We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anjalé Perrault. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anjalé below.
Alright, Anjalé thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
My passions have always led me to work within creative fields, and to be my own boss for the most part. There’s no question that my happiness quotient is highest on the days that I create. There’s an Elizabeth Gilbert line from Big Magic that I quote probably way too much because it’s completely descriptive of why this is a non-negotiable for me: “if I am not actively creating something, then I am probably actively destroying something.” For me, it’s my mental health that pivots if I’m not stoking the creative fire, so painting consistently – usually 5 or 6 days a week – keeps me happy and healthy in all the best ways.
On the flip side, time in the studio with my canvas can be super isolating and lonely! Unless I’m in the middle of an inspiring lightning bolt moment I tend to struggle with procrastination. And I think that’s why I’ve daydreamed about what it would be like to work in a super creative agency or have a 9-5 to keep me accountable. The truth, though, is that I love my freedom, and the way I keep myself going is to create a routine and stick to it. I get up at 5:30 for a 6 am pilates class Monday through Friday, and try to be in my studio painting by 8:30 or 9. Morning is definitely my most creative time – and also when the light is best in my studio – so if I don’t get to work first thing I tend to miss the sweet spot. Mid day I’ll take a break sometimes to give my arm a rest and do some computer work, submit to shows or create new jewelry designs. Then in the afternoon I usually have another few hours of painting in me before I lose the light. My home was built in 1926 and the lighting is all still pretty original so natural lighting is key to my work flow!
For me, treating my work like a “regular job” is part of the game. I can’t schedule lunch dates with friends Monday through Friday, take mid-week vacations all the time, or Netflix and chill at noon. I have real deadlines for gallery shows and clients that have to be met – and since I paint a new body of work each year the momentum is super important. If I don’t paint daily then that’s just fewer paintings I ultimately get to sell in the collection. It takes a lot of self-motivation, determination, and grit at times, but at this moment in my life I can’t imagine doing anything more fulfilling.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am an artist and jewelry designer inspired by plant and animal symbology. Most of my painting and jewelry designs come from memories of my childhood in the Los Angeles mountains which was incredibly wild and untamed. We lived in a 900 square foot cabin in a canyon and would drive half an hour out of the winding hills every day to school in the city, then back to our house which was on a creek with no neighbors in sight. We took in stray dogs, had wild coyote and mountain lion sightings weekly, and snakes that would hide out in our wood pile and under the house. My whole life was steeped in wilderness, and now as an adult this is what makes me happy to paint. These are the symbols that I use to tell stories about humanness, about femininity, about what it is to be alive and vulnerable in the world.
I started taking fine art classes at age 7 and never stopped. I went to UCLA then opened an art school to teach drawing, painting and clay classes so that I could share the same joy of learning I felt with my own students. After 16 years, during COVID, I decided to close my doors and pursue my independent painting career, alchemizing this lifetime of fine art experience onto my own canvases. It was powerful to take time for myself – just me and a canvas – and create without any parameters. For me this felt like the bravest and most joyful moment of my life.
In addition to oil painting I also paint murals in restaurants and private residences. The project I am most excited about, however, is my new fine jewelry line which will release a new collection annually that will mirror the symbology in my current body of work. The first collection is inspired by snakes, since that’s what I’ve been painting in the Temptation series this year. It’s been extremely exciting to create designs and see them brought to life. It’s also been incredibly important to me to keep all manufacturing local, and I am very proud that each piece is handmade in Downtown LA using recycled gold and ethically mined gemstones. I am someone who thrives on excitement and change, so having multiple projects going on at once is my jam.
I just wrapped a couple gallery shows, including Made in California at Brea Gallery. In September I have a solo show at Resin Gallery, and in December I’ll be exhibiting my work at Miami Art Week at AquaArt Miami. If you want to keep a pulse on these happenings you can sign up for my newsletter at anjale.com or find me on IG @anjalepaints.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
When I re-entered into the creative space after closing my art school I first began painting pretty botanicals that I thought people would want to hang on their walls. And for a while it made me happy. After a couple years of that, I got bored. At first I couldn’t completely figure it out. I tried changing my style, changing my color palette, changing my schedule. And then I realized that the problem was me. Or rather, that I wasn’t showing up with ENOUGH of me.
I was showing up as who I thought people wanted me to be. As the painter who I thought they would like the most. Painting the paintings that would sell the most. And honestly? This was the story of my life. From a young age I was a people pleaser who knew how to get good grades, earn achievements, and win all the gold stars. I was an actress, a singer, a writer, and an artist. My whole life was outward facing, and all of my self worth was wrapped up in how loud the applause was at the close of the curtain.
But when I chose to paint for ME, everything shifted. I found my voice, and I realized that I had a lot to say. My current body of work is a commentary on the societal challenges that females face (such as the one illustrated above) and the structures that create them. As I create my work I share my personal journey openly on my social media channels with the intention to connect more deeply with my my community. Connection creates bonds that break through loneliness and shame. When we know that we are not alone in our struggles, we soften and heal – and that is my work’s mission. I used to believe that hustle was my superpower, but now I know that it is vulnerability. Rather than pushing through I am here to show what’s most real to the world- both in my paintings and in myself.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, there is no question that connection is the utmost reward. Making art brings me into deeper connection with myself – whether in meditation before I paint or during a body of work when I suddenly have a lightbulb moment and realize what the whole collection is actually about. Art is a living and breathing entity and when we allow ourselves to be in conversation with it there truly is a depth of personal connection available to us that’s breathtaking.
And then the more obvious connection is with others, because of course when we paint it naturally connects us with every viewer of our piece – whether we know it or not. I’ve had incredible conversations at gallery shows, met dear friends, and had invaluable career opportunities open – all standing in front of a piece of art chatting.
I also meet with my female art collective, Art Hive LA, once a week to connect and support one another. We take turns talking for about 5 minutes each about our art and progress. In addition we exhibit our work as a collective group, support the community, and keep each other on top of opportunities in the LA area. It truly has been the jet fuel to my artistic expansion this year. If you have a group of artists in your area I highly encourage you to come together to support one another…all it takes is a coffee shop and two people to start!
For me, connection is the point of being here, of being human. The more we can light each other up on this journey the better – I’m here for it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anjale.com
- Instagram: @anjalepaints
Image Credits
Alice Kuo-Shippee