Unapologetically Celebrating the Power in Femininity
- Juliana Cabrera
- Oct 9
- 3 min read
Interview with Juliana Cabrera
1. Please tell us something about your background and your art journey so far.
I was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved to Southern California when I was 4 years old. Being a third culture kid has shaped me in every way and I feel very grateful that I grew up in a time and place where my heritage was celebrated and embraced! I originally wanted to be a fashion designer but after taking sewing classes in High School I decided to pivot and study Visual Communications and Textile Design. A lot of my school projects were influenced by my Colombian heritage, mostly in the color palettes that I gravitated towards and the motifs I would use. During my textile classes, I learned to paint with gouache and for the first time took drawing/sketch classes and really loved them. After graduating, I found myself slowly getting into painting and sketching, more than textile designing. Art became a way to process my emotions and encapsulate them like journaling or writing in a diary.
2. Can you tell us more about the theme in your art and your inspiration?
Most of my paintings are created as a response to my experiences as a woman and I feel in my small way documenting my life and the life of women around me is a form of activism, protest and a way to continue the work laid out from previous generations. Especially now I feel a strong urge to highlight feminist themes through my work, my life and the lives of women around me. As I grow and age I hope to learn more about what my femininity means to me and I’m excited to see how I will continue to move in this society and how that will impact my work.
3. How does your art life impact other parts of your life?
Most of my self portraits are diary entries, it's a way to document how I felt and a way to remember my life outside of photographs. I also use art as a way to immortalize the people I admire in my life and to show my love to them as well. Creating art is a form of therapy and keeping me sane, it has helped me process emotions and stay in tune with myself. Without art or creation, I would not have a way to keep myself happy or build the people around me up.
4. What practical advice can you give to fellow artists?
Being an emerging artist myself I hope to take advantage of the doors other women have opened for me and I plead other emerging women artists to do the same and not shy away from taking up space in this world. The best advice I have been given is to create as much as possible, not everything will be worth sharing but it will all be valuable to you in the end!
5. Is the artist's life lonely? Please share your thoughts and experiences.
I have found a way to include the people that I love in my work. Without living my life and spending time with the inspiring women around me, I have nothing to make. Filling my world with friends and family is so essential to my well being that I don’t usually feel lonely and the better mentally I am, the more likely I am to create. That being said, creating is a solitary and personal process so carving out time to be alone is important. Having a more ambiverted personality has really helped me keep a balance.
Website : https://www.julianacabrera.com/paintings
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/jcabrerart/?hl=en
TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@jcabrerart
