We had the good fortune of connecting with Alfonso Juarez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alfonso, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have a degree in software engineering and work full time as a data analyst. For a majority of my academic life all problems had exact answers. Art is so infinite there isn’t room for right or wrong. I think thats why i kept coming back to do art everyday because everyday i could go anywhere i wanted with it. I enjoy the process of creating so much i often forget about audience. So to pursue a career in it was a difficult decision because I was afraid of poisoning my well. Ultimately I see my art as two parts: 1st the process of creating art which is completely mine and releasing my art which is when it becomes everybody elses. It’s the reason i dont like explaining the meaning behind my work because I dont think interpretations of it are right or wrong. So the idea of selling my work was a no brainer because I would only really be making the art I wanted to make. A career in Art was born almost by accident but I am very intentional with developing it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am so proud of how my art has come. Never did I imagine to show my work in Mexico city, to sell my art to strangers who believe in my work, or the reception of my art to be so warm. It is very much humbling. The more i create the more I fall in love with my work and the satisfaction of seeing yourself grow while enjoying the process is the ultimate cheat code. I think in other aspects of my life I can tend to be hard on myself but when it comes to my art I am so forgiving. It makes me so ready to take risks because the idea of mistakes do not exist. Every piece is a lesson and an experience. I am excited to see what I will make tomorrow. While I do the art daily I am also looking for opportunities to show my work, curate and make clothing. These are most immediate focuses outside of just making art. Art shows are a great opportunity to network but also great ways to find inspiration because there are so many talented artist out there. Seeing their approach to their art forms often teaches me ways that I can grow mine. Curation was something I fell in love with when I was organizing shows at a clothing store I show my art at. Being able to give other artist opportunities was so rewarding because I knew what it meant to me when someone would give me an opportunity. Finally clothing has been one of my biggest goals in the art world, I have always wanted to make clothing and the timing for it is just right. Keep an eye out for the clothing I am going to drop this year because it is something that i have been working towards for a long time.

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 grew up in the San Fernando Valley around the corner from Circus Liquor store in North Hollywood. It is one of the most iconic places in LA for me and reminds me a lot of home. It has been used in a lot of movies and has a special place in my heart. My favorite park in LA is Elysian park on any given Saturday. It is right around the corner from Dodger Stadium but is actually the first place that my father would visit when he first came to Los Angeles. The park has a little bit of everything and attracts all sorts of people so it is a great source of inspiration when I am making art. It is one of the places here that really has the feeling of Los Angeles. Next would be the Norton Simon Museum it is my favorite museum in LA and has so much art I dont think that i have every really finished it. With works of art from Picasso,Diego Rivera and Degas the museums artists are stacked with legends. There is even a nice Sculpture garden that you can walk around, from start to finish this museum is incredible. You can easily spend 3-4 hours there because there is so much to look at. When it comes to food I have really been into hand rolls lately and I have a couple friends that work at Kazunori so that has been my go to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
fifthpower, Vamee and Mario Rangel. Fifthpower and Vamee were my blue prints when it came to developing how I wanted to structure my art. Both insanely talented artist and I really liked how they moved as artists. When it came to print drops and how they presented their art they were both people i looked to that my gave me confidence in finding my voice. Mario was the first person to give my an opportunity to have my art live somewhere in the world. At his store Appointment only he asked me to bring some pieces for his new store and at the end of it I had 30 something pieces hanging up. He taught me to help other as much as you can along the way and let me use his space to host some art shows which started my curating career. I am thankful for these gentlemen. Also special shoutout to my bestfriend Justin he always there for me and that means the world.

Website: https://finito-juarez.myshopify.com/

Instagram: Finitojuarez

Image Credits
Portrait by itsaivn Betty Boop Collab with filmdotorg

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