Art and taking risks: Victoria Sequeira

July 29, 2021

Written by Hondrea Hunt-Charbonneau

July 29, 2021

Written by Hondrea Hunt-Charbonneau

My name is Victoria Sequeira, I’m a Portuguese-Canadian painter/artist based out of Southern Ontario (the region of Waterloo and the city of Toronto.) I didn’t study art in college and am completely self-taught, I actually went to school for fashion but after graduating I quickly realized that it was more of a hobby than it was a passion.

My art is heavily inspired by the human experience, what we feel, how we communicate, the connections we form, where we go and why we do what we do. I typically use the one-line technique but also use a multitude of textures and colours in some of my pieces. I’m also extremely inspired by the cubism, surrealism, minimalism, modernism and postmodernism art movements.

"I just always wanted to used my imagination and body to create"

You recently decided to start your art career full force. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

Growing up, art - in its many different forms - was always a constant in my life. I always resorted to it when I was feeling intense emotions, both as a child and adult, and it guided me through dealing with those moments in my life. Even though it was such a driving force in my life, I never, ever thought about making a career out of it, which has much to do with the fact that the education system doesn’t really encourage the arts as a pathway for success, so I always saw it as just a passion.

It wasn’t until I lost my job in social media management after the COVID-19 pandemic hit that I decided to take a chance on myself and test the waters with selling my creations. I’m now a year into my career, and although I’m still in the beginning stages and still learning, I’m excited for my future as an artist. It truly is a dream come true, 8 year old me would be so happy.

You are also a self-taught artist! How has your artistry evolved over the years to what it is today?

As a child, I created things that I simply loved. I wasn’t aware of techniques, what people liked or what my source of inspiration was, I just created what I felt that day. I wasn’t a big fan of organized games or sports, I just always wanted to used my imagination and body to create, sometimes that looked like playing with dirt and rocks and other times that looked like painting on paper.

As a teenager I really started to lose my creative-self. Perfection was something that I strived for, so creating actually became quite stressful and inauthentic. I recall steering away from visual art when I needed a creative release and tried my hand at writing poetry. Quite typical, but I went through a lot of emotions and even experienced love for the first time as a teenager so poetry allowed me to express myself in a way that felt organic. I was forcing myself to paint and draw and it was just a very ugly time for me and my art.

At the age of 18, I started to find my voice with art. I let myself flow into the paper and what came out of it was something that felt so right - these one-line figures that felt like such an extension of not only myself, but also people and emotions that I have experienced. When I began my art career in 2020 at almost 22 years old, I wanted to introduce my art in the simplest way that I could... so my first collection was black on white. Not much texture, not much depth. Just the one-line art to speak for itself and myself as a new artist.

Now that I’m evolving as a woman and an artist, I’m exploring new techniques and textures, and have even started to incorporate my poetry into my paintings. I’m extremely excited to share my newest creations with everyone, these pieces are a part of me.

"...sometimes I feel like the canvas is my therapist and I’m the patient"

When you want to create a new piece, what does your creative process look like? What is something that is non-negotiable when it comes to your work?

If what I’m working on is a commissioned piece for a client, then I start the process by getting to know my clients, their wishes and inspiration for the project. From there I begin the sketching process, which can take weeks as I need to be truly happy with the connection between art and inspiration that the client had given me. Once I decide on a draft that I’m happy with, it then goes onto paper or canvas and then the painting begins. I take on framing for the client as well if they wish.

The process for a personal piece or collection piece can look one of two ways, I either start with inspiration and sketch out my ideas on paper like I would with a commission or I go into the process without any guidance and it’s just the canvas, the paint and I. The second process is extremely relieving, sometimes I feel like the canvas is my therapist and I’m the patient, and other times I feel like a scientist creating a formula, studying and experimenting.

A non-negotiable for me during my art process would be my space and setting. I cannot create in a chaotic environment, my surroundings need to be calm. Luckily I now have an art studio so I no longer need to worry about working from home and being distracted.

What is the most difficult part about being an artist for you? What about the most rewarding part?

For me, the most difficult part about being an artist is imposter syndrome... it can eat away at my motivation, confidence and inspiration. It’s a rollercoaster, some days it doesn’t affect me and other days I feel like this whole career I’ve created is fake. At the end of the day, I do know my worth and capabilities, and I’m excited for my future, imposter syndrome is just a little monster that I need to squash.

On the other hand, there are so many rewarding parts about being an artist that the difficulties are worth it. First, I get to work for myself, this alone is one of the biggest rewards for me. Growing up I always said I would end up working for myself, I was too creative and had too many ideas that working for someone else just wouldn’t be a good fit. Another huge reward is having my artwork in people’s homes, the amount of clients that have come back to me to inform me on discussions that their friends and family have had with them regarding the interpretation of my work is the brightest feeling in the world. That’s one of the coolest superpowers that art has, it speaks to different people in different ways.

"We can all create, there’s an art-form for everyone"

Why do you create? What does it fulfill within you that drives you to keep creating?

As much as I love and am so grateful that there are people who enjoy my work, I create for me. If all of those people go away and there’s no one left to enjoy my art with me, I’ll be okay, I’ll still create. I need art in order to be fulfilled, otherwise I would be a very lost human being.

The fulfillment I get from creating can look like many different things. Creating has helped me overcome those burdening reoccurring distractions and thoughts, it’s helped me to identify the “whys” and “hows” of my actions, helped me love myself and has helped me to become childlike again. I really could go on and on about the benefits I’ve gained from creating, but it’s something that we’re all capable of. We can all create, there’s an art-form for everyone. Cooking, tattooing, woodworking, writing. We were always meant to express ourselves.

What is one goal you have set for yourself as an artist and also as an individual?

I’ve mentioned this in other interviews but defining long-term goals for myself as an artist is a very odd thing, I truly just want to create and be happy for the rest of my life. I do have plenty of short-term goals though, one of them being that I would love to illustrate a poetry book.

A goal that I’ve set for myself as an individual is to stay growing and learning, to not be stagnant. It’s a goal that will be a constant for the rest of my life because I’ve let fear get in the way of a lot in my past. I’ve made it a goal to shut my fear down, to alway be soaking things up and trying new things.

Do you have any tips for people who are a bit nervous about sharing their art to the world?

You probably know what I’m going to say... just take the leap. It’s the first step that’s usually the hardest, so once you make that initial move towards sharing your art, everything else starts to feel right and opportunities seem easier to reach. There’s this quote by Matisse that I love to come back to when my confidence is shot, “creativity takes courage.” Not only does opening your heart and mind out onto paper take courage, but sharing that work with the world does too. At the end of the day, there would be more regret if you didn’t share your work than there would be if you did.

Support Victoria Sequeira

Talent: Victoria Sequeira
Photographer: Photos submitted by Victoria Sequeira
Editor: Hondrea Hunt-Charbonneau

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