We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gracia The Artist. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gracia The Artist below.
Alright, Gracia The Artist thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I’ve always been grateful for how organically it all began – It started with a camcorder, making short films, music videos and sketches after school with the kids in my neighborhood. We had BIG imaginations and because we were working without editing software back then we spent a lot of time getting really creative coming up with in-camera effects and transitions. We made entire music videos by pressing start and stop on a CD player in unison with the record button on my camcorder! Haha. I think it was low-key brilliant some of what we managed to pull off.
I don’t really have any regrets regarding the pace of my journey. In a world that glorifies multitasking and hustle-culture it’s empowering to remember that your timeline is your own. One thing at a time can be more than enough. We live in such a fast paced world and I think it’s easy to forget that things can take time to build. I think it can also be easy to underestimate the role and power of “rest” and “play” in the creation of art.
I believe that what is meant for you won’t pass you by. That’s not to say that you just passively wait for that ‘something magical’ to happen – definitely not! The work is challenging. I think if you’re feeling challenged by what you’re creating then there’s a good chance you’re headed in the right direction!
I’m a “recovering perfectionist”. Haha! It can quickly decenter me if I’m not taking good care of myself. It’s something I’m working on right now. I think each step, skill, practice, and conversation prioritized along the way has potential to be “essential”. I generally believe that everything is connected and that everything informs everything else. This is not to say we’re supposed to just hold on to everything though! Life has so much to offer you when you allow yourself to be open, but you will also have to let things go along the way.
Something that is important to me to continually practice is holding space for things to shift and bend and move. It feels to me like a practice of honoring and respecting creation when things are allowed to be/change as they need to. We all know things end; projects, friendships, seasons, and that doesn’t just stop being difficult, but I think in most cases it becomes easier as you get better at relinquishing resistance and practice acceptance where and when it’s needed. I think this surrender will ultimately lend to you better respecting yourself as well. You begin to find what best aligns with you when you stop trying to force things to fit, and that’s the magic. I think this is where we meet sustainability. And this is where I remind myself to have faith that what is meant for me will be there when it’s time.
Apart from the deeper self-work, when I think about more recent obstacles I’ve encountered a lot of them have actually been gear related! Gear definitely ISN’T everything but it is helpful and important. This is where I’ve subsequently been encountering a lot of gratitude lately as well! I have some friends who are brilliant videographers and it’s nice having this little community where we can all look out for one another. For example, a friend of mine really helped me out on the spot for a big shoot the other day by lending me their Steadicam! And another friend hooked me up with a lens! It’s such a wild and beautiful thing when you find that kind of support and see people trust and believe in you like that. I definitely do not take blessings like those for granted.
Gracia The Artist, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
A friend of mine once called me a Multimedia Experimentalist and it stuck! I love working multimedia. I already think everything is connected, so it becomes fun seeing how it can all play out together. I’ve been exploring a lot of different things these last few years. I’m a Creative Director, cinematographer, photographer, editor, illustrator, collage artist with interests in storytelling, comedy, collaboration, and elevating humanity! I am also a co-founder of an independently owned creative visual media company based in Seattle, WA called Hyzteria House. We are an artist-driven and connection-focused company created and founded by artists to meet essential and practical needs with creative, thoughtful, collaborative solutions!
As for myself right now, I’m focusing primarily on wrapping some visual collabs with some wickedly talented local musicians, playing a couple more shows with my band before the end of the year, and independently producing my first tv show (with the help of some incredible friends). It’s been a long time coming, and not without A LOT of bumps in the road! But I’m feeling very grateful to be here and for the chances that were taken along the way.
Something I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately is how much of my creative process actually reminds me of sculpture! Sculpture isn’t a medium I ever work directly with, although I did grow up with parents who were both sculptors. My father is an incredible marble carver and my earliest memories are actually of watching him work! I do take my own aversion to sculpture as a likely sign that it will inevitability become my fate at some point. Haha! I find that regardless of the medium I’m working with; collage, painting, editing on my computer, it often feels as though my role as the artist is to, in a way, find the work within or underneath what is in front of me. It’s this uncovering of what is already present, and that infinite potential can definitely be overwhelming!
I think there’s just something so brave about creating art, and I think this is a big part of why. You’re moving through this thing making decisions to participate and then making decisions about HOW you participate! You have to give things up. You have to let things go. Sometimes you have to fight for something! But sometimes you just have to accept it. It’s truly an incredible thing. I love artists for that!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Yes! Great question! I was just talking to a friend about this recently and he brought up how wild it is that there are few things as valued as the “creative ecosystem”, yet being an artist is still somehow one of the least sustainable pursuits, especially financially. We’re talking about the people who are creating the movies and tv shows and music we enjoy every day! Artists are giving us some of the most enjoyed pleasures of the average person’s day-to-day life, yet the number of streams needed in order for a musician to see even $1 is absolutely shocking. It’s quite an ironic deficit, and it’s one most working artists are familiar with. We are definitely overdue for some shifts within these systems and it’s important that we talk about and pay attention to what’s going on. To put it very simply, I think society can best support artists and creatives BY supporting artists and creatives with intentionality.
I’m definitely familiar with the daunting efforts of being an artist navigating social media and I know firsthand how valuable something as small as a ‘like’ or ‘share’ can be. It’s become a form of currency and it virtually costs you nothing to be supportive in this way but it is SO impactful for the small artist taking a chance by sharing their work with the world online. For the love of god, please support your friends! Support other artists! I feel very passionate about this. There is this “competition” and comparison I think especially within the art community that I just don’t think needs to exist. Another person’s success says nothing about your own potential or ability. It doesn’t mean you are failing; it doesn’t mean your art isn’t good! If you’re working hard and exploring and challenging yourself, you will have your victories! In a world as harsh as this, I often wish it was more apparent that a victory for one artist is actually a victory for us all!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I’m really interested in elevating humanity and exploring how art and activism can transform tragic truth into greater collective consciousness. We are living in a very harsh and cruel world and I’ve never felt more aware of the responsibility artists hold to create art. I want to make people feel significant. And I hope to create emotionally resonant visuals! I also want people to know just how capable they are of making art too! To give even one person the courage to start would be amazing. It’s truly in the littlest of steps. Play the long game; no more consumption needed, you’re ready! Let the process finally begin and then keep going! Don’t let the fear of making something “bad” keep you from doing it. Be brave and go make some “bad” art!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.graciatheartist.com
- Instagram: @graciatheartist
Image Credits
Gracia the Artist Miguel Escobar Dylan Randolph