Meet Alessandra Montserrat Castro | Art Director & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alessandra Montserrat Castro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alessandra Montserrat, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’m an obsessive creator, since I have memory I just like to create for the sake of creation, when I was little I used to make products, clothing, careers that doesn’t exist, realities that were not real (like being a popstar), my mind can’t stay quiet since then so I have to let it out some way or another, and I think thats why I love advertising and art direction so much, is just the pressure to create and create and create, it stimulates my brain so much.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve passed a long road to get here, the fact that my parents always supported me in my ideas opened a world of possibilities for me, I wanted to be a million things, physicologist, sociologist, interior designer, graphic designer, musician, architect, and my way to explore each area was making friends that were into it so I could be into it with them, so after 2 years of loosing time doing that and having the most random jobs I finally decided to took two years of architrecture, It was the first time I was literally obssesed with something so much that my brain hyperfocused for two years straight, but still, I felt in my heart that something was missing.

And here is where the crazy things stared to happen, so between those years I knew about an advertising school that was in Argentina (by that time I had 0% idea of what is advertising and I just called that school a “creativity school” in general) so I remember that there was a time that I couldnt stop talking about that school and how much I loved the school work I was seeing from them (seeing it as pure ideas, not as advertising) so months pass by after that, forgot a lil bit about it, and guess what: the school decided to open one in Honduras, exactly in the city I was living on, and whats better than that: they opened a scholarship subbmision, the winner of it had to have the WORST idea ever, and guess who won? ME hahahha

That was the moment that shifted my career forever, I left architecture for advertising, fell completly in love, I stared as a copywriter in my country and then when I came here I switched to Art Direction because Heather Vanisko the co-founder/director of Denver Ad School (the portfolio school im currently enrrolled in) saw a natural Art Director in me, and I looked back and realized that I do enjoy advertising, but I was suffering a lot doing copywriting, so I was like well, this is the time to know what I am about, and considering that I did archtoecrure for some time, Is like I have some visual perspective naturally on me.

So here I am, genuenly happy that I shifted my career, and so grateful for eveything and everyone that was part of the process that leaded me to this moment, I not only achieved more than I though I would by this point of my career, which is not a lot but im happy for it (just finded out that I won an award in the New Blood D&AD festival) and I’ve known a lot of interesting and great people, people with good minds and hearts that guide me through this life.

And of course none of this has been easy, I’m telling the nice part of everyhting, there are a lot of things that I had to sacrifice, a lot of phases that I’m not proud of, a lot of insecurities and mistakes, and I’m just starting, there a lot of mistakes to be make and I’m excited for it.
I think that my biggest acomplishment by this time at 23 years old, is discovering that I have a natural capacity of exploring my mind even in the worst times and realising that asking for help make me stronger, by that I learned that I’m never alone and I’ll never be.

That’s why I know that if I have those two factors present in my mind I can set myself to accomplish anything I want to accomplish.

And that not only happens in my creative life but also in my personal life.

(PS. Also im very into fashion, love to do sketches and would love to style people in the music industry (right now I just style myself), just wanted to say that as a fun fact, I’m manifesting to make it to the MET haha)

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So, I live in Laurel, I haven’t explore everything here because I just moved here a year ago, know a few places, but I always think about my home as the best tourist place haha my family is very welcoming, funny and warm.

So the Itinerary will start with a breakfast made for my incredible mom, then dessert with some Honduran coffee and traditional bread from Honduras too (also from made from my mom), then we will move to the outside chairs to have a cute long chat, then we would take you to eat the best tacos in town or some ceviche, and seal the day with a walk in nature to any park close to were we are.

After that the rest of the day is open to do whatever the tourist want to do, Mario Kart, wine, sleep, anything is poissible at home!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a lot of moments and people that changed my mind in big ways, but definitley my constant person is my mom & dad (who now is not with me) they always supported me in my crazy ideas, in the timeline my dad was alive; he always make sure that my creative side was being fulfilled the same way my stomach was getting food, it was part of my basics since little, he maked sure that if I liked to do ballet, I had to be great and feel great doing it, even in bad economic times, he always figured a way for me to keep attending classes, and even in his final stage of lung cancer he maked sure that I keept attend the ballet shows even if he wasn’t able to be there.
And my mom who took his place and her place when he was gone (I’ll be forever thankful, the best mom ever), did the same, every idea I had, even if we didn’t had the money for it, she always let a space for me to figure it out with her, from ballet to fashionista, from popstar to chef, everything my head was into, she always make me believe that it was possible.

Website: https://www.behance.net/betutto

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betuttoo/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandra-montserrat-castro-308478195/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQXbs0iNlOtQmxu8JCHCJMQ

Other: Sometimes I write sillly thoughts here: https://medium.com/@montsecastro093