Adriana de Barros: Visual Poetry

Adriana de Barros is an artist, writer, and poet. After spending her formative childhood years in Toronto, Canada, she returned to her native Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, at age fifteen. As the principal and creative director of Breathewords she has established herself in the online community through her multi-disciplined exploration of art, cinema, music and literature. Her unique style and technical application has spanned a number of projects, most notably at the foundation of her project Scene 360.  

de Barros prides herself on an ability to look past what a client wants to deliver something they actually need -- something that benefits all parties involved in a project. "I [once] received a proposal to design a start up fashion company site... I remember it was to create 'website only.' I began working on the project and realized [their] identity was not established as an icon, there were variation of images and lettering use throughout the years. I thought that if I could improve the identity to suit a fashion industry and its customers, make it distinguishable for all branding needs, I could also design the website more effectively. I proposed the logo, and the client really liked the design. It is now the company’s identity, having already been used in clothing collections. Given the extent in which I designed for the project (Frivole and Frivole Couture), both web and identity design, it was recently selected as a case study for a book by Jeff Fisher. What I’ve learned from this experience is that I should follow my instinct. If I can improve something with best interest for the project and client, then I should suggest it -- because the end result can be much more than what is asked and expected."

Remaining steadfast in her beliefs and a willingness to explore other inspirational avenues has been a practice ingrained in her since an early age, setting her apart from her peers who may be, at times, easily influenced by popular opinion. "I remember in high school my art teacher told me 'You like Salvador Dali now, but once you learn about other artists, he won’t be your favorite anymore!' She said it with such authority like I had immaturely selected this painter because he was popular and typically printed in books. I went on to learn about other artists, viewed many paintings in museums, expanded my knowledge of art, and still there is much to learn and see. But after all these years, Dali is still one of my favorites. A lot has changed over time, but some of my likes continue to be my likes. I have my own opinion and my own preferences, and I’ve learned that I won’t be easily influenced because someone thinks their “preferences” are better for me."

Taking chances also plays a large part in de Barros' creative process -- something that has, in the end, paid off handsomely. "I invited a stranger to collaborate with me on a visual poem. I was looking at an artist’s website and I liked his work so much that I thought I’d connect with this person. I emailed Eduardo Recife, and in 2004 we collaborated on the interactive Flash film “Invisible.” It turned out to be one of the best artistic collaborations that I’ve done. I think what worked well is that we both shared a similar passion for vintage, old imagery. Eduardo already incorporated slogans, philosophical phrases into his art, which led me to believe that he’d adapt well to poetry. We were able to complement each other’s work and I often felt like we had been working in the same room, location, but in reality Eduardo and the musicians Fabiano Fonseca and Daniel Albinati (Digitaria) lived in Brazil and me in Portugal. Since then, we’ve become online friends and I’ve worked with Digitaria on other collaborative projects."

Where many creatives find rejection crippling, de Barros prefers to take a duck-like approach. "[You should] be clear and communicative, [and] think of "rejection" as a challenge, as a part of your journey to reaching success. Everyone gets rejected every now and then, but how you cope and arise from it can make the difference. Get mad for five minutes, get over it. Let the “R” word motivate you to improve your skills, to retrying, or even take a new approach. Persevere to making dreams a reality. Always believe in yourself!"