We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Isabel Garcia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Isabel below.

Isabel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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?

One of the best decisions I ever made was also one of the most challenging risks I’ve ever taken, not just for my career, but my life in general. Deciding to choose myself, my craft, and my dreams taught me to persevere regardless the circumstances.
After the world seemed to calm down after the pandemic, I found myself in countless collaborative projects where I felt I was thriving alongside other creatives and making art for a greater cause.
Collaborating with other artists for over a year inspired me and shaped my passions for creating beautiful works of art together. However, I was faced with the inevitable of having to learn how to advocate and speak up for myself when some did not seem to share the vision for pursuing art as a career or when my creative ideas clashed with those of the others around me. I worked alone before many of the projects I was a part of, but after all the teamwork, I felt it was time trust myself and do what I always longed to do and continue my art path on my own. I am grateful that my desire to succeed far outweighed my fears. I ended up walking away from a huge project I had worked so hard to acquire and as scary as it was, it allowed me to forge my own path and become who I am today, getting to do what I do now.

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 an artist, educator, and community collaborator. My work consists of various styles of vibrant portraiture and illustration, small and large-scale murals, world-building, and character design that highlights my culture, as well as embraces the weird and the beauty of life. Along with my passion for creating, I aim to promote arts education and its value in underrepresented communities where I can connect with students of all ages and share the knowledge I have gained throughout my practice.
I have been self taught all my life, but the older I get, I find myself looking for teachers of all kinds and try to learn as much about art in all its forms. Painting murals has connected me with amazing people and the scale of some projects have only demonstrated a portion of what I am capable to do. My gratitude for the community I have built and every opportunity is endless.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is getting to see the impact art can make in people’s lives and communities. Seeing the faces of children when they’ve learned a new art skill and applied it to something they’re working on is priceless. Feeling happiness and pride in my work is one thing, but when I can leave a legacy of students finding their own voice in art, it has only proven to me that true dedication and hard work can achieve anything.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is one of those tricky things that can either suck you into an abyss of senseless scrolling and meaningless comparisons, however it can also elevate your life and work if you let it. I was about 13 or 14 years old when my older brother decided it was time for me to stop keeping my art to myself. He installed Instagram to a phone I had that did not have service and only ran on WiFi, but had a great working camera. I remember posting some of my drawings and following so many artists I thought made amazing stuff. From comic illustrators to muralists, to activists, my inspiration had no end. I began messaging artists and asking about the tools they used, advice for direction, and for simply telling them how cool I thought they were. Fast forward to now, I am so thankful for the community I have on social media where I can share my work and give advice to those who ask me now. I share snippets about my personal life and my shortcomings as much as I share about my successes. I’ve learned through others that I look up to that authenticity will go a long way and get you to places you could never even imagine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artbyisbl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyisbl