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Episode #14: Cuban Bahamian Artist & Illustrator Reyna Noriega
Episode Summary:
In this episode, I speak with Afro-Caribbean visual artist Reyna Noriega. Reyna, who is Cuban and Bahamian, works with impressive clients such as Apple, Old Navy, and The New Yorker. Aside from these notable clients, Reyna also self-published her third book “In My Cocoon” which is a collection of poems she wrote during quarantine. Her work is very graphic, full of figures, and “aims to fill the world with vibrant, joyful depictions of marginalized peoples.”
Episode Notes:
This week’s guest believes making money from art isn’t harder than any other career. In this episode, I chat with Cuban-Bahamian artist and author Reyna Noriega who’s worked with clients such as Apple, Old Navy, and The New Yorker. Reyna and I talk about the complexities of being Afro-Latina, why NFTs are dumb, and why she ultimately decided to leave teaching art to focus on being an artist.
Reyna initially tried to tread cautiously into freelancing by taking a creative director role at a startup, but quickly realized it wasn’t for her — so she jumped into freelancing earlier than expected. After just a few months, she was able to stabilize her income and move out of her parents’ house as a full-time artist. Now, she creates illustrations for brands, runs an online shop with the help of her mom, and writes her poems as a form of self-reflection.
In this episode, Reyna shares her journey to becoming a full-time artist, the growing pains of running an online shop, and how she’s now working on creating a legacy for herself and her family.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
Her passion and love for her hometown of Miami
Gentrification and the rising cost of housing in Miami
The struggles of being Afro-Latina
Why she prefers the word Latinx
Impulsively pursuing Psychology at FIU
The reality of being a teacher in the public school system
Why she ultimately left teaching for a creative career
How she decided to take the leap to freelancing
Why she loves being an independent and freelance artist
The growing pains of running an online shop
Creating art beyond social media in order to create a legacy for herself
Why NFTs aren’t real and are cash grabs for artists
The process of writing her collection of poems, “In My Cocoon”
Her experience self-publishing projects
Her upcoming projects in 2021
Guest Info
Check out Reyna’s Instagram, Portfolio, and Shop!
Special Offer
Listeners of the podcast can get a free, undated weekly and monthly planner inspired by the show from our website here.
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Episode Transcript (auto-generated):
00;00;10;03 - 00;00;37;13
Fabiola Lara
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Draws in Spanish. This is a podcast that showcases the creative journey of notable Latinx visual artist and designers. I'm your host, illustrator, podcaster, YouTuber Fabiola Lara. That's Fabiola Lara in Spanish. Today I'm chatting with Afro-Caribbean visual artist Reyna Noriega right now, who is Cuban and Bahamian works with impressive clients such as Apple or maybe and The New Yorker.
00;00;37;22 - 00;00;59;07
Fabiola Lara
Aside from all these incredible clients, Reyna also self-published her third book, In My Cocoon, which is a collection of poems she wrote during quarantine. Her work is very graphic, full of figures and aims to fill the world with, quote, vibrant, joyful depictions of marginalized people. I'm thrilled to get to learn more about her on the show today. So let's jump right into the conversation.
00;01;05;04 - 00;01;11;10
Fabiola Lara
Kayleigh, now, welcome to Draws in Spanish. I'm so happy to have you on the show today. How are you.
00;01;11;10 - 00;01;14;05
Reyna Noriega
Doing? I'm doing great, Fabio. Thank you for having me.
00;01;14;06 - 00;01;21;04
Fabiola Lara
So for those who don't know your work, could you tell us a little bit about yourself, a little intro as to who you are?
00;01;21;04 - 00;01;34;12
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, so I am a Miami based visual artist and author. I like to create works that are very colorful and celebrate my femininity and kind of bring joy to my life. And anybody who encounters it.
00;01;34;12 - 00;01;53;04
Fabiola Lara
Amazing. I definitely can see that coming through in your work that, like, mission statement is very accurate to what you're putting out there. So I know you're in Miami and you're from Miami, born and raised in Miami. I actually I was not born in Miami, but I was raised in Miami. For the first like 12 years of my life.
00;01;53;14 - 00;01;55;22
Fabiola Lara
Can you tell me why you love Miami?
00;01;56;21 - 00;02;21;26
Reyna Noriega
So many reasons. I think first and foremost, the diversity as a Latina with Caribbean roots, it's very important. All of my friends, I move out of Miami. Their biggest issue is that they can't find good Cuban food and they can't find good Puerto Rican food. And it's just like I can't imagine living that way. And I think that city naturally celebrates color and vibrancy and everything's tropical from the plants to the scenery.
00;02;21;26 - 00;02;27;06
Reyna Noriega
So that plays a big role. And I guess I have always felt at home here, and I guess that plays a big role.
00;02;27;06 - 00;02;50;22
Fabiola Lara
And I definitely feel that tropical in this of Miami, it like encapsulates it everywhere, like even the on the highways, it'll be like colorful highways or inside of a supermarket. It's like Publix can be super colorful. And you're like, you know, over here I'm in Philly. That never happens. It's a whole different vibe. So I feel that. I want to ask you, I saw you posted recently that you want people to stop moving to Miami.
00;02;51;00 - 00;02;58;11
Fabiola Lara
Can you elaborate on that? I saw you posted on Reelz today to alluding to the change ever changing Miami. So let's talk about it.
00;02;58;12 - 00;03;26;06
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, I think starting with COVID and the way that our governor and my people in charge handled it and made Florida and Miami the destination for people who didn't want to follow rules and didn't want to keep each other safe. It's like, let's go there. It's all open. That's one thing. And then I think I've always seen in Miami what everyone is now seeing which is like when you go to New York and when you go to L.A., I feel like Miami is the best of all of those worlds with better climate.
00;03;26;06 - 00;03;51;02
Reyna Noriega
And so I think when people started working from home and they're like, okay, so I'm stuck working from home. I'm spending all this money on my apartment. I'm not even that happy here. They wanted to move to Miami so that is fine. You know, I'm usually more welcoming, but it's displacing a lot of people. And like the Little Haiti communities, Little Havana, because the cost of living has risen so quickly that it's insane.
00;03;51;02 - 00;04;04;08
Reyna Noriega
I mean, I was living in an apartment that doubled by the time I was ready to move out. I moved in. It was 34 50 when I was leaving. It was like almost 6000 for a one bedroom with a den, you know? So I was.
00;04;04;09 - 00;04;10;10
Fabiola Lara
Wow, that is so expensive. Even before Miami is so expensive.
00;04;10;10 - 00;04;21;26
Reyna Noriega
Even before that was Brickell, you know? So now it's like you can't even find a studio. Well, that also that's not like the norm. That was a nice apartment. It was a really nice apartment, but.
00;04;21;26 - 00;04;22;26
Fabiola Lara
I believe it better be.
00;04;23;06 - 00;04;23;23
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, but.
00;04;23;23 - 00;04;39;11
Fabiola Lara
It's happening all over Miami. Yeah. And I can definitely see what you're saying. Like people, they just look at the map of the U.S. and they say, Where can I get good weather? And it's still a city being Miami. I will argue that the weather in Miami is not as good as the weather in L.A..
