Adrianne Paerels Transcript
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Hi, everyone. You're listening to The Future Of Food Is You, a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. I'm your host, Abena Anim-Somuah, and each week, I talk to emerging talents in the food world and they share what they're up to as well as their dreams and predictions for what's ahead. I love this new generation of chefs, bakers, and creatives making their way in the world of food, drink, media, and tech.
My guest today is Adrianne Paerels, the artist known as Hello Adrianne. Her work sits at the intersection of food, fashion, and joy. Her drawings of tomatoes, pasta, and even tin fish have struck a chord with foodies and fashionistas. She's partnered with brands like San Pellegrino and Free People. You've probably seen her work on Instagram, like her custom pants covered in drawings of chip bags, canned tomatoes, and sandwiches, or maybe you've checked out the product on her website. I chatted with Adrianne about her art practice, how she taps into her creative energy, and how she honors her Italian heritage by depicting culinary staples in playful ways.
Now, let's check in with today's guest. Adrianne, thank you so much for joining us on The Future Of Food Is You podcast.
Adrianne Paerels:
Thank you for having me.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Can you tell us where you grew up and how did food show up in your life?
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah. I am originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, and I lived right next door to Hoboken. I spent all my time there at school and with my friends, and it's home of Frank Sinatra. During that time, my parents were divorced and so I would spend weekends with my dad, and that's kind of where food showed up a lot for me. My dad is my Italian side and my grandparents, they were classic Queens, New York Italians, and so my grandma would make me raviolis and fried cauliflower and things that now I kick myself for being too full to eat as a kid. I was always like, "No, I don't want it." Now, I'm like, "What I would give to eat it again?" That was kind of my early years. And then in middle school, through the beginning of high school, my mom and I moved out to California and we lived in a small town called Ojai.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, very popular.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah, it wasn't then. It's so funny now, and I always tell people like, "Oh, it's this little town." And they're like, "I know."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, it's a destination now. The Ojai Valley is on my bucket list of places to go.
Adrianne Paerels:
Exactly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Definitely.
Adrianne Paerels:
It's so beautiful. And there, I went to a vegetarian school. Really small school, 50 kids in the high school. It was a private school, so there was a built-in hot lunch program. It was all vegetarian. It was a mother-daughter duo who made all the food and they used vegetables from the garden that was grown by students on campus. So, it was very cool experience, but very different from eating a salami Kaiser roll in Hoboken and then going and trying quinoa for the first time. But yeah, definitely an eclectic early few years of food.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. So, you ended up coming back to the East Coast for college.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Where did you go and how did it develop your skills as an artist?
Adrianne Paerels:
I went to a really small college. It was an all women's art school, very cool place, and I didn't intend to stay there. I sort of went thinking I'll focus and I could transfer out somewhere else, but I just thought it'd be a fun place to start out. I just fell in love with it. I wouldn't so much say I learned creatively there, but I think that the biggest takeaway I have is the all-women's experience. Because going into it, in my mind, I was like, "That's not realistic. It's not setting me up for the real world. I'm going to get out in the world and work with everybody." Funny enough, when I left school, my first probably 10 years of my career, I was working with all women in all-women companies. So I was like, "Oh, this is actually beautiful." And then once I had got a job where I had to work with men, I was like, "Oh, no." I was like, "I don't want to do this. I like being with the women."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's so funny.
Adrianne Paerels:
I got so used to it, but it was a really, really cool and unique experience.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
It sounds like you've grown up with such enriching food experiences. When did you start to express your love of food through art?
Adrianne Paerels:
Originally, all of my artwork since I was a kid up through a few years ago, I was doing a lot of figurative work.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Mm-hmm. You were drawing-
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah. And really kind of simple stuff. When I was in college, I was like a metalhead, and so I always describe my work as Black Sabbath's daughters in space. It was just weird half-naked chicks on the moon with little horn... Very weird stuff. During the pandemic, obviously, we were all in isolation and that inspiration of people was gone. So, I just turned to my pantry and I'd always been drawn to packaging. My career as my day job is graphic design, but I never really kind of thought to merge the two. So, I was looking at all this great packaging in my cupboard of pastas and sauces, and I was like, "Let me just draw these just for fun and see if I feel anything from it."
