We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ana Patitú. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ana below.

Ana, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

It all happened when I moved to Barcelona and went through a period of depression due to feeling uprooted.

I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I studied graphic design and worked in the field for over 10 years. At the same time, I took painting classes with various local artists. I painted as a hobby. I was good at it since childhood and really enjoyed the sense of disconnect from the world, that feeling of losing track of time.

In 2016, my girlfriend was offered a great job in Barcelona, and we decided to give it a try. I continued working as a designer, but without my loved ones around, I started to feel depressed. That year was tough—therapy helped, but the only thing that got me out of the house was swimming. My therapist recommended reconnecting with art, finding a space, and getting out of the house. So, I searched and found a shared studio to start painting again. That’s when I began creating portraits, which I later realized were portraits of my loved ones who I missed deeply. It was then that I started to understand the therapeutic power of it all. I NEED to paint (or draw).

In 2019, with the unconditional support of my girlfriend, I decided to dedicate myself full-time to art.

As a result of that process of feeling uprooted and recovering, I found it interesting to explore the relationship between the human body in water and emotions, which led to my series of swimmers. I wanted to explore and try to capture the different states I went through and physical sensations like floating, moving slowly, being submerged, feeling weightless, gliding by inertia, hearing the muffled sounds that come distorted through water, and evoking the memory of the womb.

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 I told you in the previous answer, I was born in 1982 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in 2016, I moved to Barcelona for love. I have worked as a graphic designer for over 15 years. I returned to painting, which had always been my passion, and turned it into my professional activity, after a period of depression.

I have presented my work in solo exhibitions in Madrid and Barcelona and participated in several group shows at the Esther Montoriol, Jordi Barnadas, and Sara Caso galleries, as well as in the Art For Life project (Chicago, USA). My works are also part of numerous private collections in America, Europe, and Australia.

For me, art is a channel for expression, a way to manifest unconscious things. It’s being able to communicate with colors, movements, and sounds to understand through the right side of the brain, which is contrary to logic.

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

Yes, there are a couple of books that have significantly influenced both my artistic journey. One of them is *”The War of Art”* by Steven Pressfield. This book helped me recognize that resistance is a natural part of the creative process. Pressfield talks about the internal battles every artist faces—the fear, the self-doubt, the procrastination—and how the key to overcoming them is discipline. That mindset has been crucial not only in my art practice but also in the way I approach managing my work as a business. It’s all about showing up every day, even when things feel uncertain or difficult.

Another book that has profoundly shaped my thinking is *”The Creative Act: A Way of Being”* by Rick Rubin. Rubin presents creativity as a way of life, something that doesn’t just happen when you sit down to make art but is always present. He emphasizes the importance of being open to the flow of ideas and the need for space to cultivate creativity. That philosophy has greatly impacted the way I balance my creative output with the more structured demands of running an art business. Instead of forcing productivity, I focus on creating an environment that nurtures inspiration.

Both books have taught me the value of persistence and being present in the moment, which I apply not just to my art but to the practical, day-to-day aspects of managing my career.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Helping people! I want people to reconnect with their inner self, to realize they have feelings, that there’s life inside, which everyday chaos sometimes dulls. Art should be accessible to everyone. I don’t want someone to look at one of my paintings and say, “I don’t get it.” I want them to immediately connect with one or more emotions without worrying about understanding the figure or shape.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anapatitu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ana.patitu/