Meet Mia Lucero

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

Mia, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

As a child, I was homeschooled and lived in the country with long hours of free time. I had siblings and pets, but not many scheduled activities. I remember one day, lying on the living room floor and complaining of boredom, I suddenly realized I could create my own entertainment. I found some fabric and began to cut and sew, and made a little stuffed horse. The process brought me so much joy that it led to many creative explorations throughout my childhood. I experimented with sewing, knitting, macrame, crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch, beaded jewelry, hammering metal, building wooden furniture, sculpting, drawing, painting, calligraphy, writing, and illustrating my own tiny books and poems.

Although I think of that one boring day as my spearhead into creativity, a foundation had already been quietly laid. Our life in general had a slow pace; there was no getting up early for school or rushing to meet the bus, no sports or recitals. We had no television, computers, or cell phones. We did have books—lots of them. The nights were spent reading together, then reading on our own, often into the wee hours of the morning. The days (once academics were done) were open, and filled with play, outdoor exploration, and involuntary nature studies. There was also work—stacking wood, planting flower bulbs, feeding animals, folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping floors, cleaning our rooms. But it was work done at our own pace, our minds busy thinking and dreaming. I didn’t understand the value of it then, but I’ve come to realize that the slow, steady pace of my childhood was the rich fodder for my creative life. It was the freedom I needed, the “white space” to discover the creative resources within myself. My parents always provided raw materials and encouragement, and I think watching them work with their hands was a big part of my sense of creativity. My father was a blacksmith and my mother was always creating something—portraits, landscapes, calligraphy work, hand-lettered signs, curtains, or clothes for us.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My love of making continued as I got older, shifting with different seasons of life. As a teen, I baked pies and painted signs for extra cash. In college I illustrated books and taught art classes; when I got married, I sewed my wedding dress and painted every room of our house a different color. When I had babies, I bundled them into a sling and illustrated sewing patterns, made baby clothes, and knitted blankets and tiny hats. I made our own cloth diapers, laundry soap, diaper cream, deodorant, hair products, skincare, and even my own makeup. I did it for the fun of it, but it also filled practical needs and left a smaller footprint of shopping, waste, and packaging.

As my children got older, I began painting again. I had worked with oil paints in college, but as I picked them up again, I discovered how much I loved the rich smoothness and malleability of them, the long drying time that allowed me to work them for hours and even days. Oils have been my primary medium for the past decade now. I paint portraits, animals, and landscapes, and although I am also a woodcarver and make hammered jewelry, I consider myself first and foremost an oil artist.

I am also a homeschooling mother, and our days are slow-paced and home-centric. My husband DL and I operate a small sheep farm and provide meat to our community, as well as raise chickens, Australian Shepherd dogs, and a few pet goats. Our children have a strong work ethic and are learning animal husbandry as well as economic skills through running the farm with us.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think flexibility has been an important attribute for me—not accepting frustration because a season felt challenging, but instead finding a way to work with it and make necessary adjustments, like when my children were small, or when I worked jobs outside of art.

Tenacity has also been so valuable to me. Even as an art student in college, I knew that the real reason my work excelled was the sheer amount of hours I poured into it. I often painted until 2 or 3 AM, just trying techniques until I hit on something that worked. Even now, I spend many hours working at a painting—sometime refining it, sometimes roughing it back up if I overwork it. I am always amazed at how often people think artists are just born with skill. I think I’m probably 2% gifted and 98% bulldog.

Another thing that has fueled me is a sense of competition. In my college classes, there was a group of us who were always vying with each other to produce the best work. It was exhilarating! During my many years as a lone artist, I forgot how important that was. Now that I am part of an artist co-op and gallery, I find so much joy not only in the competitive sense, but also in bouncing ideas off other artists, hearing their perspectives, and having thoughtful and insightful conversations about our work.

My advice to burgeoning artists is to stay flexible and be kind to yourself, don’t get discouraged (artists are created, not born), and find other artists you respect who keep you excited to create.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

When I began my journey back into painting, I had many self doubts. I didn’t even want to call myself an artist. Even after I began to acquire more skills and confidence as an artist, I wasn’t sure others would find my art valuable. My husband DL has been my greatest supporter and an incredible help in my work. He gives me constructive feedback, and his encouragement is a bright light that keeps me strong. I think many spouses don’t realize how much their artist needs them. We may seem to have artistic superpowers, but as creatives we are often our own worst critic, and find it hard to believe in ourselves. For an artist, encouragement is everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mialucero.com
• Instagram: @mialucero.artist
• Facebook: Mia Lucero Art
• Other: Etsy Shop: PocoLeonStudio.Etsy.com

Image Credits

DL Lucero