Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Michelle Ramin of Boyle Heights

Michelle Ramin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: When was the last time you felt true joy?
I just went to see Cameron Winter (the lead singer of the band Geese) perform a solo show at the Palace Theatre in DTLA – pure magic! I listen to so much music – while I’m making art, commuting to work, hanging out around the house – and Cameron Winter’s record “Heavy Metal” was my favorite of the last year. I’ve probably listened to that record 100 times. It’s incredible – teetering on falling apart at every corner, but then picks itself back up and redefines itself over and over again. Very human. It’s an inspiring record, and a friend that’s been there nonstop through the bumpiness of the past 12 months. Seeing him perform songs from that album live – just Winter and a piano – to a small audience full of true fans. It was so joyous!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Michelle Ramin – Assistant Professor of Art, Gallery Director & Curator, and professional artist living and working in Los Angeles, CA. I teach art and curate exhibitions full-time at Norco College. When I’m not working, I make and show my own art across the region and country.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a kid, I really didn’t think a lot was possible. I grew up in a small, rural town in Central Pennsylvania and was often told that being an artist and going into a creative field was not a viable career path. I even remember my high school guidance counselor trying to convince me to take AP Physics instead of art classes my senior year. “You’re so good at science and math! What will you even do with art?! How will it look to colleges if you don’t have more AP classes on your transcript?” I told her I was going to school for drawing & painting, so that AP Physics class was not going to make a difference. I was right! and I’m so thankful I spent my whole senior year, every morning, making art instead of taking advanced science classes. That might’ve been the right choice for some folks, but definitely not for me! As the years have gone on, I’ve learned on my own that anything and everything is possible, and that art can provide a wonderful, sustainable life for myself and my family – my life and all I’ve accomplished are proof of that.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
After graduating from undergrad about 20 years ago, my now-husband Joel and I decided to move across the country to Portland, Oregon to start a new, creative life for ourselves, 3000 miles from where we grew up. We had no money, no jobs, no real connections or support – just a few thousand dollars we had saved up working 2 jobs each for a summer to get ourselves across the country. About half way through our drive, in an old, beat-up Plymouth Neon (remember those??), our car broke down on top of the Missouri River. We were able to get it started again only for it to break down over and over and over across all of South Dakota. We finally got it to a repair shop in Rapid City and the mechanic diagnosed it with “vapor lock”, told us he fixed it, and sent us on our way! About another 50 miles into our journey, outside Gillette, Wyoming, our trusty Neon broke down again. I remember being on the highway, in the middle of nowhere with nothing but rolling, high desert hills in all directions, with a broken car and a broken heart – thinking that we’ve proved everyone in our life right and that we had made the wrong decision leaving Pennsylvania. I screamed and cried into the desert, and Joel suggested “maybe we should go back – there’s nothing ahead for hundreds of miles, and we still have to get over the Rocky Mountains”. I thought about it for a few minutes but then emphatically told him I wasn’t going back, no matter what! And we didn’t. With our last bits of money, we rented a U-Haul that towed us over the mountains to our new home in Portland, eventually making a beautiful home for ourselves there with tons of amazing friends and a true, thriving art community. It wasn’t easy, but we were patient and resourceful and found our way through!

That was over 2 decades ago. Since then, I’ve gone on to graduate at the top of my MFA class from the San Francisco Art Institute, direct and curate multiple college galleries, show my own artwork at prominent galleries throughout the country, live and work in Portland, San Francisco, and now LA, travel the world and spend time in over 30 countries, make incredible life-long friends that are family, and become a tenured professor. Thank goodness I’m stubborn and didn’t give up! It was a terrifying and harrowing journey for 2 kids that had never really left the East Coast before – a journey that I still think about often. If I can make it over the Rockies with no money, no resources, and no support at 23 years old, I can do anything! And, I have!

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
This is such a tricky yet important question – especially in the age of social media and AI. I definitely present a positivity to the world as much as possible – in my classroom, on social media, in groups of friends, etc. It’s a true version of myself, but it’s not the whole story. I think I intentionally present the positives to manifest more positivity, in hopes that it might spread. Who doesn’t need more positivity in their lives? As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety though, I definitely go up and down, often daily or even hourly. Only very close people in my life see that part of me. I’m also an empath, and so I take in and process and feel what others around me are feeling, and it can often be overwhelming. It’s not necessarily societally acceptable to talk about that overwhelm or frustration or deep sadness, so we learn to mask. I talk a lot about masking in my artwork, and I talk to my students about this concept all the time. The only person who really knows who we are is ourselves. The versions that we present publicly are often true, but they are just one side of many – as we are all multi-faceted, dimensional, and complex beings. Social media and now AI really disrupt this idea of what is “real” – I wish there were a way for all of us to still stay connected while also leaving social media, en masse.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
I’m a very goal-oriented person, so it feels like every goal achieved is an opportunity to create a new goal. In a sense, I think this means I’m never quite satisfied. I’m a Capricorn, so work & ambition are part of my natural way – I think the process of getting to where & what we want needs to be talked about more, and given more attention. The journey is the thing rather than the goal itself – at least, that’s what I keep trying to tell myself. I recently achieved tenure, which is huge in academia! I’m very proud of myself for achieving this life goal – something I’ve been working towards for 15+ years. But, I don’t feel different on the other side, like I thought I might – I just have a drive now to create a new life goal to work towards. I’m looking forward to figuring out what that next big win will be, working towards it, and hopefully enjoying the ride along the way!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michelleramin.com/
• Instagram: @michelleramin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-ramin-4271b919/