Meet Novalí Centellas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Novalí Centellas.  

Hi Novalí, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Novalí, and I am currently a senior photography major at Kendall College of Art and Design. My journey in art started in eighth grade when I joined the comic book club at my school. I knew nothing about drawing or comics, but I thought it seemed like it would be fun. I honestly didn’t learn much about drawing or comic books in that club, but the laidback energy and random art-making we did pulled me into the art world, and I never left. In high school, I took as many art classes as I could–three years of photography, two years of ceramics, and two years of IB Visual Arts. In high school is where I learned how to shoot film photography, work in a darkroom, how to make pottery, and got a small introduction to printmaking and textile art. I knew I wanted to continue on this path after high school, and when looking at art schools to go to for my undergrad, I decided on Kendall College of Art and Design. I have learned more than I ever thought I could in my time here, majoring in photography and minoring in printmaking. The teachers have been absolutely wonderful and supportive, but also great at pushing me to go farther and think outside the box. I’m going to miss this environment and these resources after I graduate in May, but I am also excited to see where my fine art practice will go from here. Maybe grad school..?

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been smooth. I have considered dropping out of college a couple times and have hit some pretty difficult roadblocks. I won’t go into too much detail with specific struggles, but when it comes to my mental image, my self-worth, and my confidence in my ability to be an artist and a good one at that, I have had some hard moments. It’s something that I think I will always struggle with, and I think many artists have the same struggle. The sense of imposter syndrome, where we question what makes us worthy of calling ourselves artists, of being qualified to make work about anything, and also to sell our work to anyone for a price that is actually reflective of our worth. Every day I wonder, what is even the point of making what I’m making? Does it actually mean anything at all? Is anyone even going to see it and be impacted by it or is this whole thing pointless? But I remind myself that this is not just about getting into galleries or selling pieces. My practice is also for myself. I enjoy the process of making art, as difficult and mind-boggling as it can be, and find a sense of peace and healing within the making of it, and in seeing my visions come to life. And working with other artists is always a joy as well. So, despite the struggles that I have worked against, I remind myself of why I love art and that it doesn’t have to be anything other than enjoyable for myself in order for it to be worth doing. Though I do feel I have to admit that at times making art can be enraging too. But nothing is awesome all of the time anyway, so that’s okay.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my work I deal with the internal world a lot, attempting to put my mind to paper and explain my sense of the world to myself and to others. There’s a dissociative quality, a sense of escapism and surrealism, emotional but quiet and contemplative. It’s difficult to put into words, which I guess is the point of it, in a way. An attempt to speak in imagery because words always fail me. At times I don’t even fully understand what it is that my work is about until a third-party views it and tells me what they see. And then I feel like I can see it in another way, view it through another person’s perspective, one that I will never truly have myself. People can make connections that you never would yourself because they’ve walked a different path than you have. It’s incredibly fascinating. In terms of process, I am a photographer, printmaker, and getting into the world of bookmaking as well. What I am most proud of is honestly my ability to learn. To be open to new ideas, new processes, and go into them ready to embrace whatever it is they want to give me, instead of trying to make things work a certain way. That’s one thing I love most about printmaking in particular. It’s unpredictable, and at times no matter what you do, the plate is going to do whatever it wants to do. And being accepting of that is essential to the process. You might have an idea of what you want the end product to be, but you can’t control it every step of the way. And there’s beauty in letting the work do what it wants on its own.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I hit some incredible lows that first year, as I know a lot of people did. I also made some truly awful work, if I’m being truly honest. This was one of those times I almost dropped out of college because I thought I sucked and there was no fixing that. But to make good work, sometimes you have to make stuff that’s terrible, work through initial ideas that don’t pan out, and learn from the experience. Which isn’t really something I learned because of the crisis, but I certainly learned it during that time. So maybe that counts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.novalicentellas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novali_centellas/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrimaveraPressShop