Meet Cindy Maria

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Maria.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
To be transparent, I discovered my love and ability for art out of boredom. I’m first generation in the U.S., originally from Los Angeles, and during my school breaks I didn’t have a choice but to stay home alone while my parents went to work, which meant staying inside ALL day. I remember flipping through the channels, annoyed of the same TV shows every day, and I came across the one and only Bob Ross. I became mesmerized by the images slowly taking form at the end of each brush stroke. I decided to join the show one day with my composition notebook and my No.2 pencil. I sketched in that notebook for a season after my startup but never really shared what I had learned with anyone, and as a child just wanting to play outside whenever I had the chance, my notebook and pencil slowly got pushed to the side. After our move to Arizona I stayed away from art. Unintentionally, I forgot of the feelings of creating and of my artistic abilities in the midst of so many changes at that time.

Going forth, I feel this necessary to share, that in my upbringing “good enough success” is graduating High School and then going on to make enough money to sustain yourself. To be a college graduate was a bonus and “above and beyond success”. Unfortunately, this sort of perspective on life did not set me up to challenge myself for more and my mentality was just simply to get by. So, after High School I went from basic job to basic job, clueless of what I wanted out of life and what I wanted to contribute to this world.

My artistic side finally caught up to me one day while working the self-checkout machines at a Wal-Mart store in Phoenix. Again, I was bored, so I began to sketch cartoon characters and anything I saw around me with pen on receipt paper. It became something I really enjoyed while I was at work (even though it had nothing to do with the actual job) and I would humbly receive many complements from others who would see what I was creating. I decided sometime after to go back to school and learn to make money off of doing something that I love; creating art.

I began my college journey in fine arts, then came across graphic design, and am now working on my Associates in General Business to learn more about marketing my products and services. Through my zig-zag journey, I have had opportunities to work with upcoming businesses doing freelance designing as well as working on commissioned pieces for amazing clients with a fondness for artwork. My hope is to use what I have learned so far with art, design, and business to build a family business for my loved ones where they will have an opportunity to discover and share their talents and open their perspective on dreaming big.

Please tell us about your art.
I love to experiment with a variety of mediums and categories–I will go from making an expressive piece using ink to designing custom invitations on Photoshop. Graphic designing is mostly the area which brings in the income, so I am recently working on building up my portfolio and marketing strategies for my business idea “C/design”. This business will include many forms of art but mainly focus on design products such as logos, business cards, stationary, etc. When I get to work on these sorts of projects I always try to include a sense of fine art characteristics if the clients are okay with it. I feel that incorporating ideas “outside the grid” gives the designs uniqueness, which I aim to be the core of my art business.

Although designing is a hobby of mine, what I most enjoy is creating acrylic paint canvases and expressive pieces (the medium used depends on what I am feeling to create). I believe these are the pieces that carry more depth because, as corny as it might sound, I paint my soul into them and some are literally vivid dreams that I have while asleep. I love using color, different brush stroke techniques (texture), and a mix of mediums to get across to people to see what I was seeing or feeling. My hope is, for example, if I paint a canvas in a state of deep peace, the person looking into my work would somehow have that same state of being.

Something I wish for all to know about my artwork and the messages behind them is that when I create them I keep in mind the life experiences, lessons, my dreams at night, and what I have learned from past mistakes. Quoting Bob Ross, my most favorite aspect of art is that “there are no mistakes in art, just happy accidents”. For to me, just as in life, the “mistake” only becomes a part of the masterpiece.

As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
I think having success as an artist is realizing and believing that there is truly something special within your work that brings beauty and harmony into this rough world. For the longest time, after going to school to learn more about art, I let comparison hold me back from sharing my ideas. As artists it is important to understand that we each have our own lane to work in and if we are busy focusing into someone else’s, giving up our joy of art in return for comparison, we miss opportunities to get inspired and create with the unique tools we hold in our hands. The characteristics and qualities I have learned–and am still learning–that I feel are essential for success in the art world are: confidence in your talent, fearlessness (don’t be afraid of growth), humility (stay willing to learn), and have patience in your progress.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The following pages are set up for viewing and purchasing of my products/services:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cindymariadesigns/

ETSY: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CdesignByCindy

The link below is a website in which I had the opportunity to help create for a non-profit organization. This is a cause I am very passionate about and privileged to continue working with. Please take a second to check it out and give your support to what this organization is doing:

THE CLEAR WATER PROJECT
http://theclearwaterproject.com/

Coming Soon:
My set goals for 2018 are to display my artwork at Downtown Phoenix’s: First Friday Art Walk and the Chocolate & Art Show Phoenix, both for the month of September. Your support would greatly be appreciated!

Contact Info:

• Phone: 623-330-0345
• Email: officialcindymaria@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialcindymaria/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.maria.5?ref=bookmarks
• Other: www.theclearwaterproject.org

Image Credit:
Michael Talecki
Elizabeth Marshall

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