Finding Joy | Creative Entrepreneur Marie Blessing

Speaker 1 (00:12):

Welcome to art in the raw conversations with creative people tonight, I’m excited to introduce you to Marie blessing. Marie is an artist and a writer and a small business owner. I’m your host and Kelly, if this is your first time watching, first of all, thank you. And I imagine you might be wondering who I am. In a nutshell, I am someone that has been just in love with art and music, basically my entire life. About 20 years ago, I moved to Santa Fe New Mexico to further immerse myself in the art scene and attend art school. I’ve now been working in the professional gallery world for about 15 years now. And I started art in the RA about halfway through 2020 to keep the inspiration going. If you’d like to know more, check out the description below, there’s a little extra information about the show and a number of weeks ago, I was the guest on an art in the raw episode. One of my other guests suggested that we switch places, but don’t watch that now. Now you want to watch this episode with Marie. So bookmark that go back later again. Thanks for watching and thanks for joining us tonight, Marie.

Speaker 2 (01:34):

Thanks for having me. Where are

Speaker 1 (01:36):

You tonight

Speaker 2 (01:38):

And Baja, California, Mexico Baja soar. So the south part, the very tip and told us Santos to be specific. I’ve been in Mexico since February. I drove my truck down from Santa Fe Santa

Speaker 1 (01:52):

Fe’s base for the most part, or it has

Speaker 2 (01:54):

Been, I’m going to try to be here half of the year. Now. I just, I love Mexico. I love the people in the arts and I just was ready for a change. So I’ve always wanted to live abroad and I finally made it happen, just camping out of my truck and we’ll see how it goes from here.

Speaker 1 (02:10):

Amazing. And is this the first time spent this amount of time in Mexico?

Speaker 2 (02:16):

I came down in October because actually with my company, it’s just hard to, so many of the stores have closed and I wasn’t making the same sales and I was doing pretty good online, but I guess he just wanted to be more essential. And so I have my house and I thought I’ll rent the house. I love this, this town when I came here a couple of years ago. So I rented a spot for the month and rented my house out. And then the guy that rented my house ended up wanting it another month. So I stayed and I just fell in love with it and met a lot of people and came back two months later and I’m working on another acting project, actually like a really low budget show in Albuquerque and they switched everything to zoom until April. So that’s why I decided to come back.

Speaker 1 (02:58):

Well, that’s kind of perfect. And in terms of the crazy last year, we’ve had, I think that’s

Speaker 2 (03:03):

Great that you’ve just kind of gone for something different. Why? Why not? Why not? Exactly. I think it’s put us all in that kind of position.

Speaker 1 (03:13):

Writing was part of your agenda for going there.

Speaker 2 (03:17):

Yes, exactly. I wrote a couple of kids books I wanted to illustrate. So I’ve been working on those a little bit and then I’ve been writing like an inspirational, just like a daily reader. So I’ve been working on that as well. And I’ve been writing a lot of music. I’ve gotten into music this last, like two years. So I just been writing all sorts of things and just wanting to get away and focus on that for awhile.

Speaker 1 (03:40):

Kind of a Jill of many trades. You’re an artist, you’re a writer, you’re a small business owner, um, acting. I, um, looks like you went to UNM and majored in Spanish and do a little bit of translating.

Speaker 2 (03:58):

Yeah, I do a little bit of freelance interpreting mainly just with Unum Trisha that I’ve worked with. We went to a hot last year and then we might have something coming up in Argentina. I was going to focus on it in the courts and I realized it takes 150% of your time to get to that level. And with all the creativity I have in different places, there is just no way I wanted to, to do that full time.

Speaker 1 (04:20):

That’s great when you have a lot of different ideas and talents and things you want to delve into, but time management is always kind of an issue

Speaker 2 (04:30):

To figure that out. And so

Speaker 1 (04:32):

You’d spent some time camping. You’re in an Airbnb now or a hospital. You mentioned

Speaker 2 (04:38):

I’m actually at a hostel. I, I had a weird situation. Last time I was here and I didn’t have my bank card. And then when I was, I was in the position to be able to stay another month, I had met this guy trying to find a bike and they were just about to open up this hostile again. And I was like, maybe I could work there and live for free. So that’s what I did. They gave me my own room and everything’s outdoors. So it feels really safe and really quiet here for the most part it’s with people. So just because of the pandemic. So yeah, I worked here for one month and then I’ve been, when I came back down, I camped the whole way for about two weeks or so. And I’ve been like back and forth to this hostel, just camping in different spots. And then when I want to shower and have somewhat of a, a little bit of civilization, I come back here, he felt

Speaker 1 (05:25):

Pretty safe along the way.

Speaker 2 (05:28):

Yeah. Yeah. A lot safer than Albuquerque at night. I’ll tell you that. Yeah, no, it’s been, it’s so mellow here. I felt really good. It’s been a great trip for sure. It’s one of the safest places I’ve ever traveled on it.

Speaker 1 (05:43):

It’s just kind of that perception that, oh, that is dangerous. And as, as a, as a female, that’s, you know, not, not a safe thing to do.

Speaker 2 (05:53):

I think I was, I came into such a bad situation. I first came to Mexico. I mean, just like the place I was first got to is infested and I had to find another spot and I didn’t have my stuff and I had to get rid of all my stuff and everything just seems so hard that after that I was like, what do I have to be scared of? If I take my own trucks and everything’s clean and I have everything I need and I drive during the day. And so I just went for it and it really worked out. It’s been super empowering and it’s just made me feel like I could do anything.

Speaker 1 (06:24):

Well, that’s a good way to feel. So you said you you’ve, you’ve gotten a little bit of writing done since, since you’ve been there, but perhaps some of the actual writing will be result of the inspiration from having them there.

Speaker 2 (06:40):

Yes, for sure. I think I’ll get a lot done on my back and I can just wrap my head around things. I’ve really been taken advantage of just hanging out with people and surfing and doing outdoor things because it was, I mean, how many bonfires can I go to in Santa Fe and freeze? And, and December, January, I was like, I think it just needs some warm weather and to get away for a while, you know, so, and I love speaking Spanish and I lose my Spanish when I’m at home and I worked full-time at home. So I just feel like I’m not even talking to anyone half the time and I just, I live alone. So I needed that stimulation. So that was another big inspiration for coming out here.