00;04;39;11 - 00;04;46;01
Reyna Noriega
I went for the first time in 20, 20 and I didn't like it. It was cold. Like when the sun goes down, it gets chilly.
00;04;46;17 - 00;05;07;01
Fabiola Lara
That's the best part in my opinion. Yeah. The humidity in Miami, I always found suffocating. And that's not Miami specific in Florida, like because it's so heat in the summer, it's so humid. But that's why it's so beautiful there, too, because of all the lushness that it invites. All right. So did you always feel creative growing up?
00;05;07;04 - 00;05;28;16
Reyna Noriega
Yes and no. I think I was introduced to creativity very young. My dad was an artist, and so I always liked being around it and I liked trying. But I think I hit an age where I started getting really self-conscious. So probably like my elementary middle school days, like I didn't draw at all because I felt like I wasn't that good at it.
00;05;28;22 - 00;05;33;17
Fabiola Lara
Did you feel the pressure from, like, your dad? Like, was he really good at drawing or anything like that?
00;05;33;18 - 00;05;39;10
Reyna Noriega
He was. He was very good. So I guess, yeah, maybe to some extent I compared where I was to where he was.
00;05;39;18 - 00;05;40;18
Fabiola Lara
Which is crazy.
00;05;40;18 - 00;05;41;29
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, which is crazy.
00;05;42;00 - 00;05;45;27
Fabiola Lara
Do you have a memory or a moment where you felt really creative as a kid?
00;05;45;27 - 00;06;00;15
Reyna Noriega
I mean, I was always reimagining my little like Disney book. So like, if I had a book on Pocahontas, I was adding things into like the story and drawing. It was it. Yeah, I loved reading, but it's like I had to take it to the next level and make this story of my own.
00;06;00;20 - 00;06;04;09
Fabiola Lara
Adding into the actual book or like drawings.
00;06;04;15 - 00;06;08;14
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, adding drawings. Into the picture book so that, like, adding on to the story, basically.
00;06;08;17 - 00;06;09;23
Fabiola Lara
Adding to the narrative.
00;06;09;23 - 00;06;10;10
Reyna Noriega
Oh yeah.
00;06;10;10 - 00;06;44;15
Fabiola Lara
Gosh, that is next level to go in and edit. You're like taking that authority you're like, Oh, now this doesn't have to be permanent. I can just own it. I love that you took that upon yourself to go ahead and reimagine your Disney stories. That's beautiful. I used to always draw SpongeBob all the time, so I like to ask that question because I feel like there's always little things that you did as a kid that you forget that they were actually like kind of fundamental Was there a time that you ever felt, like, conflicted or at odds with your identity as an Afro-Latina in the U.S.?
00;06;44;15 - 00;06;45;05
Fabiola Lara
At all?
00;06;45;06 - 00;07;05;27
Reyna Noriega
So for me, it's been conflicted. I think in my younger years I spent a lot of time trying to prove my Latin to my friends in Miami that were Cuban or Colombian. They didn't look like me. And it's strange because now, you know, at my age now and with what I know now in places I've traveled, you know that that's not true.
00;07;05;27 - 00;07;29;25
Reyna Noriega
You know, like there is indigenous communities everywhere. There are black communities everywhere. So whether it's Colombia or Cuba or Puerto Rico, like there's always that diversity, you know, it's just that what you see on TV and what was in my neighborhood, I felt like my blackness came from my mom. Who's Bahamian. But the reality is that my a fellow who's from Havana is darker than my mom, you know?
00;07;29;26 - 00;07;48;26
Reyna Noriega
So as a kid, I didn't really make that connection. And so I was constantly dealing with like, oh, we'll say something in Spanish. Or If you are Spanish, where are you from and what city? And, you know, like kind of having to prove that. And at times, you know, overdoing it myself, like wanting to wear things that said Cuba and wanting, you know, just just wanting to fit in.
00;07;48;26 - 00;07;49;27
Reyna Noriega
In that aspect.
00;07;49;27 - 00;07;57;23
Fabiola Lara
Did you feel like you were pulling more towards the Cuban side? Do you think when you were younger, were you trying to rep Cuba more than then, the Bahamas?
00;07;58;00 - 00;08;23;28
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, absolutely. I think I grew up in like Kendall, so and Kendall it's just a lot of Latin community. It's not even that it's larger. They're more affluent, I feel like. So it's kind of like my friends all I kind of identify that way. And so I like saying it sometimes, but I think I'm more so, like clung to that because that helped me fit in with my chosen friends, I guess.
00;08;23;29 - 00;08;46;01
Reyna Noriega
Is that makes sense because it's like in Kendall, it wasn't a lot. There weren't in my classes. I was like, there weren't a lot of fully black kids. So it's like I can fit in with the majority of the class or I can try to fit in with the minority of the class, which as I grew up, I realize that I had that privilege to kind of like switch back and forth.
00;08;46;01 - 00;09;03;24
Reyna Noriega
So I think that's why I lean now into like representing BIPOC communities, like people of color and like focusing on that aspect. Because in Miami I think I've experienced Afro-Latina that as a privilege rather than a setback. So like you said, that's a loaded question.
00;09;04;12 - 00;09;24;14
Fabiola Lara
It's super loaded, but it's something that I want to talk about too, because obviously it's not my experience. I'm white, but I think it's overlooked you know, talking about Afro-Latinos and also just talking about race within the Latin community, it's so interesting to hear like how strange it is to navigate that, especially when you're young and you're like, you don't know what's going on.
00;09;24;18 - 00;09;26;06
Reyna Noriega
No, at all. At all.
00;09;26;14 - 00;09;45;00
Fabiola Lara
I later moved on to what I like to say is like real Florida. That's outside of Miami, you know, because like, Miami is its own thing. And then you leave Miami and it's like just white southern white people, which is like a whole other ballgame. That made me think Oh, Miami's really diverse, which it is, but it is not so diverse.
00;09;45;04 - 00;09;48;07
Fabiola Lara
Like, the Cuban experience is very specific in Miami.
00;09;48;17 - 00;10;08;08
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. To the point where I always I kind of laugh because when people think of Miami culture, the things that they list is like Cuban culture. You know, it'll be tough to see those, and we will be doing this, doing that. And I'm like, those are all very Cuban things. But when we think of like, what else? There might be other cultures that not pioneered, but the culture that started Miami.
00;10;08;08 - 00;10;28;23
Reyna Noriega
When we think of like Little Haiti and we think about one 25th I think is a lot of bohemians and stuff like that, it's like that is totally left out. If you see like a Miami sticker pack, it's like, it's totally Cuban and like I'm grateful that I'm Cuban and I see that representation. But it always kind of things a little because I'm like, there's so many other people here.
00;10;28;24 - 00;10;53;07
Fabiola Lara
Yeah. Even like D.R. Puerto Rico, which I know I was part of the U.S. but has a different culture and it gets overlooked and I feel like, yeah, everyone paints Miami with what they think is Latino or but it's just a Cuban brush. Obviously Cuba's great, but its just sucks when it's all it's the only spotlight and it's like you're saying so diverse, especially with other communities.
