Meet Catalina Escallon R. | Entrepreneur & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Catalina Escallon R. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Catalina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
If it wasn’t for risk, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Probably not a surprise, but it came hand in hand with the pandemic, and so many other factors that I had no way of controlling. By March 2020, I was unemployed and didn’t see many other options than to start something of my own. That is how Noodo Studio was born. Later my business partner, Daniela Guarin, joined me in this venture. It was clear that she was also willing to go all in, and risk as much as I was. For things to work, you need to go all in, which of course involves a high level of risk. As it stands now,  we are both fully invested in growing our business. Risk can be scary. It has been scary. But we are in the state of mind that with risk there is no gain. Like the saying, right?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I split my time between Noodo Studio and my creative practice.

I started the embroidery art project in the beginning of the quarantine, and it increasingly has become a conversation starter with my friends and family. All of the art pieces have strong architectural elements paired with embroidery stitches in different colors and patterns forming a balanced composition. Removing photo color is intentional; by recoloring the photograph with my interpretive thread design, the spaces as well as the memories within it get to be reinvented. Color and texture can make people experience and feel the moment, and the photography.

Six years ago, I decided to live abroad and with that choice came uncertainty and struggle. Since then, I have battled with a sense of belonging. A part of me is still back in Colombia, my home country, with the memories of my childhood, my family, and friends. Another part of me lives a new life here, in Brooklyn. While living in Brooklyn, I started to find new meaning in places I have been and started to see these experiences in a different way. These experiences have really triggered some sort of nostalgia, and made me think about these places and how my identity is constantly being shaped by them. In a way, I’ve embarked on a journey to figure out my identity. It has led me to realize that this does not come from one specific place, but the construct of many. This body of work is a creation of my own spaces and how they make me feel. The images chosen represent something to me or my loved ones. Each one has a memory attached to it. In a sense, I am trying to put together a collection of collective memories that I weave together with thread.

Through both the color and texture I create, my hope is to make people experience and feel the moment, and the photography. I try to bring dimensionality and use embroidery to tell stories and create memories.

Through my work, you get to know more about me, my background, and what influences me. My artistic journey has been like my personal one; both with some difficulties. However, I try to keep my art true to myself and it has become my creative outlet, regardless. It is a sacred part of my life and I hope people can see the passion I have through my work.

As for Noodo Studio, we focus on creative, interactive, and collaborative workshops to get ideas into actionable plans. Our method has a design thinking approach and with it, we help businesses with their branding and strategy.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Since I have lived in New York, I have learned from so many people around me. I have been lucky to be part of creative communities that support and encourage each other. All of the people that are part of these communities have mentored and inspire me every day to keep pushing my business and artistic exploration.

I think my mother would deserve most of the credit. Since I was young, my mother has cultivated both my obsession with textiles and my creative path. We still share this passion for art and craft to this current day. I have also been fortunate enough to have a support system that has allowed me to keep pushing for bigger things. And of course, my business partner who has risked as much as I have, and where we both believe in what we are building and creating.

Website: www.catalinaescallon.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catalinaescallon/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catalina-escall%C3%B3n-75248259/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catalinaescallonr/

Image Credits
Photography by: Sol Avi Erez, Maria Roa, and Pamela Alvarez