthetics and morphing her approach for every client’s unique demands. When Barnett has a vision, nothing can stand in her way. If an item doesn’t exist, she’ll create it, literally tailoring the experience to the individual.

You can check out their latest projects on Creatively here.

What is the first creative project you remember? 

The first creative project that I worked on was for one of Shaggy’s music videos in Miami. When I first started out, I worked with mostly hip hop artists, and when you work with [director] Hype Williams, he challenges you to include colors and fashion while still trying to make it sexy. In the music video, we had 12 different models that all had different color palettes and themes; we did this sort of boudoir meets Paris fashion meets urban: lace gloves, Agent Provocateur bras—it was just fun, and I got to work with women when generally I work with men.

Describe your aesthetic in three words. 

Eclectic, organized, mess. 

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

The most fulfilling collaboration that I worked on was with Stance Socks. When I first started with them, they were a small sock company. I sent references of what I wanted and they sent back stripes. That’s not what I wanted. I envisioned colors and patterns and print, and then from there, the sock brand went on an upward trajectory. It was really fulfilling to stand up for what I wanted. After being told no, I challenged them repeatedly and it ended up being one of their most successful launches to date. To know I played a part in that is huge.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

I would say creating The Shop Miami, a retail concept that is not small—it’s 6,000 square feet with 20 different vendors. This has been a three year ordeal. Persistence, persistence, persistence. I’ve always been persistent, but it takes another level of persistence and faith. I had to trust in the plan to bring this idea to life. It taught me to keep going as long as you have the vision. I’ve spent the last 14 years of my life building relationships, and I learned that I can [leverage] my relationships to bring something to fruition. If I can dream it, it can literally come to life. You get to create things, build wonderlands…it’s spectacular. It’s everything I imagined, and more. 

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

I think you are born with creativity and you lose it over time. As you go through life and people tell you to quiet down or say “oh, you’re so different,” “oh, you’re so weird,” “why aren’t you more like other people?” That’s what sucks people away from their creativity. I’ve been called “Crazy Caly” but I think we should all be aware that our differences are where creativity lives.

What’s the last dream you had?

You know what? I don’t even know because I barely sleep. So, once I do sleep, I’m out. The last dream I had was today and I went about my life. I am living my dream.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

I hope people write that I took chances and won. That I wasn’t afraid to change. That I changed industries. That I made the world a happier, more colorful place. That I opened doors for everyone and anybody who looks like and doesn’t look like me. That I made anybody who was told “no” feel comfortable and that I inspired them to push forward.

Follow @calyannbarnett on Creatively

Creatively is more than a platform—we’re a creative collective. 

Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@creatively.life

Layering fiber like a painter layers brush strokes, French artist Cécile Davidovici achieves a seemingly impossible level of depth in her embroidered masterpieces. Davidovici began her career as a writer and filmmaker before settling on a more tangible art form: textiles. From afar, the hues of her hand-stitched pieces seamlessly blend together to fool the eye; up close, one discovers hundreds of small stitches combining to create an effect reminiscent of the impasto technique (the thick layering of paint to produce a textured effect) made famous by none other than Van Gogh. 

In her recent series, “Portraits of a constant dream,” Davidovici creates a landscape of skin that reveals not a shred of negative space on the canvas. By meticulously intertwining her threads, Davidovici is able to reinterpret faces, simultaneously enhancing and blurring her subject’s features much the way an impressionist painter might. In addition to her signature, close-up portraits, Davidovici has explored landscapes, still lifes, and mixed media creations, all of which leverage her unique style of embroidery—the common thread which runs across her exquisite body of work.

You can check out their latest projects on Creatively here.

What is the first creative project you remember? 

I remember building a very complex pencil box set with cloudy light blue gift wrap, toilet paper cardboard, and a few match boxes around maybe the age of five. In my head, the final product was incredible but it was probably terrible.

Describe your aesthetic in three words. 

Transparency. Touchable. Intimate.

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

I co-created a series of three pieces called “La saison des feux” (“fire season”) with David Ctiborsky. I loved it because it challenged and changed my whole process of creation. I learned so much during the making of those pieces and I loved working with David. He has such a different approach than mine. It’s very interesting how our creative worlds complete one another’s.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

My first series called “project <<1988”, where I embroidered images from my childhood VHS videos that my parents filmed, taught me a great deal and gave me the confidence to move forward with my work. 

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

Both! Some people are more gifted than others from the start, but it’s what you do with it and how you’re taught to embrace it that makes the difference, I think.

What’s the last dream you had?