00;10;53;13 - 00;11;22;24
Fabiola Lara
If you weren't Cuban, you would feel completely left out. I had somebody asked me recently why I use the word Latin X, which is just because I think it's gender inclusive. Then speaking of like BIPOC communities, I always felt like Hispanic completely excludes indigenous people because of colonialism. And so I was wondering how you felt about that, because I know that those communities are important to you and you want to represent beyond just, you know, what's commonplace.
00;11;23;15 - 00;11;54;01
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, I think I also like I lean towards Latin next or Latina, even though my Willa, her whole family's from Spain. So it's like I guess technically I could say that I was Hispanic, but like you said, it just erases so much of the diverse history. So I think in time, like everything we're learning right now, we're so fortunate because if we apply it, it allows us to move forward in a way that is welcoming and that we are representing like the majority of people and no one's being left out or just overshadowed.
00;11;54;02 - 00;12;06;22
Reyna Noriega
So yeah, I've definitely, like, adapted my language, and I think it fits for me enough. It's for me. I don't really use Hispanic at all. I don't know if anybody does. Even if I'm from Spain, I.
00;12;06;22 - 00;12;24;10
Fabiola Lara
Had somebody, a listener, actually reach out to me and be like, Why don't you use Hispanic? They were from Miami. I feel sometimes with the word Hispanic is like, I want to associate with Europe, not with Latin America. And it's like, why do Latin people in general idealize that? Right? Like, there's just something weird to unpack there.
00;12;24;17 - 00;12;46;10
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. And I mean, I can see that in all of my cultures because I see that on my mom's side, Bahamian and Jamaican growing up, my grandma, you know, they always kind of like to tie in their roots to either Asia or Native America. You know, it's like, yeah, we have these tribe of Indians was in our bloodline, and this person is from Syria and it's like so far down the line.
00;12;46;10 - 00;13;06;28
Reyna Noriega
But it kind of I think it helps with identity and making people feel like they belong to something that's not full of so much terror. I think it's from all of like the pain we inherited. So it's like, oh, yeah, no. Our whole family wasn't necessarily brought here through slavery. We have these ties to something that it's seen as more beautiful or just.
00;13;07;01 - 00;13;22;05
Fabiola Lara
Like a more positive connotation. Yeah, that makes sense for Afro-Latinos, Afro Caribbean. That's a good perspective. I definitely agree with that. I've only seen it on like with like white Latinos being like, I'm Spanish.
00;13;22;26 - 00;13;37;22
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. But I, you know, and I think we all kind of deal with assimilation and you have a choice. And that's what I was alluding to earlier, that a lot of times you always ask me like, what is your experience as an Afro-Latina? And I can focus on the fact that I didn't feel like my hair was okay.
00;13;37;22 - 00;13;57;06
Reyna Noriega
Or my skin was okay. But to me, having that sense of identity that I can look back and I have an ancestry in a culture that isn't tied to so much trauma as like African Americans have to deal with. To me, that's a big privilege because I'm not lost. I know the language of my ancestors. I know where it comes from to a certain extent.
00;13;57;06 - 00;14;18;13
Reyna Noriega
I think it all eventually, if I go back far enough, you know, there's slavery and messiness in it. But I do, you know, like I have a native language I can type. I feel like this is where my grandparents came from. This is where their grandparents came from. And when you don't have that, that as well as all of the oppression, that's like a bad mix for people to just know where they belong and where they fit in.
00;14;18;24 - 00;14;39;07
Fabiola Lara
Yeah, that definitely makes the verbiage around everything. That term's much more loaded, right? And I can see why people attach themselves to certain terms, and especially since everything's still, like, evolving, I feel like there's new terms every year. Every year there's like a new reason why tour or why not to use a certain word. And I think that's great.
00;14;39;16 - 00;14;58;14
Fabiola Lara
But it also there's so much complication to it depending on your ancestry, like you're saying. Okay, so moving on, from the heavy stuff, let's talk about your art. Let's talk about your art because it's is the main focus here. I noticed when I was reading about you and everything that you went to FSU for psychology. Is that right?
00;14;58;25 - 00;15;02;14
Fabiola Lara
So my first question is, what made you pursue a psychology?
00;15;02;24 - 00;15;21;27
Reyna Noriega
Being scared, honestly, I was able to rediscover my love for art in high school because I was in the IB program and we had the choice. The only thing we got to choose was our electives. So, you know, you get to choose your language and then you get to choose your electives. So I was doing French and then French was fun to me.
00;15;21;27 - 00;15;26;06
Reyna Noriega
I probably should have invested more time in learning Spanish, but I love learning French.
00;15;26;07 - 00;15;27;01
Fabiola Lara
That's neither here nor.
00;15;27;01 - 00;15;42;19
Reyna Noriega
There. Yeah. And then for my two electives, I was stuck between AP psychology and kind of getting a head for college. And then I was like, no, like I b it's so stressful. I want to do something I want to do for once, I'm going to do art. So I fell in love with art. I was like, I don't know what I've been doing with my whole life.
00;15;42;19 - 00;16;08;25
Reyna Noriega
I should have been doing art and not studying like a maniac. So for college, I applied for visual arts to a bunch of schools, got into f r you for visual arts. And then on the day of orientation, they were talking about a new psychology program with a pre-med track. And it's the weirdest thing. I don't know if it was like fear of not being successful as an artist because my parents never pressured me to, like, be a doctor or anything like that.
00;16;08;25 - 00;16;19;00
Reyna Noriega
Like, they would say like, oh, with your grades, you could be a doctor. But something like hearing psychology, pre-med, I'm like, Oh, this is a pressure thing. Like, this is an easy road to success.
00;16;19;00 - 00;16;19;07
Fabiola Lara
It's a.
00;16;19;07 - 00;16;32;04
Reyna Noriega
Pass. This is a path that I can take. And then I was like, Oh, but I can still study art. So like, I minored in art and English. But yeah, it wasn't what I intended. It was just kind of like going to save what I thought was a safe route.
00;16;32;05 - 00;16;57;17
Fabiola Lara
Right. Oh, I am so glad you asked question because I was also an A-B, and I also felt the pressure of like steady, steady, steady, good grades. And yeah, when I went to school, I changed my major a million times trying to find the balance between something secure, something practical, and still wanting to do art, which is why I landed in advertising with a minor in art which is just silly and crazy.
00;16;57;25 - 00;17;20;09
Fabiola Lara
And I love to see that even though you had parents like your dad, who was an artist on his own. Right. So you can see like you had proof that you could do it, right? Like there was someone there showing you it was okay. You still felt like that inner resistance to like follow something a little bit more formal, I guess is the word like just a straight shot?
00;17;20;16 - 00;17;35;10
Fabiola Lara
Because also, I think would they be I don't know if this is how you feel, but I feel like it taught me if I study, I can get good grades and like I'll achieve, I can achieve. And therefore, on a path like that, you're like, oh, I can achieve it, right? Like once you put me on this path, I'll just get there, you know?
00;17;35;17 - 00;17;50;27
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, I know how to study. I know how to stick to something. So, sport, I never had the endurance to work out or do sports or, you know, it was like for me, it was like school. Like, I know that I can control my environment enough to study, enough to get the good grades. It feels a little safer.