Speaker 1 (07:20):

And you went, did you go to school in Ecuador as well? Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:24):

Yeah, I did. I’m an exchange and Ecuador and studied translation and lived there for about almost a year on and off.

Speaker 1 (07:33):

What part of Ecuador where you in

Speaker 2 (07:36):

Quito, the capital

Speaker 1 (07:38):

That must’ve been amazing as well?

Speaker 2 (07:41):

Yeah, it was huge indigenous culture there super vast indigenous culture. It was a really special place to live. There’s nothing like Mexico though. I think being from New Mexico and it just feels like home here with the beach in a way. So it’s, it’s a lot kind of like Santa Fe and Taos almost a cross between it being here.

Speaker 1 (08:03):

Oh, interesting. And I’m sure you’ve missed the snow a bit. You’re uh, a fellow snowboarder.

Speaker 2 (08:10):

I have 22 inches. Are you kidding me? When I was getting pictures of that storm? I was like, Ooh, out out, but I’ve just been, trying to be really present where I’m at and I’ve been snowboarding for so many years and I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf and it’s been the most humbling, humbling experience of my life learning to serve. So it’s been really great. I love being connected to the ocean and it’s well seasoned. So you’re out there on the ocean and there’s whales jumping. I mean, what more could I want, so yeah, it’s been really magical for sure.

Speaker 1 (08:43):

So this is your first, I guess you’re surfing this particular trip is when you’ve really kind of delved into that sport or a little bit.

Speaker 2 (08:55):

Yeah. Mean I learned a little bit just here and there barely, but I never had put enough time into really learn in the last couple of weeks I was here and, uh, November, I really picked it up. And so I thought, oh, okay, I can do this. So I bought a surfboard and loaded it up and

Speaker 1 (09:11):

Drove here. So that’s fine by, by any means. I’m no, no professional yet. I’ve a lot of it hasn’t even been surfing, but these last couple of weeks I’ve put some time in and it’s been really nice catching waves for the first time. Real waves. Well, yeah, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve, you know, the times I’ve been to the ocean, I’ve never been there long enough where I felt like it made sense to actually take a lesson or something like that. But what I’ve heard from friends who, who are surfers is kind of one of the main differences between snowboarding and surfing is, is, um, kind of the competition for the wave.

Speaker 2 (09:48):

Yes. Yes. That’s the, one of the hardest parts like look both ways before you cross the street is all I know that’s the most intimidating part really is other people in the water for me. And just learning how to read the water.

Speaker 1 (10:03):

So snowboarding for people who don’t know, you know, you still want to look around, but not everybody on the mountain is going for one, the exact same wave at the same time. So

Speaker 2 (10:17):

Yeah. Yeah. There’s a whole, there’s a whole culture of ethics and surfing for sure that I’m kind of learning right now. So

Speaker 1 (10:26):

I went to a surf museum and Santa Cruz. I’d always heard that term hang 10, but I didn’t know that it actually meant walking to the front of the board and actually hanging all 10 toes over the front of the board.

Speaker 2 (10:42):

That’s interesting. I’ve heard that expression throughout my life. I don’t know if I want to learn that trick.

Speaker 1 (10:49):

Maybe don’t do that yet.

Speaker 2 (10:53):

Yeah. I do love being in Mexico for so many reasons though. Even with my clothing company, it’s so inspirational to see how they reuse everything here. I mean everything. So I mean, it’s a things like nothing gets thrown away. It gets reused for something else. And I love that inspires me with my clothing and what I want to kind of the way I want to move with my company when I get back. So it’s, it’s really helped mentally just kind of everything and who I want to support, I guess just with the pandemic I’ve been focused on that. I don’t want to just be ordering random. T-shirts some random companies, I want to know what I’m supporting and, and just be really useful and essential, you know, more than ever,

Speaker 1 (11:35):

Maybe thrift more, more things and

Speaker 2 (11:39):

More support, more local people that are working on, you know, projects where they’re actually supporting good companies and just, you know, just a much more smaller kind of seen.

Speaker 1 (11:51):

So I was wondering since you you’ve been away with your small clothing company, you have an Etsy page, have you kind of suspended all of that or do you have somebody back at home shipping products for you?

Speaker 2 (12:07):

No, for now I suspended it mainly I sell to the stores. I don’t have a huge, huge online following. I mean, it’s growing. And when I put my time in, during the pandemic, it grew so fast. I just can’t even believe it if when you put the time in it, it shows, but I think I just needed a break from it to work on some other things, like I said, with writing and music and all the other things I have going on right now, I just, I just kind of wanted to find a new joy with my company and break things up a little bit, brought a lot of t-shirts down here that I’ve been giving away and they’ve given a lot of the local people have given me ideas. I’ve brought stuff to print here. I haven’t really done much printing, but I’ve done some freehand drawing on hats and, and been inspired by other artists here. So that’s been really fun. And the arts amazing here, the graffiti art, the murals, the tattoo or everything. So I, I’m going to go back with a lot of ideas for sure.

Speaker 1 (13:00):

Well, I’ll look forward to saying what sort of designs are coming in the future and within your clothing line, you have works that are free hand. You do some sewing, there’s some silk screen, your famous Zs snowflake.

Speaker 2 (13:16):

Yeah. I I’ve gotten really into freehand because I love to be able to just sit in my bed and watch movies and free hand draw. Um, the actual printing process. I don’t love anymore, you know, it’s, it’s just dealing with the ink and the heat, you know? So once I find a design that really sells, I, I, you know, use someone local to print for me. And then I just print the really small designs. I have just my tiny little studio. So usually I’ll find a good design once it’s settled, we’ll have someone else do it, but I like to focus a lot more on free hand drawing. And I just, I felt like I was losing the joy a little bit with it when I was just having to print a hundred t-shirts and get things ready. And that’s just, it’s too much of a perfectionism to get everything right.

