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

Alright, Denise thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. 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?

As a full time artist I couldn’t be any happier! That I get to make my own decisions, structure my days and business as I see fit…and do my art everyday is worth more than any paycheck I could receive at a regular job. I have been out on my own creating and being paid for it for so long that the thought of a regular job never enters my mind.

Denise , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been fortunate to have had several creative careers throughout my life. A long time career in Visual Presentation/Display in both retail and wholesale businesses. There were mannequins to dress, props to paint, scenes to create and presenting merchandise in a way that would make a customer want to buy it. These were very exciting, creative and fulfilling jobs.

From there I went out on my own into faux finishing and mural painting in homes and businesses…since I had learned so much about painting props while in display it was a perfect move. It was scary to get out there on my own…but I looked at it as I was able to raise the ceiling on my income without the limitations of a regular paycheck and the pay raise process within a company. My income was the reflection of the work I put in…and I loved what I was doing so the work came easy to me.

For 25 years I did both…Faux & Mural Artist along with Showroom Visual Presentation Designer and loved the creativity and freedom I got from both as a freelance contractor. After these years of always being on the go, growing my contacts and my business, I decided it was time to move in a different direction.

That is when I started doing my own artwork and exploring where I could go with that. I went from representational painting in oils to more abstract expressions with mixed media art and all that entails…papers, paint, inks, crayons…you name it, I love the freedom of adding it into my artwork. I learned as much as I could about this medium and then started teaching in several different studios.

This is where I met with the artists I paint with now in our own studio and gallery in the Arts District Of Liberty Station San Diego CA, F1VEart Studio & Gallery. I also created a YouTube channel where I could share what I was working on, happenings in the studio and art tutorials each week.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2008, during the housing crisis here in the US, my faux and mural business came to a screeching halt…people were loosing their homes, not contracting a faux/mural artist to make it look pretty! I struggled for about a year as I was a homeowner too who was worried about loosing my home with very little income coming in.

I started doing what I knew best by combining visual presentation and faux painting together…painting and up cycling furniture, creating and merchandising my own shops in the vintage marketplace and ended up having 4 shops going at one time…it was so creative and exciting…and exhausting hauling furniture all over the county!

When the market started becoming over saturated with vintage markets and knockoffs from China…I knew it was time to move on…and that’s when I decided to focus all my attention on my art practice.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect is leaning that being an artist is a lifestyle choice, usually not a get rich quick choice. I have discovered that I don’t need a lot of things to make me happy. I have downsized my home, turned our living room into my home studio (I also have a shared studio outside of the home) and I’m very resourceful with finding supplies and using what I already have on hand. I wake up every single day happy with the choice I made to be an artist and embrace that creative lifestyle.

Contact Info:

• Website: DeniseCerro.com / https://www.denisecerro.com
• Instagram: Denise Cerro / https://www.instagram.com/denisecerro/
• Facebook: Denise Cerro Studio / https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064328936237&fref=ts
• Youtube: Denise Cerro Studio / https://www.youtube.com/@cerropaint/videos

Image Credits
• F1VEart Studio & Gallery Artists • Denise Cerro Artist at work • Denise Cerro Pennies From Heaven solo show art • Deinse Cerro Pennies From Heaven solo show art