Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Aspiras.
Hi Desiree, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in San Diego. My mom is a dressmaker, and I remember when I was in third grade, one of her customers noticed I liked to draw and gave me a nice large hardcover sketchbook for my birthday. I filled it up with sketches, short stories, and little poems over the next few years. I continued to play at art and poetry all the way up until my college years at UCLA, but my interests at that point turned towards singing, dance, and choreography. After I graduated, I worked in the concert and music industry for a while before I transitioned to working in the nonprofit arts sector in Los Angeles, then Washington, DC, then Orange County. After my first son was born, and moving back to San Diego. I studied graphic design at San Diego City College and also began to learn printmaking, letterpress, and book arts at Bay Park Press. After my second son was born, I switched gears again and earned my master’s in marital and family therapy from the University of San Diego.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The arts have played an important role in who I am today. However, connecting with my creativity and allowing myself the time and space to engage in it has not been easy. With work, and being married, and raising two kids, it is hard sometimes to find time to make art, write, or create. Prioritizing time for slowing down to think and dream, and create is not really a part of our social conditioning. We undervalue what creativity can bring to our lives in terms of meaning-making, identity exploration, community, personal growth, and transformation. It’s a shame that sometimes we feel the need to justify a creative endeavor that it has to tick off the boxes of being productive in some way. I appreciate now how throughout my life, whether it was in high school, college, and afterward, spending time in performing arts and creative spaces has helped me to gain a sense of mastery and confidence and a sense of who I am and what I want to express in the world, and that has influenced other parts of my life in important ways.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Although my “day jobs” now include being an educator, therapist, and mindfulness instructor, creativity is important to me, and I take the opportunity to weave it into my work whenever I can. During the pandemic, I started the project Printmakers Against Racism, which was a call to printmakers everywhere to make art and raise money to support organizations and mutual aid groups fighting racial inequality and systemic oppression. Since 2020, there have been five rounds of artmaking and fundraising for this project, and over $50,000 has been raised collectively so far. It’s been amazing to see the art inspired by and created for this project and to see so many getting involved from all over the world. We are activating a sixth round in August, and I’m looking forward to seeing more people participate.
I want to support the vibrant artistic and socially engaged communities I am a part of and have been working to cultivate creative and contemplative spaces for us to support one another. One project, Deep Breath Network (DPN), aims to create diverse and inclusive spaces where changemakers can experience how mindfulness practices can support their work in these challenging times. As part of DPN, I have been offering virtual free community mindfulness meditation gatherings. Another project I am working on, Interconnected, is a virtual coworking space and community for artists and activists, where we have virtual OPENstudio coworking meetups and other events and resources to support collaborations, creative practices, and change-making work. I am also recording episodes right now for a new podcast I’m launching in the Fall, Choosing To Create, where I am having conversations with artists and activists, creatives and changemakers to explore the intersections of art, awareness, and activism.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The pandemic has taught me not to take anything for granted, like my health, my family and friends, my access to nature, and being outside near the ocean. I also was surprised that I was able to find and connect with support and community in virtual spaces that have been instrumental in my personal, creative, and professional growth over the past few years.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deepbreathnetwork.org; www.printmakersagainstracism.com
- Instagram: @deepbreathnetwork @interconnectedspace
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deepbreathnetwork
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireeaspiras/
Image Credits
Desiree Aspiras
Sibyl Rubotton
Katie Ruiz
