We recently connected with Andi Garbarino and have shared our conversation below.

Andi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Before my life as a Visual Artist, I worked as the director of an after-school music and arts program in Houston. Texas. I had grown up in a highly creative environment, painting with my grandmother and singing to my grandpa playing guitar. I loved putting on skits with my siblings in the living room after dance lessons, and in high school, theater made my heart sing. With a little bit of life in between, I went on to study music therapy in college and left university with a music degree.

It only made sense that I would combine all of these passions at my “grown-up” job. My students were of all ages from all different backgrounds, and I found so much joy in holding space for them as they learned new skills. They practiced playing the piano and guitar or holding a paintbrush and experimenting with new materials, but my favorite was watching them learn to express themselves. And, if I’m honest, I was really good at it.

Even though all of my students were so different from one another, there was one phrase I found myself repeating, “Share your work!” Or, with a little bit of a riff, “Show your artwork,” “Play your music for your friends!” But, no matter how this song began, it always ended with, “There is only one you, you’re the only one who has the story you do, who can play it how you play it, or paint it like you. The world needs your work. The world needs you.” And I repeated it over, and over, and over again, because it was true. It IS true. Just as much today as it was then. But there was a problem.

I was not doing that. Not even a little. Though I did have some music gigs, it wasn’t my music. And my art practice had been neatly hidden away in a sketchbook that was just for me. I was hiding my story, and the more I would encourage the students, the more I realized they needed me to be an example. And I needed to remember what it’s like to overcome the fear of rejection that comes with being brave enough to share your work.

So, I decided to take part in an Instagram challenge and started posting a little square on social media every day of a collage I had created. At first, it was completely terrifying, but every day, it became a little less terrifying. And, it encouraged my art practice! I was making visual art every day, and I was falling in love with the creative practice all over again. Then, it happened–folks actually wanted to buy my work! It felt so good to share this piece of myself, but most of all I could look my kids in the eye and tell them to share their work, this time fully aware of what I was asking them to do.

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’m a mixed media artist living and working in the Greater Boston Area. I create vibrant, whimsical pieces that explore themes of grief and beauty being two sides of the same coin, and what it means to be at home in the world. My go-to media are collage and fluid acrylics, though recently I’ve started dappling in alcohol inks as well. I am extremely inspired by my dreams, and the ocean (which makes sense as I live right on the beach!)

An Andi Garbarino Original Artwork will usually contain the moon or cosmos, animals (especially butterflies!) flowers, light and warmth, whether concrete or abstract. I’m obsessed with making meaning. I consider myself an astronaut into the space of emotions, making discoveries, and then creating images to help interpret those experiences. I’ve always thought that art was one of the most accessible forms of hospitality. Two people from two completely different backgrounds can stand in front of a painting and have a fantastic starting point for conversation, a shared experience, and common ground.

I always like to say that I’m a Texas Wildflower transplanted to the New England Coast and it fills me with gratitude to have the Country Mouse/City Mouse experience in my life. I grew up in Rural North Texas, obsessed with nature and making music and art with my family. When I went to college to study music therapy, I loved learning how intertwined our bodies, minds and creativity are.
There, I also learned how much being a visual artist was a part of my identity. After graduation, I launched an afterschool music an arts program, and enjoyed teaching private music lessons and art classes for kids in the city. Shortly thereafter, my partner and I relocated to Boston from Houston in 2019 for his education, and this has been where my art career has truly taken off.

I’ve enjoyed popping up with my art around the city, selling paintings online and creating installations as photography sets. At the end of the day, I would say my greatest professional accomplishment is watching folks see a piece of art, and feel completely connected to it. One of my favorite things about holding my end of the bargain to my old students and sharing my work, is when someone sees one of my pieces and tells me a story that means something to them. I’ve heard about mothers’ rose gardens, couples’ first dances, and best friends that are obsessed with owls. I’ve been honored to create commissioned pieces in honor of loved ones that have since passed, or new puppies that have become part of the family. Human connection is my proudest achievement, and I will keep creating and sharing to make meaning of all the complicated experiences of this thing called life.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I feel extremely lucky to have clung to the playful creativity of my childhood, as it was my lifeline through great personal grief in my early adult life. When I was twenty-one years old, I married Nicholas “Captain” Garbarino, a strong and eccentric guy who loved me a lot. We had so many fun adventures together and shared a ton of belly laughs. Everyone told us we were too young to get married, but looking back, I am so proud of us for staying true to ourselves and going for it. He was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer a few months into our marriage and, within the year, passed away. During this time of confusion and loss, music and art became a way to process my emotions and grapple with a new reality. That’s why I decided to study music therapy and where I learned that creative practices help us begin to make sense of the unexplainable things that happen in life. Life is beautiful, both because of and in spite of the grief and tragedies we experience here. And now, it’s a huge part of the inspiration for my artwork.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

“You matter.” This is the message of all my art and creative endeavors. I’m working through a collection about the environment, or home, or tragedy or whatever. Or if I’m reminding myself as I do the art process, on canvas for a collector or in my art journal. I hope that when people see my work, they feel connected to the greater story of being a person, that we are all in this together and their puzzle piece is essential to the whole.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andigarbarino.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andi.garbarino
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/andigarbarino
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/andi-garbarino-fine-art
• Twitter: @andigarbarino

Image Credits
Amber Bruski, Katie Ring