Speaker 2 (14:00):

And I’m just kind of crazy in my head with it all with ideas and I just couldn’t get into that production part. So, um, yeah, I love doing free hand and I mean, I literally, I brought some of the, some screens down here and you’ll see how ghetto this is. Like I learned how to print from a YouTube video. And I was just using like these little hoops, you know, that you use for, um, not embroidery, but I can’t even think of the word, but you know, the little stitching they do on these and the old school stitches. And I just use modifieds glue, paint, my little pencil on here and print from this, the middle. Once I get a good idea, I’ll take it to a professional and they’ll actually do the traditional screen printing process, but I love it because it costs me $5, the whole production to do it this way, the screens last forever. Um, and then I can get something done and see the idea and then someone that actually wants to print to get the design out there. So, and then move on to the next,

Speaker 1 (15:00):

In this very digital world. I think that’s just kind of beautiful, I guess. I just love tactile. Thanks.

Speaker 2 (15:07):

Yeah. Yeah. For sure. No, I agree.

Speaker 1 (15:11):

But say for example, designs, like the Zia snowflake, that has to be one of your more popular designs over the years, I would assume. So there is motivation to kind of keep putting those out if someone else is making them or if you’re making them or, or perhaps you’re hand drawing them on hats with different kind of details to them kind of exploring them in different ways.

Speaker 2 (15:38):

Yeah, no, snowflake is the same. Right. I’m trying to keep it real. So yeah. I love doing those freehand snowflakes on the hats for sure. But once it comes to printing all the hoodies, I get overwhelmed. So it’s nice to have local people that know how to get it done.

Speaker 1 (15:54):

No good, good to know what, when it’s time to outsource. And I actually have no idea how I do not own one of those IES snowflakes of some kind

Speaker 2 (16:04):

Yet. How do you my own one, I’ll give you one.

Speaker 1 (16:08):

That would be awesome. Um, it seems like whenever I have ended up buying things from you, they’ve been gifts.

Speaker 2 (16:17):

I love that. You said that when I got back from Mexico during the holidays, I just, I, I realized I just to get the joy back with my company, I had to think like, what would I do if I didn’t have to make any money? You know, that was my main thing. And all these great ideas started to come. And I started doing bundle packages where you’d have to buy four things, but I was just giving a ridiculous deal. And another reason I just wanted to clean out so I could get my house rented out, but I found so much joy in it. And I was selling a lot right away and people are so psyched to be able to get such a good deal and buy four things for the price of what a hoodie might be. So that’s been really fun because it inspires people to give, you know, and that’s what it’s all about. So I love that. You said that

Speaker 1 (16:59):

Well, and that’s cool too. There are people who are probably thinking, okay, I, I get my, my own piece that I’ve been looking at and I can hook up my friends as well, handmade and original. So when you started, w w what is that story?

Speaker 2 (17:14):

And my aunt owns double take. And so I grew up watching that business, grow, everything being re-used. So that was really inspiring for me. I was able to get clothes that were super cheap and go home and draw on them. And once I started drawing on little baby ones, these is kind of how it started just free hand with a marker. And from that is really how everything started. And I’ve always loved stencils style work. My uncle actually opened the first tattoo shop in Santa Fe, and that was super inspiring to me. The art I saw growing up, he taught in the prison when I was younger and he would bring home phenomenal artwork. And I was always really drawn to that Chicano style artwork and seeing the old Panos. And I just, I loved that. And, and then I, you know, I was a skater.

Speaker 2 (18:05):

I listen to a lot of punk rock and hip hop, and he would bring back all these stickers from my cousins, from the eighties, you know, the old zaur lacks stickers and, um, was that are the artists pus had that used to do all these drawings. And I was just drawn to that world of art, um, growing up in New Mexico and Texas, and I was exposed to all of that. So I think that that inspired my drawing style a lot for sure. And just freehand drawing on things. And then once I realized how much I liked the way they looked on clothing that led to learning how to screen print, and that’s how I started the company,

Speaker 1 (18:39):

That story. And I was actually going to ask you about that because wait, I guess your uncle right. Was

Speaker 2 (18:48):

Bill.

Speaker 1 (18:51):

I learned recently on a past episode, I guess Phil was really good friends with my former college professor David shine bomb. Oh yeah. Then his son, Zach just moved back to Santa Fe and opened a tattoo shop on mercy street.

Speaker 2 (19:08):

Oh, okay. I didn’t really see moved back and opened a shop. He’s phenomenal. His artwork. I’m still impressed. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (19:16):

So, so he just got back and he had mentioned, had gone to the San Francisco art Institute with ed Hrdy. Exactly. And so all of these connections as acts mentor was mentored by bill. So there’s just this amazing connection I was actually going to ask about. I know you were involved in double-take, but I wasn’t quite sure of the details

Speaker 2 (19:40):

For sure. Yeah. I know that the tattoo world has been super, super inspirational to me from the time I was a little kid. And back when it was just kind of starting, especially in Santa Fe. So that definitely has been a huge inspiration with my artwork between him being married to my aunt, running double-take and reusing everything and supporting the community that way. It’s, it’s so inspirational. And then being in Latin America, I mean, the artists so phenomenal in the way they reuse things. So just the mix of it all really inspired my clothing company.

Speaker 1 (20:12):

I think I’ve seen just, even if you pictures, you’ve posted on Instagram of some pretty amazing graffiti.

Speaker 2 (20:18):

Yeah. I love graffiti work. And especially being into the hip hop scene too, there’s just such an abundance of it. Yeah. I’ve been trying to get a little better at my freehand. Graffiti. I’m getting there slowly.

Speaker 1 (20:30):

You mentioned you’ve done a little bit of acting and you’re, you’re, you’re pretty, you’re pretty diverse

Speaker 2 (20:36):

When I was younger, I always was into just dancing, acting comedy and I just never had the time to really go after it and just feel like I’m kind of, I mean, maybe we all are in a way, just going back to everything in our childhood and finding those things that brought us joy. And I think I’m just at this time in my life where I don’t want to waste one moment in anything I ever wanted to try. I want to try now. And so I literally went to this audition, got the part, I mean, this is a super low budget, so, but, but they gave me the part and I went home and Googled like how to act.

