An Inspired Chat with Armando Mesías

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Armando Mesías. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Armando, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are about grounding myself. I wake up early and take a moment to settle into my own head — sometimes that means making a coffee, other days it means going for a run. It’s a quiet space where I align my thoughts before the day speeds up. Once my daughters wake up, they become the center of everything, so that small ritual helps me be present for them. After I do school drop-off, I can shift into my own creative focus and start thinking about ideas and work.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a Colombian artist based in Madrid, working somewhere between material exploration and cultural storytelling. My practice moves across textiles, found objects, and fragments of everyday life — things that carry traces of identity, migration, and memory. I’ve shown my work in galleries across the U.S. and Europe, and I’m interested in how global culture blurs boundaries while still revealing deep divisions. My story is that of someone constantly moving — between countries, languages, and ideas — trying to build meaning from what’s been displaced.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
It was my wife. Even though I was already taking my career seriously and believing in my own curiosities and abilities, she was the one who truly saw what this could become. She recognized that it wasn’t just a side project or something to pursue with restraint — she understood that I needed to give myself fully to it. Her feedback, her inspiration, and the projects and vision we share have shaped everything. Through her, I found the path I’m on now — one that keeps helping me answer old questions and ask new ones.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There were definitely moments when I doubted myself — not exactly when I was ready to give up, but when I questioned whether I could really do this. There were many times when giving up seemed like an option. But once I started taking my practice seriously, I realized it wasn’t one. This is my truth — not just my career or my way of making a living, but a fundamental part of who I am. I understood that as long as I stay honest and consistent, the rest will follow. The work keeps showing me the way, piece by piece, as if the path reveals itself only once you’re already walking it.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I think my public version is true, but it’s only one part of me — the part I choose to share. What I show are my achievements, my joys, the moments that define who I am as an artist, both inside and outside the studio. But there’s another layer beneath that, like the bottom of an iceberg — the quiet, private side where things actually take shape. I think that mystery is essential to being an artist. Those gaps, that sense of distance, are what people connect to and project onto. So yes, what’s public is real, but it’s not the whole story. The rest belongs to my family, my friends, and to myself — and maybe a bit of it seeps through, but only as speculation, not revelation.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
At the beginning, I think every artist has ambitions that orbit around the ego — the myth, the mystery, the idea of a life that becomes a single story. But I don’t want that. I don’t want one version of me to survive, like a biography or a legend. I’d rather there be many stories — from the people, places, and moments my life touched in different ways. Just like I don’t want to give people a single, written explanation of my work, I don’t want to define how my life should be told. If anything, I hope what I’ve done can ripple outward — that it can resonate differently for everyone who crossed paths with it. That, to me, would be the most meaningful kind of legacy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Armandomesias.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/armandomesias

Image Credits
Andrea Swarz