Meet Isabel Balcazar

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Isabel Balcazar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Isabel below.

Hi Isabel, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

born and raised in Colombia to a psychologist mother and an artist father, i was created with the wisdom of the books and the poetry of nature and arts in my veins; the nature of Colombia brought me up as a girl who was scared of her own femininity, seeing women as objects is the harsh reality that many girls and women have to adjust themselves to . my parents divorced when i was 7 and at 14 i became an immigrant in New York right after the first great economic recession, followed by the massive house crashing market in 2007. My memories of childhood between books and national geographic magazines were quickly polarized by the American dream that all want to pursue but few overcome. like a true rebel to my family’s expectations i wanted to become and artist after being (acting) like a good girl all my life. i finished high school with honors and waited to become financially tax independent to then pursue my college education as an artist. i had great teacher and opportunities but i felt like i was being shorted out of live living in a bubble that yet again seemed too small and too fragile. wanting to reconnect with myself right after my father’s passing in Bogota Colombia , i became nomadic woman, seeking healing, refuge from the fast life of New York and the never ending rat race of” who is best and why “. as a volunteer and a backpacker i learned to live with little, finally dropped over 100lbs and learned about my soul’s purpose with the intention of healing through medicine and beautiful places that took me to meet myself in others and thus finding the ever changing nature of my heart in service to others through the healing path of yoga, and transformations that keep occurring* i have learned to keep rising in creativity. i decided to move fully back to Colombia. i live in the mountains surrounded by beautiful birds, alas i finally have a studio where i can create, i have made a number of murals and assisted with designs in the battle we now have with international mining companies that want to destroy our water, seeking out gold , copper and other fine minerals at the cost of our future generations of children. i do yoga workshops, self development and poetry are my biggest allies, i also give English classes to little kids. I’m always happy to create and learn from all the beauty that surrounds me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

when i was in college i saw that art has a profound way to reunite our stories. each artist tells a tail of their life, what they saw what they felt, how it happened,… its about the recollection of our humanity in this different shapes and ways that it has taken across time. my minor in art history gave me perspective of understanding the importance of art in humanity and how it shapes the way we live, the way we question ourselves from our own philosophies. i saw this way of learning critically in school but mostly in college to then finding myself surrounded by waves and waves of beauty in the faces of children in rural areas that had a very little notion of the great profundity that surrounded them, in all aspects. by no means i want to be a savior but i saw first hand how the education of my nieces and nephews in areas like music, art and literature was far greater in the city than in the rurality. i couldn’t look back or look away so i decided to start working with collectives and organizations on the development of the arts in rural areas. as an English teacher the parents adorn the fact that i want their kids to learn through play and not repetitions, my purpose became more clear once i saw that the mountains of Jerico (the town i live in) were soon to become an exploration ground for underground mining. the mountains i run and the river i bathe and adore are in danger and the children’s lives are in danger too, because their future is in the hands of strangers, they are the voiceless of the mountains who nobody seems to care until us the grown ups make something of ourselves to show them that there is more to life than to be a slave away to private corporations and that their lives are just as important as the children of the town or the city capital.

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?

communication has been a crucial part of my own journey, i was a shy, very shy girl . American society injected me with a healthy dose of irreverence and rebelliousness that is so rare to see in Latin America. i am thankful for my ESL teacher in High school Miss Glick. she was a mother, a friend and the soul of many lost immigrant children who forget to be happy in the fast passed wish to be accepted at the cost of their own roots and mother language.

responsibility: i started working as soon i could in NY off the books in a grocery store near my house. i learned to be punctual to save money to i could pay a phone card and call back home to my dad in Colombia, i learned that when i worked and saved i could have whatever i wanted, that kind of financial independence taught me to be a woman of power through my own merits, as i continued to do it through high school and college while consistently maintaining good grades as a full time student and worker.

the power of letting go; once i finally discovered yoga, i realized there was even much power in the art of letting go and not force what it clearly doesn’t belong to us or our lives, to take responsibility of our existence in body, mind and soul means to be in tune and to tune to one’s environment, to become great observers of ourselves. better decisions are to be made when we atune ourselves every single day through meditation which is the process of letting go in a constant manner.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

people are the mirrors of our souls. when i saw the great inspiration of every single person that surrounded me, I started to see teachers everywhere, therefore growth in everything. i saw yoga teachers in places where i volunteered and started to learn and investigate about yoga, i saw women artist who were also happy and accomplished nomads , i saw inspiration from the mothers who served me hot soup and knew how to cook for themselves, the guys in fincas who are brave with the machetes cutting crops and making food grow big and abundantly, women who made oils and soaps from herbal plants, i mean the world has infinite teachers, all we have to do is pay attention, ask and learn, growth is the result of having curiosity from everything and everyone.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jaguara888

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