Meet Natalia López | Artist, painter & illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia López and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, how do you think about risk?
Being a creative has always had risks in it of itself. Whenever I would tell people I switched from getting a marketing degree to art I often received a response similar to “Well, what exactly does one do with an art degree?”, “What kind of job are you gonna get?”, “Wouldn’t marketing have gotten you more money in the future?”. Now, I won’t lie sometimes those questions itch at me deep down when I get asked the same thing so many times, especially being a undergraduate. I wonder what the best response is to questions such as these. The truth is I haven’t found exactly what I want to do, and I’ve come to the realization that it’s ok to not know what I want right now. I’m 23 and just got my bachelor degree of fine arts and who says I need to be accomplished and have a job lined up? Being an artist is about risk! Now I’m not downplaying a good game plan but sometimes letting the opportunities arise and putting yourself out there has worked for me so far!
I’ve been given a many opportunities to expand my creative footprint simply by being active on social media and networking with business owners and fellow artists across the valley. I’ve been given the opportunity to do a live painting event at the Art One Gallery in Scottsdale and been given the green light to table artwork in downtown Mesa at Jarrod’s Coffee Tea & Art Gallery. This year specifically has been full of risks. Working part time on top of doing 18 credit hours at Arizona State University in my last semester at college really took a toll on my sanity and eventually lead to a mini art burnout. All the while keeping up with putting my name out there into the art scene, however it is not for nothing. Over the past few months I’ve received nothing but support from friends, family, colleagues and even strangers and this has only driven me to go further.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Growing up in Arizona my entire life I often saw lots of artwork inspired by Hispanic culture and desert scenes. These artworks didn’t influence me much as a child but later on would go on to be major iconographies I would utilize in my own work. My dad being from Mexico and my mom growing up in northern Arizona they came from two different worlds it seemed. I grew up and still live in Queen Creek Arizona and it felt like there wasn’t much of an art scene growing up here. It wasn’t until after I graduated high school that Queen Creek really started to expand and evolve from more than your average agricultural community. I grew up thinking being an artist was for people that lived in New York or California and I was so sure I was going to get a degree in marketing or fashion design. However that changed when I started community college, I didn’t want an office job in my future I just wanted to paint and draw.

I would say my journey of being an artist in the valley is ever continuous. I wouldn’t say it was hard or easy but rather ever-flowing. I wouldn’t consider myself a ‘successful artist’ because the success is still coming! Even as of right now I’m always getting opportunities and looking for ways to get my foot in the door networking with fellow artists and art enjoyers in the areas I grew up in and frequent now.

I’ve learned that it’s ok to make mistakes and it’s ok that my art isn’t for everyone. I pride myself on the fact that my artwork can be for those with an acquired taste and sometimes it’s downright weird to people. I’ve learned that if I wanna make what I love I need to find my audience and if I can’t find my audience, I need to determine what they’re searching for. It’s ok to have artwork that makes me happy but also work that makes others happy and that’s my primary focus as of now.

I want the world to know that just because success may seem afar because of where you live or what you create, your success is not limited. The world is at our fingertips with the connections of social media! However I want to recognize the importance of immersing oneself within our own communities on top of social media. You can be successful in one or both and there’s loads of opportunities waiting for those that want to pursue the arts. With the rise of AI and artwork being stolen and traced all the time it’s important to not only market what you make but market yourself and get involved in the local art scene. This ensures not only what we have to offer as artists but what the world can take from us that cannot be replicated via a computer. I’m proud to say I am still finding my path and continuing to pursue my dream even if I’m not sure where it’s going to end up!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being born and raised in Arizona I’ve come to find that I am a creature of habit. As far as dining in AZ I’ve gotta say I’m a fan of sushi and coffee ( not necessarily those two things together) but nonetheless I really enjoy Masa sushi in Gilbert as well as Jarrod’s Coffee Tea & Art gallery. Jarrod’s is an art lover’s haven. There’s so much creativity within that space and who doesn’t love a fresh cup of coffee. If it wasn’t so much of a drive from Queen Creek I would be in there every day!

As far as places to hang out, though it’s not a year-round event I am absolutely in love with the Arizona Renaissance Fair. Typically February through mid April black canyon offers some of the strangest yet most serotonin filled sights and activities once can get from this fantasy filled event. I’ve found that the AZRF is one of the most amazing hotspots for those that love the arts to check out. From fabric painting, to puppetry, to forging metal the fair is jam packed with artistic and fantasy oriented entertainment. It offers great inspiration to artists as well as supports traveling artists as most items for sale are handmade.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
During my time at Chandler Gilbert Community College and Arizona State University two professors have stood out to me and given me the tools and drive necessary to my ongoing journey of success. Professor Louis Mendoza of CGCC and Professor Mark Pomilio of ASU.

Louis Mendoza is not only an amazing teacher but has shaped me to be a strong and confident individual when it comes to pushing myself and marketing my work. Louis inspired me to go on to become the CGCC art club president during my time at Chandler Gilbert. This molded me to be not only a leader but take risks and organize large scale events that represented not only myself but the entire college. Although my time as president was converted to online due to COVID, I worked alongside Professor Mendoza to ensure that just because we were in lockdown didn’t mean we couldn’t have art club! I’m so grateful to have worked with Professor Mendoza but also learn from him and his incredible teaching techniques. I look forward to utilizing what I learned through him in my future as an individual pursuing the arts.

Mark Pomilio is the type of mentor that not only cares about his students but pushes each individual more and more. I was a student of Professor Pomilio for my last year of college at ASU and I wish I had more time for more of his courses. Professor Pomilio helped me not only network with fellow students but encouraged me to keep at my art even in the event that life and overwhelming circumstances were attempting to drag me down. I never once even had the opportunity to fail in Professor Pomilio’s class simply because he drove me to do better and better and never let me drown. Being in Professor Pomilio’s class not only expanded my skills as a painter but prepared me for the fact that life happens— but you have deadlines and you have a creative outlet and that outside circumstances shouldn’t be allowed to hinder my creativity. It may result in a break but the break can’t be long and sometimes outside circumstances make for great inspiration!

Instagram: @ailatan.art

Other: TikTok: @westghost666