I was working for a fashion company. With these drawings of all the food, I thought, "Why don't I just try putting them on some clothes?" One of one pair of pants, I had an old pair of pants and instead of getting rid of them, I thought I'll upcycle them. And so, if I draw them, I'm not going to be as likely to get rid of them. It's something even if I don't want to wear them, I'll keep them For a very long time. I just made one pair of pasta pants and I thought it was kind of a one-off thing and it would be a lot of fun, and then my friend wanted to buy them off of me and I was like, "Okay. Sure." I didn't think anything of it, but she posted a photo and then people started asking, and then I started doing all of... Suddenly, food was all I focused on, and I haven't really drawn figures since then, which is pretty weird to think.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
How would you describe your current style with food as it relates to art and fashion?
Adrianne Paerels:
At first, you might think it fits into the classic pop art style. It was never my intention or inspiration of Andy Warhol or anything like that, but obviously it does call to that a little bit. In some ways, I think my work is, I wouldn't say whimsical, but has a quirk to it. That's a hard one to define. It's hard when you're in it to really understand how to express it.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, I would say your work is sort of... There's a certain elevated nostalgia to it, where it kind of reminds you of just staring at your pantry and drawing something, but you can tell there's a rigor and there's a attention to detail that a trained artist would have. For instance, you're painting popcorn and pastas and shapes, there's a certain element of understanding shadows and light and contrast. So, I think that's... Not to answer the question.
Adrianne Paerels:
Thank you. No, no, that helps.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's where I see your art and your perspective. And as someone who's gone to see your work and appreciate it, it's really awesome.
Adrianne Paerels:
Thank you. Even you said nostalgia and that is something that's so, so big for me, just in my personal life and with the work that I do. I always say when people are like, "I don't know what I want on pants, but I want them," I say, "What's something that someone in your family made for you once that you can't get out of your head? What's that old recipe? Let's put those ingredients on a pair of pants." I love anything nostalgic. It means so much to me.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's really cool. As someone who loves art, I'm always fascinated to hear where artists draw inspiration from, because I think so much of an artist's philosophy is rooted in what they're seeing and how they're expressing it. Can you give us a walkthrough of your mood board or the things that spark a willingness for you to create right now?
Adrianne Paerels:
Totally. This probably sounds very cheesy, but I always think of that line from Empire Records where she says, "I go to the record store and visit my friends," and that's how I feel when I go to the grocery store.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I love that.
Adrianne Paerels:
Every time I'm there, I'm like I'm with my friends, and it's almost manifested in a sense because as I do these projects, I work with more and more brands, and so they literally have become my friends. I'll walk in and I'll see Grillo's, and I'm like, "Those are my guys," and it's very cool. So, a lot of my inspiration just comes from going to different grocery stores or little markets, places that I haven't been and have different types of food. And eating, I love to eat, and so it's great to just try different restaurants and just really trying to step away from the screen I think is a big, big part that I have to remind myself constantly. Because then, we're all looking at the same inspiration, and so it's nice to just get outside, get some fresh air, see new things, and that really all comes together.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Let's take a quick break and we'll be right back.
Kerry Diamond:
Hi everybody. This is Kerry Diamond, founder of Cherry Bombe and host of Radio Cherry Bombe. You know about our podcast, but do you know we host lots of fun events across the country? We do, and we just might be coming to a city near you. We're headed to Portland, Oregon, and Maine, Santa Barbara County, and Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island. We'll be celebrating some of your favorite women in the industry, like Elizabeth Poett of Magnolia Network's “Ranch to Table,” and Chef Camille Becerra, and we'll be enjoying great food and drink. We're hosting dinners, networking events, even women who grill get togethers. We also just announced our next Jubilee, Jubilee Wine Country, taking place this October in Calistoga, California. Tickets are on sale for all of these events, so head to cherrybombe.com to learn more and check out our events calendar. The team and I would love to see you.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Are you inspired by vintage packaging? Do you have a collage of different reference photos from different decades and centuries and eras?
