We recently connected with Eliana Miranda and have shared our conversation below.
Eliana, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
My work schedule is pretty busy with various projects, and it can be quite hard to stay on track. I’m a big believer in staying organized. I have to plan for meetings, projects, and personal appointments, so I spend about an hour at the end of every week to plan. I develop lists of what needs to get done for every week and I plug in events, deadlines, and meetings. I also make goals for myself. Weekly, monthly, and one annual goal. Since I can get overwhelmed, I make sure to factor in self-care goals as a reminder that I have to take good care of myself. If I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be well enough to achieve my other goals, so I try to prioritize self-care the most.
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?
I am a visual artist, born and raised in Oak Cliff. In 2010 I completed my BA from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. I obtained my MA in 2012 and my MFA in 2015 from the University of Dallas. My work is an exploration of current human migration issues. Currently my focus is on ecological disasters that stem from climate change and the influence on the migration of people headed towards the U.S./ Mexico border from Mexico, Central America, and South America.
My work has been in numerous exhibitions including Latino Americans 500 Years of History at the Idaho State University, Contemporaneous Commentary: Voices in the Current Sociopolitical Atmosphere at Wichita State University, Intersections at Texas Woman’s University, and the AMOA Biennial 600: Justice • Equality• Race• Identity at the Amarillo Museum of Art.
I am also one of the co-founders of Nuestra Artist collective which is an artist collective based in Dallas, TX. Our mission is to collaborate, support, build bridges, and create exhibitions that empower our voices as Xicana and Latina artists. The collective is very special to me because I have the honor of working among a group of inspirational women.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The artwork I make is influenced by the things that matter to me the most: cultural identity, feminism, and environmentalism. These are subjects that I have been interested in throughout school. As I continued to make my way through academia, I started researching these topics outside of the classroom. I read the history concerning these topics and I started to relate it to current events. I then learned how to research in school and how to apply that research to my work. Different career paths call for different types of research and different methods in applying that knowledge to what you do. My advice for those who are starting their journey is to seek something you are passionate about and do as much research as you can about it. If you’re passionate about something, you will always be excited to pursue it further and it will be more fulfilling in the long run.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I work a lot because there are many things that I want to pursue. I’m always expected to create work on top of juggling everything else such as deadlines, appointments, and my personal life. It can get pretty overwhelming at times, however I have learned to handle it. The most important thing for me is to acknowledge that I’m overwhelmed. It kind of creeps up on me and I’ve learned to become a little more self-aware of when this occurs. I usually have trouble focusing and I get really anxious. I’ve learned to take a break when this happens. Depending on the severity, my break can be a day or even a week. I’ll do things that help clear my head like meditation and exercise. Sometimes when I’m physically exhausted and overwhelmed, I do absolutely nothing. I watch something senseless on tv. A lot of the times I go and watch a movie by myself. I get to be alone with my thoughts and that’s good for my self reflection. Self- reflection is super important for me to decompress. My advice to those who are starting to feel overwhelmed is to find a positive outlet that can help you get through it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elianamiranda-art.com/
- Instagram: elianamiranda_art
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Nicodemo and Lexi Sanchez
