We recently connected with Rebeca Marrero and have shared our conversation below.
Rebeca, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As a family we made original art, prints, & handmade jewelry. We valued ourselves for making all of our offerings, down to heat pressing our own t-shirts and hand drawing our jewelry.
As time has progressed, the focus has become more on my personal art. The girls have become more involved in their personal lives and schooling, so they do not really make items at this time. I am most proud that we started all of this as a small family business. It was an opportunity to be able to showcase some of the creative talents we have at home. I nourished the arts in my girls from a very young age. They evolved from finger paints to oils and digital art. One dabbles in music, as she taught herself to play instruments and sing, and excelled in musical theater while in high school. My youngest loves to paint like I do and dabbled in dance for a bit when she was much younger. She can grasp choreography like I never could! I am truly proud of the creative environment I have surrounded all of us with. We have been able to flourish artistically with no real professional training.
I want people to know how important it is to truly follow your calling. Follow that thing that fills your cup. The one thing that you can sit and do for hours and be totally ok with not having a financial incentive behind it. Maybe it is the one thing that helps guide you through healing by opening up a space for peace and tranquility. All of this is what my art is for me. Creating allows me to be at a place of peace to process whatever I may facing at the moment. My art has opened up a space for me to cry, to laugh, to dance, and so many other emotions in between. The contrast of vivid colors against the black background really represents what I am bringing into the forefront and out of my darkness. The imagery consists of many symbols as I believe they are a universal way of communicating. The fluid fabrics are inspired from my Fashion Design schooling days and a representation of the fluidity of life. What I appreciate and I am grateful for the most is the way people viewing my art react to it. The smiles, the intrigue, the admiration, makes it all so worth it at the end of the day.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The path of an artist is not always an easy one. Factors come in play like what is my target audience? How do I find them? Will my art resonate with them? Will my art ever be a fruitful venture? I’ve had many doubts along the way and still working out the kinks. There have been times that money was invested to attend events and it not being profitable for us. As time has passed, my girls have pulled back from the family business and it’s become my sole passion project. I continue pushing forward as I know making art and expressing creativity is what fills my cup. I would continue to do it whether it is a profitable venture, or not. I guess resilience for me is still trekking forward, even despite the discouragements that have crossed my path. I know making art is what I’m partly here to do. It’s been in my life since I was a young girl living in Puerto Rico, and learning from my Abuela. I love that art has been a generational part of my life and that my ancestors are proud. My resilience will continue as I pass the gift of art down to generations to come, as it’s been passed onto my daughters.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
My biggest pivot in life took place during 2020 when the pandemic hit all of us. I lost my dream job and was left wondering what would come of everything. Coming from a field in the arts, the options were very scarce as many venues were struggling to stay afloat. I lived off of my 401k to make ends meet during this time. When hitting rock bottom like this, one tends to look for what will bring some joy back into life. Art was this for me and our household. It became a way for the family to connect and make a little bit of money, while life came back to a balance. Art was what kept me tethered to this world and gave me a sense of purpose. Yes my kids give me purpose, but my connection to art is something also very precious to me. Today I am back working in my field and loving what I do! I still carve out time when the days allow to escape into my art. I feel it so necessary to do something for yourself that really showers one with the essence of joy. Currently, we are pivoting towards focusing mostly on art and less on some of the offerings we started out with.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tribehousecreations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tribehousecreations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TribeHouseCreations
Image Credits
Jorge Franceschi Devin Cruz