Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Acza Marroquin

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Acza Marroquin . Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Acza, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Right now I’m being called to finally take up space, loudly and intentionally, without apologizing for it. I’ve spent so many years shrinking myself, helping everybody else, fixing everyone else’s problems, thinking I was strong enough to carry it all. But somewhere in the middle of that, I kept forgetting about me. I kept forgetting about the dreams I’m supposed to be building for my children, the legacy I want to leave behind so they never have to work for anyone. I want them to grow up saying my mom built something that changed our whole family line.

I’ve had to fight through depression, through heartbreak, and through that cycle of making the same mistakes because I have such a soft spot for people and what they’re going through. I always think I’m fine. I always think I can help. I never stop to ask myself if I have anything left to give. But this season of my life taught me something different. You can’t heal the world if you’re bleeding out. You can’t save anyone if you’re drowning. You have to save yourself first.

So this chapter for me is about choosing myself. It’s about finally putting my work out there, fully and publicly, even if it scares me. My murals have carried me through some of my darkest seasons. They got me to places I never thought I would be. They’ve helped me provide for my five children as a single mom while I’m building Topo2Go, my future restaurant and the family business I pray will live long after me. I’m building something they can inherit, something they can grow, something that can set them free.

For the first time in my life, I’m stepping into my calling without dimming my light. This is me taking up space with intention. This is me owning my gifts, my pain, my story. And this is me showing my children what it looks like to rise.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Acza Marroquín, and I’m the artist behind AczaArtMurals. I didn’t grow up knowing I would be a muralist. Art actually found me in a season of transition, when life was loud and I was trying to figure out how to provide for my five kids without being tied to a nine-to-five. I’ve always felt that my purpose is to help people, to be of service, to build something lasting for my family. But to do that, you have to stand in a place where you can provide, and I wasn’t there yet.

Painting changed that for me. Mural work keeps me grounded and focused. It keeps my hands busy and my mind clear. When I paint, I’m not stuck in my head. I’m building something real and meaningful with every stroke. Art gave me a way to provide for my family, but it also gave me a way to express the part of me that I had buried for years.

Right now I’m building two things that matter deeply to me. My mural business, which has opened doors across California and beyond, and Topo2go, the family restaurant I’m creating so my children will always have something of their own to grow from.

Art gave me direction. My work gives me purpose. And everything I build, I build with legacy in mind.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
My father taught me what work really is.
Growing up, I watched that man hold three jobs at one time without ever complaining, without ever slowing down. He moved like someone who understood that providing for your family is a promise, not an option.

When I started working, I followed him. I had two jobs right away because that’s the rhythm I grew up seeing. It made me a little working bee, always moving, always finding a way.

Now that I’m building my own businesses, especially my mural work and Topo2go, I hear my dad’s footsteps behind every decision I make. His example taught me that if you want to leave something lasting for your children, you don’t wait for the perfect moment. You build with whatever you have, right where you are.

Everything I’m creating today is because his work ethic shaped me. I want my kids to feel that same security, that same pride, that same fire to create their own paths. So when I paint a wall or build a new idea, I’m really honoring what he taught me:
Work with your whole heart and leave something your children can stand on.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Oh absolutely, I’ve had a few moments this year where I felt like life knocked the wind out of me. I had a fallout with someone very close to me and it shook me more than I expected. I’m the type of person who gives from the heart, so when something breaks, I feel it deep. Around the same time, work slowed down and it felt like everything I built was slipping through my fingers.

I’m a mom of five, so giving up was never really an option, but the feeling was there. I was tired. I was drained. I was disappointed. But even at my lowest, something in me refused to let go. I reminded myself that every season teaches you something, even the painful ones, and that some journeys really are meant to be walked alone.

What brought me back was my art. Murals keep me moving, keep me focused, keep me out of my head. Painting reminds me of who I am and what I’m building for my children. They deserve to see me stand back up. They deserve to watch their mother rebuild with her own hands. So even if I had to take baby steps, I kept going. And every time I push through, I come back stronger.

I’m still rebuilding right now, but I’m more grounded than ever. I know what I’m working toward with my murals and with my future restaurant Topo2go. I know why I’m doing it. And that’s enough to keep me fighting forward

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends always tell me the same thing. They say I care too much and I love too deeply, and that no matter what I’m going through, I’m still thinking about other people. They say I show up with my whole heart every single time. I have this instinct to lift others, protect them, and help them get further than where they started.

But they also know that what matters to me the most is my family. My kids are my anchor. Every long night I work, every wall I paint, every dream I chase, it’s because I’m trying to build something that outlives me. I don’t want my children to grow up feeling limited or boxed in. I want them to have their own doors, their own keys, their own businesses, and their own freedom.

And my friends would tell you that I’m determined. Even when I hit my lowest moments, even when I lose people I cared about or feel like the rug got pulled from under me, I don’t stay down. I take a day to breathe, two days to feel it, and then I get back up. I always come back stronger. That resilience is something they see in me even when I don’t see it in myself.

At the end of the day, what really matters to me is leaving something meaningful behind, living with purpose, and loving people without losing myself. That’s who I am. That’s what I stand on.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I’ve learned that people don’t break because they’re weak. They break because they’ve carried too much alone for too long. I understand the weight of that, and I understand how healing it is when someone finally sees you. That’s why I paint. My murals aren’t just color on a wall; they’re reminders that even the worn out, the overlooked, or the forgotten pieces of us can still become something beautiful. I know what it feels like to rebuild from nothing, to start over with kids watching me, waiting on me. And I know now that strength isn’t about never falling. It’s about rising with intention, creating something that outlives you, and leaving light where life once tried to dim you

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