Designer of the Day: Angelica Tcherassi

Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.

Age: 41

Occupation: Abstract artist and product designer.

Instagram: @angelicatcherassi

Hometown: Barranquilla, Colombia. Living in Barcelona since 2003.

Studio location: Barcelona.

Describe what you make: My mission is to uplift our vibes and help connect within, make life happier, and help everyone see with a new set of eyes each day. Provoking them to dare to dream. Injecting light into a new world through the power of color and form on any given medium possible. In life, I’ve gone through design and art in all its scales, from architecture and product design to artworks. In a personal journey of finding my true voice, my core, that would be an open way to all my layers. 

I believe we’re all here to be happy, and true happiness comes from within. Never be afraid to fall—be afraid of not trying at all. Failure is actually a victory as we learn from our mistakes. Stand up, shake it off, reboot, and recharge. Unlearn to learn. We all have our lessons to learn and wounds to heal, and doing it through love is the beauty of it. I’m a great believer of “believe to see”—trust your heart. It knows best. 

Through my art, I want to help silence the minds of the beholders and be able to bring a smile on their faces that transports them into a whimsical world, reminding them to just feel, flow, and focus on what really matters. We all have a wise inner child within that knows the truth of what makes our souls truly happy. They know what you’re here on earth to do and shine with every pore into the world. Hear your hearts—it’s a second brain, so listen to that beat!

The most important thing you’ve designed to date: My ongoing, unstoppable, fun, joyful, chic, bold collection of more than 500 artworks under the name of “The VIBES by AT.” What started as therapy for myself under Covid-19 confinement in 2020 became a way of looking within, turning my shadows into light, and finding my true core as an artist and Designer. Now I’m focused on multiplying this in such a way that I can share what resonates with me as an artist and my beliefs: A world of inner abundance, resilience, community, the universe, the power within, vibrations, energy, love, and uplifting each other, as we are ONE. In the hopes of helping others as well in this journey called life.

Describe the problem your work solves: Art has the capability to open our hearts and change our consciousness. Strive for a better world. Help us express and exteriorize our deepest emotions, as well as balance and create a sense of ease. It can remind us to stay connected with our hearts, higher self, and inner child. It helps us dare to dream. It all starts in the imagination.

My mission is to help elevate people’s spaces and daily lives through the power of color and form. Color is a vibratory quality of energy calibrated to be perceived by our eyes. Since ancient times, color has been known to emit vibrations, which depending on the right selection, tone, and proper mix and match can help us relax, lower anxiety, have mental clarity, give a feeling of joy, a sense of calm, or even stimulate us more if needed. The objects/color we surround ourselves with every day have a huge impact on our subconscious, so we better choose wisely.

Describe the project you are working on now: The last few months have been very exciting, as I have engaged in collaborations with some great brands worldwide such as YO2 Designs (Awaken Rugs and Transcend Wallpapers), A Lot Studio and Palo Rosa (Knitwear and Swimwear Bloom Collection), and with Papabubble (Art-Pops sugar-free lollipops). 

I feel very grateful, as I’m currently transcending my artworks into new mediums. Possibilities are endless, as I’m not only collaborating with brands I love, but also with causes or ideas that are important to give voice to. I want to help these messages and values spread into this amazing new world through art. The sky has no limits when love is your flag. 

We have so many layers within and shouldn’t have to choose just one or be tagged in any way. The world is as big or as small as we want to see it. I love that! I’m open to all creative collaborations. We’re stronger together and magic always happens when we uplift each other.

A new or forthcoming project we should know about: They say the world belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I can’t get out of my head the idea of working with jewelry. A Jewelry Collection by Angelica Tcherassi (2022) is cooking and on the horizon. 

A line of the coolest Postals Cards and Journals for the Holidays that’s dropping on my website. A collaboration of artworks for the brand Danish Reveal, inspired in both brands values. New collaborations will be announced in the coming months. So I invite you to keep your eyes wide open and follow @angelicatcherassi.

What you absolutely must have in your studio: I always have music around me. As a good Colombian, I have dancing in my blood, so I like Latin Music to dance my day through and shake it all off. I mix it all with rock and roll, pop, and jazz. It really depends on the mood. Lately on my Spotify Playlist you can find: Camilo, Shakira, Juanes, Taylor Swift, Tini, Shawn Mendes, Lola Indigo, Queen, Texas, and many more. A cool diverse mix.

Good light in a room, my set of stones for meditation and tea or Kombucha always handy. Love having around my two kids, Noah and Pia. They’re my biggest fans and judges depending on the day. They bring playfulness and love to recharge my soul when needed, with a dose of laughter and good vibes. 

What you do when you’re not working: I love bringing myself to nature, being by the sea, a forest, or just walking and watching the sky and the clouds go by. Connecting with my inner self. I’m actually inspired by the sky. I could lose myself on cloud nine. Clouds transmit an incredible ease, knowledge, and connect us with the universe itself. They somehow help me clean my soul and mind. 

I enjoy boxing, but I must return to it though. It’s a good way to release stress. I also enjoy a good movie, dinners with family and friends, and baking.

Sources of creative envy: All-empowering humans, giving back to the world in any way they can while still staying kind and relatable. We are all artists in our own way, within our lives and within this world. I admire all artists for being brave enough to bare their souls. We bare our souls not to be judged or compared to, but to connect in other ways otherwise unknown.

The distraction you want to eliminate: My phone. Although I feel it’s an extension of my arm by now. I would love to detox from it. Also, the noise inside my head. Overthinking. I work on silencing it daily and I’m getting better at it.

Concrete or marble? Marble feels like home and reminds me of growing up in Barranquilla, Colombia, as well as my favorite trips around the world in India and UAE.  

High-rise or townhouse? Anything with a view and good light.

Remember or forget? Forget and relearn from your own experiences. I don’t hold on to the past. Live and enjoy to the fullest in the present.

Aliens or ghosts? Both and much more! Angels, there is a universe out there, so much we can’t see.

Dark or light? Both. Only by breaking the dark, the light can shine through.