Art & Life with Lisa Y. Méndez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Y. Méndez.

Lisa, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve been a creator ever since I can remember and have dipped my toes in about all the arts-and-crafty things you can think of. As a child, I preferred crayons and coloring books to playing outdoors and thankfully I have a mother that never discouraged my creativity. That continued throughout my academic career because I always had teachers and mentors that encouraged my artistic expression and experimentation. Without them, it would have taken me a lot longer to become as confident in my work as I am today.

In high school, I was able to fine-tune my analog photography skills, which led to being graduating from college with a BFA in photography. Another life-changing event also happened in college—I was introduced to the world of zines by my Women’s Studies professor who used them in her curriculum. During that time and even now, I have never stopped painting or crafting; it’s just part of who I am.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I make zines, assemble collages, take photos and illustrate. All of my work is directly connected to the events going on in my life at the time, yet I intentionally try to make it non-specific to the viewer so that any person can find something to relate to.

A running theme in a lot of my drawings is a (usually) faceless and nude female figure and flowers, both of which I use to overtly express femininity and honesty. My sketches are penciled in first and then retraced and finalized with only black pen, leaving only the simplicity of the line work. On the other end of the spectrum is my analog street photography that focuses less on people and more on the details of my surroundings. My goal is to highlight the objects and scenery we see every day, but may fail to acknowledge and appreciate. Then there is the collaging process which is a much more intuitive, immediate and deliberate endeavor. Inevitably, it becomes more about the journey to completion rather than the final image.

All of this comes to a head with zines. I’ve used zines as a way to freely share my art in a directly accessible way, like trading with other zinesters of leaving copies behind at a coffee shop for people to discover and take home for free. Just the act of creating a zine is art—from designing the layout to picking out the materials and figuring out how it will all be assembled. I’ve made zines the old-fashioned way with cut-and-pasting and solely in Photoshop. I love the aspect of full control when creating zines too, from conception to distribution; it’s both challenging and empowering.

Overall, I hope my work motivates people to take inspiration from their daily life because even the most seemingly banal details can spur a grand idea.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
One bit of advice I often need to follow even for myself is to create only if it feels organic. Oftentimes, I’m not satisfied with a piece if I feel forced to create it just for the sake of completion or having content to post. Also, never stop observing and try to take inspiration from other creative fields that may be outside your realm.

When I was younger, like in high school and even college, I sometimes found myself spending too much time being concerned with what I thought I wanted my art to look like, rather than cultivating what I already had. So, one lesson I would take away would be to find your voice, your style, whatever it is that create your unique point of view and accept it, because the quicker you do, the more time you have to develop and express it.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I share most of my art on Instagram and my blog. Instagram is a fun way to share snippets of the physical progress of an art piece, but my blog gives me the space to explain in more depth my thought process and intent. I still find engaging with people face-to-face is the best way to keep the creative juices flowing and keep the art communities growing…so if a friend invites you to an art show or zine fest, GO!

Another simple way to support me and other artists is to credit and share posts on social media or even just sending a simple email or DM of encouragement, and of course, there’s the old stand-by: just buy art.

Contact Info:

• Website: unofotoart.wordpress.com
• Email: unofotoart@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uno_foto_art/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/in__plain__sight/

Image Credit:
Lisa Y. Méndez

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