Today we’d like to introduce you to Francesca Isabella Towers.
Hi Francesca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I consider the experiences that shaped who I am, I think of the obstacles I’ve faced and how art has helped me make meaning of them and build perseverance.
Immense challenges which break down the mind, body and soul are part of the human condition. What redeems this misfortune is that sitting with immense suffering and finding a way through it rather than numbing builds resilience. It is the prerequisite for experiencing the equal and opposite force of a brilliant resurgence, during which the waking of consciousness spawns a profound sense of awareness, gratitude, and awe. In this heightened state of awe, where one can observe its paradoxical enmeshment with suffering, there lies a glimpse of the fullness of life. With that, gratitude and awe transcend into rapture.
Experiencing this cycle of repression and resurgence laid the thematic foundation for my artwork and Fresca Bella Studios. It stemmed from the violent onset of an inflammatory bowel disease called ulcerative colitis. The prolonged state of illness was literally draining the life out of me, leaving me hollow, fearful, and in pain. Upon healing, I would arrive fully in the present, feeling connected to myself and everything around me. It caused ordinary moments to saturate with so much beauty that it moved me to tears. It was as though the bleakness made the colors more vibrant.
After this experience, I became interested in abstract processes as a way of embracing the unknown through experimentation; in doing so, I discovered a creative force within me like no other process had tapped into. It removed my inhibitions and allowed me to make things for the thrill of it. I was using so many different mediums and creating in prolific quantities. In my steroid-induced insomnia, I would often head to the studio at 6 am, work for a few hours, go about my other classes and meals, and come back until midnight. I was ultimately able to curate my senior thesis exhibition a year early.
In the years that followed, I pioneered the visual language of my professional art practice. I did so alongside a full-time job, I opened my business, pursued art full-time for 6 months, and curated my debut solo exhibition, Breadth of Being, which I exhibited at Art San Diego this past September.
In addition to continuing the exhibition of my work, I want to understand more about the human body and mind, more about self-awareness, the science of learning, expression, and human connection—and how it all combines to create meaningful pathways for one’s communities, education and career. From those roots, I want to build a class, a residency, or even a school.
Right now I’m in the embryo phase of these ideas, learning from organizations that are doing the work in the real world. It’s humbling to be in my mid-twenties state of tension: I have progressed in so many areas and experienced a lot, especially with art; yet, so much remains new to me and I have budding interests that I have yet to develop a path for.
I have a full-time job again and in some ways, this moment feels like another resurgence has come and gone. I accomplished the birth of my professional art practice and am now on a brand new journey with fresh challenges. I’m excited to see how they will show up in my art and find out what my next resurgence will bring.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Anything but a smooth road. After graduating college, (I got my BA in art) I had to wrestle with what it meant to be an artist outside of school, alongside a full-time job, as a full-time job, and to not make any money from it, and continue to do it anyways. Being in the real world was a test. I felt lost, and I struggled at first. I thought I found my way when I began exploring education philosophy and I even applied to graduate school to pursue my ideas. I think that was the rejection that fueled my determination to start my art career, and even inspired the first two paintings in my debut series. An early success was having a painting chosen for the Oceanside Museum of Art’s Biennial, it was one out of nearly 900 entries and it was hung on its own wall. It was hugely encouraging. I continued designing work and developing my style but I wasn’t painting a lot due to the time constraints of a full-time job.
I was very fortunate to receive a promotion that provided a handsome paycheck. Combine a handsome paycheck and living with a parent, and soon enough, I paid off my student loans and saved up enough to where I felt comfortable pursuing art full-time for 6 months. (Comfortable only in one sense, nervous in many others—it was a huge risk to leave the stability and opportunity I was given).
Meanwhile, I was learning all the different hats of my art as a business, how to create a website, and product listings, marketing materials, how to show up on social media, alongside designing and creating new work. I think I made a lot of progress, but am still so new at actually putting my work out into the world, and it’s such an opaque, elusive process to exposure that has so many paths. Art San Diego was a huge accomplishment for me. It was the culmination of two years of work, and it was the first time I would show it all together, and get to see an audience respond to it. It received a lot of attention, and people were really receptive to hearing about the work. Pricing is also a challenge; it’s another elusive, opaque process that has a variety of factors, and it can create a lot of inner turmoil. The next challenge is continuing to exhibit my work, make more, get exposure, etc. meanwhile I have a full-time job again.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Part of pursuing art is finding other ways to support yourself when your art doesn’t. There is no one way to feel about this, but I choose to see it as an opportunity, even if sometimes begrudgingly. I think the key is finding roles that still align with my interests and desired growth, and staying open minded. Sometimes it can be a challenge to be taken seriously when telling prospective employers about being an artist; but, I know without-a-doubt so many of the skills that allow me to thrive in the workplace come from my long-term development as an artist.
Right now, I am in a supportive role at a nonprofit that specializes in conflict resolution; in a few months, I will be trained to lead some of their workshops. In this position and at my previous employer, I’m known for my ability to teach myself things very quickly, for having a high standard of work, and for being very disciplined and self-motivated.
I’m proud of feeling at home within an organization that is incredibly values-driven, where authenticity, respect and inclusivity are lived out through so many of the people I work with. Being routinely inspired to connect with others and make a difference tells me I’m in the right place—even if it’s a little different from my specialties in art and education. I think having a background as an artist sets me apart in the workplace, and having multi-faceted career interests sets me apart as an artist too. I don’t fit into a box and I don’t want to.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think people see the style of my art, the scale of it, the opportunity I’ve had to showcase it, the prices I list it for, and even see me, at 5’3” and I think it can be easy for them to assume that what I do must have been handed to me or it must not be very difficult. I won’t get into my life’s story, and am certainly aware of the encouragement I’ve had along the way, but there have also been very tumultuous and unstable times in my life, on top of going through familial challenges and struggles with health. I’ve worked very hard to pay for all of my art production myself. I’ve been drawing and painting in a dedicated way for 14 years.There’s just so much that goes into what I do as an artist, years of study, years of life, years of thought, and a lot of intention.
I don’t know if any of this would surprise people. I think my takeaway is that we all have assumptions about others, and it’s important to stay curious and recognize that we don’t know people’s stories nor what goes on behind the scenes. Assumptions can really rob us of truly seeing one another and creating connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://frescabellastudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefrescabellagram/?hl=en