I was with my mom and we were trying to win some sort of cuisine competition; I was cooking like a mad person. A very restful dream… 

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

I would love to have brought something to the contemporary art table in terms of the perception of textile and embroidered art. It’s still under the radar today and I hope it will evolve and become an established art form like painting.

Follow @CecileDavidovici on Creatively

Creatively is more than a platform—we’re a creative collective. 

Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@creatively.life

For street artist Dirt Cobain, art is a drug. Cobain is behind murals that can be seen from the Compton metro stop in Los Angeles and the 7 train platform in Sunnyside, Queens, among other noteworthy locations. While he is best known for audacious references to drug paraphernalia like a giant pill bottle labeled, “U get me so high,” Cobain urges his viewers against interpreting the work too literally, intending instead to reflect whatever gives us, his audience, a rush. 

Originally from the Bay Area, Cobain attributes his inspiration to the street art scene in San Francisco, where he spent his formative years admiring the wild lettering and artistic chaos of the city’s graffiti. Out of this came his urban pop-art aesthetic that embraces the grit and grime of big-city living, hence his pseudonym. Whether he’s exploring wood cutouts with resin or acrylic paint on canvas, Cobain brings his signature neon oranges, pinks and stark black lettering to all of his catchphrases like, “I’m gonna need a Xanax for this,” or, “Cruizin for a boozin.” Color us addicted.

You can check out their latest projects on Creatively here.

What is the first creative project you remember? 

One of my first “official” creative projects that I can remember was painting a 10-foot by 10-foot mural of one of Rembrandt’s classic paintings in the hallway of my high school many many years ago.

Describe your aesthetic in three words. 

Authentic, original, unique. 

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

This is a tough one because I’ve collaborated with so many awesome artists and creatives, but I always love collaborating and creating with Dave Navarro. He’s very particular in his work, pays attention to detail the way that I do, and we can relate to each other’s creative process.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

I learn something in every project that I do. Even if it’s something small. As an artist, I feel like you should always be learning and growing. 

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

I’ll be honest, I think creativity is something you’re born with. You either got it or you don’t. 

What’s the last dream you had? 

I rarely have dreams because I never get any sleep. Lol.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

I think every artist wants to be remembered as “great” but that’s not up to me to decide, that’s up to the masses. All I can do is keep pursuing my journey and hope that people feel my vibe.

Follow @DirtCobain on Creatively

Creatively is more than a platform—we’re a creative collective. 

Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@creatively.life

We can only imagine that as a child, Andrew Tedesco must have often found himself in trouble for scribbling on the floors, the walls, the ceiling. Thankfully, Tedesco never grew out of that phase, instead blossoming into a masterful muralist whose mandate is to leave no surface untouched. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Leonardo da Vinci, Tedesco has been creating custom hand-painted murals for over twenty years. 

Tedesco launched his career as a muralist in 1991, specializing in gilding, venetian plasters, and optical illusions. Tedesco’s style hews most closely to Realism, but his body of work is remarkably diverse, with pieces spanning not only genres but also the commercial and artistic realms. Over the course of his career, Tedesco has illustrated a Roman mythological story across a 38-foot barrel vaulted ceiling, depicted the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt in the Ioggia entrance hall of a hotel, and painted sports team logos on the paneled wood ceiling of a superfan’s den. He is based in New York City but has travelled as far as Egypt for a commission. Whether he’s making a four car garage look like a spaceship, or a hotel ceiling look like a 17th century fresco, you dream it, Tedesco can paint it. 

You can check out their latest projects on Creatively here.

What is the first creative project you remember? 

There is a picture on my website of me painting a diorama in kindergarten at a farm school outside of Detroit, MI. Inside the school’s geodesic dome there were supplies to create anything you could imagine with no rubrics. I still have my wood block print of sharks, still my greatest fear. The free form style of the school allowed my artistic freedom to grow unabashedly.

Describe your aesthetic in three words. 

Pretty, pleasing and always personal.

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

I have had the chance to work with well-known interior designers, architects and

famous clients but my best collaboration has just taken place: my 24 year-old daughter joined me during the pandemic when my regular assistants could not come in. She had gone to art high school in California and I knew she was talented but had no idea how great our partnership would be. There is a synergy between us that has produced some of my best work in the last 30 years. I have had many talented assistants come through the studio but no one has the design sense of Abbey.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

I was contacted by Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas early in my career. When I arrived to meet with them, they showed me a 60-foot dome. I had never painted anything near this scale or scope. When the president of the casino asked if this was something I could do, I immediately said yes and just about fainted. After accomplishing this feat, I gained the confidence to take on any project presented to me without hesitation.

