Meet Abigail Albano-Payton

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abigail Albano-Payton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abigail below.

Hi Abigail, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

I’ve come to truly grasp the importance of believing in yourself rather than relying on external validation to feel worthy of your talents. The beauty of self-fulfillment is that it’s endless, as long as you keep nurturing your passions and finding joy in the things that matter to you. For me, that was making art.

Before moving to North Texas in 2009, I lived and grew up in primarily Filipino and Hispanic communities in Los Angeles. Because I had the opportunity to be immersed in these cultures at such a young age, both are still heavily ingrained in me to this day. It wasn’t until college, which happened to be a PWI, that I was able to independently delve deeper into my Black heritage. So the contrast of the two, along with discovering more about myself, made for an emotional journey that taught me to advocate for myself and what I had to say.

I consider myself to be more of an introvert, so expressing myself verbally was not always my strong point. However, creating art has always been a therapeutic outlet for me, as I didn’t have to worry about making my emotions understandable to others. As I delved deeper into understanding myself and my family history, it became natural for me to incorporate those aspects into my artwork. This included people within my own community, and plants (I have always been fascinated by our symbiotic relationship with them). While only a few of my peers could fully grasp where I was coming from within my art in a cultural sense, I remained true to the subjects that I wanted to depict and pay homage to. It brought me immense joy to contribute to the representation of individuals who shared my background in a space where such representation was lacking.

As my technical skills developed during my academic journey, there came a point where I had to start verbally discussing my methods and inspiration during critiques. Initially, these moments were nerve-wracking and unfamiliar territory for me, but they pushed me into a new realm where I am not just creating art for myself, but also allowing others from similar cultural backgrounds to connect with certain aspects of their lives through it. And for those who did not culturally connect with it, it allowed for me to gain the confidence to stand by my heritage and truth when receiving questions, and sometimes pushback.

Being an artist means telling a story. Whether it’s your own story or someone else’s, people are always curious to learn more about the person behind the art. Throughout these past few years, I have gained so many incredible connections with other creatives, art enthusiasts and agencies that appreciate me for sharing my own story.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am currently represented by Jen Rofe at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. My first picture book, titled “Teacher To A Movement”, is about Septima Poinsette Clark, civil-rights activist and American educator. This book is slated to come out Winter of 2025 under the HarperCollins publishing agency.

I am also an Artist, continuing to work on personal series from my studio in Dallas, Texas. Excitingly, I was recently named one of the 2024 recipients of the Clare DeGolyer Memorial Fund, presented from the Dallas Museum of Art. This fund has graciously given me the means to travel to the Philippines for a research trip. This series will be an homage to my relatives and their country of origin.

I am also an Artist signed under Tomorrow’s Artist, a Laguna-Beach based company dedicated to reducing the impact of discarded paint to help artists transform the waste stream into inspiring works of art. Because of my fascination of the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants, their cause to helping the environment in a unique way is deeply important to me.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that helped me immensely in my journey are time management, mental health resources, and work/life balance.

Being kind to yourself is incredibly important. I truly believe that you are exactly where you need to be in this moment, whether it’s a positive or challenging situation. While there are certain aspects of your life that you can control, external influences will always find their way into your life and require you to adapt in various ways. Factors such as socioeconomic status and access to mental health resources can certainly impact this journey. However, having faith in yourself and your capabilities can lead you to unexpected achievements, no matter how big or small they may be.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I believe that it’s a great thing to be well rounded. By going through different avenues where you can express yourself or find solutions to problems, you gain a multitude of perspectives and technical abilities that can be transferrable. In that process as well, you really find where your strengths shine through the most.

As a professional artist and illustrator, there are times where I need to take a step away from the easel and find joy in other creative or technical routes. This, at least for me, helps with preventing burnout and makes sure that I maintain the discipline when the time is needed for certain projects.

Working to improve in areas we aren’t as strong in creates change within ourselves. It shows us that we are continuous students throughout life, and I find that it makes life more exciting as we go on.

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Abigail Albano-Payton

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