City on Fire: Sofía Unlocked

Welcome back to our blog! I know it's been a minute, but we're back with a new interview! continuing our series, "City On Fire". In this blog we're interviewing an Artist and new member of the All-Eternals collective Sofía Arte. She's dedicated to her craft & passions. She's a Spanish lecturer at The University of Nevada, Reno, a private English teacher for Spanish-speakers, and is pursuing her Master's in Latin American Literature with a concentration on de-colonial literature. Sofía Arte joins All Eternals as an abstract artist as she designs a variety of pieces that connect her and her experiences to the world.

Sofía is an Artist Based out of Reno, Nevada. Though she feels art is open for interpretation by the viewer through their own lens, through her art she tells her personal journey as something that she hopes her audience takes in & resonates with. Drawing has always been a passion of Sofía's using pen & paper as her mediums, she uses black and white abstract art to illustrate a flow of storytelling, connecting the emotions of rage, passion, & the feeling of becoming whole again after being shattered. Her work is an interpretation of picking up the broken pieces of ourselves, and gluing them back together to become something stronger through time.

Now as I did my research on Sofía, I noticed the reoccurrence of what I like to call "The Dragon & The Lady" I asked her a bit about some of the meanings behind the pattern- if it was an intentional thing, or a spiritual calling. She said: "The Dragon is so multi-dimensional- it can be sexy, elegant, wise, dangerous, protective depending on how you see it....there's different vibes and messages you can communicate with the Dragon. The Dragon for me can symbolize alchemy through its ability to burn harmful things into dust- with just simply it's breath, it can restore equilibrium. It can also be seen as this wise spiritual guide, or an engine for destruction, but also be seductive in a way..." Just like the dance Aang & Zuko had with the Dragons at the ruins of the Sun Warrior city in Avatar, The Last Airbender. She says, "I draw the Dragon to symbolize the different sides of me. I'm very professional but the way I talk in school, but in a comfortable space, I use a lot of slang. I can be very classy, articulate, and serious, and deep, or out of pocket, goofy, wild. I feel like the Dragon symbolizes that being multiple conflicting things at once that confuses a lot of people".

As an artist myself, I understand that several different creative processes can all tie together, and as I was speaking with Sofía, she pointed out that music and life experience are a big part of her creative process and inspiration. So, I asked her to dive a little deeper into what drives her to create what inspires & motivates her to make a piece. Sofía says: "It's a balance of inspiration and force. I do art to heal from trauma or process any difficulties I may be going through at the time, to kind of express them in ways that I can't access with just words. I'm also really deeply inspired by music; I've always loved music. My parents raised me listening to any type of music you can think of, in both English and Spanish. So, I've always had that deep connection, and as I'm listening sometimes hear a lyric and it drops this image in my mind! Or, I resonate really strongly with the feeling of a song, and I get this image, that I want to put into form. So, I'd say a combination of healing from trauma, emotion processing, and music are my inspirations, as well as the forces that push me". This is something I can definitely relate to as a Musician & Artist myself.

Art By @Sofiasann_arte

For different creatives, determining whether or not a piece is finished can change depending on who you ask. For Sofía, the piece is finished when she's fully expressed herself. "When I express an idea fully is when I feel I have conveyed my message as coherently as it resonates with how I'm feeling at the moment. The pen allows me to express that inner flame." Seeing all the amazing pieces she's created, you can tell a lot of time and thought goes into each piece. Some artists get creative fatigue or a creative block especially, when dealing with so many abstract pieces, I wanted to know how Sofía manages creative blocks or days that seem grim for creation. How does she handle it? How does she push past? How does she continue to create? "I see it as a sign that whatever I'm supposed to be creating needs time for it to cook, to build its momentum". "I'll pour my energy into school, or into my teaching. I try to get more clients for private lessons, which consist of teaching immigrants English, or doing more advocacy projects in my community for people whose needs aren't taken care of by the system- I just want to show people they matter." Sofía is someone that definitely gets their energy from their community, from sources that really matter, and can help make change for those who feel they don't matter themselves. "I usually feel from those experiences I'll have something happen that'll spark something creative in me. Putting my energy into those other places will bring me an experience that awakens my creativity". Shifting perspectives seems to be the staple to Sofia's core, her experiences shape the art she creates.

Art by @Sofiasann_arte

Looking through Sofía Arte Portfolio, there is definitely so much to be proud of from her "Dragóna Roja" to "Corazón Roto" and "& the inner monsters are winning." I wanted to know what her favorite may be or what's some of the work she's most proud of. She stated that "Rosa"[picture above] is not my favorite piece but I drew it at a time when I been away from art for a while. I was feeling discouraged, or like, I may hang this up for a few. Then I heard this song that really inspired me. It's a Mexican Hip-Hop type of song, a sad song about this girl whose been abandoned and a guy trying to figure out how to love her. From the song I drew this piece." A piece that ended up inspiring her to continue making art. A piece that broke barriers with her audience making them want more. Some even saying, "where'd this come from!", "This is so cool, a totally different style then you've had". As you get to know Sofía & witness her art, you'll soon learn IT AIN'T JUST THE HYPE! The detail, time, patience, and technique put into each piece will leave you thinking why would she ever stop.

Starting art only 3 years ago, Sofía has come a long way. Faster than most of her peers in that time frame. Music, life & heartbreak have inspired Sofía to draw about her experiences through interpretive art, opening up more inspiration for her to continue to draw. For Sofía, drawing as a form of processing what she's been going through. I actually wanted to expand on that and ask her: When does the inspiration come around? "I would say it comes to me when I'm going on my night walks, listening to music. It's crazy like something about the lyrics I get this image pop into my head. Then I'm like alright! I got to run home, I'll journal about it, the images, the feelings. Then sit with the words and think how can I add images to these words. I have this soundtrack in my mind; I start with one idea then build on another idea and how they can connect".

@sofiasann

As Artists, there are definitely things people or our audience may misunderstand about us or our work. I wanted to know what Sofía felt like people may misperceive about her and her art. "I think people may be offput by me, me doing so many different things and there're so many parts to myself that are expressed really strongly in those different spaces. They see how strongly I express myself in one of these aspects and think that's all I am but then get really confused when they see me express myself strongly in another aspect because they think I should fit into a box. I'm really a multi-dimensional, I have a lot of crazy and conflicting parts, but I love them all! They're all me! I don't fit in a box and that freaks people out, but I have good intentions in every space I enter." This is something I felt each time we talked- a genuine kindhearted person, who happens to be extremely creative on my account. Sofía joins All-Eternals as she continues her journey as an artist, we only aim to uplift her and her many talents while collaborating on different projects creatively or to help the youth, the lost, and the broken. We're a community ready to show face and show out, and Sofía is an outstanding expansion on that. Stick around to see more of Sofía's work & the work of All-Eternals, WE ARE THE FUTURE!

To leave you with a final quote for life "LOVE, LEARN & PASS IT ON". <3