We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aurora Lucia-levey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, AURORA thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

The biggest gift my parents gave me, which has allowed me to become the artist I am (as well as the person I am) was the curiosity and freedom to create my own life. They never set out a specific path for my future, and they exposed me to all kinds of art, from the creative process to the finished product. My parents encouraged creativity in all areas – creative thinking, creative problem solving, and creative inquiry.

When I was born in 1981, my parents were living in a multi-use loft in Boston with my artist godfather AlFord (who was also a Karate teacher, a taxi driver, and my fathers mentor.) In my first 3 years, before we moved into a proper apartment, I was regularly in the presence of musicians and artists and those that enjoyed their work, via the DIY events that were scheduled weekly. The place was called ‘Gallery East,’ and in 1982 the Boston Globe called it “a focal point for some of the most unconventional experimentalists on the local avant garde scene.”

Because of this, I always casually considered myself an artist – I made art – that’s an ‘artist’ – it was simple! As I grew up, this was encouraged in my family. However, the world seemed to require “something to fall back on” – something steady, with advancement opportunities. But my parents never pushed anything specific – just safety and happiness.

Though I had always been a good student, by high school I was MUCH more interested in the social dramas of growing up, and I eventually lost interest in formal learning – first at a traditional school, and then at an alternative one. I had moved from Boston to NYC to live with my mom when I was 15, and the city was full of fascinating people, places and things.

In the first year that I was in NYC, a chance meeting in Washington Square Park turned into a voice over role on a new MTV animated series called MTV Downtown. My parents encouraged me, even when I had to miss classes. Eventually, I dropped out of high school altogether and started working. When I explained to my dad that I would just get a GED, he asked “Why waste your time in school then?”

Starting as a barista, then a server, then a bartender, I worked my way out of my moms apartment and into my own life. At 23, I got a job as a Double Decker NYC Tour Guide and was immersed in the focussed study of a single topic, which woke something up in me. At 24, I got my GED and enrolled at Brooklyn College.

When I began college, my plan was to major in Broadcast Journalism and pursue becoming a reporter on NY1, the local NYC cable news station – I had studied the city, and was comfortable on the microphone. But once I started, I found other things I liked better. In 5 years, I completed two degrees – one in Art History, the other in Documentary Film Production. What I loved about news – the storytelling – could also be approached by learning the visual languages used throughout history, and then using that knowledge to tell my own stories. I could only have done this if I weren’t scared about changing my mind and following my interests, despite the path I had originally laid out for myself.

After graduating college in 2011 at 30 years old, I took my documentary degree into Reality TV, where I worked my way from Production Assistant to Field Producer over the course of a decade, working mostly on HGTV home buying shows. I got to travel all over the world, and I learned SO MUCH – about production, teamwork, and people.

In late 2019, I visited family in Palm Springs, CA, and decided to look at apartments in the desert. I had been wanting to leave NYC for a few years, and was ‘just looking’ – and then I decided to move. My job was largely on the road, so my starting place didn’t matter. I was ready for a change. And I made it with almost no hesitation. I moved on Feb 1, 2020 – and then the world changed.

Even though I’d always created art – I had mostly only shared it with my family and friends. In the last almost 5 years, as the production industry has been hit with one challenge after another (starting with Covid) – I’ve split my time between making art, and helping others get their work out there via documentary style videos about their art and creative process. I’ve gotten to know my local Palm Springs Art community – which is thriving and welcoming! – and met countless incredible artists that have encouraged and inspired me. I’ve participated in several local group shows, and am getting ready to host my second year of Desert Open Studios in Jan.

None of this would have been possible without the flexibility that I was given as a child by my parents, to be creative and become whoever I wanted to be – even if that meant going in a new direction, or giving up on something that wasn’t working. It has allowed me now, in my 40s, to pursue being an artist in public, helping others tell their stories through video, and finding ways to apply all the lessons I’ve learned in my previous lives to each new challenge. There’s not much to be scared of – you can always change your mind!

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 came to the Palm Springs Desert in 2020 and decided to leave my 10+ year long career as a traveling reality TV producer behind. Instead, I decided to use my skills to promote local artists and help small businesses grow. Sometimes, this involves telling their stories. Other times, it’s sharing their world or their art. I consult, film and edit, and provide videos for social media and websites. I have LOVED working with my clients in the desert – I’ve learned so much about so many things, and most have become dear friends.

When I’m not making videos, I make ART! I primarily paint and draw, most recently using old paper maps as the backgrounds for faces I find in the lines. My work is always figurative, though sometimes abstracted. I try to use as much gifted and thrifted material as possible and have a studio FULL of scraps waiting to become something new. I’ll be welcoming art lovers to my studio as part of Desert Open Studios (https://www.desertopenstudios.com/) on January 24, 25 + 26 in 2025.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

For me, art is a practice, so it’s always more about the process of creating than the product of my work. I know that if I keep at it, it will turn into something, and that ‘something’ could be many different things – calmness, epiphany, satisfaction, accomplishment, ART. The exercise of figuring something out – internally or artistically – builds confidence, and each time I approach my work, I’m less afraid that the outcome won’t be anything ‘special’ and able to try new things.

Externally, I hope I can be an example for others who want to make something, but aren’t sure if they’re ‘good enough’ to try. I believe strongly that art is a tool that we ALL have access to, which we can use to work through our thoughts and feelings to clarify our perspectives. In my view, creating something that others will like is secondary to that pursuit. But, as in life, the right ones will find you.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

For a long time, I was sure that perfecting my craft behind closed doors was the only way to do things, That if I were to show myself to the world prematurely, it might be my only chance, and I would ruin it if I wasn’t fully cooked. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that that day will never come – there will always be doubts, and more to do, and ways to improve, But who was I hiding from? I had constructed an invisible authority in my mind that could deem me good or bad, and it would go on my permanent record.

The voice was (of course) my own, and changing that, encounter by internal encounter, was necessary. I learned to speak to myself with a kinder voice and forgive myself easily for mistakes. Watching other creators on social media show their work and open up about their journey, and then seeing people connect with them, made me realize how valuable being more open in my creative journey could be.

Now, I love to share my process – I’ve gotten such wonderful responses from strangers and friends alike, who are cheering ME on! I remind myself often that there are so many shots in life, so many chances to advance your work and find an audience, and not everything is for everyone. But we are all human, and we all try at something – I’m not embarrassed anymore to be seen trying.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.auroramakesart.com/
• Instagram: @aurora.makes.art, @aurora.makes.media
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auroralucialevey

Image Credits

N/A