My Journey to Discovering My Artistic Style and How to Promote It
- Ilinca Dospinescu
- Nov 30, 2024
- 4 min read
I've been passionate about art for as long as I can remember, and this section of my website is where I share my journey, creative processes, and the projects I'm working on. From personal stories to all things creative, it's a space to explore the art in everything I do.
In this blog entry, I will reminisce about the steps that led me to discover my artistic style, and the strategies I used to showcase my work to a global audience, reaching viewers from all around the world.
1.0 Creating @ilinca.s.d - Reconnecting with Polyvore (March 2020)
I was in the middle of my Masters in Architecture at the University of Liverpool when COVID hit. Between lockdowns and thesis deadlines, I decided it was time to dive deeper into my creative world. So, I created an Instagram page - @ilinca.s.d - and started posting old outfits I created on Polyvore when I was around 13 (2010), right up until the platform shut down in 2018. It was a mix of nostalgia and creativity that helped me reconnect with my love for design. For those who don't know Polyvore, it was basically the ultimate playground for fashion lovers. You could create outfit collages and style mood boards with pieces from the coolest brands - it was a digital closet for my dream looks. I was absolutely heartbroken when it got shut down. This wasn't my first rodeo, though. People often joke when they see I have three Instagram accounts, and they roast me even more when they find out I had a few others up my sleeve...
1.1 Backtracking A Bit... (December 2013)
I was 16 when I created @ilinca.d on Instagram. The idea was to post my Polyvore outfits, and to tag the brands I used, so that viewers can further look into those fashion designers. The highlight of that account was definitely when the official Karl Lagerfeld page and CEO Pier Paolo Righi liked one of my posts. Of course I freaked out, thinking it was the coolest thing ever, low-key fantasising that Karl saw the post himself and hit the like button (rather than the people in charge of the page). But still, I didn't understand at the time the potential social media had for connecting people with brands. So, I stopped using it in 2017, and somehow lost access to logging in.
1.2 Spotted by Celebrities (April 2020)
Back to @ilinca.s.d - after I posted my Polyvore outfits and a few illustrations I did for my University portfolio back in 2015, I thought why not make new collages of outfits, but using the skills I learned throughout my architectural studies? Who cared that I was in the middle of a thesis research? My first theme was merging high fashion with Disney elements.
Hashtags were actually key in my profile growth. I found a way to mess up the 'explore' section on Instagram - rather than posting a bunch of hashtags as a caption, I was posting them as a comment. A few minutes after, I was receiving likes and comments from people who discovered the posts, I would then delete the comment, post it again - and so on. Doing this repeatedly meant that I managed to get a large amount of accounts onto my page - Instagram wasn't a fan because it kept disabling my page, stating that I was spamming (sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for days...). But I found a way around that too: I learned how often I can post the comments and when to pause. I managed to get over 1,000 likes on posts doing that. In case you're wondering, no - it doesn't work like that anymore... Before, the platform would advertise posts chronologically, unlike now...
The use of hashtags also meant celebrities discovered my page, which felt unreal! Some would often view and like my stories, some would like my actual posts and leave comments, and even follow and send messages! (Lindsey Wixon, Seal, R. L. Stine, Tim Jacobus, Eva & Robert Cavalli, Andrea Incontri, Nadège du Bospertus, Rose Bertram, Gregory van der Wiel, Justine Foord, Andrew Cooper, Arnaud Valois, Bobby Brackins, Cristina Musacchio, Emanuele Ferrariph, Giovanni Audiffredi, and a few others... - screenshots attached on my profile stories)
In 2020, someone even wrote about my website and work, classifying me as number 2 in an article titled 'You may not know them, but you should have seen their work' (according to Google translating from Chinese)! https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/303311442
IIinca Dospinescu創作方向之一是將藝術，建築和時尚聯繫在一起的數字拼貼畫。/ One of the directions of llinca Dospinescu's creation is digital collage that links art, architecture and fashion.
利物浦大學建築學的碩士，所以在這裡你也能看到很多她的建築作品。/ A master's degree in architecture at the University of Liverpool, so you can also see many of her architectural works here.
而且更過分的是llinca Dospinescu的攝影也非常牛，建議大家看看。/ What's more, Ilinca Dospinescu's photography is also very awesome. I suggest you take a look.
總之我是很喜歡她的作品和風格。/ Anyway, I like her work and style very much.
2.0 Finding My Style (June 2020)
As I was working on my website, I tried a setting which inverted the original colours of the images I uploaded. I thought - this looks sicker than the original piece! Ever since, my artwork involves the creation of at least two iterations of the same piece, where I'm experimenting with colours and their inverted palettes. This is a fun process of oscillating between the two styles in order to find a colouristic balance that improves and empowers my creative vision. Who knew that a simple website setting would inspire me to find my artistic style?
3.0 Discovered by Galleries (August 2020)
In August 2020 I received a message from Van Der Plas Gallery (Manhattan, NY), and I was asked to participate in one of their exhibitions. I never even realised this could ever happen within five months of posting my work on an Instagram account and experimenting with different themes and concepts. Until now, I exhibited my work at their gallery several times, alongside one other gallery in London, The Holy Art. More information about the exhibitions is available here: https://www.ilincadospinescu.com/exhibitions
I hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences! I'll continue to share more about the projects and themes I've been exploring. Who knows... maybe someone out there will spot my work and reach out to collaborate!
Ilinca Dospinescu
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