00;17;50;27 - 00;18;09;19
Reyna Noriega
And then it's also like my parents didn't pressure me but it's also like, I think keeping up appearances with family, you know, family's going to ask, oh, how are your grades? What are you studying? And like I personally, I just never like dealing with, like, the comments you know, I wish I had the confidence I have now and kind of like the nonchalance, the ownership.
00;18;10;05 - 00;18;17;20
Reyna Noriega
Yes. That I have now, that it's like if you don't believe it's a good choice, like, I don't really care. But back then, I was kind of like, oh, right.
00;18;17;20 - 00;18;35;07
Fabiola Lara
Because you're young. You don't know if they have a point or not. Like, you don't know it's the first time you're doing it. I think that's a good point to just feeling like that is the right thing to do. And I think this is a valuable conversation for people who are currently in school being like, Oh, I'm just going to pick psychology or English or whatever.
00;18;35;07 - 00;18;59;26
Fabiola Lara
It is the safer choice as opposed to maybe the riskier choice of art, even if that's what they really want. Because at the end of the day, you and I still found our way back to Art. We just had to make that loop around for for some reason, whether it was family pressure or mental, you know, I think also with if you're very academic, it seems you were it's like that focus of like, oh, I can just aim for that.
00;19;00;05 - 00;19;08;09
Fabiola Lara
It's a safe track. So how did you go from graduating with a psychology degree to being an artist and an author? Because there's a gap there.
00;19;08;12 - 00;19;29;18
Reyna Noriega
A big gap. So funny enough, you know, like I should have gone with my heart because all of my internships in college were art related. I did like an art Basel internship. I was doing things that were not psychology related. So I did like evening classes at if I and then I was a substitute during the day. So I loved working with kids and things like that.
00;19;29;18 - 00;19;51;26
Reyna Noriega
And the school knew that I was interested in art. So it's kind of a roundabout story, but I ended up trying to move to Portugal the summer after I graduated, and it didn't work out and so when I got back, I had like no money. And the school said that their art teacher had my quit the week before school was supposed to start she was an older lady.
00;19;51;26 - 00;20;04;29
Reyna Noriega
She decided she wanted to follow her daughter. Her daughter was going to college in like South Carolina. She wanted to follow her. So they had no art teacher. They said, Can you cover the classes until we find someone permanent? So I was like, Okay, sure. Temporarily.
00;20;04;29 - 00;20;07;12
Fabiola Lara
While you got on your feedback from Portugal.
00;20;07;14 - 00;20;21;08
Reyna Noriega
Yes. So, you know, I was like subbing a couple of days a week and I was like, okay, well, at least this is like this is consistent income for like however long they need me. And so I loved it so much. The kids loved me so much that they made it permanent.
00;20;21;14 - 00;20;27;15
Fabiola Lara
I love that. I mean, do you feel like that was the right move for you at the time, or do you wish you had done something different?
00;20;27;23 - 00;20;52;23
Reyna Noriega
No, absolutely. It changed so much for me without that pressure. So when you're figuring out, okay, I have to use this art degree, I have to become an artist, and you're like, how, how, how, how, how? I think that would have been too much stress for me as an art teacher. I learned public speaking. I learned how to nurture and mentor I learned confidence in myself because I taught high school.
00;20;52;23 - 00;21;03;09
Reyna Noriega
So if you walk into a high school class acting like you don't know where you are and what you're doing, the kids will eat you alive. I couldn't overthink it. I had to just show up as this version of myself that was like, ready.
00;21;03;13 - 00;21;05;23
Fabiola Lara
You have to own it because otherwise I wouldn't buy it.
00;21;05;24 - 00;21;22;21
Reyna Noriega
Exactly. Exactly. So I had to own it in all aspects, even like the work that I was creating. I spent a lot of time overthinking my work. Is it good enough? Is this is a that I had to just create stuff and share and show the kids as examples and they loved everything, and I think it also helped my confidence on the inside.
00;21;22;21 - 00;21;36;10
Reyna Noriega
And then I was like the young hip teacher. They had me doing a little bit of everything. So I was doing clubs, I was creating fliers for these clubs and T-shirts, and it taught me like skills that I ended up using once I started freelancing more.
00;21;36;10 - 00;22;04;28
Fabiola Lara
I love when kind of life hands do things that you didn't have as part of your plan, but neither was coming back from Portugal as part of your plan, and things just work out and kind of push you towards the right direction, which is sounds like this job that you kind of came out of nowhere. How became a stepping stone and you becoming an artist, so how did you go from that position as an art teacher to then going freelance as an artist?
00;22;05;04 - 00;22;21;24
Reyna Noriega
So while I was teaching, I was doing a lot of freelance on the side, but I was so happy as a teacher. I wasn't in a rush to become like a full time freelancer, you know, like I was good. I enjoy my students. Every day was something new, you know, they gave me like I was always teacher of the month.
00;22;21;24 - 00;22;42;19
Reyna Noriega
I one teacher of the year my first year. So I was just like I was feeling good, you know? And it wasn't until like my fourth year that I started to get really uncomfortable. The school grade had fallen from like a C to like a D or something. And so that puts administration on edge because all eyes are on them when your schools are doing good.
00;22;42;19 - 00;22;58;09
Reyna Noriega
So that meant all eyes are then all the teachers and all eyes have to be on the students. So they just changed a lot of things. The kids weren't allowed to have, like cell phones during school hours. We were responsible for collecting them. And if they went lost like they were our financial responsibility. And I didn't like that.
00;22;58;11 - 00;23;16;17
Reyna Noriega
They took away a lot of incentives for the students and activities and things that I was in charge of that I used to like fundraise. And it didn't make sense because they were going so hard on testing but not giving the kids any incentives. So everybody from the teachers to the students were just burnt out and we did not want to be there, you know?
00;23;16;29 - 00;23;39;02
Reyna Noriega
And so for the first time while I was teaching, I just found myself complaining a lot, complaining, complaining, complaining. And I started to hear myself and the things that I was saying out loud, like I started to hear it back at me. All the joy was being sucked from me. And then I always hated passing by teachers and there in the hallways, like complaining and gossiping with each other.
00;23;39;02 - 00;23;54;21
Reyna Noriega
And I realized that I had become that with my friend, the dance teacher across the hall. Like, we were just like, bro, like, it's us here. And so eventually, like, I heard myself and I started to question, like, why I felt that way. And if that was good for anybody, for me to kind of, like, have that feeling of that attitude.
00;23;54;21 - 00;24;11;13
Reyna Noriega
And so I started remembering, like, my original plan, which was I always wanted to kind of be self-sufficient before I became a real adult, you know, like, we don't know what God has planned, but I'm like, no, I'm going to get married. And I'm going to have kids. I want to have my own business and be on my own time and whatever.
00;24;11;13 - 00;24;16;26
Reyna Noriega
Because all the teachers I knew that had kids were miserable because they do everything at school and then they go home and, you know, like.
00;24;16;26 - 00;24;18;08
Fabiola Lara
I was they have more kids to deal with.
