We were lucky to catch up with Alisa Kisa recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

One of the most unexpected challenges in my creative journey came from temporarily losing access to the one thing that fuels me most — the sea. I used to work aboard Virgin Voyages, and being surrounded by people, constantly in motion, and living in that ever-changing rhythm of the ocean filled me with energy. That energy would quietly overflow into art — on breaks I’d paint nails for myself and my fellow crew, sketch in my cabin with aquarelle pens and fine liners my dad gifted me before I left. It was COVID-era, so we spent a lot of time alone. Art was my sanctuary.

Once, we had a shipment of goods in our department, and from one of the boxes I noticed a piece of framed cardboard that was about to be thrown away. I took it to my cabin, borrowed some felt-tip pens, and painted a deep-sea octopus diver. I called her Scarlet Lady, after the ship I was on. That painting felt like a secret ceremony of gratitude, like I was giving something back to the sea for everything it gave me.

After our entire concession team had to leave, came a period of my relocation and paperwork. I hit a kind of block. I thought it would be temporary, but it stretched out longer than I expected. The sea is not just a setting, it’s my collaborator. It pushes me, exhausts me, and somehow gives me more life energy than anything else.

That moment forced me to look inward. I realized I didn’t just want to make art, I wanted to share it. To infect people with creativity, to let it spill into their own lives.

Alisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Kisa — this is a nickname from my teenage years that stuck. “Kisa” means a young female cat, and it feels right: light, a little wild, and curious.

I’m an artist in the most personal sense of the word. My work isn’t mass-produced, I focus on custom-made pieces that carry a piece of the person they’re made for. I grew up in a very artistic family — my grandmother was an art teacher, my father is a wildly creative web designer, and this thread has always been in me. My other grandma still finds piles of my scribbles. I must have spent entire days of my childhood drawing without even realizing it.

I don’t treat art like an output, I treat it like a gift. In my Etsy shop that is being developed at the moment, I’ll be offering customizable photography, HQ prints taken during my travels alongside digital art, since I work in both formats.

I’m passionate about everything that involves a brush — from tee design to makeup, from fine-tip illustration to painting with wine stains. I’m also a certified wine connoisseur, a certified chef, I care about sports, nutrition and learning about human behavior. I love mixing them together: painting with wine stains, designing art-inspired dishes and so on.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, and it’s incredibly simple. I want to spread joy. Through art, through conversation, through presence. If it’s within my power to make someone happier, I’ll do my best.

When I’m surrounded by people, they give me life energy — and I always have enough to spread it back. That’s my core. I believe creativity is a contagious kind of magic. The more you give, the more comes back.

Eventually, I’d love to teach art as well, to host workshops that don’t just teach technique, but unlock people’s own spark.

Right now, I’m in a bit of a transition, but now I want to turn that flow into something permanent, something I can pour into others so they can remember what it feels like to create something from the depths.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think what’s often misunderstood is how deeply creativity is tied to your environment. Many creatives are highly tuned in to the energy around them, whether it’s people, places, or even silence. And sometimes, people who believe they’re “not creative” just haven’t had the chance to open that part of themselves yet.

I have a Master’s degree in engineering management, and yet here I am — dying to paint every free moment I get. You might be an amazing programmer or a sharp analyst, but your best therapy might turn out to be art. You never know until you let yourself try.

Whether it’s a photo someone asks me to take, or a piece a friend wants to hang in her gallery in Lima, it’s always about making something that speaks to someone else’s life.

If you’re not a creative, you might think we just sit and make pretty things. But in reality, we’re constantly listening — to the world, to ourselves, to the energy around us, and creating is how we answer back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kis4arts.com
• Instagram: instagra.com/kis4arts
• Other: [email protected]