We recently had the chance to connect with William Guillon and have shared our conversation below.
William, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is a normal day like for you right now?
There’s no such thing as a normal day for me, and that’s probably what I love most about what I do. Every project brings a different rhythm, a different energy.
When I’m not traveling to meet clients, my days at the workshop usually start early. I arrive around 8:30, take a quiet moment before the team comes in, then we spend some time going through everything together, new pieces, deadlines, technical details, what needs attention that day. It’s a mix of structure and improvisation, depending on what’s happening in the studio.
The mornings are often about coordination, emails, logistics, and decisions. Then we share lunch around 12:30, all together, it’s an important ritual, a moment to breathe.
The afternoons are sacred. That’s when I sculpt. I’m the only one working on the wax, so I need silence and time to focus. Those hours are almost meditative, it’s when everything slows down and I reconnect with the material. We try to protect that time so production can move forward efficiently.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a self-taught artist and designer based in France. I started very young, learning from my grandfather in his garage when I was about sixteen. That’s really where everything began, with curiosity, instinct, and the desire to shape materials with my hands. Later, I taught myself how to work with bronze, and it quickly became the heart of my practice.
Today, my studio creates collectible design pieces, functional sculptures, for clients and galleries all over the world, from the US to Asia and Europe. Every piece starts with a block of wax that I sculpt entirely by hand before it’s cast in bronze using the lost-wax technique. We never use molds, so each creation is unique, shaped from scratch for every new project.
My work explores contrasts, light and darkness, fragility and strength, beauty and disappearance. I see each piece as a reflection on time and transformation, a balance between control and chaos. There’s a certain poetry in the process, where creation and destruction coexist. Through this tension, I try to give form to something deeply human, something that speaks both of mortality and resilience.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I think the first time I ever felt powerful and truly free was when I decided to create something just for myself, without any purpose or reason, simply because I needed to. I was probably fifteen. For years before that, I had felt this deep urge to create, to express something, but somehow I couldn’t. Something inside me was blocking it.
Then, one sunny morning, I woke up and something had shifted overnight. I remember taping dozens of big sheets of paper to the wall and drawing three balloons floating high in my room, their strings twisting and intertwining in the air. It was childish, naïve, very simple… but it felt incredible. It was the first time I had created something entirely for me, and that feeling, that sense of pure creative freedom, has never left me since.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
That’s a tough one… I think I’d tell him that there are others like him out there, that he’s not weird or alone. That one day he’ll find his people, his family of souls. And I’d probably just say: keep going, you’re on the right path, even if it doesn’t make sense yet.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I don’t know if it’s really a cultural value, but I deeply believe in progress, in the idea that things should keep getting better over time. Of course, life doesn’t always work that way, and we’re reminded of that every day, especially now. But still, it’s something I hold on to. For me, tomorrow has to be better than yesterday. I move forward step by step, and each one takes me a little closer to where I want to be. No going back.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I guess that’s exactly what we do as artists. For years, I worked endlessly, pushed myself too far, ignored my limits, and sacrificed a lot of my personal life for my work, my projects, my pieces. Every day, all day. And for a long time, it led nowhere. I gave everything I had, but it just wasn’t enough. It took years of struggle to find my place in this very exclusive field.
But with time, a bit of luck, and a lot of persistence, things eventually changed. So yes, I know I could do it, because I already have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.williamguillon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/william.guillon/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-guillon-studio/
Image Credits
Studio Brinth
Nicolas Seurot (for every photos with blue background)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
