We were lucky to catch up with Ana Alic recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I am lucky to have been a part of many meaningful projects. One specific project recently that has been very significant to me, came to me in a perfect combination of divine timing and preparation. My dear friend Katie Boland, who is an accomplished and incredibly talented actor, writer and director was making a feature film (and yes she was the lead actor playing twins, writer and director!) and asked me to do costume design. Prior to this I had spent 10 years in the film industry and as a fashion stylist, but I have never done costume design. Of course I had to jump at the chance, I knew how incredible it was to have this opportunity, designers spend years as assistants to reach this point and somehow I was given this chance. The world of fashion styling and costume design have many differences, and even with my knowledge of scripts and the film industry it was a massive learning curve! I was terrified and completely excited to take on this challenge, there was no better way to learn this craft than by jumping in. I learned as I went, leaned on mentors, asked every question and was able to be guided by Katie and her expert team. This moment accelerated my knowledge of the design world in surprising ways; you can never have enough robes, google docs is your friend and topstick is your secret weapon!
It’s not often artists get those breaks, but they do happen and it’s magic when they do; cherish them, bring everything you have to them and have fun along the way. This meaningful moment of doing costume design for We’re All In This Together gave me a launch pad to continue my work in costumes (amongst my many other creative pursuits). It helped that I already had the love of fashion and styling as that base, it is what allowed me to be presented with this opportunity. Following the success of this film I went on to work as the costume designer for another meaningful project. This one had me traveling back in time to the post civil war era of the late 1800’s. I’ve always loved and dreamed of working on a film project set in the Victorian era and somehow never imagined it would be as the costume designer, but it couldn’t have been more perfectly suited. Working on A Song For William Bird, a poetic, tragic and hauntingly beautiful film, expanded my design skills in many ways. Because the story presented unique challenges, I couldn’t rent any pieces for the main cast. Instead I had to create and source everything from authentic pieces of the time, having me search every single antique mall, flea market, etsy shop, basements of vintage collectors, warehouses, barns you name it! It felt like an honour to give these old pieces a new life, to preserve and reimagine these materials that carry so much soul. It was a highlight of my year and a film that showcases my true love of design.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I often find it hard to describe what I do to people who first meet me! You see I am what you call a multi-hyphenate, a gemini through and through, someone who loves to explore and dream and create. I have settled into calling myself an artist, choosing different mediums that often intertwine to express my love of beauty and design. I have a windy road that has led me to my current discipline, one coloured with interesting experiences. I am Canadian-Croatian, both my parents hail from the turquoise-water homeland. I grew up firmly in the culture and never realized how much that influenced my love of travel and wanderlust spirit. Before venturing into the world of film, design, writing and even podcasting, I completed a Bachelor of Science degree and worked in the medical field spanning 10 years. Most notably I worked as an ER unit clerk, assisting the charge nurse, answering ER phone lines and registering patients arriving by ambulance amongst many other integral tasks. It was a very pivotal time for me, fortifying my abilities of thriving in an intense and critical environment. That time was a major inspiration for me to pursue my love of film. I saw and experienced life in its most fragile state, and it reminded me how precious our time is and really influenced me to go for my dreams. It also sparked my love of nature, health and wellness which is embodied in my podcast Topanga Moon.
On some days you can find me creating mood boards for a styled photoshoot, finishing up my latest draft of a rom-com script, uploading a new meditation I just made to my podcast or sourcing wardrobe for a film. There is a through line that connects the many facets of my creative work and I believe it is expressed in the mission statement I have for myself; to connect others to nature through beauty. My writing, my design, my photography is always trying to capture the celebration and love of nature. To me beauty and nature go hand in hand and I always strive to weave sustainable practices and create art that celebrates the earth, even through fashion styling. As long as I am designing spaces that tell stories and inspire beauty I am truly lit up by life!
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
While there are many types of resources I could share, the one I found most beneficial to my creative journey was discovering human design! Human design is a modality that is similar to astrology or Myers-Briggs and it explains how best to use your unique energy in the world. It is becoming more mainstream, Goop even did an article on it, which is amazing to see! For me discovering my human design chart was a moment where I felt very understood in my creative process. It gave me the freedom to move through life and work in a way that felt very supportive and energizing. When you can really dive in and learn more about yourself it is a very powerful way to assist your creative journey. For example, I am a sacral generator in human design which means I am really here to follow the things that light me up, if it feels exciting to me then it’s definitely for me. This recognition helped me move past a lot of my programming and limiting beliefs, and gave me permission to feel excited and empowered about my creative journey and which projects to pursue. And if anything it’s fun to learn things about yourself!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is building the courage and depth within to share my art regardless of if it gets received, validated or acknowledged. The moment when I can allow my ego to soften, I can then be seen and bear the truth of my knowing through an artistic vision, I can create from a real place of authenticity. It is the hardest aspect yet most rewarding in true soul fulfillment. When an idea drops in and I pursue that idea, give it wings and breathe life into, that is honouring the artistic muse and that is honouring my soul in that moment. It may take time and come in slowly, fear may creep in at times, but even when I get the courage to write that one scene or spend my day in nature taking photos, or create a mood board for a film I hope to work on – it’s those immersive moments that remind me of what I love and the joy that comes from the doing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.anaalic.com
- Instagram: @anaalic
- Other: www.topangamoon.com Topanga Moon Podcast
Image Credits
Kelsey Davis (main photo) Aneta Sofronova (image of me sitting on couch) Ana Alic (rest of photos)