RAW Portraits: Alana Burns

The quiet beauty of small things


Born, raised and based in Mexico City, Alana Burns is a trained psychologist and a creative spirit who nourishes her soul by making art. Working with different mediums, her work emerges from a delicate core that combines her sensitivity and her ability to give form to visual situations.

RAW Portraits: Alana Burns

RAW Portraits: Alana Burns

The quiet beauty of small things


RAW Portraits: Alana Burns

Born, raised and based in Mexico City, Alana Burns is a trained psychologist and a creative spirit who nourishes her soul by making art. Working with different mediums, her work emerges from a delicate core that combines her sensitivity and her ability to give form to visual situations.


ROWSE

1. Could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your practice?

ALANA
I am a Mexican artist and a trained psychologist with a private practice. As an artist, I work between different mediums: textiles, painting and jewellery making. I have lived in Mexico City for most of my life, always with the curiosity of living somewhere else, but this city keeps amusing me.

ROWSE

2. When did your start collecting treasures from the sea?

ALANA
It all started when I was a child. I have always felt drawn to activities that activate concentration on small details rather than on the immensity. I enjoy the ritual of being immersed in a big world and focusing on the smallest parts of it. The sea has always been a mystery to me, an unknown world, a representation of a life that exists. I believe that waves helps us get an idea of what makes up its nature.For me, the shells were like little houses for living creatures. A nostalgic representation of life from another world, in ours. That is a treasure for me.Usually, we pay more attention and feel drawn to history and its structures, that is, buildings, objects, etc. That represents a time. For me, making an object out of a shell, creating a piece of jewellery is a way of honouring what it represented and changing the meaning to what it was when I found it. There is a story in every piece, we don’t know what it was, but we can acknowledge its existence and make it precious.

ROWSE

3. Can you take us through the process of developing your pieces for La Ma R?

ALANA
I try to collect shells every time that I go to the sea. I feel the need to go and see what I can find. It's like a little gift from the sea for me to play with or create. Always with the promise that it will be worn or used by someone who will understand its beauty. I try not to abuse when collecting shells and be satisfied with what my eyes can see.I sit with the shell and try to understand what it can be. Then I draw the piece and start working on it. I work with two jewellery makers based in Mexico City, Jorge and Paty. They are always challenged and curious about my ideas. We work together on the possibilities for each piece, and then it becomes a reality.

ROWSE

4. And what about your wax paintings? How did you start experimenting with this technique?

ALANA
I started experimenting with wax painting because I love the feeling of lighting a candle in space - it can change the atmosphere, your mood and your experience. One day I started noticing the shapes that wax created on the floor as it melted. I thought it was beautiful. I was curious about how to recreate those shapes, so I put a piece of cloth underneath. It didn’t work out the way I expected, but the idea stayed with me, so I started deliberately melting the wax on fabrics.

ROWSE

5. How does your background in psychology has influenced the way you approach your creative process?

ALANA
My process as a therapist is also guided by possibilities. We all have different stories to tell, we all come from different and unique constitutions, we are all different universes. The way we see and perceive the world is always different and unique. Which I think is beautiful. Art has taught me that creativity is here as a tool to express what we can share with each other.

ROWSE

6. Can you speak more about the impact that your creative practice has on your wellbeing?

ALANA
As a therapist, I have the chance to remind myself that we are all trying our best to understand our world, ourselves, the possibility of enjoyment, and the simplicity of being. As an artist, I try to connect with my own silence and create from my own imagination, letting it come out and play.

ROWSE

7. What about skin care. How do you take care of your skin? Do you have some kind of routine that you like to follow?

ALANA
My very sensitive skin has always been a bit of a challenge for me. I try to keep it always hydrated, other than that, my routine is quite simple: I wash my face every morning, then apply a serum and never leave home without sunscreen. In the evening, I wash my face again and apply my night serum. I have recently added ROWSE's Eye Contour Serum to my routine and I can feel that the skin around the eyes is now softer and brighter.

ROWSE

8. Are there some other rituals that help you keep grounded?

ALANA
I am a Mexican artist and a trained psychologist with a private practice. As an artist, I work between different mediums: textiles, painting and jewellery making. I have lived in Mexico City for most of my life, always with the curiosity of living somewhere else, but this city keeps amusing me.

ROWSE

9. What’s coming up next for you? What keeps you motivated

ALANA
Motivation comes from understanding that life is an adventure. I am curious about how life will turn out for me. I always try to have enough time for everything I want to do: new ideas, new projects, visiting new places, and having more adventures. I'm excited and open to everything life has to offer.

ROWSE

10.  What does beauty mean to you? When do you feel most beautiful?

ALANA
For me, beauty means acceptance. I feel beautiful when I feel grateful.

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