On my pinboard - Alicia Souza

Alicia Souza is a freelance illustrator and entrepreneur of a company that manufactures gifting and artist merchandise under her label 'Alicia Souza'.

She works from her studio in Bengaluru but was born and raised in the Middle East. She then graduated from Royal Melbourne Institute of Design and moved to India a few years ago.

Her clients include names like Wipro, Yahoo, Air Asia, Tinkle and more. She is also an INK Fellow and does talks at various TEDx's and colleges around India.

She was part of the Under 25 Summit which took place recently in the city.

Food
Pizza

"What I love about pizza is that it can be made in any way and it will be amazing. From sweet, savoury, healthy to unhealthy, it is so customisable. No matter how you make it, the outcome is different each time and there's no way you can't like it. But I also have a deep love for chips. It was one of those items that my sister and I bonded over. I've also realised that chips are different in different parts of the world. From the flavour to the prices, it's widely different. So I'd say, chips for starters and pizza for the main course."

Travel
Fort Kochi

"I do travel a lot for work but lately Fort Kochi has become on my favourite places to visit. I usually go with my husband, George Seemon, and it's the perfect weekend getaway. It comes tough to find somewhere else to go since I have my pets to worry about as well. I've had the perfect vacations there so far. There are so many antique shops there. It has become my new toy store to shop at and the only place George doesn't mind coming to!"

Author
Jerry Pinto

"I recently read Jerry Pinto's 'Em and the Big Hoom' and it was absolutely brilliant. I don't mind reading any kind of book, as long as it's not a self-help book. My schedule is usually so packed that I don't get time to sit down and read. So I try to fit in my day so that it doesn't have to feel like a task. Since I've been travelling lately, I read at airports. Listening to audiobooks was something I enjoyed last year, but I'm making an attempt to read books this year."

Movie
'Wit' by Mike Nichols

"I must admit that it's a depressing movie. It's basically Emma Thompson's character who has advanced ovarian cancer and she consents to an aggressive and experimental form of chemotherapy. I prefer watching sad movies because my work is so jolly-like that I think this kind of balances things out for me. Another one of my favourites is Moulin Rouge!"

Music
Kenny Rogers

"I am a big fan of Christmas and Country music. Kenny Rogers is my all-time favourite. He is just amazing at what he does. Cliff Richard is also someone that I like listening to. I prefer not to listen tomusic when I'm working. Earlier, I used to play documentaries in between my work!

Inspiration
Charlie and Henry Oats

"Whenever I'm having a bad day or can't think of what to draw, I just end up looking at my dog Charlie and guinea pig Henry Oats. I can write a 3,000-word novel as soon as I see what they are doing. They have such a strong personality that it inspires me to humanise them. Apart from them, I take inspiration from people around me. It could be the way they are passionate about something or the way they talk. I believe that everyone is talented in their own way and that inspires me."