Meet Abram Santa Cruz | Art Director and Fabricator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abram Santa Cruz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abram, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I wouldn’t say I chose a creative career—it’s more like it chose me. Creating art has always felt like something I had to do, not just something I wanted to do. I’ve explored other paths—working as a stockbroker, real estate agent, and solar consultant—but no matter what I tried, I was always drawn back to making art, photography, and filmmaking. It’s the only way of living that feels true to who I am.

What should our readers know about your business?
I look at how I got to where I am today through a combination of three things: talent, luck, and knowledge.

Talent: I’ve always had a creative streak. Over the course of 15 years, I honed my skills in art and photography while working in various roles as a graphic designer, eventually becoming an art director. Although I wasn’t classically trained, I immersed myself in the arts—visiting museums, reading books, and studying art history in high school and college. But most importantly, I never stopped creating. I explored different styles and mediums until, in my mid-thirties, I developed a painting style that felt uniquely mine. That breakthrough led to my first Burning Man installation—and that’s when things really started to shift.

Luck: The momentum from that first installation, The Peace Wall, grew thanks to some fortunate timing. A curator from Lucidity Festival saw the piece at Burning Man and invited me to bring it to their event. From there, it caught the eye of someone involved with Lightning in a Bottle, and the doors started opening. It was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time.

Knowledge: What people don’t always see is that about 90% of running an art business isn’t creative at all. It’s accounting, paperwork, marketing, project management, budgeting, contracts, and constant follow-up. My background in finance and marketing has been a major asset—it gave me the tools to build a sustainable business around my art and scale my vision. Without that foundation, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

What I want people to know about me and my brand is that the art you see is backed by persistence, a willingness to evolve, and years of both creative and professional experience. It didn’t happen overnight, but every step—no matter how winding—got me here.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d whisk us away to Mallorca for a week of exploring its charming narrow streets while indulging in amazing food and wine. It’s a place that feels like home to me. My good friend Lolo Garner, an artist with deep roots there, knows everyone in town and runs an incredible fabrication studio that’s famous for hosting unforgettable parties. If we time it right, we’d experience Palma’s streets bursting with art, music, and a vibrant nightlife—transforming the entire town into a living cultural museum. It’s the perfect blend of creativity, celebration, and local flavor.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The first person who comes to mind is my sister. She passed away when I was 15, and as you can imagine, that was a life-altering moment—a real fork in the road. There’s so much in my life that I believe would’ve unfolded differently if she were still here. And while I would give anything to have her back, I also recognize that her loss profoundly shaped who I am today. It gave me a different perspective on life, one that set me apart from many of my peers and ultimately guided me toward becoming an artist. After all these years, I’ve finally conceptualized a project to honor her—a piece I plan to bring to Burning Man next year. It feels like the right way to celebrate her spirit and the impact she’s had on my journey.

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