We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lara Padilla a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I think that for an artist the most important thing is the work in the studio. To be good in any discipline you have to work hard and through practice and repetition you end up mastering the technique. In my case meeting other artists, their works, see exhibitions, travel, learn about other cultures and read a lot has helped me improve my technique. Furthermore, I believe one has to get out of the comfort zone. Accepting new challenges and allowing yourself to fail and do things that you are not comfortable with helps the artist to grow. This is the career of life, my passion, and I feel that I am only starting, I still have a lot to learn. The main obstacles I have come across is myself. On occasions I get frustrated when I don´t achieve the results
I desire in the short term, but I am aware of it and I try to work on it and persevere until I achieve my goals. In my opinion, speed does not help much, we have to be patient and enjoy these processes without getting overwhelmed and feeling that it is a race, because apart from the achievements and set goals, I still think that we have to focus on what exists, on what is real; and that is the now,
the present moment. It is the path you create that matters.
One should enjoy the ride.

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 multidisciplinary artist that uses paint, sculpture, dance, performance and fashion as means of artistic expression. I combine texture with movement, canvases and clothing to travel between different social and professional contexts. My art has participated in individual and group exhibitions at national and international level, such as in “Art Madrid Contemporary Art Fair”; or”Art Basel Miami”.
My fascination for fashion eventually led me to work with clients such as Springfield, Pepe Jeans or Levis. I also actively collaborate with Patricia Field, the stylist of series such as “Sex In The City”; or “The Devil wears Prada”; for her project Patricia Field Art Fashion, designing unique hand-painted garments.
My mostly figurative pieces draw attention to the power of female representation through the deformation of the body and the use of colors and textures. Gender empowerment is exhibited through large hands as powerful instruments of battle; as well as heavy feet, an image of the perseverance of women in their historic struggle.
I understand art, not as a silent showcase, but as a path of action and political
intervention. My aesthetic is an ode to diversity, portraying all types of bodies in order to promote a look of equality and authenticity.
In my latest creations I have expanded my artistic horizons, exploring African andpre-Columbian art, cultural chapters of great social and conceptual significance such as Genesis or the interaction of bodies with new supports and textures.
I am proud of my perseverance at work; going to my workshop every day to paint whether or not there are projects. I am very lucky to be able to dedicate myself to something that I am passionate about, and I believe that art will always be a part of my life, professionally or not. Art is a place to find myself, it has healed me many times in my life and has given me tranquility, hope and peace. What I hope is to be able to share it with people and create a dialogue, learn and be a
better person and artist every day.

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

For me, the most rewarding thing about being an artist is being able to dedicate myself to something that I love, I really enjoy my work in the studio. Moreover, it is very gratifying to know that all that work and effort is portrayed in something yours, seeing how your art develops to be able to share it with different people.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I would have liked to know that I don´t have to finish everything I start, sometimes I have started to study things that I immediately knew weren´t for me but out of commitment I decided to use that time to get my degree, something that doesn´t work if you don´t really love what you do. It would also have been useful to trust myself more and suffer less with difficulties, it´s still hard for me to let go of some decisions from the past. I keep learning to focus on what is mine and avoid comparing myself with other stories; to be patient and enjoy the processes since goals come and go, but what remains is the path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://srad.wtf/en/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/srad.wtf/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPtJ_dtAqm4dJidYPEd9AwA

Image Credits
@mcondesa @clauxmadriz @Imagetakerstudios