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

I am the fourth generation in my family to make a living as an artist so yes, I absolutely believe it is a gift. After teaching art on Mondays at the New York School of Interior Design in Manhattan for five years, I could see that some people innately get it, while others, I’m not sure they could master painting if they spent a lifetime practicing.

What’s the last dream you had?

Hah. Honestly, it was about lacrosse. My two younger daughters are in the middle

of their high school season and the older one just scored the winning goal in double overtime. Obviously my competitive nature is still present even while I am sleeping.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

“Looking back to move forward.” I hope they’ll say that I paid homage to the great artists that came before me: Leonardo and Michelangelo, Tiepolo and Rust, Fairey and Banksy, but that I carved my own niche. 

Follow @MuralsNYC on Creatively

Creatively is more than a platform—we’re a creative collective. 

Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@creatively.life

As we approach the end of Latinx Heritage Month, we are proud to spotlight and celebrate the incredible creative contributions of the Latinx and Hispanic artists on Creatively all year long.

In a world where the digital threatens to replace the physical, it’s artists like Juliana Plexxo whom we count on to uphold and preserve the relevancy, the immediacy, and the emotional resonance of creative practices rooted in tradition. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Plexxo is a contemporary artist and muralist known for combining painting with the age-old technique of engraving, creating a style wholly her own.

Plexxo discovered her gift for painting as a young child, and has spent her life polishing her skills while pushing the boundaries of the medium. With an undeniable proclivity for reds, whites and blacks, inspiration for Plexxo’s color palettes can be traced back to her late father, a journalist who covered bullfighting with whom she attended many fights. Her work is defined by geometric shapes reminiscent of early 20th-century abstract expressionism that come together to form faces, eyes, and animals more frequently found in Latin folk art.

Plexxo studied at the University of Navarra and was selected among a small, elite group of emerging artists for a residency at the legendary Joan Barbará workshop, the famous studio in Barcelona where renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí mastered the art of engraving. Positioning herself at the intersection between past and present, implementing traditional practices to express contemporary content, one can confidently say that Plexxo has carved her niche as an artist.

You can check out their latest projects on Creatively here.

What is the first creative project you remember?

I have had a few creative projects but the first creative project that I remember with great passion was when I began to learn the technique of engraving. Ever since I got involved, I told myself that my mission was to give back to the world this ancient artistic technique that was so glorious in periods such as the Renaissance. Life gave me the opportunity to be chosen by the Joan Barbará engraving workshop, the place where great masters such as Dalí, Picasso, Miró, and many more created their works. It is an honor that my pieces come from this place.

Describe your aesthetic in three words.

Mystical, past, future.

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

I was recently invited by the Misonny Art Festival in Costa Brava, Spain, to make a live mural with Australian artist Sarah Main. It was a challenge because it was a live performance for two days but it was very satisfactory. We are both women and, you know, normally you are used to seeing men doing murals but I really liked living the experience and connecting with the people who went to the art festival. 

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

The project I learned the most from was painting the “Raices” (roots) mural in the indigenous region of Ecuador. It was an 8-meter mural in Hacienda Pinsaqui, a 1700s villa and the former residence of Simón Bolívar. I dedicated this project to the indigenous culture that continues to endure. I realized that many times in Latin culture we ourselves deny our ancestors, but this mural made me spend a week surrounded by the indigenous community. Many of them work on the villa and I realized that they are the purest and most noble people that I had ever known in my life. It was something that I cannot describe in words, something mystical and that is what my art is about, mysticism.

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

I’ve always asked myself this question—it’s like the chicken or the egg. The only thing that is clear to me is that all humans have creativity, and the difference between having more or less creativity is curiosity. The most creative and inventive people in the world are children; they are always questioning everything. Curiosity is the secret and fuel of creativity and I personally believe that curiosity is something that is formed over time, the interest in discovering something new every day. Curiosity always motivates us and that is acquired. A very good example is when your work motivates you, you want to know more and more every day, there is curiosity and behind comes creativity. But if your work does not motivate you, you are not interested in knowing more and creativity decreases notably. A scientist is a super creative person because he loves what he does, gets involved, has curiosity on the surface and continues to discover through creativity. It’s the same with the artist. An artist who makes his art with the soul will never lack creativity.

What’s the last dream you had?

This is something that I tend to write about lately. Dreams are very important for human beings, in my opinion. They act as a mirror and, as I have mentioned, I love everything that has some mysticity, and dreams are a good example. My last recurring dream is that I am in a parallel universe. I would even call it a Plexxo universe because graphically I come across many works that I have done over time.

