Yasmine Zalatt is a 23-year-old applied arts student who has been charming people with her dreamy set designs and DIY projects. Inspired by her love for the summer, the beach, and seashells, Yasmine Zalatt’s work truly reflects her passion for everything vibrant and colorful. Yasmine is passionate about many things, including photography and art direction.
The moment you get introduced to Yasmine’s work, you will be charmed by the dreamy and distinctive aesthetic. You will also get caught in the details and the hard work put into each and every piece she creates.
We sat down with Yasmine Zalatt to know more about her work!
When did you realize you loved handicrafts?
I’ve been into handicrafts for as long as I can remember. When I was just a child, I was always going to workshops and learning new skills thanks to my mom.
I grew into it and now it’s all I love to do.
Whenever I am sad, happy, stressed or whatever mood I am in, I always find myself looking for something to make. I’m a very picky person and I spend a lot of time on details. You’ll always find me in different phases; sometimes it’s candles, other times it’s air-dry clay, sometimes illustrating, and so on. Suddenly I’ll find something else and I’ll get stuck with it for a while until I go to another phase.
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You’ve used what you love to get into set design, what was your start when it comes to that field?
Set designing is my favorite thing out of all things I make. I can get as creative as I want and work so hard on an empty space until it turns into something extremely interesting. It all started when I made the decorations for my birthday party. The first one was a glow-in-the-dark-themed birthday and everybody loved it. Then I made a Halloween party that took me almost 3 weeks to prepare for. I set the decorations and everyone was amazed. It became a habit.
Whenever there’s an occasion, you will always find me throwing a party just so I can transform the place and have fun decorating it.
This all led to getting into set design. My friends started asking me to build the sets and help them with shoots until I got to where I am today.
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Out of the sets you designed, which is your favorite so far?
My favorite set is the 90’s room. I spent almost a month looking for the props. It was super challenging because these things are so rare but I managed to get almost everything that was commonly used in the 90s with the help of the brand’s founder.
What are some of the challenges that you face when it comes to your work? And how do you overcome them?
The thing that causes me a lot of trouble is time management. I suck at managing my time. I care mainly about my mental health so whenever I feel tired or stressed, I delay everything. I procrastinate and just make art. This always leads to an overload. It is always on a loop but I manage to get everything done by the end of the day.
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Are there any forms of art or handcrafts you’d like to explore in the future?
I would love to get into carpet making and tufting, I bought the tufting gun last year and it was super hard to get it as there were a lot of problems with the customs. I eventually got it, but I still didn’t use it because it needs a lot of experimenting. Hopefully this summer I get to do it as it’s extremely interesting.
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Do you hold workshops for your work?
This month I finally got to hold my first workshop. It’s a 2-day air-dry clay workshop where you get to know everything about air-dry clay. On the first day, the participants get to make the pieces they desire and I guide them. On the second day, they get to paint and seal their designs.
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It’s a new experience for me because I’m a very shy person when it comes to talking. So, imagine having to explain something to a group of people you just met. But I’m so proud of how far I’ve come. Now, 28 girls have taken the workshop. It was a whole new experience getting to know them all and getting to teach them something fun.
It takes a lot of hard work to do what you do, how do you motivate yourself to keep learning and creating?
I never feel tired doing what I love as long as I give myself breaks and take care of my mental health. I advise everyone to always explore, try new things and push themselves. However, don’t overwork yourself because that will only drain you. Always put your mental health first.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop making art or learning new skills. It’s what feeds my soul.
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Your work has a very dreamlike aesthetic, how did you reach your distinctive style in your work?
I love colors, especially pastels. I also love unusual and creative things. So, I always lean towards anything in that style. I don’t pay attention while buying. It just happens to fall under my aesthetic as it is what I love. Anything cute, colorful, and unusual will most probably be mine.
What are your future plans?
I want to be a wedding or event planner when I graduate. Hopefully, this works out because I’m so excited. I will be taking the set design passion to a whole new level.