Adrianne Paerels:
All of that. So, I've started collecting vintage cookbooks.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Very cool.
Adrianne Paerels:
I have been just browsing through eBay for... People just have lots of them, like old Betty Crocker, just the coolest stuff.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes, definitely.
Adrianne Paerels:
I even found some old... They're almost like zines of recipes and they're just so unique, so I collected those. I recently went to the library. Usually, I just go to pick up a book to read, but something caught my eye and I walked over and there was this old Campbell soup advertising book, and it had all of their old ads and just the coolest. They used to have this... I want to say it's almost like a cherub, like a tomato cherub, that they used on so many things and I'm trying to figure out how- Yes, it was so cute.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's adorable.
Adrianne Paerels:
So with each client who orders a pair of pants, I am learning new foods along the way. People order stuff and I'm like, "I don't know what this is. I have to look it up." And then, I get in a rabbit hole and I'm like, "This is so cool." It's awesome.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I want to talk about your work. So, your creations are these, again, beautiful expressions of food as it intersects with art, fashion, and design. Can you tell us about the various objects that you currently have?
Adrianne Paerels:
As I said, it started with pants.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
The painter pants.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes. As someone who had a graphic design background who would have stuff mass-produced, it was such a weird feeling to create it once and ship it out and never see it again. And after doing that a few times, I thought, "How can I continue to have these drawings live on after I put so much love into them?" I'm also a bit of a hoarder, and I am a Gemini, so I like to try different things all the time and I'm collecting different materials. So one day, I think I was cleaning my studio and I found some clay. I was like, "How can I transfer these images that I've done?" I have photos of all these drawings, so I found a way to transfer them onto the clay and create small dishes. And then, I found another way to make earrings out of all of the drawings that I've done on pants and create different recipes from each one. And so, it just constantly kept evolving. Every new medium I found, I found a way to bring the pants into it.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. What are some of your favorite mediums for art? Which are ones that just you see them as blank canvases to draw and create things out of?
Adrianne Paerels:
I love drawing on anything, but I will say in terms of how to create, drawing is my number one. It's funny because a lot of people are like, "Oh, what type of paint do you use?" And I'm like, "I know it. To someone else, it might not make a difference, but I do not paint." Once a year, I have a week where I'm like, "Let me try that again," and then I'm like, "Nevermind."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Just painting it in the canvas.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah, just anything. But I prefer to draw. It's so weird to me that painting just doesn't click the same way. But yeah, just anything I could draw on.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
To each their own medium.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
While speaking of mediums, all this time spent cultivating your style and craft is culminated and what I think is your signature item, which are the painter pants, and that's how I first discovered you. I think you had made a tomato summer one, and I was like, "I need to figure out these pants." And I found out they were customized and we started talking in the DMs. Since each pair is custom, and I know you mentioned the story about the first pair, how do you work with clients in building the perfect pair of pants?
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah. I've been really, really lucky that everyone just tells me what they want and then lets me run with it. Sometimes, I think, "Do I want them to give me details?" I've had one or two people who say, "Can you put this on this pocket, this here?" But usually, people just tell me what they want and they let me do whatever, which is a little intimidating. Because then I'm like, "I just send it off and I have no idea if they like it or not." But it's really, really nice because also as people see more of what I've done, they know what they're getting. So, I think that they're just excited to get it.
There have been a few times though where I'll have people that want something to really commemorate a certain time, so I'll work with them a little more closely. I had one client who, last summer, was studying abroad in France and she wanted to commemorate that, and so she had all these different things she had learned to make in France. I think she was studying to be a baker, and so she sent me actual photos from her own trip and that was just so special. So, that is something that means so much to me, to be able to really bring someone's memory to life and have them be able to wear it around town.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
How many pairs of pants have you made so far?