Speaker 2 (21:15):

I know what I’m doing. So it’s been fun. It’s been super fun. I’m not the greatest at memorizing my lines, but when I’m in the moment and we’re actually rehearsing and it’s, it’s such an adrenaline rush. And yeah, I feel like I had so much joy and all of that when I was younger. And I just wasn’t able to give myself to that. You know, I went through a lot of hard things when I was younger. My mom passed when I was pretty young, we moved around a lot. And I, I think it’s just, I got to that age where it was like, I have nothing to lose. I’ve worked so hard to get where I’m at. And I set my myself up in my life where I have more free time now. And so it was just like, well, why not try anything? You know, if I can just totally let go and not have fear of the result of what happens and just go and have fun and not, and not worry about money.

Speaker 2 (22:02):

That has been a big thing. Like I just feel like in our society in general, we’re so focused on success and what is success and how are we going to survive and health care. And it’s just so overwhelming hearing all of these things as a teenager, not knowing even who you are. And I feel like I got sucked into that world a little bit and just didn’t quite go after the things that really brought me joy. And now I’m at this point where I’m like, no, anything I love. I’m just going to go for it and not worry about the money. I just feel like if you’re doing what you love, the money will come. It’s just proven to be right for me this last couple of years, it’s just, I’m always going to be able to survive. And if I’m having fun, then I’m successful and I can live with so little, which I realized on this trip more than ever camping out of my vehicle.

Speaker 2 (22:52):

And it’s just been amazing. I actually had another time when I, um, during my divorce, I moved out to the mountains and stayed on my aunt’s land and they have this really nice kind of tuff shed. I mean, it had it’s, it was, it is a tough shed, but it was insulated, you know, I mean, it’s pretty nice. It was like some serious glamping, like I had satellite TV, but no running water, you know, and I was thinking I would just be there six months. But the reality was is if I was paying rent somewhere, I was never going to be able to buy a house again, as an entrepreneur, no one was going to give an entrepreneur alone. That is just all over the place, doing a million things. And I ended up just loving it out there. And six months turned into two years and I was able to buy a house.

Speaker 2 (23:38):

And it was just a fun experience, cutting wood and learning how to live more on the land and save tons of money. It was like I had more money than I’d ever had, and I was living the no running water. And it just made me realize how adaptable we are as humans, whatever position we’re in the way our system is set up in the United States, more than ever I’ve realized traveling. It’s like, it’s really hard to get ahead if you’re not in the system that they want you in to be able to get along, to be able to move ahead, to be able to get healthcare. And I just, I didn’t want to get sucked into that and lose, lose the dream. And so that really taught me how I could just make everything work, living out. It was in Pecos on, um, you know, the land that my, my uncle bill, you know, he built that house out there.

Speaker 2 (24:24):

And then they had this, this tuff shed that was put way later. So it was great being out there and felt so connected to my family and the land and just being in the mountains. I hardly wanted to leave. Honestly, I bought the house and then kept renting it because I just wasn’t even ready to come back to Santa Fe yet. I just felt like it was in a place that healing with a lot of things I was going through. And when I was able to get the house because I sacrificed to living out there, it just made me really realize like, wow, I kind of beat the system with this. You know, I was able to get a great house and live in this with no running water for a while. And I learned all these things through it and it was great. And now I’m able to be essential and rent this house and give someone else a home while I’m doing my thing in Mexico. And it just, you can do anything. You know, it’s just really taught me that anything you want to go after, there’s always a way there’s always a way, especially in New Mexico, I just, it’s, it’s a hard town, but at the same rate, it’s, there’s so much opportunity in New Mexico for artists. I just, I appreciate that about New Mexico, it’s full of culture and it’s full of diversity and it’s full of art. It’s been inspiring being out there for so long.

Speaker 1 (25:32):

And I would think if you hadn’t had that experience, you’d probably be less comfortable just saying, I’m going to go to Mexico for a period of time.

Speaker 2 (25:42):

Exactly, exactly. I was like, if I can live with no running water for two years and have to haul it from my aunt’s house and do the woodstove through these freezing cold winters, I’ll make this work. I’m in Baja. My gosh, I want it in the sand and it’s warm for the most part. Like this is going to work and it’s been super smooth. It’s been super smooth. So I don’t know that I would’ve done it. Not knowing fluent Spanish alone. I’ve definitely had some run-ins, you know, I getting pulled over by the cops or woken up in the middle of the night by cops. I’ve had some weird experiences, but everything turned out fine, but I did think, wow, I didn’t know the language that would have been a really freaky situation.

Speaker 1 (26:25):

I guess you probably had to explain yourself why, why you were there. They maybe they didn’t expect you to speak Spanish.

Speaker 2 (26:31):

It’s usually surprising at first, for sure. And then they’re like, oh, you’re from New Mexico. That must be why you speak Spanish. I’m like kinda,

Speaker 1 (26:44):

Yeah. I would say, uh, I, I speak really bad kitchen Spanish at best. And I’ve been here for 20 years. I would, I would aspire to speak more, but yeah, we don’t all just speak Spanish here. So do you have any advice beyond what you’ve kind of touched on for other people that might be wanting to start their own small business?

Speaker 2 (27:10):

I think number one for me is completely letting go of how I’m going to make money and just knowing that whatever creativity we have, if we stick with it, it’s going to go somewhere. If you love doing it, you’re going to be successful. Period. I think that would be my main advice and that there’s always, always, always going to be somebody doing, doing it better than you. And it doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter. It’s I, I, I even think sometimes it’s, it’s 90% dedication and motivation and 10% talent, and it just takes not caring about what people think and doing your thing and just appreciating the people that do appreciate it, but loving what you do obviously. And I know it’s so cliche, but as soon as I like, for instance, the Zia hat, I was super tired of doing Zia hat. I mean, how many tattoo artists wanting to do a Zia tattoo?

