An Interview | Actuali Design

I just adore the handmade cards by Actuali Design, don't you? I am thrilled to share this interview that I had with Ali, the creator of Actuali Design.

What is your name?
Alison, or Ali for short.

Nice to meet you! Where are you located?
Toronto, ON

What is the name of the shop?
Actuali Design

What is the shop address?
http://www.actualidesign.etsy.com



Please list any URLS of where readers can find you
Etsy
Twitter
Flickr
Facebook
ActualiDesign.com (Currently redirecting to Etsy shop, soon to be full website with blog)


What is your art or craft and how long have you been creating?
I create handmade greeting cards, using lots of different materials. I love experimenting with paper, ribbons, brads, stamps, and anything else I think would work well. You could definitely describe my work as multimedia! In addition to my cards, I sell prints of my digital art prints. I started making my cards about three years ago, when my mom got me a book on card making. I must have paged through that book hundreds of times. One very expensive Michaels trip later, I was started up on making my own cards for the annual craft sale at my cottage.



What other things do you do besides creating?
Crafty things aside, I’m still a very artsy person. I love fine art as well as my crafting, and digital work. I’ve tried just about everything from basic drawing to creating life size sculptures out of packing tape—those were an interesting few days in art class! I love working with oil paint and black pen, but for me, nothing beats pencil on paper. I’m currently a high school student, and unlike most people I know, I know exactly what I want to do. I plan on being a graphic designer, working freelance, which is clearly another extension of my love for the aesthetic. On the other side of things, I love to write. Long fiction, short fiction, whatever. It’s probably my only hobby that can rival the arts and crafts one. Finally, I play the piano, which I’ve been doing since I was 3 or 4. Now, would you believe that I’m actually a logical person? Really, I am. I’m not the scatterbrained and eccentric creative type. I promise!

Wow, you are involved in so many different things! It's wonderful that you know what you would like to do someday as a career. What inspires you?
My favourite part of the creative process is the experimentation, so it comes as no surprise that I’m most inspired by supplies. If I’m stuck, I love looking through everything that I have on hand. The colours, textures, patterns... It gets my mind going. I start to imagine all the different ways in which I can put them together. That’s why I love supply shopping so much! I can spend hours in Michael’s, wandering the scrapbooking aisles over and over again, to the dismay of whoever is accompanying me.

I love to wander around the creative aisles, too! Are there any artists that inspire you?
There are a couple that I particularly like, and do sometimes get my mind going with ideas. While I don’t see their work reflected in my own, they can be inspiring none the less. Matte Stephens is one of my favourite traditional artists. I plan on treating myself to a couple of his prints once I hit 50 sales. Unfortunately, that’s quite a way off, yet!



What are five words that describe you?
I don’t tend to be overly concise, so this should be interesting. Five words. I’d have to say, ambitious, perfectionist, adaptable, logical and honest.

Would you be interested in offering a special discounts to the GiDu Design blog readers?
I’d be happy to offer 15% off any purchase of $10.00 or more with the code “GIDU” valid for one week after the feature!

Thank you Ali for sharing with us today. I am so glad that we could have an interview and get to know you better. You have a lot of passion for art and design and I wish you the best of luck in your career endeavors!