00;24;18;27 - 00;24;42;09
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. Yeah. I wasn't I wasn't ready for kids, but I was like, no, I have to be prepared because one day I like that thinking, Yeah, so I was like, maybe that's like, this is happening because I kind of gave up on that dream to kind of like where for myself and stuff. So that was one thought. And then you know, just as God or the universe would have it, like I told you, I came in on a temporary basis.
00;24;42;17 - 00;25;12;24
Reyna Noriega
So they paid me as like a full time sub but not a full time teacher. So my whole first year working, I was technically like a full time substitute, which meant that my temporary certificate was supposed to last three years. So long story short, I was supposed to. The state pays for you to move from a temporary certificate to a professional certificate if you have a full calendar year left, which I assume I had, because that first year that I explained all mixed up.
00;25;13;23 - 00;25;34;01
Reyna Noriega
So anyways, when I went to apply for the program to move on, they told me, no, you have to pay out of pocket because your temporary certificate expires in six months. And I was like, What? And so that combined with everything else, I had the choice. I could pay thousands of dollars to get the certificate and make the same amount of money every year for the next 30 years of my life.
00;25;34;01 - 00;25;47;25
Reyna Noriega
Or I could like take a chance. So yeah. So yeah, all in all, it was very hard. It was very hard to leave my kids. That was like the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And so, like, tell them, but that's how it happened. Wow.
00;25;47;26 - 00;26;13;01
Fabiola Lara
Yeah. It was like the trouble of staying a teacher was not worth it anymore, right? Like, because even though you then had to make the jump into uncertainty, right? Like the uncertainty of of being a freelance artist that's still won over the havoc that was teaching at the moment. And it's like a sad reality that teaching is just so depressing.
00;26;13;12 - 00;26;28;01
Fabiola Lara
It sounds like it's like I've met a few teachers already and I'm like, wow, that just doesn't seem to be worth it. Which is horrible because it should be worth it, right? Like it should in theory. It sounds amazing to teach kids about art.
00;26;28;05 - 00;26;45;22
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. It's like politics. You look at and you're like, If I were president I would do X, Y, Z, and then you become president. And you're like, I really can't do anything because all these people are blocking what I'm trying to do, you know? So it's like, there's only so much I could do. And I think that's why I had so much hope my first year, because teaching is great, you know?
00;26;45;22 - 00;27;01;20
Reyna Noriega
It's not like you have a boss breathing over your shoulders. Like I could teach whatever, you know, like no one's checking in on me besides for reviews and stuff like that. And when they were letting me do activities and field trips and stuff, it made my job feel worthwhile because, yeah, the kids are like working really hard, but here's the reward.
00;27;01;21 - 00;27;06;27
Reyna Noriega
But when you take all of that away, you kind of take away all the incentives. It's like, Okay, what is the point?
00;27;07;02 - 00;27;26;23
Fabiola Lara
Yeah, you just become like that cog in the machine that's like pushing down standardized testing because you have to. And then I can see definitely the appeal of being an artist. So how did you feel when you switched to being a freelance artist for those listeners that maybe are considering it or just starting it themselves?
00;27;27;14 - 00;27;52;04
Reyna Noriega
Well, I was cautious, so I didn't feel like I was ready. My mom felt like I was ready. She was like, Oh, you can open a studio, you can do this. And then I was like, Mom, no. So when I resigned, I got a job for a startup as a creative director. So that kind of like paid me what I was paying before, and that ended up not working out, and that's when I ended up freelancing.
00;27;52;04 - 00;28;15;03
Reyna Noriega
So that kind of like, it was like I was trying to be cautious and God was like, No, throw yourself. So yeah, it ended up being a nightmare. Experience between me and the boss. And I had to, like, quit one day and I didn't have a plan. And luckily my lease was up on my apartment, so I just moved back in with my parents and I was like, Okay, I'll try full time freelancing and I will see how it goes.
00;28;15;05 - 00;28;35;16
Reyna Noriega
And so that first month, I kind of just program myself I was like, Okay, so I need to make this amount of money. Then I need to have this amount of clients and I found them or they found me or I don't know how it happened, but it kind of like it happened, you know? And so from there, though, you don't have the peace of mind because you don't know what next month.
00;28;36;00 - 00;28;52;24
Reyna Noriega
So, yes, I found I don't know how many clients I needed back then with seven or ten, you know, people I need to pay my bills. But first of all, you're dealing with a lot of people and a lot of personalities and a lot that being asked of you. And then you have to duplicate that month after month after month.
00;28;53;03 - 00;29;12;27
Reyna Noriega
So it was not easy, but I made it work and I was able to move out from my parents house within that month and live where I wanted to live. So my parents live south like Homestead Area, and I wanted to live in the city. So I ended up moving to Brickell, where I was able to move around and meet people and kind of like, you know, being when will.
00;29;12;28 - 00;29;13;21
Fabiola Lara
Be in the mix.
00;29;13;26 - 00;29;19;14
Reyna Noriega
Mingle with artists. Yeah. So then that helps you get even more clients. So it was a process scary process.
00;29;19;20 - 00;29;27;00
Fabiola Lara
Do you remember what was the most shocking thing about going freelance to you that you were like into or excited about?
00;29;27;10 - 00;29;42;20
Reyna Noriega
I was excited about being able to shape my days the way that I wanted to. I really like the fact that I could make as much work as I was able to produce. That's the amount of money, whereas in teaching, this is what you make no matter how hard you're working. Like this is just what you get paid.
00;29;42;21 - 00;29;43;25
Fabiola Lara
Yeah, there's like a cap.
00;29;43;29 - 00;30;07;05
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. That was a nice welcome change. Also, being able to work from anywhere, you know, I used to work by the pool in my apartment building and where I would go to cafes, and I think everyone experiences during the pandemic what it feels like to kind of be on your own time or work remotely. But that's something that I picked up on because as a teacher, by the time you finish working, you can't go to the doctor.
00;30;07;13 - 00;30;18;28
Reyna Noriega
You can't really do anything. The mall is pass by the time you get out. So it's kind of like being on your own time and seeing what the world is like when it's not busy and packed. You're like, Wow, this is really peaceful.
00;30;19;22 - 00;30;46;16
Fabiola Lara
Yeah, you can do your errands when everyone else is stuck at work. That is a big plus. And I do agree with you on like as much as your hustle is as much money as you can make. So even though that can be scary at first because you're like, what if nobody buys what I'm selling? What if everybody does buy what you're selling and you can max it out and you have like your biggest, highest earning months that could have never been possible, you know, regular nine to five where you're capped, no matter how hard you work.
00;30;46;17 - 00;30;47;07
Reyna Noriega
Absolutely.
00;30;47;14 - 00;31;09;13
Fabiola Lara
That is essential. And I think that's exciting for that's the exciting part of freelance that people are just scared about. I think when you first go freelance and lose that, like stability. Speaking of your mom being your advocate, your biggest advocate here, I read in an article for PopSugar that your mom helps you with your online shop which I think is so adorable.
00;31;09;13 - 00;31;18;03
Fabiola Lara
Can you share your experience with writing and online shopping and how that's been like for you? Especially with your mom and play yeah.