Speaker 2 (27:59):

You know, Ooh, is another Zia tattoo. It kinda got that way with the hat. Or I was, I do like free hand drawing these ideas, but it was just starting to feel obligatory. And one day I was like, what, how would I draw if I didn’t have to sell it at all? I didn’t have to sell this hat. What would I put on this hat? And in that I loved the design I was doing. I just did this kind of fun freehand Thunderbird design, everyone loved it. It, one of the shows I was at, and it’s just like a new design was born in that, that sold really well. But I had to let go of the outcome of where it was going to take me or who was going to buy it. And who’s the client that’s going to like this and how much money can I make on this?

Speaker 2 (28:39):

And am I going to get profit? And I know that’s what we’re told to think about all the time. So it sounds ridiculous. But as soon as I was able to let go of all of that and be like, what really brings me joy? What do I want to draw? What’s what’s there that I is when I completely let go of, you know, what people want the ideas come? You know, the, the great ideas are born in that when you, when you get to that point of just letting go of everything and being like what’s in my brain and what brings me joy, that’s when the new design started to come. And it was like, I didn’t even know that was there until I could let go of who’s going to buy this. And once I let go of that, all those great designs started coming. So that would be my, my advice.

Speaker 1 (29:24):

Well, I think that’s great advice. I mean, obviously we need to find a way to survive and make a living. And, and all of that is just kind of, I think, reordering that structure of how we think about it.

Speaker 2 (29:37):

No, definitely. And obviously, yes, you can be like in this design and know that it’s going to sell and dedicate all your time to that and probably make a lot of money doing that. I’m not saying that it doesn’t work, but is the joy there are you really happy doing what you’re doing? And that’s the thing like once that joy starts to wither away, when you’re trying to do something with your art, there, there’s no point in doing it. If we’re not happy, you know, what or how much money we’re making. So, and I think a lot of that too, is just realizing how little we can live with and homeless joy we can have in that. It’s like, if we’re doing what we like, we can live with very little and be happy. I feel like, and it doesn’t mean I don’t want to have more. That’s great, but it, I just always know I’m going to have more if I’m following that, that mindset, but it will always come if you’re doing what you like, because someone else is going to appreciate it. And then when the joy is not gone, the motivation is going to be there. And you’re never going to stop creating because you’re motivated all the time because you’re doing something you love.

Speaker 1 (30:41):

And if people have realized this past year, just kind of maybe a lot of things, they thought that they needed, that they really did not.

Speaker 2 (30:49):

Yes, for sure. It’s put us all in a different position. I mean, it’s put me in that position to of what am I doing with my company and is everything positive that I’m doing with my company? Where am I ordering my t-shirts from? Who am I supporting? All of those questions I’ve come into my mind more than ever. I think in that it was, it was much easier for me to make clear decisions, just being in this unknown world that we’re surviving right now, all in different ways.

Speaker 1 (31:18):

So I’m curious. So you, you went to Mexico and then you came here

Speaker 2 (31:23):

Going back to work on the acting project. It was back for two months for the holidays. And just to kind of get more organized, to be able to actually drive this time and have all everything I want. I’m leaving my truck here so that I have my life here and I can just fly in and then everything’s in my truck that I need. So I had to really, really organized to, to get everything ready. So I took those couple months to wrap my mind around all of that. And, and then came back, driving

Speaker 1 (31:50):

Downsize a little bit in between, or maybe added some things, knowing you were going to leave the truck. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:56):

Yeah. Part of it was like, I didn’t have a bike. I didn’t have, I mean, it took me awhile to get a bike here. I didn’t have a car to get around and then I didn’t even have anything because my street, I got bedbugs on everything. It’s the worst place I was. And I had bred so much clothing to take pictures with and things. So I literally had to get rid of everything. I was, I was like the thing I was smelling it naked and Mexico’s like borrowing clothes from this guy. And, uh, it was, it was an interesting experience. So I literally did get rid of everything and it just made me realize how, like, nothing matters. My stuff didn’t matter. I was just like, get rid of these bed bugs. So I’ve got this invisible devil. Like, I don’t even know if they’re laying eggs on things or going like it was, I mean, I won’t get into the details of it, but I’d never been so helpless.

Speaker 2 (32:44):

I had never had to call anyone really for help. And the way I did that when I was here. So, um, so yeah, in a way I downsized, you know, and then in a way I just got everything ready for survival, come back fully loaded, you know, with everything I need. So, which also I did, because I do want to just be able to fly out here, rent a spot and have my mountain bike, you know, be able to serve how my surf board, just everything you need to survive in Mexico, driving your, my Toyota 4runner everywhere. My 88 Toyota, four runner everywhere. So yeah, I came back fully loaded in a way, but with less clothing, I was like, who would have known, you know, me with a clothing company getting bed bugs is my worst nightmare. Like fabric was my worst nightmare. And I brought so many clothes to take pictures with. So I think in that, it was like, oh my gosh, who cares? What I have or what I don’t have. I don’t have bed bugs. And this is going to be,

Speaker 1 (33:41):

That

Speaker 2 (33:41):

Was the goal. There’s been so much joy here in Mexico with the people and just the laid back scene of how they live here, that there is just no way I wasn’t going to come back and spend more time. I just felt like I was home in so many ways, not the first month, but the second month

Speaker 1 (33:56):

You could go anywhere else. And, and like, money is not a thing anywhere in the world. Do you know where you would go?

Speaker 2 (34:07):

I’d still be right here. That’s cool. Thanks. Yeah. I’m super happy where I’m at. I really am. I think Mexico is one of the best countries I’ve ever been in. And a lot of it is I speak very Mexican. Spanish is easy for me to communicate and I know that sounds so boring, but I’m just so happy right now with where I’m at. I just don’t want to be shipped anywhere else right now.

Speaker 1 (34:29):

No, that’s amazing. There’s, there’s nothing wrong with that. So, so how about, time-travel, that’s a question I’ve been into recently. If, if you could maybe just for maybe a week transport yourself into a different time, period.

