Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ayelen Baliva. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Ayelen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started painting at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. With a lot of time on my hands, I had all day to dedicate to learning how to paint and draw flowers. I started a certificate program through my local Botanic Garden, where I learned a lot of techniques and other knowledge about plants and art. Although, even with all that time on my hands, it was challenging not to criticize my art and compare myself to others (professional artists). I wished I had more time, and I also wished I would start painting earlier in life. This was one of my biggest challenges because I couldn’t speed up my learning process or change how things were. I had all the time in the world, but even so, my mind was not always my friend. The lack of patience was frustrating. Patience and trust in the process are two skills that are a must when starting a new career. It takes time to achieve your goals, but it is totally worth it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I create Botanical and Nature Art Portraits based on observations and documentation from my natural environment. I like to draw what I can see rather than using reference photos from specimens I have never seen. This is a way to connect with nature and to be close to it. I am an independent freelancer that loves drawing and painting. When I started showing my art to others in social media and art markets, I was impressed by the reactions and good vibes I received from others.
So far, I have been selling originals and prints of my art, but I would love to teach botanical art and create an open studio for people to connect with art.
The name of my business is The Nook Studio, in reference to my little but cozy studio in one of the corners of my home.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

In the past three years, I have learned to love my art and to love the process of making art. At the beginning of my career, I was focused on making a living from this and painting as fast as possible to achieve that goal. Today I am focused on paint because I can’t think of anything I would do that is not drawing and painting. I am happy with the way things are going, and I have noticed that the slower I go, the better I paint. My goal today is to keep that frequency and rhythm and let the art flow in the time the art wants to flow. Keep looking forward to many paintings to come and to keep learning from the art community I’m in.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

One of the books that transformed the way I understand the creative process is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book helped me to give up control over my creations and to understand that every step along the way is perfect the way it is. Today this book is like my bible. I listen to it every time I need to regain inspiration.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AyelenBaliva
• Instagram: @ayelen.baliva

Image Credits
I took all the photos shown.