00;31;18;03 - 00;31;38;05
Reyna Noriega
Oh, my God. So so I'm looking back now. I think in the beginning I had no idea where to start, you know, and for a lot of people, it's hard to start because of all of the questions. So for me, I was like, Okay, so where do I get stuff printed? What is a good quality like that? I can balance the cost of production with I quality people will like how do I ship out orders?
00;31;38;05 - 00;31;55;01
Reyna Noriega
All of that. So in the beginning it was fine because I was only selling like a few prints a week. I was only getting like one or two orders. Like five orders a week would have been like a great week. And so I was writing addresses by hand. I didn't have any of these. I don't know what you use, but now I use like ship station.
00;31;55;01 - 00;32;13;06
Reyna Noriega
And so like it makes labels automatically. But I was writing people's addresses by hand and having to go to the post office and scan them in one by one and pay for them like that. Worked when I only had five, ten orders at a time. And then I tweeted something one day right before I was supposed to move.
00;32;13;22 - 00;32;29;23
Reyna Noriega
So I was on like a mini book tour and then I was supposed to move to Barcelona. So I tweeted something about my art and it went viral. And from there, like I was getting like hundreds of orders, you know, and in one night and I was like, Holy crap. Wow.
00;32;29;23 - 00;32;31;03
Fabiola Lara
Yeah, that's exciting, though.
00;32;31;16 - 00;32;48;17
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. I think the tweet circulated for like three days, so within those three days, it was like probably I think it got to like two 50, something like that. Orders. So that was a lot when I was used to doing five orders a week. So I needed my mom's help. It was a nightmare, and I think we still did, though.
00;32;49;05 - 00;32;50;18
Reyna Noriega
We did those by hand.
00;32;50;19 - 00;32;55;19
Fabiola Lara
I'm laughing now because you I know that you're on the other side of it, but yeah, that sounds chaotic.
00;32;55;25 - 00;33;15;15
Reyna Noriega
The most apologies I've had to send through email, like because it took, I think, like a month to get them all out because we were writing addresses by hand taking batches to the post office. It was a nightmare. But from there, you know, my dad kind of gave and he's like, You need a label printer. And I'm like, Okay, well, if I got a label printer, how does it know how to print the labels?
00;33;15;15 - 00;33;19;11
Reyna Noriega
And then we figured out that I needed something to, like, intercept my orders.
00;33;20;01 - 00;33;21;03
Fabiola Lara
To the label maker.
00;33;21;03 - 00;33;39;26
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, all of that I had to figure out. And then eventually we as I started to get more like big commission projects with like brands, I had to focus on that. And then my mom was able to focus on that online shop orders, which worked out because COVID, she's also a teacher and she could teach. So it kind of like works out.
00;33;39;26 - 00;33;42;11
Fabiola Lara
Oh, that's amazing. So she's still running your shop.
00;33;42;20 - 00;33;42;28
Reyna Noriega
Mm.
00;33;43;09 - 00;33;50;23
Fabiola Lara
Does she handle all the printing and stuff like that or what? How is that looking like? Because you have a lot of items in your store. A lot of different kinds of items.
00;33;51;05 - 00;34;08;21
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, lots of different ones. I've been trying to figure that out too, because every time I want to clean off the website and like start fresh, I see that people still buy like the first prints I had on there and I'm like, Well, I don't want to take them away. Like, if people are still discovering the work and falling in love with it, I kind of want to keep it available.
00;34;08;26 - 00;34;29;20
Reyna Noriega
So yeah, we've been going through changes. That is what makes me passionate about speaking out, my experience as a full time artist because and that's something I would tell my students as a teacher, you know, it's just people they kind of like lie to us and they make it seem like making money from art is hard and it's not harder than anything else because when you think about it, art is everywhere.
00;34;29;20 - 00;34;39;14
Reyna Noriega
It's on the cover of the notebooks that you buy and target it's the cover art for CDs and movies. And, you know, so it's like every industry you can think of. They need.
00;34;39;14 - 00;34;41;11
Fabiola Lara
Restaurants, every everything.
00;34;41;15 - 00;35;01;20
Reyna Noriega
Menus, you know, like they need artists and there are artists getting paid. So that's the funny part because now when I think about it, it's like, not only am I an artist, but I have like ten jobs. It's kind of like it's impossible to run an online shop that is really successful while also running like a freelance artist, you know, like.
00;35;01;20 - 00;35;02;25
Fabiola Lara
The commercial artist.
00;35;03;01 - 00;35;11;23
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. Eventually I gave up working with like clients on like, logos and stuff because I couldn't do, you know, the smaller individual jobs. It made more sense to do the big one.
00;35;11;25 - 00;35;39;16
Fabiola Lara
No, I totally agree with you. People think that art can't be a viable career without thinking like all the different applications and paths that there are within art. Like you're saying, having a shop is something completely separate from you as like a working artist. Speaking of of you being like a working artist and having to step away from the shop can you walk me through what kinds of projects you're taking on now and like how you work through them, you know, a separate from your shop?
00;35;39;21 - 00;36;02;11
Reyna Noriega
Yeah. So a lot of the work that I do now helps the bigger brands kind of with like storytelling and representation of my communities. So kind of like leveraging my identities and my understanding as a woman and how I put that into my creations. It also helps for these brands to try to tell the story and share in a way that people can connect with it.
00;36;02;12 - 00;36;22;02
Reyna Noriega
That's kind of like the majority of the work that I do. And then on a personal level, I want to move more towards creating that legacy for myself and a lot of what creating art feels like nowadays with the way that Instagram is going and with the way that brands kind of like come for a season and then leave.
00;36;22;11 - 00;36;49;03
Reyna Noriega
It makes the work feel very disposable. And I don't like that feeling, so it's made it hard for me to post art the same way that I do like social media where it's like like it's never enough, you know, like you need to post 30 artworks a month for people to be satisfied. And it's not a sustainable way to create because even if you don't have anything to say or to share, it's like you have that pressure of, Oh, I need to post something to keep my fans engaged.
00;36;49;12 - 00;37;09;24
Reyna Noriega
And I just feel like my work is worth a lot more than that. And to just be something that I posted four weeks ago that no one looks at like I'm in a weird space now where I want to create things that are longer lasting and and will be part of my legacy and my family's legacy. And so just more tangible things.
00;37;10;02 - 00;37;12;17
Fabiola Lara
Moving more towards like the fine art space.
00;37;12;25 - 00;37;43;19
Reyna Noriega
Definitely. That's definitely been like a goal of mine for a long time. And I've tried to find the balance like I mentioned earlier with my shop, it's like I love having a lot of things on there that people resonate with, and that is affordable because when we think of our communities as people of color, like we don't have galleries and we don't have the means to collect $100,000 pieces of artwork so that's my relationship with my art and the way that I sell it and the price point that I sell it.
00;37;43;19 - 00;38;01;17
Reyna Noriega
And kind of like the reason that I've shied away from fees is because what brought me into this space is being accessible. And while for myself as an artist, I want to have like those fine art pieces and be able to like navigate that space. I don't want to lose it's accessibility.
