We were lucky to catch up with Tatiana Herrera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tatiana, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
When I think about my life as a whole I can’t just identify one specific risk I’ve take because I can name several risks that define my journey as a person and as a creative. I’ve taken risks to pursue my passions and my truest self ever since I can remember. From quitting jobs that deprived me of my true essence or undervalued me, to pursuing creative opportunities that may or may not be profitable for me. As much as I take risks to pursue things I want, I also take the risk of denying the things I DO NOT want in life and sometimes those are the hardest risks to take because others might judge you for not wanting something “good” and essentially those risks lead you towards the vast unknown; yet…it’s always felt right to say no. I credit being able to take risks to my art because it’s a risk to exist and define yourself as an artist. Art is subjective so you risk being ridiculed for what you feel is beautiful and worthy of creation. It’s a risk to be an artist because you risk constantly comparing yourself to the immense talent out in the world or relying on others’ validation of your art. At any point you can lose vision of what it means to be an artist.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’ve always been creative in some way shape or form growing up. While I dabbled here and there sketching as a teen, I really didn’t get into painting until I was 20 yrs old after I went to a paint and sip event and painted on a canvas for the first time. At that time, I zoned out for the first time in pure bliss and became one with the brush. I didn’t think I could paint but to my surprise it came naturally and my desire to grow my skills lit up. However, the fact that it came naturally doesn’t mean I haven’t put in years of self teaching to evolve my techniques. I’ve fueled my passion by learning to be inspired by the teachings of all types of artists over the years. I have now been painting for 12 years; and I don’t plan to ever stop!
I paint in acrylic mediums with strategic texture applications and ink. I love playing with different textures, especially
moss. My inspirations are nature, femininity, music, urban art, space, architecture and pop art. Most of my paintings always speak to a concept. I love creating pieces that speak to humanity and the emotions we can all relate to. My pieces are meant to unify humans in the vulnerabilities that exist at our core. Pain, heartbreak, fears, hopes, dreams, hardships, love, music, spirituality – all are concepts that constantly inspire my visions. What sets me apart from others is the boldness of the textures, colors, and elements I use to create the picture of what I am trying to say. I have a strategic perspective of how I define these concepts and how I view life so my imagery is as detailed as my mind.
Made by TH is my brand and I want people to know that I strategically brand my work with just TH so that first and foremost my artwork speaks for it self first before anyone can conclude if its done by a male or female artist. My work comes from the heart and I always hope that through a piece I can connect to or represent a person’s heart at it’s most authentic version.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal is to inspire people to be open about what’s it’s like to be human. Sharing in-depth feelings about the topics we are all familiar with truly connects people. I choose to do the connecting through my art. It sparks the conversation that leads to that aha moment where they themselves can remember a time they felt the same way about something. Part of being human is that we are all creative in our own ways and we are all capable of understanding a narrative behind a painting so my mission is to create from my heart in a way that helps people think outside the box and inspires them to admire beauty in different ways.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
What society can do more of is offer more opportunities for artists in which we don’t have to initially invest so much money in to participate in. It’s a huge risk paying so much money up front to maybe sell artwork and break even. If larger corporations donated to the arts in the form of free venue space that would be amazing and a huge help. Society could also do better at normalizing the true value of artwork and why it matters to not price shame artists. 
Contact Info:
- Website: madebyth.com
- Instagram: _madebyth