Meet Gabriela Flores Morales

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

Gabriela, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Success, for me, feels like an ongoing process, one I’m not even sure I’ve truly learned. As an immigrant, and as someone who visibly looks like one, it often feels like I’m walking on eggshells. Every step forward is cautious, calculated, and clouded with the awareness of how I’m perceived.

Working in the art industry, where certain harmful behaviors are not just tolerated but rewarded, has only amplified the struggle. I’ve faced racist comments, been boxed into stereotypes, and made to feel like I didn’t belong. And despite doing good work—despite knowing I’m more than qualified—I’ve had to work three times as hard to prove myself, only to still be overlooked. That’s a daily frustration.

I don’t know if it will ever fully get better. I hope it does. But in the meantime, I’ve learned to keep showing up, to keep doing my best, even if I’m not sure it’s enough to be called “successful.”

All I can do is continue. Keep creating. Keep pushing. And maybe, just maybe, if someone else who looks like me comes along, the space will be a little more welcoming because I was here. Maybe that’s a kind of success, too.

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 designer and maker who works primarily with ceramics. I am drawn to the slow, tactile nature of clay and the intimacy it creates between object and hand. There’s something deeply human about working with a material that holds memory, responds to pressure, and ultimately transforms through fire into something permanent.

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to show my work at Mint Gallery in London. I have some pieces now on sale with Hypha Curates, another step in bringing my work into spaces where it can be seen, touched, and hopefully lived with.

What drives me as a maker is the subtle but powerful relationship we have with everyday objects, how they shape our every day lives , moods, and sense of place. I’m especially interested in touch: in how holding, using, or simply being near an object can change how we value it. I want the pieces I create to invite interaction, to ask to be held, turned over, felt. I aim for that interaction to grow into familiarity, care and eventually affection.

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?

For me, curiosity has always been the key. The courage to not just knock, but to put your foot through the door, even when you’re not sure what’s on the other side.

That said, it’s not always been easy. Emigrating shook my confidence in ways I didn’t expect. Being in a new place, away from familiar networks and norms, made me second-guess myself. I found myself hesitating, doubting, unsure whether I belonged, whether I had the right to speak up or take part.

But at the same time, starting over in a new country forced me to go beyond my comfort zone. I had no choice but to ask questions, to search for information, to seek out community. No one was going to hand me opportunities. I had to reach out, introduce myself, get involved. Even when it felt awkward or intimidating.

What I’ve learned is that most doors won’t open unless you push them. And sometimes, no one is going to invite you to sit at the table, you just have to pull up a chair and join the conversation. Whether you come with knowledge to offer or simply with a genuine desire to learn, that act of showing up matters.

Curiosity is the bridge. It connects fear to action, and action to growth.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

Time is one of the hardest things to manage, especially when you’re balancing a full-time 9-to-6 job with the drive to pursue your passion as an artist and maker. It’s a constant negotiation between the energy spent earning a living and the energy you try to preserve for creating work that feeds your soul.

I know I’m not alone in this. Many artists and designers live in this tension, trying to carve out space for their practice while juggling everything else. It requires being intentional, not just with time, but with energy, focus, and motivation. You have to make it matter. You have to choose it, again and again.

For me, the only way to keep going is to build in accountability. I set myself deadlines. I sign up for opportunities to show my work. Once I’ve committed, there’s no backing out. Even if I’m tired after work or stretched thin, that deadline forces me to keep moving. I know myself, without those structures, it’s too easy to push things off, to wait for the “right moment” that never quite comes.

It’s not always balanced. Some weeks are better than others. But I keep reminding myself that showing up consistently, even in small ways, will add up. I believe the effort will pay off—maybe not all at once, but slowly, steadily, over time.

That’s how I keep building: one deadline, one piece, one stolen hour at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.prieta.mx
• Instagram: prieta.mx
• Other: https://hyphacurates.com/search?q=gabriela+flores+morales

Image Credits

I took the images