Meet Martha Hernandez Polanco

We had the good fortune of connecting with Martha Hernandez Polanco and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Martha, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I have a tendency to put a lot on my plate, but I have come to understand my work as an artist grows most by having a healthy support system, time management skills, patience, endurance and adaptability.

At one point in my life I was dancing for three companies, doing 5:30am hot yoga classes, taking on choreography projects, had a daily routine of some kind of evening dance technique class or conditioning and having monthly performances. In addition to the full agenda as a performing artist, I worked a full time job during the day which included mandatory overtime. This lifestyle lasted until 2020, where between an injury, covid and burnout I had to slow down and temporarily stop performing. During that time, I felt stagnate. I was longing to create and needed change. I didn’t like the feeling of just waking up to work my corporate job and going to sleep to repeat this cycle. This is when I pulled out my old canvases and paint brushes as a means to have some type of creative outlet. There was so much more in me that I needed to express. With this extra free time, I explored my complex relationship with painting. I prefer oils, but this was not the best choice for me coming back to after years of no practice. The feedback I got was positive. Some of my long time friends and dance colleagues had no idea I had intermediate painting skills. I began getting messages from interested buyers and commission requests, some which included mural commissions.

I was at a crossroads whether I wanted to make this work into my next chapter of life once I start dancing again. I did decide I didn’t want to lose the time and energy that I had invested into painting. So I adapted and made painting into an important part of my life and started Martha’s Art Series LLC. Instead of dancing for three companies, I now perform consistently with one, MAC & Company. I also take on independent projects of choreographing, teaching or performing with other groups *such as; Scorpius Dance Theater, Cazo Dance Theater, Nicole|Movement Chaos, and Liliana Gomez Dance. I might not be able to condition and take technique classes every day, but when I do set time for it I make it count. 

I recently had another reassessment of this balancing act after giving birth to my first child. I took a break from painting and dancing, and spent a few months completely focused on my newborn. When it was time to come back to performing, my husband and son would come along to dance rehearsals, opening receptions, performances and anywhere that they were allowed. Being together is important to me and my husband, who is an artist too, and he supports sharing our passions with our son. When I do need to step away for a project, most recently the MAC 10 Show which involved almost a 10 hour day in the theater, I lean heavily on my family to help me with my son.

Prioritizing what’s important and balancing (personal desires and goals) is something I want my child to know they can do. I think it’s important to maintain a healthy work/life balance. We all get the same amount of hours in a day, how we use that time and focus our energy can help us build towards goals. I also had a professor in college give me the advice, “you can have it all, but not all at once.”  It has been these skills and advice which have enabled me to turn hobbies into opportunities. Allowing me to survive, quickly change between the different hats of having a family and push my boundaries as an artist. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I was 5, I answered “Artist,” to the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” This has stayed true for me over the years, through the jobs and breaks I’ve taken from creating. My love of painting came at this early age, and was further inspired from the art history books and biographies of historical artist that were gifted to me. I attended an art high school where I entered with the intention of only painting, but then discovered my passion for dance. I felt torn between the two art forms, and did not have a mentor for my painting journey. I lost interest in painting due to several reasons and chose to pursue dance instead. I did not completely cut painting out, but the gaps between creating turned to years.

While earning my BFA in dance at Arizona State University, I inadvertently took a class on color theory that would inevitably influence my personal style and reignited my passion for painting. The work became expressive and the canvas was filled with color and moving dance bodies. I didn’t stick long enough with painting after this phase, but it was a glimpse into where my paintings would go in the future. It wasn’t until 2020 when I temporarily stepped away from dance, that painting was reintroduced into my life. The new output of paintings were in the realm of expressionist/surrealist work. There is a heavy influence of colorful spectrums and chiaroscuro. I began to draw deep inspiration from my husband’s music, love of dance, the circus, my dreams and the beauty of Mexican culture. While I do rarely wonder how much further into a painting career I would be if I had stuck to it from the beginning, I also would not be creating what I do now had it not been from all of the other influences and diversions.

The biggest lessons I’m still learning is to be patient, that it’s ok asking for opportunities, and trusting in my own journey. Comparison is such a joy killer, and limits our potential. My strength and weakness is I am a planner. I am the kind of planner with a back up plan. If that isn’t enough, I would overthink the situation and question if my back up plan needs a back up plan. I have a hard time with taking risks due to growing up with family financial hardships. Everything I do tends to be carefully calculated, every pro and con weighed precisely. It is how I have learned to decide which risks are worth time and energy, and what is not. This has also been the cause of missed opportunities, because I was stuck only viewing the options in front of me – and was too scared to ask for other ones. Honestly, it shouldn’t be scary. The worst someone can say is “no.” Despite my stubborn nature and desire to have control of each situation I’m in, some of the best experiences came from situations where I was patient or became bold enough to ask for something.

