We were lucky to catch up with Mia Liana Garcia recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mia Liana, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
I had no self-discipline at all up until a couple years ago. Doing something I didn’t feel like doing used to be practically impossible. My problem was that I could never say no to what brought me pleasure, comfort, or distraction. I placed more importance on my own fleeting feelings than I did on doing what I knew was right. I read a book called When Things Fall Apart by Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, and it talked a little bit about the idea of refraining. Refraining is the practice of not reaching for a distraction every time you start to feel what Pema calls “groundlessness.” Refraining and self-discipline kind of went hand in hand for me, both meant focusing less on what I wanted to do and more on what I should do. I saw becoming more self-disciplined as becoming more virtuous because I was learning how to be less self-centered. The self-discipline I’ve developed comes from a place of moral principle and wanting to do the right thing, for everyone. I’m a big believer in working to become the best version of yourself for the benefit of both yourself and those around you, and I think it’s best for everyone that I learn how to do hard things. It’s like a way for me to contribute to the greater good.
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’m a natural science enthusiast and an artist. I have two bodies of work I’m pretty excited about right now. One is a photomicrography collection that’s mostly photos of bugs taken through a pocket microscope at about 120x magnification. This project has helped me tap into the curiosity and excitement I once had when I was a kid looking at ants and ladybugs in the backyard with a magnifying glass, and it has honestly been more fun than anything I’ve done artistically in a while. The other project is a collection of digital collages of my most unhinged and psychotic notes app entries printed in the pages of an old textbook. I’ve always been into the idea of hyperpersonal art, and this has been my own little way of oversharing. What I feel is most special about my work is the juxtaposition between imagery based in something as concrete as the natural sciences paired with such loose, very human intentions. My work is chaotic and playful but in a rigid, academic package. It’s about being smart and dumb at the same time – the quest for knowledge and truth, and also being an insane id*ot.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three impactful qualities I had to learn to incorporate into my practice were shamelessness, playfulness, and sincerity. I think shamelessness is important because making things and putting them out into the world is sooo embarrassing. It feels like such a vulnerable and self-important act to say, “Hey I made this and want you to spend your precious time consuming it.” But I think that’s something creatives just have to get over, because the world is surely a much better place when it’s filled with the things we make. I think playfulness is important because making art should be fun and carefree, maybe even silly. What’s the point of making if you don’t enjoy it. Lastly, and most importantly, sincerity. If I have any advice to give to folks early on in their journey it’s don’t try to be something you’re not. Don’t try to be likable. Don’t make something with the goal of being relatable. In my opinion, the more personal the better. That’s how you’re going to make something truly unique and find your niche practice.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The most influential book I’ve ever read is The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again. The book is a collection of writings expressing his thoughts on topics such as love, beauty, work, time, and death. In his vignette on art he writes, “If you really believe in nothing you can write a book about it.” Andy was obsessed by the idea of nothingness, which is why the book barely makes sense. There’s no consistent writing style, no timeline. It’s not really about anything. That’s what really stuck with me long after reading it. Art doesn’t have to have some profound political or emotional meaning, it doesn’t have to be cohesive, and it doesn’t even have to make sense. The book showed me that thoughts are a form of creation and can be presented as art. It showed me that the rigid standards I had set for myself and my creativity weren’t even real. It changed my understanding of what art is into something much more fluid and open ended than what it was before.
Contact Info:
- Website: mialianagarcia.myportfolio.com
