Meet Yajaira Sesmas | Self Taught Artist

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

Hi Yajaira, what do you want people to remember about you?
An an artist, I aspire my art to stir up emotions in my audience. I wish for my art to tap into the more surreal and hidden parts of the self. Such as feelings towards love, beauty, spirituality.

As a human, I wish to be remembered as someone warm and understanding. Someone who allows everyone to be their authentic self. I want my legacy to inspire people to always be their authentic selfs, in all areas of their life, especially as creatives.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My work is inspired by feminine energy and centers brown women in the spotlight. It takes a surrealist tone so as to express the mythical nature of women as creators. I also draw elements from nature to express the relationship between earth and the feminine.

I have been blessed to get to where I am thanks to my community. I tend to gravitate towards artist opportunities that are local and centered in the communities I grew up in. Although I am working on expanding my network and audience, I always come back to my community. At the moment I reside in South Central Los Angeles.

I like my audience to know that I am a self-taught artist. Therefore my art goes beyond a career, it is truly a passion. I do my best to dedicate time to it as Art is the longest and one of the most important relationships in my life. With that being said ,as a self taught artist, I have definitely faced a fair share of challenges. I have learned how important researching and advocating for yourself is. I do not have access to the same resources as professional artists, therefore networking and researching where these opportunities are is crucial in my work.

Although I do not like to brand myself as a Chicana artist, I do believe I draw much of my inspiration from Chicana/o artists. I am working on breaking that mold and beginning to label myself more as a woman artist as my work is truly centered in fine energy.

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.
Although I grew up in the Same Fernando Valley, I have been living in Los Angeles for about 10years. I would take my friend for a sushi dinner at the heart of downtown. We can catch a free concert at Grand Performances and have a drink at one of the local bars. I am a big fan of Seven Grand bar because they have a juke box with all the rock and roll classics.

Aside from art, I am a big music enthusiast and Los Angeles has a big music subculture. On Saturday night, we will have a night out dancing either at Bar Sinister for the glitz and glam or catch a concert at the Paramount. I am big on dancing to goth/ post-punk/ dark wave music so we would definitely be out for a night of spooky fun.

Finally, we would end the week with a casual day trip at Venice Beach. Catch the sunset and even show her my recent mural off Central, close to home.

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?
I would love to give a shout out to South Central Arts. This is a collective of artists based in South Central that are giving back to the community by making art accessible for their community.

Thanks to South Central Arts I has the beautiful experience of painting my first mural.

South Central Arts is founded by William Flores.

Instagram: @_hypnoticdreamz_