Adrianne Paerels:
I'll be honest, I used to number them and I stopped. I was like, "I can't remember what the last-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's a good sign.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah. It's probably around 200. That includes collaborations. I've done a few collaborations with Grillo's. With all the collaborations and everything combined, I think about 200.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Wow. Has there been a favorite pair of pants that you've enjoyed making?
Adrianne Paerels:
Each most recent pair is my favorite. I love every time I make a pair of pants. I'm like, "This is the best." It's just so much fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's really cool. Obviously, your pants been worn by some famous people, just really cool people in the industry. Being huge manifesters here on the podcast, is there a dream person you would love to make painter pants for?
Adrianne Paerels:
Oh my gosh. I know later I'm going to be like, "I should have said this person." I'm going to go with my gut. First two people, Missy Elliot. I just love her.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes.
Adrianne Paerels:
And Matty Matheson.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Oh my gosh.
Adrianne Paerels:
I feel like he would be so cool. And his new packaging for the new box macaron-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, Matheson Food Company?
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes. It's the best packaging I've ever seen, and I cannot wait to draw that, even if just my own pants.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes. Well, if anyone has connections to Missy Elliott or Matty Matheson-
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes, let's do it.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
... we have some pants available for you. Soon. Hello Adrianne, your studio, is your side hustle, but you do have a full-time job alongside being an artist. What do you do?
Adrianne Paerels:
First, I just want to say I actually consider my day job my side hustle.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Respect. I appreciate-
Adrianne Paerels:
That's my manifesting. For a while, I actually was trying to hide that I had a day job because I was like, "I'm just going to manifest that this is my full-time thing and just say that that's what it is." But then as projects piled up and deadlines got closer, I was like, "Well, I need people to understand why I can't answer every call." My day job is I'm a graphic designer for a pretty large financial news show. It's definitely interesting. I used to work in fashion, doing graphics as well, and so I will say, oddly enough, it's a breath of fresh air to work for the news.
There's just a big difference in the work-life balance, I find. There's a lot more respect for it. I clock in, I clock out, which is great, and it's not as creatively draining in the same way as fashion was. That took away from my own art. So, it really has afforded me the creative drive to work on my dream of creating the pants and all the art that I do.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. And there also seems to be a contrast of creative expression, but then also using creativity to share facts and information. So, you work on “Mad Money” in CNBC.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
My dad always has it on in the background when I'm home. Yeah, I think it's cool seeing now, I feel like I'm paying attention to the graphics more, but it's really interesting to see that sort of contrast. How does that help you then balance this combination between your side hustle at CNBC and your main job being an artist?
Adrianne Paerels:
I'm the type of person who, if I have too much time, I won't get anything done. It's just like, "I'll get it done later." But because I have this time restriction, it really helps me crank on my time and get done when I need to. I also think another thing it's helped me with is the fact that I have my standard paycheck coming in, as an artist, it's so hard to know what to charge and we're all learning, finding out on our own. People are becoming more comfortable in the industry, I think, talking about it with each other-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes.
Adrianne Paerels:
... which is so important and helpful.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yes, totally.
Adrianne Paerels:
But it's given me enough confidence or just ability to be able to ask for numbers I wouldn't have before, because I'm like, "If they don't accept it, I have my normal paycheck. I don't need to worry," which is really, really nice. And I think I'm very lucky and grateful to be able to do that, because otherwise, I would just take anything.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Of course. Yeah.
Adrianne Paerels:
I want to get my stuff in the world. But because I have the day job, I don't have the time to take everything.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
In addition to creating your own work, you often collaborate with brands and the food, fashion, and design space. You've worked with Becca Millstein, who's an alum of the podcast on stickers for her company, Fishwife, and even partnered with us at the Jubilee conference working on a manifestation board with Sanpellegrino. I feel like in these collaborations, you depict people's favorite foods in an exciting, whimsical, and tangible way. How do you think about collaborations as a way to express your creativity and also just connect with the food world at large?
