Shira Barzilay is an Israeli artist, creator, and seeker who goes by the name Koketit. She creates abstract line drawings laid over photographs. Her distinct style celebrates the female form through the minimal outlines of women’s faces and bodies.
Name: Shira Barzilay – “KOKETIT”
Age: Age-less
Profession: Artists
Based: Tel-Aviv, Israel
Instagram/Website: @koketit /
How would you define yourself in three words?
Creative, flirty, curious.
The best piece of advice you’ve received?
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
Enjoy your youth and love yourself.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Inspiring people to be creative individuals through artistic expression.
What do you love most about your body?
That is is strong and resilient and healthy.
Favorite place to view art?
Instagram.
Shira Brazilay is the woman behind the popular Instagram and brand Koketit. She is an art worker and interpreter who runs her own business. She´s a strong individual traveling her own path, seeking to inspire others to do the same. When Shira was 17 she was the youngest student studying at Shenkar Institute of design in Isreal. After graduating she began her freelance carrier and has since then worked with brands such as H&M, Amazon, Facebook, Chanel, and many more.
In recent years she has been taking Instagram by storm with her signature minimalist illustrations. The faces she draws are abstract and simple with most appearing to all be drawn with one line. Her most popular works are the ones she does over different articles of clothing. Which most of the time seem real and not digitally drawn on. Leaving viewers wanting the physical product. She does however offer many interesting products through her brand KoKetit. These products include fine art prints, tote bags, and custom made portraits.
When did you start Doodle poetry?
I can remember when I started doodling. But I didn’t appreciate it until I realized the minimalistic one-line approach and it became apparent to me that it co-insides with my way of creating from intuition. I love to draw over images that inspire me and changing the narrative of the story. I try to achieve so by doing less. Being precise is my mission! In life and in art! It’s a never-ending process...
What does your work mean to you?
My work is a mirror of my life! They are intertwined and linked together. The work is autobiographical and is a reflection of my mood and feeling at that exact moment. When I go back to that piece, I remember who I was then. I grow from it, and it teaches me about my true self. Making mistakes is a big part of it as well, and to me, mistakes occur only when I move away from my authentic self and into an “impress” mode. It takes a lot to stay focused and that’s why art is a practice.
"My art is always told from a feminine point of view. It speaks about intuition and the emotion of the subconscious. It reveals the unseen. I feel there are multiple realities that exist at any given time. There is always an undercurrent, which interests me. It goes for relationships, nature, any situation really. I am an observer and also a participant in my own experience and, I share it in the most expressive way I know-how."
What drives you in life?
Creating is a need for me! I also love it but it’s more than love. It’s like saying - I love to breathe! Yes, you love it because you can’t live without it. To Creat is the same thing for me. I must create or else I don’t exist, It’s who I am. Everything else is derivative of that...
What inspires you right now?
I can literally get inspired by the most random things. There are no set elements or rules to it. Inspiration is a mood, It’s elusive, it comes and goes and you can catch it if you seek it, or you are susceptible to it. It’s like a radar. Meditations help develop that focus, the feeling of confidence in yourself. Feeling a strong sense of self.
Any advice for new/young artists?
It’s very important to practice art daily! It’s important not only to strive for a good technique but also to develop creative thought. It is the path that will lead you to your own original and authentic voice that belongs to no one else in this universe other than yours. It’s a superpower to learn how to cultivate. That is what being an artist means to me. Trusting in your own voice and having the conviction to express it in a creative and inspiring manner that touches others.
If you woke up one day and couldn’t creat Doodle poetry,
what would you do then?
I would find other ways to be creative! Write, sing, dance, fly – and take care of animals...
