Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Villanueva.
Hi Miranda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Where do I start… my story has kind of felt like a rollercoaster. My artistic journey started about 6-7 years ago. I painted my first mural up north while living in an RV with an ex-partner. I knew from there I found my ideal dream job painting murals for my community. It was a constant battle of listening to my heart while dealing with everyone telling me to work til I had enough saved to peruse art full time. Well, once I completed my first mural, my relationship crumbled, and I moved back home to the family couch, wondering what to do. I mopped around for about a week, then wiped my tears and said, “I need to paint,”… and that’s exactly what I did. I wasn’t getting paid; I was babysitting my niece, all while taking buses and trains to paint for free. After about a year of sacrificing, I got my first paid art gig with the Metro. That helped me gain traction. Leading me to my first big mural with Nike in East Los. Those big opportunities lead to the more meaningful ones, where I’m able to work with the youth and teach them life lessons through art. Today, I work with continuation schools throughout LA and paint murals within the school district. My focus is uplifting the youth through art and now running. Through this art journey, I’ve picked up running and sobriety. Which I hold so closely to me. It has shaped me and pushed me to get therapy, which has helped me shape my lessons around breaking generational trauma.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, but all those failures have made me a stronger artist/ community leader. I started to see and understand that even though I’m doing community work my values may not reflect someone else’s. I had to lose people that really shaped my journey and deal with the emotions that come after losing people that you thought will always be there. On top of losing close friendships, you deal with all the NOs you hear, which makes you question, “Am I doing something wrong, or is my art any good?”.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well, I’m a local muralist, marathoner, ultra-marathoner, and art teacher. I work with 2 continuation schools right now, teaching art and mural painting. On top of teaching, I paint school murals through LAUSD (some with student and community involvement). With the little spare time I have I train for marathons and ultra marathons. What sets me apart from others is when accepting jobs or grant work I always make sure that it’s tied with giving back. My focus has shifted to “how can I be a positive example to my community.” That’s through running and art, and overall, my journey to breaking that generational trauma that we all encounter. It’s hard to think about what I’m most proud of, everything that has led me to this moment I appreciate. All those hard moments forced me to be a leader even when I felt like I was capable to.
How do you define success?
Good question. That’s always a tough one for me because growing up, you are taught a house, money, and a car, all that equal success. But now, being in my 30s, true success for me is sharing my art and being able to continuously teach what I love.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/blissful_nana/