Adrianne Paerels:
I love collaborating. And it's funny, when I was younger in school and you would have to team up on a project, I'd be like, "I just want to work on my own thing. It's so weird to work with other people." Now, it's how I thrive, because everyone I collaborate with bring something new to the table and I'm constantly learning something. For example, last year, I worked with Ggiata, out in L.A., the deli, and they're from Jersey. Shout out Jersey.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
We love Jersey on this podcast.
Adrianne Paerels:
Love it. They wanted to do something together. They didn't know what yet at first, but they're like, "Let's do something." I was like, "Perfect. I'm down." Then, they had this wild idea and they were like, "Why don't we make sort of a giant life-sized version of one of your earrings, but have it be hanging meats?" So, illustrated hanging meats, and they wanted to use it in the store. And then also when they did popups, have it hanging outside.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Like a little sign.
Adrianne Paerels:
Exactly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Very cool.
Adrianne Paerels:
It was so cool and so fun because I had never done something like that. So, I created these giant wood cutouts and drew directly on them, and I had to find a way to fasten each one together, but so that they kind of hung hanging meat.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. And so maintain that jewelry aesthetic.
Adrianne Paerels:
Exactly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Awesome and functional.
Adrianne Paerels:
It was so cool. But after my first attempt, I had to call my dad. My stepdad, he's my dad, and I was like, "I need your help." So, he ended up basically physically making it for me. He was standing it and everything, and that was also fun because then I got to bring the family into it. I always tell people that I work with no idea is too far out. Bring me your weirdest idea and we'll make it happen. I want to constantly try to do something new. And so, I love just finding a different way to bring food into a different physical form.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I do want to talk about one of your most recent collaborations. You recently made a custom pair of pants, painter pants, stickers, and a birthday card for Emma Chamberlain, who is a very popular YouTuber and founder of popular brand Chamberlain Coffee. How did a partnership like that come about?
Adrianne Paerels:
Well, I want to say I did manifest it back in 2020.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
There we go. Manifestation works y'all.
Adrianne Paerels:
When I first found out about Emma Chamberlain, I remember I made some sort of shirt and posted it on TikTok, and was like, "Tag Emma Chamberlain." A bunch of people did, nothing happened. But four years later, here we are.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
It takes time.
Adrianne Paerels:
Exactly. I'm friends with Katie Kimmel, she's an artist who makes really cool stuff out in LA and she just opened up a shop, a popup shop for a few months. She invited me out to do an event with her, and we're still currently working on the event but she had someone else she wanted to bring in as well that does sort of some Italian-themed work. Her name is Madelyn Somers. She also has her side hustle as the art director for Chamberlain Coffee.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Very cool.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Nice.
Adrianne Paerels:
One day after we connected, she just reached out and was like, "Hey, Emma's birthday's coming up. Would you want to make her a pair of pants?" I think I was driving and I pulled over and I was like, "Yes, let's do it." So, that was super fun, and the first time I ever received a full mood board because she's an art director, so she laid it all out beautifully and I was like, "This is a dream project."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I'm just looking at the pants you're on Instagram, and you've got the Golden Gate Bridge, because I think Emma has a connection to the Bay Area. Beyond Corn, a bag of Chamberlain coffee. You've got a pigeon. So, you worked with Madelyn to sort of put this all together?
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's really exciting.
Adrianne Paerels:
It was super fun. It was so much fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
And what did Emma think of them?
Adrianne Paerels:
Apparently, she loved them. I cannot wait. Hopefully, I'll see a picture of her in them, but I heard that she screamed.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. Well, that's really awesome. Again, continuing on the manifesting track and maybe it will take four years, are there any other future dream collaborators that you would love to work on a project with right now?
Adrianne Paerels:
Okay. Not to sound so corny, but honestly, if I could just keep working with everyone I work with, I would be happy to just do another project with everyone a few times a year. I have been so grateful for everyone I've worked with. I would love to just continue working with everyone. I went to Taco Bell recently, and I was thinking this would be a fun one. I'm into the prebiotic sodas these days, OLIPOP. That would be fun.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
It seems like you've really been able to build community and fellowship, not just working with people on projects, but just having other artists inspire you or work with or support. How do you think about community being an important role in your work and how you sort of stay creative?
