Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cassandra Garza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Cassandra, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I moved to Austin from Iowa in August of 2019 to pursue my passion for art, but instead I was depressed and unemployed. I was certain that moving back to my home state after being gone for 7 years would make me happy, but the beginning of this journey just wasn’t good. I was able to find a part time job after being unemployed for what felt like forever (3 months). Soon after, COVID hit and we had to stay home. My boyfriend and I were working from home, but we felt like we needed to do more than be on autopilot and go stir crazy from the confinement. Art was the outlet. My boyfriend taught me to draw on the iPad using Procreate, and I definitely sucked. I was so used to drawing with paper and pencil, or using a paintbrush and a canvas, but I became obsessed. Fast forward, I’m getting stickers printed and starting to paint again, so I start selling small pieces of art through Instagram DMs, snapchat and word of mouth. In June 2021, I took a leap of faith and decided to open up a website and applied to vend with Frida Friday ATX. I bought all the things I needed to get started, and since I didn’t have a car, I would haul everything around and use rideshares to get around town. I did whatever it took to make sure I was showing my art in Austin.
July 2021 I got my first wholesale order from Kismet Boutique in Houston, and I thought wow, people want my art in their store. Who knew that this would just be the beginning. As I grew as an artist, I found myself thinking I did not have enough energy to divide between my art, my personal life, and a part time job that served me no purpose. In December 2021, I decided to finish the month and quit to devote myself to my art full time. And f*ck, was that tough. It was the best decision ever for my mental health, but at the same time, the absolute worst. January 2022: I drew. I painted. I went to vendor markets. But I also cried and felt stressed out all the time. Always wondering if I made the right choice. Who in their right mind would think drawing and painting would make a steady income? What was I going to do if this didn’t work out? It had to. There was no turning back.
March 2022. Love Alumni Boutique in El Paso. Casa de Luna in Victoria, TX. La Lulu Co in Bay City, TX. More shops ask to work with me and carry my art in their stores. June 2022: Pedacitos de Mexico in San Diego, CA. July 2022. Sew Bonita in Corpus Christi. Lockwood Shop in Jackson Heights, NY. De Nada Artisanal Boutique in San Angelo, TX and Artelexia in San Diego, CA. Who knew I would ever have my art in so many places. And to think, I had so many meltdowns in between thinking I had made the wrong choice to pursue my art. The roller coaster of life events and feelings were worth it, but I just didn’t know it yet. The risk is paying off, and this is only the beginning.
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 background and context?
My name is Cassandra Garza. I am 27 years old and I go by CGARZA ARTE. I was born & raised in the Rio Grande Valley. I attended the University of Iowa, where I graduated in 2017 with a B.A. in Studio Arts.
As a minority attending a PWI, I showcased my culture through my art projects. Every time I had an assignment, I always made it a point to incorporate my Mexican heritage, and I never failed to tell people i was from Texas.
Once I graduated, I took on a few side projects to ensure Latinx representation and celebration, with 2 public art displays in Iowa City. I also started doing small paintings and graduation caps for BIPOC representation. I shifted to working with LULAC, small Latinx businesses and organizations to build a community. Unfortunately, I left all of that behind when I moved from Iowa in 2019.
Between then and now I’ve created logos, digital illustrations, paintings, accessories, and more. I always create things that I want to do and in my style, so I tend to not listen to others when it comes to what I should specifically produce next. As an artist, I’ve learned if you don’t work at your own pace and create things that you don’t like and just to make money, the motivation and joy to create gets sucked out of you. I haven’t created a mural since 2018 because the only one I made was vandalized with racial slurs and swastikas. I hardly paint graduation caps for people anymore; as much joy as they bring a customer, it is too stressful for me. What I really enjoy is creating when I get sparks of inspiration, whether it’s from real life events, movies or music. My advice is to march to the beat of your own drum when it comes to your creativity. Once you do that, the art will speak for itself and totally unique.
Lastly, I just want to give a huge shout out to my friend Elena, owner of Sew Bonita in Corpus Christi. It had always been a dream of mine for her store to carry my art. She followed me on Instagram when I was still in college, just showing the internet my paintings and art installations. We hit it off since the beginning, and she always inspired and motivated me to continue pursuing my dreams. Five years later, I am an active creative selling my art, and now Elena carries it at her storefront. Thank you Elena for believing in me and for being there since the beginning.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
My favorite thing is seeing people’s reactions to my art. At a vendor event, people will be shocked and go WOW because they can’t believe I painted something or hand made my items. Others will find things very nostalgic and tell me stories about their family members. Since I always take inspiration from my culture, I appreciate that people resonate with my pieces and appreciate the work that goes into them.
How did you build your audience on social media?
My audience is nowhere near where I personally would like it to be. I wish I had tens of thousands of followers and always sold out of my products, but in reality it is not that way. For Facebook, I’ve asked people I know if they can share my posts. That simple act helps spread the word of who I am and what I have to offer as a creative. Thankfully, a lot of my Facebook friends are my family members, former teachers, and friends I’ve made throughout my life. A few clicks and the word is being spread every now and then that I’m an artist and I sell handmade products.
Onto my favorite app: Instagram. I have an account exclusively for my art (@cgarza.arte). Since Instagram loves to switch their algorithm all the time, take the time to research it, follow it, and evolve with it. Use the hashtags. Posts stories. Post reels. Tag big accounts that repost artwork that connect with you (and be prepared for your artwork to be stolen if you go viral).
TikTok: I’m still trying to figure it out. My cousin always sends me trending sounds and videos that I should hop on to get ideas of what content to post. I consistently posted for about a month straight and gained over 1K followers. That’s not really a lot, but it’s a start.
At the end of the day, don’t rely on the number of followers you have in order to succeed. The followers and supporters will come organically. Once people see what you have to offer, they will like, share, comment, and even purchase (possibly more than once). Don’t be afraid to be yourself and always interact with your followers. People like knowing that there’s a person behind the account and able to connect with their audience. It’s a whole process and definitely a learning curve, but slowly but surely, we all will eventually get the hang of it and our support system will grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cgarzaarte.com
- Instagram: @cgarza.arte
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cgarza.arte
- Other: TikTok: @cgarza.arte