Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bella Gomez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Bella, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Ever since I was a child, I loved creating art. Art has just always been something innate to me as a human being. Initially, I started off creating illustrations. But, I have so many thoughts and concepts that I felt hard to communicate using illustration, so I began to study other mediums – I wanted to convey my concepts faster, and illustration was just too time consuming and not something that I fully resonated with at the time. I would say, for any artist, it is important to experiment with as many mediums as possible. You never know what you could be missing out on.

Luckily I was blessed to attend a high school where artistic expression was center to my education. As a teenager, I experimented with film photography, print-making, painting, and graphic design (to name a few). I had what some would consider a traditional arts education, and I learned a lot about the fundamentals during that time, and that experience really laid the foundation for the work that I create now.

I really love art history, and studied the work of classic and contemporary artists – I learned composition, the use of light and dark, and what colors look good together. I would say these skills are the most essential to creating. Once you master composition, light + shadow, and color theory, literally anything can look good. Studying the masters definitely gives you inspiration as you learn to create your own style. I’ve always loved the drama and despair of Caravaggio’s work and that’s definitely something that has inspired me when creating my own pieces.

I would say the most important thing to mastering the craft is just constantly doing it. Don’t get too discouraged if you’re not amazing right away – nobody is. Every skill is learned, so give yourself the space to make mistakes – especially when you are at the beginning stages of learning. It took me years to learn how to draw and design, and I am still learning everyday. Luckily, we live during a time where you can learn about literally anything online. I truly believe that you do not have to have a traditional art education at all to become a great artist. Always be open to learning and receiving critique, and, surround yourself with people who are artists – that always inspires me to get better at what I do.

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?

I am a collage artist and graphic designer born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I am currently working as a designer in the advertising industry, and have worked with a multitude of brands. When I am not designing work for clients, I am creating my own artwork – where I am allowed to have complete personal freedom. I have always been interested in mysticism and the occult – they are the primary inspiration force behind the collages I create. Creating art has always been important to me as it allows me to transmute my experiences as a human being.

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

The imminent loss of freedom of speech and expression is the greatest threat that artists (and human beings in general) face. We live during a scary time where people are afraid to speak their minds and be their genuine selves. We have created a world where it is acceptable to chastise people and cast them away from society because they hold views that may be considered contrarian. Cancel culture is not okay. As a society we have become a hive mind. It is so unbelievably dangerous and I do not think enough people are addressing it. It is ironic because we claim to be so accepting, but in reality, we have devolved. Just because someone’s experience is not something you may agree with, does not mean it is okay to censor them. Of course this is not excusing anyone of being hateful, but, the reality is that we have become extremely sensitive as a society and that is hindering us as a whole. Creating art is the highest form of freedom and human expression – we can not continue to let fear dominate our lives and our work.

The truth is, we have to do a lot of work as a society in general. The art world has the tendency to be elitist. This is problematic and that’s the first thing that needs to be solved in order to best support artists and creatives. We need to work harder to tear down the inequality that marginalized people face – and in the industry, we have to mirror this. It is very discouraging to see that museums do not prioritize diversity, and do not equally celebrate the work of people of color. We have to work a lot harder to get noticed, and are overshadowed by rich privileged people that dominate the industry.

We should also prioritize making arts education accessible to all. Art should be something that is prioritized in the education system all over the country. There are so many people who have the potential of becoming a great artist, some of which never get the chance to – because they are never taught the fundamentals and given the opportunity to grow.

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

Get out of comparison mode. As a human living in the age of social media it is pretty easy to get sucked into constantly comparing yourself to other people. Comparison can be super debilitating and hinder your growth. I definitely have dealt with comparison a lot, and have constantly battled the feeling of being less-than and unworthy. Once I realized that each of us have our own individual gifts, and that there will never be anyone like me (and there will never be any one like you), I started to embrace my individuality, and fall in love with my work.

Feeling like there would always be a better artist than myself, I dealt with massive creative blocks and felt like the work I created had no value. But then I realized that that couldn’t be further from the truth. My experience is just as special as anyone else’s. And then I learned to just not care. Not caring is super liberating, and the most caring and loving thing I could have done for myself as an artist, and as a person.

Also, I like to remind myself that comparing my selves to others is not only disrespectful to myself, but to the Creator.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bellagomez.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellagomezart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellagomez/