Meet Liliana Cervantes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liliana Cervantes.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When my sisters and I were young, my mother used to keep us inside the house with art kits of various sorts. Bracelet kits, acrylic sets, small ceramic wheels — if it was something she could afford, my mother got it for us. We were encouraged to pursue creative pastimes instead of playing in the Arizona heat.

As we grew up, my sisters and I never grew out of embracing the arts, instead choosing to lean into that part of ourselves. This led me to study studio art in college and graduate with a Bachelors’s of Fine Art. Currently, I balance my day job with my work as a freelance artist.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No road is a smooth road, but the road to a creative career is particularly rocky. It’s difficult to break into specific sectors of the art scene and to convince people that artists deserve to be paid just as much as people from more traditional careers. For every person who loves my art and wants to support me, there are five who want me to work for free. Unfortunately, this is a problem that affects many artists I know. The only real way we know to fight this is to educate the general public about the time and effort that goes into making beautiful pieces that make the world a better place.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As an artist, I believe that it’s important not to limit myself when it comes to my art. I work in a variety of media although most commonly with 2D media. I was trained in oil painting but have most recently fallen in love with digital illustration. The material isn’t really as important to me as what the art conveys. I value narrative and storytelling in my work because I believe that is what allows us as humans to communicate with one another.

Most of my customers are people seeking to commemorate a special event or relationship in a way that is beautiful and one of a kind. Whether it’s a family portrait in oils, a digital couple’s portrait, or a custom resin necklace, I don’t turn away any customer who values art and wants a special piece for themselves.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The Covid-19 crisis has shown me just how much of a social creature humans are. We need to communicate with others and to feel connected to have a sense of fulfillment in our lives. I can’t get over the generosity of creators when it came to donating their skills to help people connect. From CEOs who donated their products for free to musicians playing from rooftops– creators of all sorts put their skills to use to drag humanity out of the dark.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artofliliana.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/artofliliana