I had an entire vision of what I thought my life would be, but I’m grateful that things happened the way they did. I wouldn’t change anything about the past because it all lead me to here, but I am using those lessons to help grow my opportunities as a visual and performing artist, as well as working on my small art business. I started my business as a way for me to live my childhood artist dream. Creating allows me to document, and communicate to others, these experiences when I can’t find the words. With each painting I allow myself to be vulnerable. My mission is simply to bring more color to the world and inspire the imagination of my viewers.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I very much enjoy supporting my local small businesses and exploring what they have to offer. One of my favorite places to visit is: a coffee shop. I live closer to the West side of Phoenix, so I enjoy going to Homage Cafe, Cafe Mollie, Lola Cafe, Pop’n’Tea and Press coffee.

A majority of my friends are artists, so I would pair my coffee shop visits with a trip to the museum or a gallery. The Heard Museum, The Latino Arts and Cultural Center and the Herberger are some great options in the Phoenix downtown area. Especially since I occasionally have pieces in their galleries. Additionally, I would recommend going to see a live performance at one of the theaters. Some of the theater venues I enjoy are Tempe Center for the Arts, Phoenix Theater, and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. If the day is right maybe even take them to enjoy an open mic night accompanied by some Irish pub food at The Dubliner. Or partake in a relaxing time with authentic Mexican food at La Santísima with a refreshing Tamarindo margarita.

Depending on the time of month, I would encourage attending a First Friday or Third Friday. There is so many talented artists out there and venues giving them a voice to express. I have been doing a few gallery exhibits and performances with the Herberger Theater Center, they are one of my favorite venues what a gallery space and offer a lot of entertainment events. If my friend and I are on the West side, which my best friend actually lives out in Surprise (Hi Terry!), I would stop by the Arts HQ Gallery.

Unfortunately, it’s hot most of the year so there is small windows for going outdoors. I tend to do indoor physical activities, so if you love dance classes, there is some great options with Cazo Dance Center and Invictus Dance Project. I am also an advocate of trying new things to expand your horizon and add to your skillset. The Foundry offers hot yoga classes and many other classes for your physical, mental and spiritual health. Scorpius Dance Theater offers Silks and Lyra classes taught by their dance company members. Prowess Pole Fitness is another great space that offers fun pole and Lyra classes, they are actually how I got introduced to my favorite apparatus Lollipop Lyra, which has become my specialty for performance gigs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First shoutout would be to my husband, Declan Sean Cooney. Not only is he my biggest support, inspiration and extrovert, but he keeps me honest and challenges my views which results in better outcomes. He is a debater personality (Briggs/Myers, ENTP) and is an artist too! He has helped me with difficult decisions, has always been wise (even when we met in high school) and directs my attention on things for the best outcome for our family. My imagination runs wild as seen in some of my paintings and choreography, but my husband likes to share his ideas and opinions to take what I’m making to the next level. He shares his talent as a musician, which has enabled many collaboration projects for dance and aerial choreography. Our dual projects have been performed locally for dance shows, festivals and out of state. In our recent collaboration, we have worked together to create my largest mural commission yet. I was feeling overwhelmed and I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time. I was struggling energy wise and trying to beat my deadline and not have to make too many 2 hour drives, but he lent his artistic skills to help me cut the painting time in half. I was already making my own progress as an artist, but it has excelled beyond my imagination because of my husband.

Secondly, I want to shoutout out to my dance community, colleagues and directors. Each of you have helped shaped my journey and artistic voice. Once I was out of college, I joined Lisa Starry’s Scorpius Dance Theatre which pushed me as a performer and moved me into the air doing silks, lyra and trapeze. My favorite show was A Vampire Tale which brought all of these things together and let me perform close to Nicole Olson (the person who gave me my first dance class), and Gavin Sisson (my aerial coach and the person who gave me my first aerial lesson). It was from doing this show I met some of my long time friends. I met my friend Bridgette Caron Borzillo through my early years with Scorpius, and I was thrilled to be invited to join her startup dance company Cazo Dance Theater. Ideas were fresh and the show ideas were limitless, and she was pushing her dancer’s acting abilities. I have been a fairytale villain, a serial killer, living doll, artsy teenage, to the challenging role of growing from a child to an adult onstage. Many years ago I was once labeled as the worst actor someone has ever met, so it was a good growing opportunity. During the same time Cazo Dance Theater started, another group MAC & Company was working towards their first season. I met Micaela Church while working on another dance project; she invited me to attend her rehearsal, where I was expecting to be observing, but ended up learning an entire piece (which is jokingly still referred to as the company initiation piece today), and then getting ready to join them on their first gig. I wouldn’t have shaped into the choreographer that I am today if it weren’t for Micaela and co-founder Li Pei Khoo giving a platform to their dancers to create and push our boundaries. Micaela is also my lyra partner which has created opportunities for a level of circus performing I’ve always dreamed of. I am also grateful for the opportunities to grow as a performing artist working with my friend Liliana Gomez and Nicole Olson.

Lastly, I’m just grateful for all of my friends and family for the support over the years. I love getting to share what I create with you!

Website: www.marthasartseries.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/marthapattyh and www.instagram.com/marthasartseries 

Image Credits
Photo credit to my talented friend Rick Meinecke with Lights View Photos.