Today we’d like to introduce you to Glaucia Stanganelli
Hi Glaucia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Santo Andre, a suburb of Sao Paulo in Brazil, and since I was a little kid I was always creating something. I remember writing and illustrating comic books with characters I created, customizing outfits for my dolls, making colorful drawings on the walls against mom’s will, among other creative adventures.
My first artistic expression in the world was as a dancer, I was a professional ballerina for 12 years, I danced in a company all over South America. I have a dancer soul, I always want to move my body like a constant dance.
When it was time to choose a college I decided to study fashion, I went to London and later FIT in New York City. I first choose London for that seamless balance between traditional and vanguard in all they do, design, fashion, art, music. I love starting with traditional and deconstruct it, breaking all the rules and challenging the techniques, almost not even wanting to know too much so I can keep doing art or fashion my own way, with an open mind and creativity.
I then had a career in fashion, and eventually started my own line, called Philosofée, I launched and sold collections for around 15 years. I’ve been part of designer collectives in London and New York, I had the amazing opportunity to present runway shows in both cities fashion weeks.
Every time I created a fashion collection it was never about the clothes, but the inspiration and story I was telling through it. I created characters, and an universe for them with photoshoots and short movies that I produced almost every season.
On the side, as a creative outlet, just for fun, I was painting, but in the closet. I never showed anyone my paintings for years, I did not see myself as an artist by then. Until a couple friends saw them in my house and really had strong reactions to my pieces. Then something shifted in the way I was looking at myself as an artist, I realized it is a good thing to cause emotions and reactions through my art and that they are meant to be seen. Since then my motto is if it inspires one single person in the world it was already worth it, if it puts a smile on a face, if it brings tears or memories, it means I did it from my heart, with depth and truth connecting with other hearts and souls. Isn’t it what art is all about?
I slowly and organically started shifting most of my time and energy towards painting rather than fashion and the ways started to open in this field for me. I did a few collaborations with other artists, I had a solo exhibition in Los Angeles, I have my pieces in a few designer collective stores, and I have my paintings and illustrations in books, including my own first poetry book, called Unfiltered Thoughts & Poetic Moments.
I am now based in Austin, Texas, since 2022, I moved here following my intuition. When I got here I reconnected with dance and that inspires me even more to keep creating, moving the body, moving my energy, expressing myself in different ways.
My family still in Brazil and I visit at least a couple times a year, I spend lots of time in an island I lived for 6 years, Florianopolis, my favorite place there. It is recharging and inspiring to me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had some moments of being in the right place at the right time, I was very lucky and blessed, and of course… I had a lot of not so easy moments too. In my fashion career there was always the challenge to put together a team, contractors and distributors, every day there was a fire to control. And once I understood that, it was fine, working with the mindset of “what is the best I can do to solve this problem in front of me?”, with creativity and a positive focus things moved well. From every yes I heard from a buyer I probably heard 100 no’s before that. And it was a learning curve to not take those no’s personally and remember the business side of it, the buyer is looking for yellow dresses and I only made green dresses for example.
Same goes with my artwork, I keep doing it and one day it encounters someone that falls in love with it, I don’t know when but I keep moving and it works.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In most of my artwork I do figurative, with shapes and forms very much influenced by my experiences as a fashion designer, but not limited to it.
I started painting in a different level as I got into my kundalini yoga and meditation practice. The journeys I went through with these practices were so deep and transforming to me that I wanted to somehow share it with others and painting those was a way I found it possible.
You will see mantras in Gurmukhi or Sanskrit in some of my paintings, they are like codes to direct the mind to a higher and better stream of thoughts, mantras that I have a very deep relationship with. You will also notice references to the chakras, to the energy body and other elements that are very present in a yogi way of life.
I create to express my journeys, my feelings and emotions in a visual form. I intend to use my art as a portal to myself to go back or forward to those moments and experiences. They were so meaningful that I wanted to immortalize it somehow. They came to me through either a real experience or from the dream world, etheric and subtle realms journeys.
I paint energy moving through people, places and etheric beings; angels, archangels, fairies, elves and devas, are also part of my universe.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Mmmmm, nothing comes to mind right now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.glauciastanganelli.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyglaucia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artbyglaucia
- Twitter: https://x.com/ss_glau
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@glaucia_stanganelli