Speaker 2 (34:45):

Gosh, I’ve never really thought about that. I mean, I guess when I was younger, I was, I always thought it’d be cool to be in, in the fifties for some reason. I don’t know. I was just attracted to the, the art and I don’t even know what it was about the fifties. Maybe it was those great dishes. And just to seeing the changes throughout that time and a pivotal time when my parents were born, I’ll just sound so boring. That would only go to the 1950s. You know, I think I’d would be more intrigued maybe in the 1920s or thirties, and she’s seeing more evolution of everything. And I guess if I could transport myself like tomorrow for just a week somewhere, I’d probably go to Columbia. I’ve been really wanting to go to Columbia. So I planned to do that. But as far as the music scene with like hip hop and reggaeton and just the dance, all the dancing and the accent, I’m so attracted to Latin culture and I’ve grown up around much of it that I don’t think I would choose anywhere else right now besides Latin America.

Speaker 2 (35:42):

But then again, if I had any money to spend anywhere, I mean, that’s a huge reason I travel Latin America because it’s cheap. So, you know, maybe I would branch out, but it’s certainly important for me to know the language where I’m at. I love to connect as people. I like to have more kind of one-on-one deep conversations and it’s just, you can only get so far if you can’t speak the language fluently and it’s not to say you don’t travel. If you don’t speak the language, it’s just the person I am. I like to get to that next level. And it’s hard when you don’t it’s you can only get so far in conversation and you can have a great time. Of course, I’m just at that place in my life where I really want to get more in depth in my conversation, I guess. So I would probably choose, you know, a Spanish speaking country, for sure.

Speaker 1 (36:24):

Yeah. That’s fair. I’ve I’ve done a little bit of travel where there was enough of a disconnect and there’s kind of different levels of communicating with people like maybe dance or music, which is another different level of communication, which is interesting.

Speaker 2 (36:40):

Yeah. And I’m sure in that we observe so many different things that we wouldn’t observe if we were having that conversation. So, I mean, that kind of opens up my mind just to even think about that more. But yeah, I do. I really realized how much more in that way as I get older, I just love to have deeper connections with people. And, um, I feel like my friends are less and less. I love to chat and dance and do all of that too. And I can be extremely extroverted, but it’s, you know, I can, I can very much do my own thing and I just love to have that connection, that human connection. And I think I realized it even more during the pandemic when I didn’t have as much of that human connection with people. How important that is. That was a huge reason.

Speaker 2 (37:22):

I came out here and in saying that I’m here because I’ve met a ton of friends and I’ve had some great connections with them out here. So why would I want to go somewhere else for those friends? Aren’t, you know, and I realized so much of it is not what I see and where I go and how impressive it is. It’s, it’s a way I heal. And that brings me joy to be able to have those kinds of connections with people. And so that’s why it was so easy for me to answer. No, I want to be right where I’m at. Like, I’m excited to go back to New Mexico, but it’s, it’s going to be, it’s going to be hard to, for sure.

Speaker 1 (37:55):

No, and that’s a great answer in the time that you’ve been there. Is there any new music that you’ve discovered?

Speaker 2 (38:01):

Yeah, I feel like I’m on Shizam all the time. You know, shazamming songs everywhere I go. I’ve been super into bilingual hip hop lately because I’ve been, I bought a microphone right before the shutdown and I’ve been doing a lot of writing and singing and rapping and making beats. And so I’ve been really attracted to that style of music since I’ve been here. Um, salsa, I’ve heard so much great salsa. I also love old mariachi around as, um, I grew up around a lot of that in Texas. I was working in Mexican neighborhoods. So those were like my first it’s like, I knew how to sing all this mariachi music, even though I didn’t speak any Spanish. So it’s been really fun just bringing me back to that time in my life and just bringing all that joy, that joy back from that time too.

Speaker 2 (38:47):

And then just really attracted to all of that kind of music. And then they call it like Jasmine Noosh and there’s a clarinet player and a guitar player that I met last time I was here that volunteered with me at the hostel. So I’ve been listening to a ton of jazz, which has never been a big part of my life. You know, I grew up with hippie parents, Bob Dylan, all the way, you know, I grew up loving Bob Dylan, loving the lyrics. You know, my mom took me to Santana. My dad’s a rolling stones, all that kind of music I was exposed to as a kid and didn’t listen to a lot of jazz and this is such a different style of Latin jazz. It’s opened up my mind just to completely different genres of music, where my morphed, so feel the music, then I’m even listening to it. And it’s, it’s just been amazing hearing music that way differently, where I can kind of just go into the zone. And I just feel like I’m hearing all of the instruments differently. And I think also making beats and trying to find different sounds. And what instrument makes this sound has just given me a much bigger appreciation. When I listen to music, I feel like my ears are hearing it differently. That’s been really fun here with the music, for sure.

Speaker 1 (39:53):

Is there a particular new band or group that you’ve picked up on that you can think of?

Speaker 2 (40:00):

Uh, as far as hip hop, uh, really like a lot of Spanish hip hop. I like this. It’s funny. It’s called Santa Fe clan, like KLA N that’s pretty good. I like a lot of the lyrics and I like his voice so hard to remember all the names of things. Cause we’re so quick on Spotify, download, download, download. You know, I remember the days when we would save up for a CD and you knew all the names of the songs and you knew all the lyrics and, and that part to me is a little sad. It’s like, oh, we had such dedication to the groups when we were younger, you know, growing up in the eighties and nineties, when they, I mean, you’d save up for that $25 CD or whatever it was. Maybe it was 15. I don’t know it was a lot of money back then.

Speaker 1 (40:42):

Sometimes I ask people about things they collect, but I’ve Al we’ve also been kind of talking about almost the notion of downsizing and not collecting things or what do we really need. So I feel like that’s maybe not exactly the question. So I think maybe the question is, is there anything since you’ve been there that you felt like you just had, you needed to buy? Like, it was a really special thing

Speaker 2 (41:11):

So much, but growing up in double-take I was a buyer there forever. So I bought from the local artists there for on and off for 20 years. And it was truly had that trained eye of knowing what’s going to sell what people like I’ve been in that jewelry world forever. I feel like, and I’m really attracted to antique jewelry and I couldn’t bring myself to go to the market and cobble and really buy Theresa. But I love to go to a market, find the artists and be able to buy 20 pieces and bring it back to double-take or bring it to some stores in Santa Fe and support, support their art. Still get to see all these beautiful things that I can’t really afford for myself, or don’t want to spend money on, but I just don’t need, but then bring it somewhere else where people can find joy in it.

