Meet Cecile
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been inspired by art. Whether it was finger-painting as a four year-old at L’Ecole Primaire Publique de Novel in my hometown of Annecy, France, sketching on the streets of Paris as a college student at the School of Beaux Arts, or taking time from running Create & Associates – my marketing and design agency – to analyze the bold expressions of life and color at the Whitney Museum in New York, I have always been looking, watching, admiring, and ultimately, creating.
This ongoing passion for the arts led me, almost like a calling, to my chosen profession: art and design across a vast and ever-changing range of media. In fact, 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of my founding of Create & Associates, and I find that today’s digital technology excites me as much as anything I did with a pen, sketchpad and X-Acto knife at the beginning of my career. The constant flow of new innovations stimulates my curiosity and compels me to learn new techniques, new software, new platforms and new social media tools.
I love working with my clients, from local start-ups to national nonprofits to global Fortune 500 corporations, and enjoy helping them each develop their own unique brands, identities and messaging. My approach is to learn as much as I can about each company: the field they are in, their competition, how their customer base behaves online and in the marketplace. This in-depth, “deep drive” approach provides the strategic platform for creating a custom marketing campaign that reflects each brand’s individual personality and appeals to their specific target audience. You can see the results of this approach throughout this website and better yet, my clients can see it in the response from their customers.
For me, the overall purpose of my work is to engage: engage the eyes, the mind, and the imagination. I am very fortunate that I have been able to make a career of doing something I love so much.
INSPIRATIONS
I am inspired by art in all its forms, all around the world: from paintings and sculptures, to pottery and collages, to architecture and immersive experiences. It is also a great pleasure of mine to meet established and upcoming artists in person at such exhibitions as Art Basel and its satellite fairs in Miami, the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, and at the fairs, galleries and museums in and around New York City. And online, I am inspired by the numerous artists I follow on social media, particularly on Instagram and Pinterest.
ACTIVITIES
I have an enduring love of sports, and keep myself active training as a tri-athlete by running, swimming and cycling. I am also a dedicated skier and pickle ball player. Having been an athlete all my life, I find that participating in sports quiets my mind, is my way to relax, and gives me wonderful opportunities to have fun with friends and family. I also like taking on new sporting challenges, and am currently learning to play golf. My goal is to be able to play well enough in 5-7 years to be good competition for my family and friends.
ESCAPES
As much as I find myself driven to work hard and play hard, I also believe in the restorative peace of mind that comes from being in nature. I thoroughly enjoy walking on the beach in Florida in the winter, riding my bike along the tree-lined hills of Westchester, New York, skiing down the slopes of Colorado or the Alps, or just walking with my dog through the parks near my home.