Adriana Allen was born in Bulgaria and has lived in the USA since 2007. However if every place, where we live, defines and molds us, then she must resemble an abstract work of art that combines Spanish, English, French, Swiss, Mexican, Bulgarian, and American influences.
Adriana stumbled upon polymer clay back in 2009, while she was looking for an outlet for all that creative energy she was trying to find what to do with. For over a decade, Adriana had worked as a writer and editor at several national networks and magazine editorials. After moving to the USA she began a search for something else.
She tried sewing, beading, fabric painting, which were ok, but not great for someone who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis most of her life so polymer clay just made sense and felt good in her hands. “My new passion opened my eyes to details of the world surrounding me that I might have never noticed otherwise; it has filled my existence with new colors and shapes that would normally blend with the background in the past,” shares with us Adriana.
From the beginning, her relationship with the medium was of mutual challenge and reward. She would force the clay into new shapes and tools, creating in the process new techniques, opening doors it had never crossed before to achieve – eventually – some rewarding results. On the other hand, the work with clay pushes her physical limitations, rewarding her hard work with some pain, but also with pride in the awareness that “I can do this!”.
Sometimes Adriana struggles to self-identify as an artist because of the theory that art is food for the soul and has nothing to do with the materialistic aspects of life. “Yes, art and creativity are superior forms of self-expression, they nurture the soul and incinerate it as a wild fire – any artist knows what the need to create feels like. However the material aspect of it is also very important,” says Adriana and continues: “I do not know what else life has in store for me. There will be ups and downs, and more than one surprises which, I would like to believe, I will never shy from. I do hope, however, that I will continue to create and for the simplest of reasons: it makes me truly happy,” says Adriana and we can only agree that this applies to every single one of us.
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