Adrianne Paerels:
It is so important to my work and it's something I wouldn't have thought when I first started, just working in my own little dungeon, I like to call it. With everything, it starts with the internet. I remember the first time my pants were shared to Pasta Girlfriend, that amazing account run by Ali LaBelle. The first time she shared the pants, I had such an influx of this community just welcoming me in, of people in all different realms that I've never met before, and it was the first time that door sort of opened. I was like, "Wow, I have these new friends," and that was so beautiful. And from there, I started to work with more artists, connect with people in real life, and it was a slow rollout for me because I am a homebody and I have a lot of social anxiety.
I remember the first time I was asked to do an event, I just said yes right away, because it's my dream to be the person who would do an event, but I was afraid to do it. I did it and it was amazing. And then, I kept trying to do more because once I do these drawing events, you meet so many people. A lot of times, especially in New York, it's people who are just going out on their own trying to have a nice time.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Of course.
Adrianne Paerels:
So, it's really such a nice feeling to be around people who just want to have some pasta and draw a little picture.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Definitely.
Adrianne Paerels:
It's really cool. It did really help me with my social anxiety. Last year, there was an event I had that I had a panic attack beforehand and I didn't want to go. I was going to have my fiance just drive with me and sit in the car while I did the event. I was absolutely terrified. And it also was the week that it started getting darker out early, so I think everything just culminated. I was like-
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah, the moon and the winter-
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes. I was like, "This is terrible."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
... descended upon the land. Yeah.
Adrianne Paerels:
I got there, I was kind of shaking, and a girl from college that I haven't spoken to since, she was there and she brought her sister. She didn't tell me she was coming, she just showed up, and instantly, I just felt this wave of relief. And I was like, "I know someone here." She felt it in her heart to just come and that is the kindest thing that I could ever. It just puts so much warmth in my body, and then I was just buzzing around the room. I just felt so good. It's so important to just get out of your comfort zone. You can run away and cry later, but just try.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Yeah. Social media is a really big part of your work. That's how people find out about you. I know you've since transitioned from no DMs to actually having a store for where people can purchase and see your work. How do you think about social media in relation to your work and how you get to communicate with people?
Adrianne Paerels:
I will say most of my business has come from Instagram. It's really good as an output. But creatively, I try to limit my use. I don't want to be too involved in it in terms of gathering inspiration. And so, I like to just... I use it as a form of communication and trying to just go back to community and meet new people, and I think it's really cool to talk to people in different worlds that I wouldn't typically meet because I am a creative and in the art world. So, I really try to connect with people who are... I've connected with so many chefs and cooks and things like that, and it's hard for me to know where to meet those people in real life, so I think it's really beautiful to be able to connect with people online for that.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
What do you think the future holds for small creators and artists like yourself?
Adrianne Paerels:
I think there's so much opportunity out there that didn't exist in even recent years. Luckily, I think for artists who want to collaborate and work with brands or companies, whether they're big or small, I think that that is a great place where social media has come in and put their work out there for these brands to find. So, I think that it's very important for companies, as they are doing now, to reach out to artists instead of creating a mood board with that artist and just having someone who's on salary to copy it. I think that a lot of people are finding the importance of working with these artists who have developed these styles over years, because I think also people are starting to pick up on when something is genuine. We've seen so much stuff get churned out over the past few years of the big brands copying things, and I think that it's really important to work with who created a style and keep working with more artists.
One tip I want to say to artists who maybe think that my career is aspirational or just how did you start working with brands, just put yourself out there. The first two collaborations I did were with Seemore Sausage and Grillo's Pickles. Both of those I got by just commenting on their Instagram, "We should make a pair of pants." I just left a comment. And then with Grillo's, I remember two minutes later, they were in my DMs, "Let's do it." I was like, "Oh my goodness." All I had to do was get cocky enough for one second to just leave a comment and be like, "Hey, we should make this."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Confidence. Yeah, yeah.
