Meet Arzu Fallahi: Concept Artist & Illustrator

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

Hi Arzu, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As a kid I was most fascinated by the pure magic of how a drawing happens on a piece of blank paper. I had a friend that was really good at drawing animals, when I watched her drawing a dog, all I wanted was to draw like her. It was like the most exciting and out of reach dream, also from a very young age I had an obsession with stories. At bedtime my mother tells me so many stories and then she just made some more up but no matter I wanted more and more, my sisters recorded my voice repeating, “tell me a story” like a thousand time non-stop, my poor mother must have been exhausted. When it was time to go to high school I had a choice to go to Art School and there was nothing else I wanted to do besides art, so that’s when I finally started following my dream of becoming an artist who can draw anything she wants.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a female concept artist who is also a mother, believe it or not that make me a bit of a unicorn. I believe you can be a passionate artist and a mother at the same time and there is no need to sacrifice one over the other, a lot of art is inspired by real life anyway. I am where I am because I believe everything is possible if you really want it and work hard for it. I was born in middle east, raised by a single mother who by the way is my number one hero and role model, growing up in time of war and losing a parent to it, a whole lot of ups and down and moving, observing my mother and her brave and determined attitude thought me nothing is impossible, she always told us the way to success is to follow your passion in life, For me that meant moving from my hometown city to live alone in another city and eventually migrating to another country on the other side of the planet and then moving some more. Along the way, I learned about people and cultures, our similarities, strength and flaws as human beings, it’s all very humbling and I wish to have my art reflect my experience as a traveler through this life at this unique time.

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.
As a visitor, I loved the scenic hike along the south bay. We also followed our GPS and internet reviews and explored some delicious Persian food in very humble setting in a strip mall but none the less amazing food. 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?
My husband has been very supportive all along, he is a sweetheart who always has my back. My mother has also been all encouragement and love. In college, I have learned a lot from our life drawing teacher mark Thurman, he was a really good teacher and an amazing artist himself.

Website: https://www.conceptivist.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/color.of.moments/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arzu-fallahi-8910943a/