Speaker 2 (41:53):

So yesterday actually bought some really cool antique jewelry, super unique pieces that I just had never seen. Um, so I love to do that. I love to see how old Silver’s being made and, and the way things are hand done. And in a lot of the antique pieces, I went to this random jewelry, uh, no tie yet. It’s like, uh, where they just basically just fixed story and they have a few things for sale. And, um, I had mentioned, I like antique jewelry and he brought like this dirty cup out of the back and dumped out all this like tangled stuff up. And I was like, yes, this is exactly what I want to look at. You know? So we separated everything and I’m sure he was stoked. I mean, it’s, it’s a pandemic, you know, and they’re not making many sales. And I found so much joy in buying these old pieces.

Speaker 2 (42:38):

He was super happy to sell them to me. Um, and you know, we went back and forth a lot, but I ended up getting some good stuff to bring back to Santa Fe just a little bit. But yeah, my energy just hasn’t been in that. And it’s so weird. I mean, normally I would spend an entire day going to secondhand stores and markets and I just realized, no, I just want to hang out with my friends. So I brought like three of them to LA poss yesterday, just cause I was like, oh, it’ll be more fun if I bring people. And I only spent 20 minutes in one store and did one by, and that was enough. But yeah, other than that, I’ve been doing a lot of trading. I made these, um, t-shirts, that was kind of like a joke, um, Pacific O’Bear and they had like a saying they wanted, they were like, oh, it’d be cool if you made some shirts like that.

Speaker 2 (43:23):

So I printed them, um, in New Mexico and brought them and I’ve just been trading a lot of stuff. You know, like I did a fishing trip with a couple of guys and gave them t-shirts I traded some food for some solar lights. There’s been like a ton of trading going on and I’ve just been calling t-shirts out of my car. Um, I got this super awesome, like old baseball tee that says todo Santos on it. That’s been one of my favorite things. Someone gave me that he had from childhood. And I always loved those baseball teams. You know, they’re so popular now, but I mean, I just collected them when I was younger, even though it was never a baseball player. So that’s been one of my favorite things I’ve ever gotten from someone which is cool, cause it’s all been trade

Speaker 1 (44:00):

Looking for those very unique items. And I love that story of the guy in the shop with the, I think he said coffee cup full of old pieces. Like that’s, That’s something, you know, you’re not gonna come back next year and see the same thing again.

Speaker 2 (44:20):

Yeah, exactly. And usually I’m in that mindset to go to the market and find all the jewelry they’re making. And I love the bead work and I just, I just wasn’t in at this time. And I think a lot of it is I didn’t make the sales I made. I mean, I was zillion hoodies that the ski basin didn’t autobi because they’re stuck with all their stuff from last year and when they closed and I mean, everyone’s just kind of sinking in merchandise right now. So I think that was another thing I just really didn’t want to bring more back because I have such an abundance of stuff right now that I need to sell. So I’ll have to get busy when I get back, I’ve been collecting for years. I buy art, hit markets throughout my life. I still have things from Ecuador and anytime I don’t sell something, I just always tell myself there’s a reason I bought it and I’m going to do something else with it.

Speaker 2 (45:05):

And maybe even five years later, I’d take that cloth. I bought it in market and Panama and I decided to sell it on something or I realized it would make a cool guitar strap. And then I saw them as guitar straps, like with my clothes at a, at a market or something I’m at. So yeah, I think collecting so much stuff. I just love hand done work, whether it’s fabric jewelry, anything. And I think I just have way too much right now. So I’ve been, I was part of not wanting to get too much all is here

Speaker 1 (45:33):

And you’re flying

Speaker 2 (45:34):

Back. Exactly. Yeah. I’m flying back. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with everything I brought. So,

Speaker 1 (45:38):

So another question I usually have is about movies and I feel like you probably haven’t been watching a lot of movies in this last year. Favorite, like when you were a kid or a favorite movies of all time

Speaker 2 (45:54):

Labonte, I always loved, um, my dad was super into boxing, so I grew up watching a lot of old boxing movies like on the waterfront was a really, really old movie. I loved, you know, somebody up there likes me, probably a lot of people don’t even know what these movies are, but he was really into boxing and they were very inspirational. And so I grew up watching a lot of that. I love the sound of music. I know it’s like a cheesy classic, but I love the story in it. I felt so impacted by it as a kid, understanding how that whole historical scene took place in that movie. And, uh, stand by me. You know, those are a lot of my favorite, favorite childhood movies, for sure.

Speaker 1 (46:31):

And I think a lot of times it’s actually the childhood movies that maybe make a bigger impression on us than maybe something we saw yesterday on, on Netflix.

Speaker 2 (46:43):

For sure. I mean, I don’t get me wrong. I put my hours in on some Netflix, some really bad Netflix shows, but usually I’m just falling asleep to them. And then I’ve been trying to watch more shows in Spanish. So, um, you know, I watched some cheesy stuff just to learn slang better and things like that, but it was actually really cool. I was watching this series recently in, uh, in Spanish called I guess it’s like disinfectant novels. It’s called disinfectant novenas actually. Cause it’s about these like three girls out of high school and they’re going to Wahaca and it was like the fifth episode and this really famous, uh, well, Hawkin rapper ended up like being an actress in it and having this whole scene rapping on the beach. And it was, um, one of the ladies that me and Tricia interviewed in Wahaca last year and I was no way, you know, Trisha with when a magazine that I did that freelance interpreting for. I was like, oh, I feel so famous. She’s in the show I’m watching. I was texting. It was really fun to see that though, just to see that there’s this Warhawk in natives, apple take rapper was in this show to acting and I’m like, see, you can do everything. You can rap and you can act and you can do poetry and you can do art. I mean, she’s just one of those people that does everything. And then she’s like in the show I’m watching. So it was pretty fun.

Speaker 1 (47:57):

Super inspiring.

