Meet Sara Aceves | Paper Mache Artist

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

Hi Sara, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
To me risks are exciting, even though they can be super scary I try to think about the pay off more, it helps my mind relax and just go for it. I went skydiving with my boyfriend last year and it was such a scary feeling knowing I was about to jump out of a plane, I was scared! But I made the conscious decision to push those thoughts out of my mind and think about how awesome it would feel free falling. It was one of the craziest experiences but I LOVED IT!

I think that being uncomfortable in life is essential to growth. To me risks create situations that usually pay off in really good ways because either they are exciting or they help me grow tremendously. Choosing to be a full time artist is such a risky feeling because there are no guarantees but the fact that I can do art for a living is such a freeing feeling. Although it has been a tough journey I only see things going better from here on out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Throughout the years I have learned that my art is a reminder to keep your heart open to love and possibilities. My art has helped me express things that feel important to me, things that I need to be reminded of. Colors play such a huge role in how I create, they help me express so many feelings. My art is full of color and shine because it makes me happy, it distracts me in a sense it brings me back to reality and makes me be in the present moment.

It’s been a journey to be where I am now as an artist. At first taking this risk to do this full time felt kind of superficial. I really didn’t know or see where this could take me and how I could connect to the things I was creating. Creating things without no meaning behind them is easy, so creating things that had meaning to them was a challenge for a while… but then I started thinking about what brings me joy as a person, what drives me, how do I connect with others and things started making more sense on what I wanted to put out there. Creating a story through my art has been one of my favorite things to do, I love giving myself a prompt to create work from.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would for sure go to the beach EVERYDAY, even though it is a drive Nicholas Canyon beach is the best! We would eat at all my favorite restaurants, we would go to Nicks Cafe for the french toast or an omelette, get coffee and burrito from Picaresca, get some fish tacos from El Jato or Mariscos 4 Vientos, eat the teriyaki plate from Suehiro, get my favorite drink ever from Phoenix Bakery, and eventually get some delicious pan dulce from El Aguila bakery. I would want to go to Elysian Park to hang out and have a picnic. We would definitely go to Little Tokyo to walk around, hit as many museums as we can, and find any flea markets or events to go to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I want to thank my parents. Without their love and support I don’t know where I would be. They are my favorite role models and a leading example of what love can be . Without them I wouldn’t know what perseverance is, I wouldn’t be creative or emotional. I wouldn’t be me. Thank you for letting me do me, I wouldn’t be the woman or artist that I am now. Thank you, I LOVE YOU!

Secondly I want to thank my man <3 Through all the ups and downs you have continued to support and nurture my career as an artist. Thank you for never questioning wether I should do this or not and pushing me to grow. Thank you for taking risks with me, you have been my best friend and inspiration. I love you more than anything.

Last but not least, shoutout to all my loved ones, friends and supporters! You mean everything to me!

Website: https://sara-aceves-lovergirl.squarespace.com/

Instagram: @sara.j.aceves

Image Credits
Picture of me in my studio by Stevie Carrillo