Adrianne Paerels:
Exactly. Just throw it out there. Because if not, it's just in the void, the abyss of the internet.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
But at least you tried.
Adrianne Paerels:
Exactly.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I think that's the biggest thing, I think.
Adrianne Paerels:
You have to try, because you don't know what's going to come of it and it's usually something beautiful.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
People often forget how powerful the incremental changes or those sort of quick, bold decisions end up making.
Adrianne Paerels:
It's really amazing.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Making you build this really great repertoire and inventory of things.
Adrianne Paerels:
And it builds your confidence. Suddenly, I was like, "I'm good enough for Grillo's Pickles." Then, I felt confident enough to ask the next person and the next person, and then also, the nos don't hurt as much.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Exactly.
Adrianne Paerels:
You're like, "Well, someone else said yes, and that's all that matters."
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Do you have any exciting collaborations or things that are coming up that our listeners can pay attention to?
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah. In August, I am creating a special edition can for Talea Brewery.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Very cool.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Congratulations.
Adrianne Paerels:
We're starting to work on it now, so I'm very excited to see where that goes.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Nice.
Adrianne Paerels:
I think we'll do some events around that. I'm trying to do a lot more events. I'm going to do an event in July with RecCreate Collective in Brooklyn. That'll be just a fun, really chill drawing club event. I really like doing those now that I've broken out of my shell. It's a lot of fun, so hopefully more of that, more collaborations. I have something else coming out with Fishwife, which you'll see I think around the holiday time. So, Project Paulie based out of Boston, they are super cool. I'm obsessed. Nicky Bandera, who runs Project Paulie, is just one of the coolest people I've worked with, and so we created a very cool line. Spaghetti Western clothes, some cool pieces, so that's coming out soon.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Okay. Fun. How do you hope that your art inspires people when it comes to thinking about their relationship to food?
Adrianne Paerels:
Bringing it back to nostalgia. I hope that it can tap into something, like maybe an unlocked memory. Pick at your grandma's recipe, also just a gas station snack that you've never tried but you wanted to. Anything that inspires you, I just want to be able to make people laugh with my work maybe, or just give some sort of smile to some people.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Well, Adrianne, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
Adrianne Paerels:
Thank you.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
I've learned so much, and I can't wait to have one of your pieces-
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah, I can't wait.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
... in my closet soon. If we want to continue to support you, where are the best places to find you?
Adrianne Paerels:
Instagram, of course, @helloadrianne, A-D-R-I-A-N-N-E. My website, helloadrianne.com. Also, I have a website for just my portfolio work. If you're interested in collaborating on something that's not pants, that's adriannepaerels.com, and I dabble in TikTok, but you could find me.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Just search pants.
Adrianne Paerels:
Yeah.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Amazing. Thank you so much.
Adrianne Paerels:
Thank you.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
Before we go, our guest is going to leave a voicemail just talking to themselves 10 years from now. You have reached The Future Of Food Is You mailbox. Please leave your message after the beep.
Adrianne Paerels:
Hey, Adrianne, it's me. I hope that you first are happy and living a blissful life, and that you have fired your job long ago and are still making pants as fun as you want them to be, and have all the amazing clients that you've continued to have throughout the years. I hope that you got better at cooking, and that your kids like your cooking or maybe they have the same garbage filth that you have. And I hope that you've touched people with the work that you've created or inspired anybody at all, and that we can come back here and catch up with Abena and see how things have been in the past 10 years.
Abena Anim-Somuah:
That's it for today's show. I would love for you to leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to our show. The Future Of Food Is You is a production of The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network. Thanks to the team at CityVox Studios, executive producers Kerry Diamond and Catherine Baker, associate producers Jenna Sadhu and Elizabeth Vogt, and content operations manager Londyn Crenshaw. Catch you on the future flip.