We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Manola and Maria Ramirez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Manola and Maria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

We are happy to say that we are making a full-time living from our creative work. It has not been an easy journey but it has been a very fulfilling one. We would be lying if we said that we were making a sustainable living wage right off the bat, our persistence and willingness to do multiple types of creative jobs has kept us going. We not only keep our own art practice going at our studio, we also screen print, design, fabricate, do mural work, and teach workshops. I don’t think we would speed through any of the process if we had the opportunity. There has been a rhythm to everything and pace at which we grew which allowed us to digest the experiences and opportunities that were presented to us. One can easily burn out when doing creative work and putting yourself on a certain timeline can leave you not enjoying the work.

Manola and Maria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Manola and Maria are sisters whose goal is to share their art and teach what they’ve learned to others. They are both UT Austin graduates and are putting their studio art degrees to use. They are part of an all female collaborative space known as Lavaca Studios in San Antonio, Texas. There they create, teach, and provide artistic resources to the community.

Manola and Maria not only design and screen print their own fine art prints but also provide their services to local artists. They do design work for local businesses and from time to time work as consultants on creative works. They collaborate with local design firms on installation pieces and have been commissioned to create several temporary installations of their own. They also maintain their own art practice and teach workshops from Lavaca Studios, a creative space and resource to the San Antonio community.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal is to keep making a living doing what we enjoy and to help other creatives on that journey as well. We want to keep creating and have our work enjoyed by as many people as we can. There are many artists and creators that we have met along the way that deserve the opportunity to have their work out in the world. The goal is to rise and be successful artists but not to do it alone.

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

Being able to share our work with others is so fulfilling. We create visual works to be enjoyed by others and when we get to do that it only serves to keep us going. We want to create and inspire others to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.manolaandmaria
• Instagram: @manola_and_maria
• Facebook: Manola & Maria

Image Credits
Photo of Manola and Maria by: Stephanie Solis