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

Hi Tanya, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission is fairly simple, I was born to make art in literally any situation with just about any medium. It’s just what I’m really good at and happens to be something that I couldn’t really live without. Some things that have come up along the way are making art out of a objects that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. Giving them new life in a sophisticated way and surprising people with how it’s made fills my heart up. Ive found I have a very different process of creativity then even most professional creatives, which makes me highly motivated to share my unique art brain with the world.

Tanya, 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?

I am a 38 yr old first generation Costa Rican American woman of color, born and raised in the Bay Area. I have made art for as long as I can remember, it was the only thing I wanted to do as a kid. I experimented with traditional mediums through middle school, high school and into college, challenging myself to ask, “what else is there?” I continued testing a wide variety of modern art techniques until the age of 25 when I actually made the effort to learn on my own how to burn on wood.

I discovered pyrography from art that I saw in Costa Rica when I was about 10 years old and was motivated to start burning myself by making the impression of a stencil on a piece of wood in a different way. Since 2008 I have been burning in the pyrography medium on wood, followed up with leather and bone occasionally burning paper and canvas as well. When it comes to substrates I only have one question “Can I burn it?” and if the answer is yes then I’ll give it a go.

As well as pyrography, In 2016 I developed a medium I call “Fire Stenciling” and “Fire drawing” which also originated from the idea of making the impression of a stencil on a piece of wood in a different way. It mimics the feeling of a painted or stenciled piece but instead brightly colored paint it is burned and monochromatic. It’s a chemical medium that when applied to wood and introduced to an open flame it combusts on the surface of the wood.

The most recent medium is a series of heat molded vinyl records and metal leaf. Where I heat up a vinyl record and mold it to look like a skull is coming out from it. When the shape is where I want it, I then decide what type of metal leaf and where it’s going to be applied. Then when I’m done with the leafing I resin coat the whole record and make it hangable. The series is supposed to embody a physical representation of the emotional state we are in when we are engulfed in the love for music.

Practically everything I do is by hand, I have chosen to keep alive antiqued techniques by recreating them for a modern age, all the while intentionally reducing my carbon footprint through repurposing materials. I’m still constantly building on skills and talent handed down through genetics creating every piece I make to reflect the rarity that is me.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

About 5 and a half years ago I was in a very bad three car accident on the freeway, I was the middle car and was bounced back-and-forth between the two cars in front of me and behind me. As a result I have seven herniated discs in my back, nerve damage, torn tendons in my hands that required surgery and I still possibly need surgery in my neck. Because of all this I have chronic pain, which does not allow me to live a regular life let alone create as much as I would like to. A lot of that has also affected my mental health as well and has made a difficult sometimes to even be motivated to get out of bed. Although it’s been hard, and I’m not fully recovered (knowing that I might never be), art has been the one main thing that has fueled me to keep living. My drive to make a mark on this world the way I know I’m meant to is what keeps me going and pushing through all the pain and depression.

So my pivot in this instance was learning to use my less dominant hand more becoming ambidextrous, using many tricks and different methods to compensate while creating, learning how to ask for help (which was a big one considering I’m used to being a one woman show) and also taking time for self-care. Sometimes when you are the only person who is in your company and nothing gets done unless you do it you tend to get into mind space where you have to work every day all the time. I’m no different so through my injuries I’ve had to learn to forcibly learn to take time to feel better, do some thing for myself even if it feels indulgent.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

Honestly the monetary aspect of creating art as a profession is the least rewarding part of creating, in fact it gets in the way most of the time from my full potential. My favorite personal reward is when I create some thing that Ive never seen done before, when I am able to output physically what otherwise is just an idea I have floating around in my head I get impressed with myself, because a lot of times I don’t even know if its possible. My secondary reward is seeing peoples reactions to what I create, they don’t even really need to buy it, but when their faces light up and questions come out of their mouth because they have no idea what they’re looking at I am getting so much serotonin from that. Especially love doing commissions that are something so personalized you could never possibly buy it in the store, creating something that lives in somebody else’s mind it’s like a puzzle piece. I have to ask a lot of questions and come up with my own ideas to fill in blanks where they don’t have ideas but the reward is still the same. We’re all amazed that it’s even possible to physically manifest itself through my hands.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.TanyaHerrera.com
• Instagram: @TanyaHerrera.O.R.C
• Facebook: Tanya Herrera – Organized Raw Creations
• Youtube: @TanyaHerrera.O.R.C
• Other: TikTok: @TanyaHerrera.O.R.C