00;38;02;04 - 00;38;18;14
Fabiola Lara
Right? I think for a long time it's been like you have to do one or the other. Like someone who has accessible work is not in a museum. But I think the more and more that I don't know if this is due to Instagram or the Internet in general, that line is blurring. You know, like museums are starting to care less about that.
00;38;18;23 - 00;38;34;04
Fabiola Lara
And like if you have a work, like you said, like an online stores and like that, that's fine. You can still have the opportunity to be in a gallery if you find, you know, the right curator the right space, whatever, all that kind of stuff, it's possible now more than ever. But I do see that a lot of artists struggle with that.
00;38;34;04 - 00;38;55;26
Fabiola Lara
Like it's always been so black and white. Like you either go for fine art or you go for a commercial. But I think now is like the perfect time to start doing more. And I think your point on like having stuff that's less ephemeral, less disposable, which is what Instagram feels like a lot. It makes sense as to why you're kind of craving that, like something a little bit more permanent.
00;38;56;05 - 00;39;16;21
Fabiola Lara
And I love that you brought up an F Ts because I know that you are opposed to them. I am as well, and I think it makes so much sense that you would be opposed to them. It just goes to show your kind of character because if you liked them or were into it, it would feel conflicting to your entire like core as an artist.
00;39;16;28 - 00;39;18;28
Fabiola Lara
Tell me more about how you feel about NFTS.
00;39;19;01 - 00;39;37;14
Reyna Noriega
So my first issue, you know, starting from when I first heard about it, because I feel like the whole world, somebody had kind of tried to educate me on them, and so I had known about it and I had been ignoring it. And then something happened where everyone found out about it and I was getting text messages from every friend I've ever had that I no longer speak to.
00;39;37;19 - 00;39;53;15
Reyna Noriega
Every family member that I never hear from was like sending me articles like, hey, you know, hey, primo, I think your work would look very good and you could be very successful in that space. And I'm like, Okay. And I just continue to ignore it because first of all, no one could give me a good reason for it.
00;39;53;16 - 00;40;17;15
Reyna Noriega
First of all, besides the fact that you could make a lot of money to me, that's not a motivation. Then I found that the kind of energetic and the environmental toll that it has on society, and I was like, That makes no sense because it's not even real then I think when I heard about it was around the same time as like, I don't know if you remember when that stuff was funny, but when that stuff was happening on Wayfair and everybody was like all Wayfair selling children, yes.
00;40;17;22 - 00;40;35;08
Reyna Noriega
I was like, That is so stupid because billionaires are not going to do a transaction that can be traced to do that. They're using like probably like art auctions and stuff. And then I heard about nephews and I was like, Yep, because this makes no sense besides being a way to like launder money or like, yeah, you know, like it just it just didn't make any sense.
00;40;35;08 - 00;40;53;19
Reyna Noriega
And it felt like, like, I'm saying, like, I wanted my art to be accessible as an Afro-Latina, as a black woman showing up in galleries, first of all, you're looked at as like, why are you here? And then when you look around, there's no work that represents you. So my work was meant to be inclusive and be something that we can enjoy.
00;40;53;19 - 00;41;24;18
Reyna Noriega
And then it's like, okay, here's this thing now where someone can feel better. Like, they're supporting me better because they paid for it and they own it versus the people who are just enjoying it. And I just I didn't like that aspect of it at all. So moving forward, as I hear about the metaverse, it makes it even stronger because it just feels like we're trying to step over all the issues we have in our present society and be like, No, no, we're just going to live in this fake world and just ignore the fact that everything else is just disintegrating.
00;41;24;25 - 00;41;50;28
Fabiola Lara
Let's just ignore the fact that it uses so much energy that it's destroying, you know, so that it's using so much energy alone is just doesn't make sense. And then, you know, we're ignoring all these other essential issues to our present day life. It just seems like a giant cash grab and it's like if you wanted to do something that was just a giant cash grab, I guess nfts make sense.
00;41;50;28 - 00;42;09;12
Fabiola Lara
But other than that, I have one thing that I think NFTS are cool about, but I don't think it's worth to do them. And it's like the fact that it can be. I think artists like if you have a piece and you sell it and then that person sells it, right? Like they resell your work, you still get a cut as the original artist.
00;42;09;20 - 00;42;20;07
Fabiola Lara
I think that's the only cool thing because like for example, you know, if you were to sell your fine artwork, you may not get a piece if it gets resold, right? If it gets resold, like just the person who owns it gets the money from you.
00;42;20;16 - 00;42;37;15
Reyna Noriega
But that's the thing. And I don't know because people have told me that too. But if you construct your deals when you sell your work to galleries in that way, you can also get a percentage. So it's not doing anything completely new. I think that is a good aspect of it. I just feel like we.
00;42;37;15 - 00;42;39;28
Fabiola Lara
Can also apply that to our present day contract.
00;42;40;00 - 00;42;59;16
Reyna Noriega
It's the combination of how I feel about everything that makes me say no because it's like if yes, you can make a lot of money from it, but it doesn't destroy the environment. Maybe I'd be like, Oh, okay, at least I can keep track you know, people are sharing and stealing my work anyways. At least I can get like a cut from it, but it just like it's just too much of a guess.
00;42;59;16 - 00;43;19;11
Fabiola Lara
Like there's so many layers of bad ingrained into it and it's also just like, do I want to sell my work to a bunch of, like, tech bros? No, thanks, it's fine. But if there are any listeners who feel like they need to make an NFT, that's their only way to make money on this earth. Fine. You know, if you feel like you you are at zero.
00;43;19;17 - 00;43;42;22
Fabiola Lara
But I especially judge the artist who already are making a good living as an artist and then go and do NFT is like, What are you doing enough on shitting? And it's TS. I know that you've written now your third book of poems. It's a collection of poems. So can you tell me more about the process of not only writing, but also creating the art that goes with it and all of that?
00;43;43;00 - 00;44;10;07
Reyna Noriega
So I love the process of creating the books that I create because that is my time to kind of reflect on everything that I'm learning and everything that I'm going through. It's it's my inner dialog on paper. So that process of like collecting the poems that will go in the book and then eventually refining the order and the format and how they will be sectioned off and then the illustrations, it's like a way for me to revisit the path and the journey of my life.
00;44;10;07 - 00;44;42;27
Reyna Noriega
And I think the only thing or the most important thing that has allowed me to grow and to be successful is the fact that I've always looked at my journey as something that is like that's where I get my power from. So the good and the bad, being able to see where I was to where I am now, like I get so much energy from that because if you look back far enough, you get to kind of see like what we were talking about earlier with doing things like in the Disney books and stuff, how they're hints of what you want and we look at a lot of things to have in our life as if
00;44;43;01 - 00;45;06;11
Reyna Noriega
they happen by accident or they're just all bad. And a lot of times they're hints and they're pushing us towards where we need to go. And so in documenting those feelings and keeping them as poems and then eventually making the compilation, it allows me to look at it and be like, Wow. So in this moment I didn't realize it, but I was really focused and hurting in this way because I needed to learn this.
00;45;06;11 - 00;45;29;13
Reyna Noriega
And then that allowed me to do this. So each book is kind of like something different. And Bloom was just a lot of me coming out of my shell getting over imposter syndrome, and that led me into my season of just like being full time, like freelance and being successful at that. And I think, you know, in my cocoon was another phase of growth that allowed me to reflect and accelerate more in my career.
