We recently connected with Liza Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Liza thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

When most people see my work, they tend to make faces, or just say my art isn’t “art”, just because it isn’t what you’d expect when you hear the word ART. I recently had a few people tell me that death is ugly and my art is basically mocking the deceased but, Art comes in many different forms, and that is what a lot of people don’t see or understand.
I pour all of my emotions into my work.
Each piece is unique, everything I make is based off of what I’m feeling in the moment.
I’m a taxidermist/ oddity artist.
I make art with bones, dead animals, dead insects, etc. everything I work with is ethically sourced meaning nothing was farmed or killed for display. With that being said, I get very emotional when creating these pieces.
I recently received a few fetal pig specimen who sadly didn’t make it into this world. I was so honored that I was able to display them and honor them with a beautiful everlasting life.
There is beauty death.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a child, I grew up playing with bugs, mud, moss, and all things nature. I’ve always been fascinated with life itself.
In 2021 I was on a walk and found a deceased rhinoceros beetle on the ground. I picked it up; I took it home, cleaned it up, and decided that I wanted to honor it by displaying it in a glass box with some flowers, moss, mushrooms and other things that were near it when it passed.
After that I started displaying everything that I would find on my walks.
It just felt amazing, creating something beautiful with what any other person would have just walked right past and not even care to notice.
I noticed, I notice the beauty in everything. That’s why I started my business because I wanted others to notice the beauty in everything including death.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve always struggled with mental illness’s.
One way I used to cope with how I was feeling was with self harm.
I felt like I just wanted to be in control of something.
About six years ago was my last attempt to take my life. I ended up in the ICU for weeks. My first night there I flatlined and I will never forget hearing my mother cry, hearing that cry at that moment made me regret everything I put her through.
I wished so badly that I could go back, but as my eyes closed, I was worried it was too late. The doctors were able to help me in time and I was able to live, I had never felt so lucky.
I made my mother a promise that day.
I was going to get better not just for her but for me.
I was so tired of living that way. I was so tired of making everyone grieve for me when I was ALIVE.
I was determined to get myself out of the grave I dug for myself and I did. I turned my life into a completely different direction within a year.
I’m so proud of myself for how far I’ve come.
I’m so proud of my self for making that decision for myself, and turning my life around for the better. .

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is people who love my work.
I absolutely love being able to see my work go to new homes, and cherished forever.
It’s truly amazing. When I first started my business I wasn’t sure anyone would like my art, but I was so wrong.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulflower.craft?igsh=NWd0ZDUyMHM4OWVq&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/soulflowercraft?mibextid=LQQJ4d