We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sandra De La Rosa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Sandra with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
As a woman in the arts, having a good work ethic is important because I am my own advocate. I have clear goals and I select for that fits into those goals and prioritize accordingly.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Its hard to pick what to put a spotlight on. I am proud of my work as an artist, art administrator, teacher, and mother. As an artist I work to spread awareness of the plight of undocumented migrants to create empathy and educate people about how the immigration system in the United States works. My installation “Paper Wings” was recently at Spring Street Studios. In this installation, I created a tornado-like structure covered with monarch butterflies, these butterflies we laser cut from 10-years worth of my immigration documents. In my art administrator role, I volunteer as President for BOX 13 ArtSpace. BOX 13 is an artist-run nonprofit that advocates for the creation of experimental arts in Houston and we offer affordable studios to artists in the city. I love BOX 13. It is a huge responsibility but I love that I get to meet so many cool artists. My entire life pretty much revolves around art and I work as an art teacher. Teaching art allows me to be creative every day and I get to see what my students use their creativity in interesting ways. I wear many hats every day and being a mom has helped me time manage like a pro.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In my career, I have learned through the years that work-life balance, time management, and showing up are so important. Focusing only on work is not a healthy way to live. Life has a way of showing you when you need to slow down and take care of your mental and physical health. I try to maintain a balance by being mindful of what I have on my plate and not bringing work home. This brings me to time management. Time is a valuable currency as an artist. More free time is more studio time. You have to make time for the studio, specially if you have a day job. And lastly, show up! Show up to your friends gallery shows, apply for residencies, go to workshops, go everywhere the art community is at. This will help your career grow and expand your community.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
This is an interesting question. When I am overwhelmed due to deadlines, life, or work, I accept that I am overwhelmed and pick the task that is giving me the most anxiety and tackle it first little by little. This usually makes me more overwhelmed but eventually everything else becomes manageable. When you are overwhelmed, its easier to make mistakes and when it happens its important to own up to your mistakes especially when you are working with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sandra-delarosa.com
- Instagram: @sldlrosa
Image Credits
The picture is my installation “Paper Wings” 2024. Picture by Kevin Lopez
The othwe images are examples of my 2d work.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
