We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeth, appreciate you joining 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?
Growing up in LA I have been very fortunate to be in a city where creativity is allowed to flourish. I have been drawing all my life. I have attended a visual arts magnet and majored in fine arts when I was in university. One thing that I had always had inner conflict with was being afraid to take a leap of faith in myself. Whenever I had an opportunity open I was very apprehensive that it was not going to lead me to anything great. Where did I want to end up? I did not know. All I can say is that I wanted to make a living being creative.
When I was in university I saw some of my peers working and going to school. On top of that they were starting their art business, going to residencies, reaching out to galleries, and markets. I admired them because they knew what they wanted to do and how to achieve it. Their hard work and timing I think all aligned and now they are incredibly successful. I wish I had been as serious around that time too in finding work and making art to sell simultaneously. If I had found a stable job on the side while I was doing school and personal work I would have allocated some of that money to start applying to galleries, fairs, and other opportunities much sooner. I should have been more willing to invest in myself.
My biggest shortcoming was also being stubborn in not wanting a normal job at first. Growing up telling people I to be an artist would lead to people bringing up the “starving artist” stereotype. That pursuing art is a hobby and not “real work”. I don’t believe that people were coming from a bad place. They were just worried. Being told that while I was young made me reject that notion at all costs that I would not make income by my art alone. It was very immature of me and that mentality really affected me as I was getting older. There was nothing wrong with getting a normal job to fund what I want to do. Lots of people do it. Its a financially smart move. In fact its good to have one. I needed to change.
After university, I decided to start selling my art at craft fairs with my peers. I figured at least I am not alone. They had been my biggest supporters for over 5 years. I could not be where I am without them. I believe having other people with similar passions made it less intimidating to start my path. I am forever grateful for them. My first market was in 2018 and I sold a good amount of work that made me feel confident that I could do this as a living. It was a good start. Afterwards, I began sharing pieces I wanted to sell online. I wasn’t gaining a large following but I was gaining returning customers. It always made me feel incredibly honored that buyers wanted multiple pieces of mine in their spaces. It made realize even as a small creator I can still succeed in my own way.
A few more events under my belt I began searching for more that were advertised online or through word of mouth. I began to say yes to many events. It was all trial and error but I knew I would figure out my audience. It helped me narrow events better suited to me. Eventually, fun opportunities were coming my way. I met someone who had a gallery in DTLA who had open calls. I applied and got in where I met someone else at the gallery to make an album cover for their band. Not long after that I got asked to do an advertisement for the LADFF in 2020. Everything kept going. I recently got to be a part of a stop motion animation project along with getting accepted into more gallery shows. Had I not taken a chance in 2018 to present my work publicly I wouldn’t have gotten such a variety of work. With all the events that I have done, I have money saved to continue to participate in more events and networking which allow me to plan and continue creative ventures.
When people are asked if they regret anything its usually a ‘no.’ I personally am happy with everything I have done but if I could go back I would have done things a little different to give myself a safety net. Regardless I am doing what I wanted to do all those years ago. I am working as a creative and I love it.
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.
Most of my work stems from my love of comics, literature, the alternative scene, and everything DIY. Even though they are different subject matters I think my painting and drawing style makes my work distinct. The best way I can describe it is modern impressionism. Never in my life did I think I would put so many brushstrokes on a piece like a Monet painting. When I was starting out, I was more focused on mastering fundamentals. Like many artists we learn the rules so when we break them our work still made sense. This style I have come to develop feels very adaptable and I noticed more people gravitate towards it.
I think there is a predicament that we as artists face with brand recognition and wanting to explore further out in our work. When we are put in a box we are very limited and when we break out we are punished for it with the loss of viewership and upward momentum on social media platforms. I personally like to challenge that notion and just make what I please.
For example my piece, “Wild Things” is based off the children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. I love his art and I wanted to pay an homage to his story. There was a lot of planning that went into the composition and many hours just working on the texture alone. Mind you the piece was 36×36 inches. Its not a small piece. One thing I noticed was that I would think how meticulous his penmanship was and how my brush strokes were reminiscent to it. I could imagine the time he worked on his art. To also keep true to my style I remembered how for a time in the early 2010s many indie bands had this flat graphic illustrative style to them. I think of groups like Tokyo Police Club and The Shins. There was this connection I was trying to put together and then it hit me. It was because the live action movie based off the book also had indie music. The whole painting to me was an indie piece paying homage to the original and the iteration. When I apply to shows, this piece almost always guarantees to capture the attention of attendees. I think it is because it is familiar yet new. I don’t think fan art is right but it isn’t wrong either. Overall I just feel happy to see people appreciating it.
Even with another piece I have called “Trinkets,” I pay homage to my love of the alternative music scene. My sibling was a grunge/industrial rock lover. My cousins were nu-metal and ska fans. In school we had punks, goths, indie, scene, emo, and metalheads . I loved it all. We all liked different genres but we were always in the same shows and events. We all had something on us to be our indicators of where in that spectrum of music we were in. From this piece I pulled out some of those items. Some skull earrings and dice earrings that were DIY by two goths I met at a Halloween event. The bracelet was made by an emo kid and the shoe charm that resembled the real Converse shoes everyone had at least once. My goal in the art piece was to give it that refined impressionist style with that alternative edge. It was my love letter to the scenes I grew up around.
I mainly sell original work and sell prints. Sizes for prints I tend to go very small for the affordability of buyers. I know space is limited in every home and people like to decorate with unique pieces, so I like to be accessible to anyone. If anyone wants an original big piece it will be more expensive but they are aware of that I know I could put my work on other types of merchandise but I want to be mindful of what I create and the quantity I produce. I have sold over 200 original art pieces and I just have this creative drive to do as much as I can. If I had any future goals, I would love to reach a bigger audience, and have a few pieces in public permanent spaces.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most rewarding things about being an artist is having the opportunity to meet other artists. Seeing their perspectives and processes is just a wealth of knowledge to me. As artists we all were striving for different things. There is no linear path. Some folks are animators, others ceramists, textile artists, and the list goes on and on. We all are supportive of each other.
With that said, I am also grateful to everyone who has bought something from me, who attended a show, and giving me a follow. Every little gesture means the world to me. It is crazy to believe a large number of people support what I do after all these years. It still ignites me to keep going.
It takes a lot of courage to put your work out in the world. The act of creating a piece from beginning to end is such a wonderful rewarding experience.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Right now I am wanting to take on more larger scale projects if possible, As mentioned before I love the alternative scene and I would like to make art to support it. Doing things DIY is a very labor intensive but fulfilling. Another goal I would love to get started is on a comic. There are many ideas brewing. One of my dreams is to have some of my paintings displayed in permanent public spaces such as a library. For now I am trying to show off my work at night markets and galleries to gain more of a presence. Maybe someone out there will take interest. Only time will tell. I am just going to keep making what I love.
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