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

I would love it if 100 years from now people could understand what the engraving technique is. That is my mission as a young artist now, to rescue the technique, and I would like them to know that Juliana Plexxo was a Latin woman artist proud of her roots.

Follow @JulianaPlexxo on Creatively

Creatively is more than a platform—we’re a creative collective. 

Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@creatively.life

At Creatively, our mission is to champion creative talent and nurture a community that truly reflects the diversity across the full spectrum of the creative economy. As we mark Latinx Heritage Month, we’re proud to spotlight and celebrate the incredible creative contributions of the Latinx and Hispanic artists on Creatively.

Strands of hair intricately swirled across her forehead, complemented by perfectly winged eyeliner and holographic eyeshadow. Oh, and that’s just one of the many looks that have landed drag performer Chiquitita coverage in Vogue, W Magazine, Cosmopolitan, PAPER and Dazed. Born and raised in New York City, Chiquitita is a first-generation Salvadoran-American.

Based in New York City, Chiquitita has been featured in campaigns for apparel brands such as Helmut Lang, H&M and Steve Madden, while collaborating with companies like Netflix, Instagram and Bubly, among others—reshaping the narrative around modeling by making the industry more inclusive. In 2018, Chiquitita had the honor of being crowned Miss Bushwig at Bushwig, a yearly pageant and drag festival that celebrates innovation and creativity in performance. Chiquitita is also the creator and producer of the annual Met Gayla, a queer celebration where drag queens showcase their take on that year’s Met Gala theme.

In addition to her work on stage, Chiquitita creates drag and gender-bending visual art for corporate clients while performing in digital and live shows with world-renowned artists such as Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Lil’ Kim and Yaeiji. Between her hand-sewn dresses, perfectly applied makeup and myriad talents, what one discovers is a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts: a presence that could fill a stadium, a star born to rule the stage.

What is the first creative project you remember?

As a kid I was always doing art projects, painting and drawing, but the first time I really recall taking designs off the paper and turning them into something big was when I started doing drag. My mom is skilled with a sewing machine, so luckily she started teaching me how to sew at 15, when I started wanting to go out and create looks. So it was definitely there, in my bedroom in Queens, learning the basics of sewing where I started to get lost in the creative process in a new way. I would bang out almost 3 looks a week and wear them with pride! They were my own special creations and I couldn’t wait to show them off. 

Describe your aesthetic in three words.

Glamour, gracious, goddess. (Is “gracious” an aesthetic word? I don’t know, but I like how it sounds.)

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on? 

The collaborations that stand out most are the ones where I am allowed to be authentically myself, and not channel the idea of the creative director or photographer. As much as I also love being forced to step out of my comfort zone from time to time, creating new concepts for shoots, or performance ideas with other creatives where we have control is always exhilarating! This past spring, I was in Provincetown and got to shoot a project with my friend and photographer Sam Waxman; it was one of the first things I’ve really directed from start to finish. Sam was so great and helped me realize my vision via his insane talents behind the lens. It’s definitely been one of my favorite collaborations thus far!

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself? 

Earlier this year I created an insane zebra gown. It was over 10 feet tall and required me being rigged and hoisted up in order to see the dress in its full glory. I worked on it with my friend for about two weeks. It taught me that I have the ability to create anything I could ever want, no matter how extravagant, with the right amount of space, fabric, and help.

Chiquitita’s 10-foot-tall zebra gown.

Do you think Creativity is something you’re born with, or something you’re taught?

I can’t speak for others, but for me personally, I think creativity is something inherent inside us, and accessing it actually requires letting go a bit, giving the creativity space to make itself known. I’ve been my most creative when I can let my psyche do the work, letting my mind go where it wants. Recently, I’ve been finding that I have some of my best ideas when I’m about to sleep, when my active brain starts to take a rest. I keep a notebook by my bed so I can write them down as they come, otherwise the ideas may not come back! 

What’s the last dream you had? 

Candidly, last night I dreamt I was friends with Billie Eilish and we went to a Greenday show where they were covering music by my friend, Macy Rodman. I don’t know how this came about, but it did, and now I need it to come true!

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work? 

A hundred years from now, I would love to know that I played even a small part in creating the creative and dynamic fabric that makes up New York City. On a deeper level, I also hope that my life will be a great representation for trans people everywhere. When I’m older, if I can reach a fraction of the level of iconic-ness that some of the trans women have achieved whom I’ve looked up to since I was a kid, I will be happy!

Follow @Chiquitita on Creatively

Creatively is more than a platform—we’re a creative collective. 

Questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@creatively.life