Crafting A Career Around Artistic Pursuits with Aina Oset

Aina Oset (aka na lua) is a skilled and resourceful artist who specializes in graphic design, VJ animation, illustration, face and body painting, live performance, visual art installations, giant macrame... and I’m sure there’s more artforms that I’ve missed!

Aina’s artwork and experiences are so diverse, it’s hard to know where to begin. So let’s go way back and start at the burgeoning seeds of her creative career.

Like all children, Aina you were born an artist and a free spirit. However, unlike many adults, you have managed to maintain your creative spirit, visionary eye, and a love-for-life that is unique and refreshing.

What were the building blocks to your diverse creative development?

I remember painting and creating all sorts of things when I was very little. My parents say that the way to keep me quiet was to give me some paper and a box of coloured pencils. I went to an open-minded public experimental school from the age of  3 to 12, where we did all sorts of activities from philosophy, art, dance and theatre to organising mathematical fairs. I believe my education helped me develop my creative thinking skills.

Those experiences planted the seeds to my interest in discovering all sorts of fields and connecting them. So I’ve never really stopped studying and mixing everything: graphic design, photography, cinema, audiovisuals, motion graphics... plus many other self-taught creative tools.

Spiritual symbolism and sacred geometry clearly stand out in your work. Can you tell us more about your interests and inspirations?

It’s true that I’ve always explored my creativity, but it wasn’t until I connected with my spiritual side, (looking deep inside for who I really am and who I really want to be) and start stepping out of my comfort zone, that I started believing in myself and that my art was “good enough”.

It is a part of my journey to understand myself and the world around me through art and I find the symbolism in Alchemy and Sacred Geometry a beautiful ancient tool full of wisdom that can really help us understand concepts and ideas in a more profound level. I enjoy creating different layers of meaning to my work using this language, and it’s up to the viewers to go as deep as they want.

If art is self-realization, what are you learning about yourself?

Art is the best mirror I’ve ever had! It teaches me to constantly step out of my comfort zone and stay there where it feels a bit uncomfortable and wait... That's when the magic happens. David Bowie once said: “If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

Art teaches me that being brave is not about never being scared, it's about being scared and still going all the way. It helps me to heal, face my demons and build my self-esteem a bit more every day. I’ve learned how to be disciplined, tenacious, and listen to that little voice and intuition inside that helps you move forward no matter what. Because I won’t to lie to you, I’ve never worked as hard as I do since I started this journey.

Now let’s turn that around. If art is visual journalism, what are you telling the world?

I like to talk about the fractal beauty of nature, the symmetry, the macro world, the tiny small wonders of our everyday life. The magic happening in the present moment, the flow states and the relationship within human emotions and needs. Also the connection within all layers of one’s self: the human body, the symbolic and spiritual world, the psychedelia and imagination and the symbolism of ancient cultures.

With so many interests, how do you choose what to focus on at any given time?

jajaja I don’t! I used to feel really bad, usually about my “lack of focus,” when I couldn’t work on a project for a long time, but I’ve learned some months ago about the term “Multipotentialites”. Now I feel much better about not having “one true calling,” having many interests and just continuing to jump from one to another, or doing them simultaneously without really “finishing” them as society understands the term “finishing”.

I usually work in various projects simultaneously that involve different skills and techniques, and that actually helps me power up my creativity and connect them all—getting to unexpected new ideas. I use the “Pomodoro technique” to work simultaneously in various projects without losing focus or procrastinating

I’m a big fan of Alex Serra’s new album, In the Real World, to which you’re doing all of the visuals for his live shows. Can you tell us more about this collaboration?

When I meet Alex I was starting to play with visuals and projections and he was starting to put new album together. His music and beautiful, humble energy really inspired me and I told him about my art and that I would love to play with visuals and his music. We started experimenting with images, making some experimental concert-experiences that we called COCOON and then little by little we developed together, song by song, a set of visuals that is in constant evolution and that gives a visual dimension to the show for IN THE REAL WORLD. I am so exited about this project because we are working on synchronizing the sound and images through MIDI language with Toti Arimany and taking the whole visual aspect to a new dimension.

That sounds awesome, I can’t wait to see the results!

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to read the first version of “What is Alive in You,” a new book with Timothy Patey. It is an emotionally moving work of art! Can you tell us more about that project?

Sure, first I draw an illustration inspired by a self-compassion meditation. Tim taught me this method when I was dealing with anxiety. Tim’s work on Non Violent Communication and Self compassion really inspired me to understand and express my emotions and needs. I told Tim how much these concepts have helped me understand and deal with conflict and challenges and we thought they might inspire and help others as well.

We started this project a year ago, and we’ve been cooking it slowly each and every month. During each session we talk about what is alive in us; one day I choose the subject, another day Tim does. This way of working is both creative and healing and that’s what I love about it.

Our aim is to launch a kickstarter campaign in March to publish the first edition of the book.

Thanks for sharing more about that project. I’ll keep an eye out for the campaign in the coming months. Are there any other projects in the works that we should know about?

This Sunday I’m organising the first edition of the “CREATORS MARKET”, a beautiful gathering in La Floresta that was born with the intention to support the creators and artists in my community and help people make km 0, handmade, ethically produced choices for themselves and to give to others. I am happy that many artists will be joining this edition and we will have a big variety of creations: from screenprints, clothes, ceramics, massage, jewellery to yummy snacks, all with the live performance of local musicians.

And where can people find you?

Those are the channels where I share my work and creations:

instagram.com/nalua.lab

facebook.com/nalua.lab

vimeo.com/naluabcn

Thank you Aina, we can't wait to see what you create next!