00;45;29;13 - 00;45;41;29
Reyna Noriega
But also kind of get over the blocks that were keeping me from cultivating the kind of love that I wanted. So it's like it's interesting because in the beginning I didn't know what would happen at the end, you know.
00;45;41;29 - 00;45;42;22
Fabiola Lara
At the end of the book.
00;45;42;22 - 00;45;48;23
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, yeah. But when I think of the things I was saying and thinking about it, literally, that's where it led me.
00;45;48;25 - 00;46;01;27
Fabiola Lara
That's amazing. Yeah. So help you develop not only your work as an artist and an author, but then also your path in life, both career and personal right there. Like little time capsules that you're learning from.
00;46;02;08 - 00;46;14;26
Reyna Noriega
So I think it's comforting for people who read it and they realize, oh, no, like there's nothing wrong with what I'm going through. It's actually preparation and I think it gives people like the strength and the encouragement to keep going and to, like, reflect what they've been through.
00;46;15;06 - 00;46;40;13
Fabiola Lara
Yeah. And relates to the stage that there are now, I think a lot of people were always like aspiring and it's really, really, like refreshing when we feel like we're seeing where we are currently as opposed to just constantly being like aspiring aspiring. If your poems are relatable in that moment, it's just like that's where I feel like people find comfort and kind of unlock a different emotion.
00;46;40;16 - 00;46;44;08
Fabiola Lara
I love it. I'm very excited. I'm going to have to check it out. Where is it available?
00;46;44;10 - 00;46;49;09
Reyna Noriega
I have the link on my website, so right now it's on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
00;46;49;13 - 00;46;52;11
Fabiola Lara
Perfect, perfect. That's amazing. Are you self-publishing?
00;46;52;26 - 00;46;53;19
Reyna Noriega
Self-publishing?
00;46;53;19 - 00;47;12;02
Fabiola Lara
Yes. I love that you're doing that. I feel like a lot of people think like you need permission from someone, and I think you're a perfect example. Like you don't need permission. You can just go ahead and do it yourselves. Can you tell me about that? Like the process of self-publishing projects, you know what I mean? Like doing it for yourself?
00;47;12;05 - 00;47;33;13
Reyna Noriega
Yeah, I've always kind of been forced to do that, funny enough, because the things that I want to create, I want to create them and it bothers me, don't know at me if I don't get it done, you know? So waiting for a publisher, to me, it's kind of like it does the work a disservice because like, I'm growing, I'm changing, and who knows, you know, like if they will feel what I feel from it.
00;47;33;23 - 00;48;04;26
Reyna Noriega
So I know especially for the poetry collections it was important for me to like have 100% say, you know, I don't want anyone telling me what the cover should look like or what I should talk about. Like, that's authentic. That's what I'm feeling. So I do understand, like the benefits of being represented by a large publisher. And so maybe there are projects in the future I'll wait for, but for the poetry collection and just being someone who like I write for myself, I do the illustrations, you can find an editor, you know, that's not that hard.
00;48;05;02 - 00;48;07;06
Reyna Noriega
It just feels like, why wait, you know?
00;48;07;26 - 00;48;30;07
Fabiola Lara
Yeah, I love that you're just taking that just ownership. Like, I want to do it. I'm going to get it done. And I think that's I feel like a lot of artists think they need permission and to move forward as an artist, as an author, as a creative director, I guess anything like you need permission from some entity out there, but you are like living proof that you can just if you want to do it, you can set out to do it, like with a clothing collection or whatever.
00;48;30;08 - 00;48;48;24
Fabiola Lara
Maybe next for you. You're just going out and getting it for yourself. And I think that's like such a good message for people who feel like they are waiting for something. Okay, so just wrapping it up, I know you've already accomplished so much as an artist and author. What's a dream project for you that's left for you? Because honestly, I feel like you've done so much.
00;48;50;13 - 00;49;21;03
Reyna Noriega
That is a very good question. I think the clothing I love style so much. I love fashion so much. So being able to reimagine my work in that way is something that I'm really looking forward to. Continuing to find ways to share my voice, my actual voice, because I think my art is a part of my voice, my writing is a part of my voice, but my actual like, you know, me speaking and sharing my thoughts, I've been really looking for ways that I can connect with people and keep encouraging people.
00;49;21;09 - 00;49;25;17
Reyna Noriega
So I don't know what that will look like in the future. I have been working on a podcast.
00;49;25;17 - 00;49;47;04
Fabiola Lara
Amazing. I was going to say you've been embracing Instagram reels a lot on a level that I think a lot of artists shy away from reels and are terrified, and I feel like you're throwing yourself like into it. And I make sense for you, like with your personality and your voice and your style and oh my gosh, you're developing a podcast; do you want to tell me about it, or is it still under wraps?
00;49;47;20 - 00;50;04;10
Reyna Noriega
It's going well. I don't have that many episodes recorded, but I have like the format and just wanting it to be something that is beneficial to people who want to be artists that have, you know, any roadblocks in the way and then hoping that leads to like, who knows, like TV or something anything.
00;50;04;10 - 00;50;04;26
Fabiola Lara
Anything.
00;50;04;26 - 00;50;07;05
Reyna Noriega
Try to be Bob Ross, but Reyna Ross.
00;50;07;05 - 00;50;12;19
Fabiola Lara
Amazing. So one last question. How can we all support your work?
00;50;12;28 - 00;50;32;22
Reyna Noriega
I mean, I think my Instagram is the hub for most things. That's probably where I spend most of my time. So from there you can find everything. My website, my shop, what's new, any installations and, you know, just support and share. Tell me if you like it. I love knowing my work resonates with people. It keeps me going and that's about it.
00;50;32;23 - 00;50;51;07
Fabiola Lara
Thank you so much, Lena, for your time, for your energy, for everything. I really appreciate it. And I can't wait to keep seeing you watch you, like, grow and thrive. On Instagram reels. I feel like you have some amazing. The one that you posted today. I'll link in the show notes I thought was super encouraging. Thank you so much for your time.
00;50;51;25 - 00;50;52;23
Reyna Noriega
Thank you for having me.
00;50;56;01 - 00;51;21;22
Fabiola Lara
All right, everyone. That was my amazing conversation with Cuban Bahamian artist and author Reyna Noriega. I'll leave all her links in the show notes, which you could open right here on your podcast app, wherever you're listening. If you want more content from me, I share art studio vlogs and tutorials over on my YouTube channel every other week. Between podcast episodes, you can find my channel link below or search for @fabiolitadraws
00;51;21;22 - 00;51;43;15
Fabiola Lara
in the YouTube app. Finally, like always, if there's a Latin next visual artist, this includes designers, photographers, 3D artists, any visual medium there's based in the U.S. that you think I should speak to on the show, please go ahead and nominate them by going to drawsinspanish.com/nominate
00;51;43;21 - 00;51;59;12
Fabiola Lara
That's drawsinspanish.com/nominate. If you enjoyed this episode, please make my day and hit subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of [Draws in Spanish}. Thank you y hasta la proxima, chao!