Meet Carolina Yáñez

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carolina Yáñez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carolina, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I believe I got my work ethic from my parents and theirs, and so forth. Coming from a family of immigrants, I knew I owed it to my family to propel myself forward and continue our legacy in this country. Which is why in my art practice, I pay tribute to their experiences and sacrifices that have given me the ability to even pursue art.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I think what’s most exciting about what I do is that I’m constantly advocating. My art practice is inherently political, so I cannot separate myself from ongoing news and events. My passion for political advocacy drives my work, by speaking to, on, or about issues I care deeply about. It allows me to transform my beliefs into a visual language and piece.

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?

Learning your own history, not letting fear stop you, and pushing out the idea of satisfying others have impacted me the most.

Through my higher education and historical archives, I’ve really been to able to learn more about my identity and history that I didn’t have the opportunity to in public school. Making art about my underrepresented identity has been a large part of my practice, especially in a time period where something as existence knowledge is threatened.

Before I approached my craft based practice, I was strictly photo based and was doubtful of my skills in another medium. It put me in a place of fear, and hesitant to learn and try new things. Once I forced myself to practice a sewing machine and hand embroidering, I really expanded the possibilities of what I can create.

So far in my art career, it’s been centered on creating for satisfaction, but not my own. It was about getting accepted into shows, or pleasing faculty, receiving praise through social media transactions. I’m now currently at a point to go more with the flow, accepting the things that come to me, and pushing past the things I don’t. But not changing what I care about nor what I make, to be patient with what comes and goes and not letting it define me.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Something I’ve been thinking about lately, as I’ve finished my education is the moment my mom took me to the opening of the Blanton Art Museum building in Austin. I was about 5 years old, tired, forcing my mom to carry me in her arms throughout the new building. But I think about how she opened up my world to experience art and support it, even at a time when I couldn’t fully appreciate it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carolinayanez.com
• Instagram: @cyanezzz

Image Credits

Carolina Yáñez
Jeremy Hinds
Natasha Jordan