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

Leslie, appreciate you joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

After joining the military, I began to feel a decline in my comprehension and cognitive abilities. During my second technical training school, which was a 46 week basic Russian course, I was really struggling. I would work really hard to remain average in my performance. I started to question whether I was the dumbest of the smart kids or the smartest of the dumb kids. It was a very troubling internal dialogue to have over and over. I continued to push through and I ended up graduated. This trend would surface often, during yearly language training, testing for promotions, etc. As my peers would climb the ranks, I was left behind, feeling average after studying for months and scoring just below the cut off to be promoted. One time I was 6 points shy, and I will never forget how devastating that was. Fast forward to 2015, I was diagnosed with a Chiari Malformation Type 1, a neurological condition that affects cognitive and fine motor skills, as well as, the flow of spinal fluid. For so many years I was misdiagnosed, and made to feel unintelligent in academic settings. Getting my diagnosis and a cranial decompression, was such a sense of relief and I remember, saying out loud, that I am not and never was “dumb” I was just fighting against a serious condition.

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 currently run my own lifestyle brand and skincare line–Wildflower + Fox. I am a disabled Air Force Veteran and an after I was medically retired I became an Esthetician. Through my many health challenges I turned to makeup and fashion as an artistic outlet. I eventually found my true passion for skincare while attending the Aveda Institute, where I graduated as Valedictorian of my class. During the pandemic I was unable to work in a spa setting, so instead I started my skincare line. I also began to create content and collaborate with international beauty and lifestyle brands. My content has been featured in social media marketing campaigns across different social media platforms. I am also devoted to advocating for invisible disabilities and the service dog community, as well as, equity and inclusion within the beauty and fashion industry.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Step one: STOP CUTTING FUNDING FOR THE ARTS (saying it loudly for the people in the back). The blatant dismissal for the arts in education is sickening to me. It has also perpetuated this idea that being a creative or an artist is not a real career. The same people that share that sentiment are the first ones to mass consume the arts. It is astonishing how much art we are surrounded by in our daily lives, but there is such a lack of respect for the process. We are seen as taking the easy way out in terms of a college major, and often the art department is an after thought. Art saves lives, art is therapeutic, art is medicine, and more people need to truly understand that.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Personally, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist, is creating something tangible and beautiful from an idea. Creating a work of art, from a block of clay, a blank canvas, film in a camera, is incredibly mind blowing. I am constantly in awe when I witness friends and classmates bring their art to life. There is so much information in the creative process, and each piece carries with it lessons, challenges, and eventually a release.

Contact Info:

• Website: wildflowerandfox.co
• Instagram: wildflowerandfox
• TikTok: wildflowerandfox1