Meet Eli Cantillano | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eli Cantillano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eli, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
As a child, you always get asked “what do you want to be when you grow up”. For me, I never really cared much for the question and if I was forced to give an answer, I’d usually say the first thing that popped into my mind like Veterinarian or Teacher. It wasn’t until I was a senior in high school where I was forced to come face to face with the question and was placed in a position where “time was up” and I needed to make a decision now and fast. To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue. When I turned towards others around me for answers such as parents or family members, they’d suggest I pursue traditional careers such as a Doctor, Lawyer, Nurse, etc. I decided to pursue Biology with the intention of becoming a Veterinarian. However, I was never happy and I fell into this cycle of dropping out, switching collages, and starting again with the same degree. I spent four years in this cycle. It wasn’t until I was sitting in biology class one day that I realized that instead of paying attention to the lecture, I was searching up art schools near me. Art has always been a huge part of my life, especially during my childhood when I was battling severe depression and anxiety. I’ve always been passionate about the power of art and the benefits it can have on our overall wellbeing. I strongly believe that everyone has the power and innate ability to be creative. My hope is to educate, encourage, and empower others to tap into their own creative abilities and establish a creative wellness practice. Overall, this can allow others to achieve balance, release stress, self express, and much more through the power of art. Looking back now, I realize that I kept trying to avoid pursuing an artistic career because it was something that was seen as “not a real career path”. My life changed completely the day I decided to apply to art school and pursue a Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts. And until this day, I have absolutely no regrets.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Art has always been a huge part of my life. It has been something that has allowed me to work through some of the toughest times in my life, especially as a young child battling against depression and anxiety. Art has been a productive way for me to self express, release, and heal. It’s allowed me to embark on a lifelong journey towards deeper self connection and understanding. With that being said, inner healing and self expression is the foundation behind my artwork. Every series I’ve created has the initial intention to deepen my inner self understanding as well as express and heal. I create a lot of abstract work in which I add emphasis to the process of creating rather than focusing on the finished product and whether its “good” or “bad”. I believe that everyone has the innate ability to make art and tap into their own creative power. The journey of having a creative practice can be tremendously beneficial to one’s overall wellbeing. My hope is to educate, encourage, and empower others to tap into their own creative abilities and establish a creative wellness practice. Overall, it doesn’t matter if one has prior experience with art making or not. The benefits of art making are endless. Remember, we are all creators, we are all artists, and we can all experience the wonderful power of art!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the Miami area I would most certainly take them to downtown, specifically the art district area, Wynwood. Wynwood is filled with vibrant colors and a variety of artworks from so many different artists. It’s such a unique and diverse place. Walking around, taking in all the different art murals and artworks around is so inspiring! Plus there’s a ton of things to do. I would definitely take them first to 1-800-Lucky which is basically a giant restaurant consisting of both indoor and outdoor seating. It’s also set up in like an Asian market, allowing for a variety of Asian Cuisine to be available to choose from. In addition, at night, the outdoor space because a lounge area and a variety of music is played. It’s such a wonderful and delicious place to eat and hang out. In addition, I love Midtown Creamery. They are a small locally owned, hole in the wall ice creamery but they are amazing! The ice cream is made in house and the variety of flavors are unique and fantastic. Their choices are insane! They mix things like cereal cups with several scoops of ice cream, fruit and toppings like whipped cream, candy, cookie, brownie, syrup, and so much more. They create this delicious, colorful, treat. If you haven’t gone to either of the places I mentioned they are both worth a visit!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The biggest shoutout I would give is first and foremost to my wonderful parents. Without them, I definitely wouldn’t be where or who I am today. They have supported me through thick and thin, especially in my decision to pursue an artistic career. They made it known that they simply want what’s best for me. Also, their support throughout my life has always been shared and shown. My parents are my number one motivation in life and all I want is to give back to them what they’ve given me plus so much more. So thank you Mom and Dad for all that you are and all that you do! I love you and I’m eternally grateful for you! In addition to my parents I would like to give a shoutout to my mentor, Eduardo Rosas. I met Ed because he was one of my professors during my first year at art school. He was always super willing and open towards helping and serving his students in the best way he could. One day I asked him if he’d be willing to mentor me in establishing an art career throughout my years in art school and he happily accepted. It’s been such a blast and a huge blessing ever since. Ed is super genuine, caring, and has a huge heart. We both share a very similar philosophy and it’s very easy for us to have intellectual conversations about life, spirituality, and art. Ed’s story is similar to mine in which he has also used the power of art to work through some very difficult times in his life. Overall, I feel like Ed definitely deserves some credit and recognition in my own personal story because he’s been able to provide me with so much knowledge and guidance. Thank you Ed for being who you are and for everything that you’ve done and continue to do! I am eternally grateful for you!

Website: cantillanoart.com