Speaker 2 (47:59):

Yeah. It was.

Speaker 1 (48:01):

I’ve never been to LA haka, but I’ve always, actually wanted to go to Wahaca just for the moly.

Speaker 2 (48:07):

Yeah. Yeah. My gosh. There’s like 17 different kinds of moly. So that’s one of the best cities I’ve ever been in my life by far and will haka.

Speaker 1 (48:17):

So I should go. I should go for the middle lane. You have

Speaker 2 (48:19):

To go the mall. I mean, you can’t even walk past the door without staring at it. Everything is artwork there. Everything. It’s pretty amazing. Yeah. It’s mind blowing for sure.

Speaker 1 (48:31):

Favorite meal or dish you’ve eaten since you’ve been there. Something you’re going to miss when you come back to Mexico or New Mexico for a minute.

Speaker 2 (48:43):

Yeah. Yeah. I miss our Chile by the way. I really miss our chili.

Speaker 1 (48:49):

The reason to come home for sure.

Speaker 2 (48:52):

I know. I know. And it’s not like there’s not chili here, but you know, it’s different. Gosh, I’ve eaten a lot of good food out here. I’m going to miss the seafood. I’ve eaten so much good. [inaudible] I’m right on the ocean. So I have been eating a ton of Savi cha. I’ve gotten into eating a lot of different raw fish to be nice. At first, when a fisherman pulls a scallop out of the water and like hands it to me, but I had horrible allergies and it was like a shot of vitamins. Um, and just, I felt like it cured me. So that’s been amazing. I feel like the food is so healthy, eating all of the seafood that I’m gonna miss a lot and the empanadas I’m going to miss like crazy. There’s just empanadas everywhere. The gas stations. I mean it doesn’t, they’re just everywhere and they’re so good. So yeah, those are some of the dishes on this, but by far fish tacos, shrimp tacos, I mean with five different sauces, you can put on them and it’s all just so fresh. You know, I always feel a little sketchy ordering seafood in New Mexico. So we’re a little far

Speaker 1 (49:53):

I do too, but I love seafood. So sometimes you just have to, you just have to do it. If you were going to be there longer, I would say all of a sudden, do you some chili, I don’t even know how you would send me some fish, but

Speaker 2 (50:09):

I did. I did bring my stash of red chili powder. So I’ve been doing my Frito pies and all that. That’s not the same as going, going to Horseman’s Haven and getting hot and chili that probably has mum Vega in it or whatever, you know, it’s just so good. So Arla, TOSA, you know, I’m just, I’m going to miss those days. I’ve missed those dishes for sure. We have such good food in New Mexico.

Speaker 1 (50:32):

Well, I’m less concerned now knowing that you brought the red chili.

Speaker 2 (50:36):

Yeah, I’ve been okay. Camping. Are you kidding? I wasn’t going to camp for 15 days without chili.

Speaker 1 (50:43):

I hear. Yes. Anything we haven’t talked about that you’d like to throw out there

Speaker 2 (50:49):

Fear. I mean, I think fear is such a, it just strangles us and I realized so much of our fear is, is the unknown. And that’s all it is, is not knowing how things are going to work out. And I feel like, especially in the United States, it’s, everything has to be a plan and where’s it going to take us and what’s going to be the outcome. And as soon as I was really, really able to let go of that, just everything started happening as, I mean, there’s, there’s obviously, there’s a fear that, that helps us to know to get out of situations. But that’s the whole thing. I just think it’s, it’s a powerful thing with that. We’re running away from it because we are kind of position of power and that’s not having fear. That’s being smart and knowing when to get out of a situation, but the whole fear of the unknown and not doing things.

Speaker 2 (51:35):

So they don’t know how they’re going to work out. I mean, that just completely strangles our life really. And I feel like that by far has changed my life. Just not worrying about how things are going to work out, just being present in that moment and knowing that I got to enjoy the people I’m with and, and, and be happy with what I’m doing and just trust that everything is going to work out that way, our it’s in any way or anything we want to do. I mean, that, that really has opened my mind up.

Speaker 1 (52:02):

Can you show us what we can see from outside of where you’re staying right now?

Speaker 2 (52:06):

Sure. Let me see. I mean, I don’t know how much you’ll be able to see, but let’s give it a try just cause it’s kinda dark walking you through the, the hostel and then here’s the outside. It’s got a little bar, little palapa bar.

Speaker 1 (52:22):

Beautiful.

Speaker 2 (52:23):

Yeah. It’s really pretty Palm trees everywhere. So yeah. Let me see if I can kind of show you the camping scene. Usually I’m camping outside, but I’m, I’m volunteering and helping this week. So I have a, a room inside, but like you can see this girls camper out here. They have like a big outdoor kind of scene. It’s so dark though. You’re not going to be able to see much more, but yeah, it’s just full of trees and it’s super mellow and you could see it’s just like a, kind of a quiet outdoor scene here.

Speaker 1 (52:59):

No, that’s beautiful. Thank you for, thank you for sharing that.

Speaker 2 (53:03):

Yeah, for sure. Sorry. I’m a little shaky. This is the clarinet player. We call him super chill here. I feel so thankful that I’ve been able to be here and do my thing. The people are super nice and it’s really set up to have space. You know, they keep it really limited with COVID right now. You know, you can always be outside here, so it gets nice and chilly at night, but you’re just wearing a hoodie. It’s a good place to be really good vine.

Speaker 1 (53:36):

Amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time and let me know when you’re back in in Santa Fe.

Speaker 2 (53:43):

Yeah. We’ll definitely have to connect soon. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I really appreciate it. It’s been awesome to talk with you.

Speaker 1 (53:50):

Absolutely. And, and safe travels back. I’ll I’ll talk to you soon.

Speaker 2 (53:55):

Okay. Thanks. Have a good night.

Speaker 1 (53:58):

Thank you for watching art in the raw. If you’ve enjoyed this conversation, please like comment and subscribe. And if you have questions or ideas for future episodes, please drop them down in the comments below. And we’ll try to address that on future episodes.

Speaker 3 (54:28):

[inaudible].