We were lucky to catch up with Ana Sanchez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I can’t truly say being an artist doesn’t come with a big amount of vulnerability and risks. We literally pour our souls and bodies into our crafts and sometimes don’t get the response we want/need so there is definitely a lot of heartbreak and anxiety. I am happy because I can create and work in an environment where my artistic needs are fulfilled. However, sometimes I do wonder how much better it would be if my work required less creative anxiety and more automation and routine, but then I think I’d be even more miserable if I couldn’t spend at least a few hours a day holding a pencil and sketching. I think those of us who decide to pursue a career in the arts no matter what do it because of this need to experience the process of image making: the stroke of a brush, the fingers covered in colors, the tired eyes. And all the anxiety is worth it because of those moments we can truly be creative.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

After moving to Los Angeles, California in 2012, I explored different creative outlets until I decided to get my BFA in Drawing and Painting. I would like to say that I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, but that was not my case: literature and history were my first loves and I still enjoy reading and visiting museums as I do painting. Nonetheless, I had a growing urge to create and understand this magical world of art, and going to art school gave me the tools to finally study the colors I see and the geometry of living things. As for my current work, I teach private and group art classes as well as work on commissioned portraits and illustration. I’m currently focusing on developing a more commercial body of work to start adding editorial illustration to my portfolio.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

It may sound cliche, but reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron really shifted my mindset and helped me explore creativity and enjoy art making for the sake of it- something that gets lost when your job involves image making.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society needs to understand the value of art by what it is: A lot of hard work, studying, sleepless nights, and frustration. People seem to think all artists simply grab a pencil and create but it’s just like a sport: takes years of practice, training, and failures to reach our goals and make it “look easy.” With the rise of AI images and NFTs the creative work is threatened and now more than ever we need to support our favorite professional artists and creators in any way we can -visiting shows, sharing their content on social media, purchasing their goods, etc., without diminishing their labor.

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