We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allyssa Yamaguchi-Juárez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allyssa , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally was in my third year at university. From computer science to chemistry nothing felt right. I would dread coursework and would calm myself by drawing. I was going to change my major… again, this time to biology but I needed an art credit so I took Drawing alongside my Biology course. That Drawing class changed my life! I had a professor who was passionate about teaching and making art. And I was happy, so I changed my major to art. I learned how to improve my skills in each major media learning as much as I could as I went. In each class, I would encounter another professor who had the same characteristics and students who were interested in what was being taught. I knew at some point I wanted to be an art professor, someone who taught what they love and created their own artwork. Gaining more understanding in concepts and reasoning behind the decisions of my own art I was allowed into the Fine Arts Program. That’s when I knew I could be an artist, I could find a way, eventually, to get my master’s degree to teach at Universities and Colleges. There was lots of doubt and it was not a linear path. I would continue to stay connected with my professors and pursue opportunities to continue to develop my art, in classes, art exhibits, study abroad, residencies, and eventually graduate programs to be both an artist and an educator to others.

Allyssa , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a visual artist who is also an adjunct professorial lecturer. I earned my Master’s of Fine Art at American University In Washington D.C. in May 2021. During that time, I also earned my Graduate Certificate in Arts Management. My academic interests fall in and around Painting. My work focuses on the observation of space, place, and memory as I transform them using painting, drawing and collage arrangements. I use both physical and digital collages to create enchanting and strange spaces sourced from photos and composed by arranging ordinary images to create an extraordinary piece.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creating work that I am proud of with skills that I have been honing over time. It is always amazing when a piece finally comes together. Exhibiting my works to others and knowing other artists is so rewarding as well. The discussions we all have about our processes, work, ideas and philosophies are some of the best conversations I have ever had.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

What society can do to best support artists to thrive is to view and share their artwork. I understand that not everyone can purchase a piece, so how else can you show your support? Follow their artist pages, share artwork that you enjoy and if you really like their artwork is to discuss it with the artist! This also helps the artist build a community of not only other artists but art appreciators who enjoy the artwork.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allyssayamaguchi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyssa_yamaguchi_juarez/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyssa-yamaguchi-juarez-6164451a7/