Meet Celeste Archambault | Eclectic Artist

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

Hi Celeste, what makes you happy? Why?
Cartoons, video games, mangas and anime make me so happy! It’s been so impressionable on me my entire life. The art behind it all, I wanted to do that too. I’ve always had a pretty overactive imagination, so creating different worlds and different characters and using those things to bring other people joy has been all I’ve ever wanted to do.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is eclectic, and rooted in my love for all things cute and an appreciation for maximalism. I enjoy rich colors, take inspiration from video games and cartoons I’ve watched, and, if I can, combine comedy with my work. I make whatever I enjoy, which has turned into an odd collection that could only be described as my own personal aesthetic. At first I was frustrated that I couldn’t categorize the style I had. When I didn’t seem to fit anywhere, I didn’t appreciate what I made at first because it didn’t seem socially trendy. Now my art has become a really healthy way at appreciating who I am as an individual, and that it’s ok to get real weird with it. I got to where I am as an artist with a single thing: time. I was definitely hard. Getting denied from markets my first year of getting really involved in art pop ups, not progressing fast enough artistically was frustrating, and wanting to be where someone else was in terms of “having it all figured out” (which is just a social media illusion) can all take a toll on you mentally when art is not just your passion, but also what you make money with.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many wonderful places in Grand Rapids, but to start your day right Morning Ritual coffee is the place to go. Absolutely delicious drinks, wonderful company and a yummy selection of pastries (and bagels from Terra Bagel). For shopping experiences I’d definitely bring whoever is visiting to Rebel and Sticky Fingers, and then off to the Creston area for Black Cat Bodega, an awesome witch shop. Around dinner time I would not pass up bringing anyone to Monsoon. They are perhaps my favorite restaurant in the whole city! They serve wholesome Vietnamese cuisine, and have awesome cocktails and NA drinks. As a fun after dinner stop, just a short walk away is Vault of Midnight! They are store full of board games, stuffed animals, comic books, blind boxes and more! Lastly, for dessert you can’t go wrong with Frosty Boy during the late spring and summer months.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom and brother are huge supporters of my art, and so are my grandpa and grandma Berghorst. All such wonderful and creative people that have kept the spirit of creativity alive throughout my life. My partner Eric who always is so excited about the next thing I’m making, and overall a huge supporter of everything I do.
Alyx at Morning Ritual Coffee deserves a place in this shoutout too — they run my favorite coffee shop in all of Grand Rapids and they have such a loving and encouraging soul. They graciously allow myself, as well as so many others, to host art pop ups in their shop which helps us out a great deal.
My sweet friends who I’ve met through artist pop ups…Emily, Olivia, Aley and Kim, Bee and Ivy, Mickie (I’ve known them practically my whole life actually), Jamie, Gus, Ayanna..the list goes on. What a strong community of loving artist we have in Grand Rapids. Our mutual support of sharing resources, trading supplies, checking in with each other, etc. goes a long way. I’m grateful and each and every one of you..

Website: Celestedaydreams.bigcartel.com

Instagram: @Celestedaydreams

Facebook: Celeste Daydreams

Youtube: Celestial Possum (coming soon!)