We were lucky to catch up with Laura Boyzo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Every time we are in a position to choose one thing over another, we are put in a place of risking loosing something. Coming out of high school I had many friends enter the working world right away, making money and gathering savings. As a first generation Mexican American, my family had no generational wealth, so making money was always a top priority. Still, I decided to give community college a chance,(University wasn’t an option unless I transferred in)loosing free time, working part time. I felt like I was making a financial mistake and that feeling grew every time I failed or had to drop a class.
Was I throwing money away trying to reach an unobtainable goal?
While completing my G.E. Courses, I began to wonder what my major should be . I originally signed up and got on the waiting list for the Cosmetology program and took a few art classes while I waited to get in . I didn’t realize I would connect so much to the community in those art classes. “Only 20% of Art Majors will make a living out of a creative career .” That’s what our professor told us at the beginning, setting realistic expectations. My chance to get in the Cosmetology program was coming up, but I felt so welcomed by the Art community, I could not imagine leaving a place where I finally felt I belonged. Growing up I was always looking for creative outlets, drawing, makeup, hair and fashion. There were many things I loved to do, but time waits for no one and I had to make a choice. F*ck it, I took the dive, changed my major to Studio Art and immersed myself in the creative community. It ended up being one of the most impactful choices of my life. I continued to struggle with Math classes and work sh*tty part time jobs but being able to grow my skills and make like minded connections made it all worth it.
I couldn’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, I often wondered how much longer I would take to get any kind of degree. I began to doubt if I had the capacity to succeed academically. My doubts lead me to sign up at a different Cosmetology program and create a plan B for myself. At one point I was going to 2 schools and working 2 part time jobs, I was determined to have a creative career somehow. After 8 years,I left Evergreen Community College with an AA in Studio Art, and also became a Certified Nail Tech. I now work full time as an Elementary school art teacher and do nails part time in my at home studio, I even get to show/sell my own art in Local art shows in San Jose.
Statistics show, that only 27% first gen Mexican Americans get a degree. I took the risk, and got my degree. I took the risk and followed my creative passions. For me, there was just no other way to do it. It was all worth the risks.

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?

I began creating profesional work in 2019, staying connected to the local art scene helped me find opportunities to show my art in local shows and helped me sell more often. Some of the most important pieces I’ve made are family portraits and even illustrations done to welcome new babies for expecting mothers, helping families to create an image of a very special moment in time is so heartwarming.Most of my work is objective and is created with color pencil/ink or acrylic paint; while my illustrative style makes it unique. Commissions are always done with the client in mind, but my freestyle drawings are where I let my creativity thrive. I love mixing and matching colors on a canvas or paper. No matter the project, my work is not done until I am satisfied with the colors I produce.
Sam rules apply when I’m in the Nail studio where I switch to Acrylic tips, sculpting gel and Gel polishes.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

If everyone took their time to find the artists in their area, they could do a lot not just for artists, but for the whole community. Find local clothing brands, who source their fabric thoughtfully, versus mass producing with harmful practices. Buying from a local artist also keeps the currency cycling within the community versus giving money to a wealthy corporation that might source from out of the country where they can pay their workers less, while keeping high prices for the products they produce . We must try to break away from buying brand names, in many cases big brands find ways to steal from smaller artists and they are able to get away with it because it’s million dollar corporations vs artists who are living day to day. Plus, many times the local artists create new trends, and the big brands just find a way to brand it. So who would you rather be, the trend setter or the trend follower?

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As a creative who must have a sustainable job, non-creatives might want to take my title as an artist, and not see the value in what I produce, simply because it’s not what I do full time. What they don’t know, is that jobs are temporary and can be taken away at any time. But my creative hobbies and where they take me, no one can take away.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Lumbre_
• Linkedin: Check out Laura Boyzo’s profile on LinkedIn