Bringing an explosion of colour to global cities

Camille Walala’s journey hasn’t been conventional – nor, as I discover, has it been easy. Walala moved to East London from the Provencal village she grew up in when she was 23, without a direction. After years of false starts, working as a waitress and selling cheese on London’s Broadway Market, her big break came when she was already in her 30s and was invited to paint a huge mural in London’s Old Street – now a local landmark. The response from the public was explosive, and she hasn’t looked back since.

Like her work, Walala (not her real name – as she divulges during our conversation) is full of energy, hardly pausing for breath and constantly on the move while we speak. Her studio in Dalston is busy, working on several major projects, but she also finds time to attend drawing classes. Her creativity is unconstrained, proved by the fact she’s not afraid to venture into almost any medium and territory she can, from massive public murals to quirky gallery installations, textile design to interiors. Here, she talks candidly about her highs and lows, money, inspirations, and what drives her practice today.

I know a bit about you and your biography, but I guess my first question is, how did you wind up studying textile design in Brighton, what put you on that path?<br>
I think it was a bit of luck. I didn’t do anything creative until I was 28. I came to London when I was 23; I didn’t speak much English, I worked in restaurants, I was just excited to be here, to learn English. So I had a few years of going to parties and not doing anything creative. I didn’t know what to do in my life, I guess. But then when I was 27 I started going to evening classes, and I studied drawing, I took some ceramics classes, and I tried a bit of everything. Then I did a textiles foundation, and I had a really amazing teacher, and I think she encouraged me to push myself and I got a bit of confidence – I hadn’t thought I was very creative. At one point I wanted to be a fashion designer but thought I wouldn’t be good enough – and I’m glad I didn’t go into that! I didn’t think I’d be good enough to go to Central St Martins, so I ended up at Brighton doing textiles, and I really enjoyed it."

旅に情熱を注いでいるなら、おそらく旅の執筆にも情熱を注いるでしょう。思い出に残る瞬間を小さなノートブックに記録することでも、旅行作家としてのキャリアを始めることを夢見ていることでも。ジャーナルリングはあなたの体験を最大限に活かすことができます。 例えばレストランでの食事、綺麗な街並みなど、目の前に広がる景色を写真とインスピレーションで綴った自分だけのトラベルログ。もしくは色や匂いからあなたは何を想像するでしょう？例えばニューハンプシャーの森の赤、バンコクの市場でのエキゾチックな匂い、あなたが感じたことを言葉として走り書きすることで自分でも気づかなかった感覚が見え、そこでの体験は永遠のものとなります。

ノートブックはコックピット内部の写真、飛行機のイラスト、世界中の空港リスト、時間や目的地を記録できるフライトダイアリーがデザインされています。旅する前にフライトダイアリーにメモをしてみてください。旅をしている自分はどこで、何を感じているでしょう？　そして旅の後は旅先でのメモ、写真を一つのドキュメントにしてみては？想像していたよりもはるかに多くのインスピレーションを受けていることに気が付くことでしょう。記憶をリフレッシュすることは、旅した時間にあなたを誘い、新たな自分の扉を開けてくれことでしょう。

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