We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Athena Toledo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Athena, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from the women who have lived before me. From the women who had to fight for every god damn thing they have. I get my resilience from mi gente , my community and striving to survive for the greater collective. We cannot exist totally on our own. The food in our hands once came from the hands of another. The rice , the fruit, the fresh baked bread from the panadería. My resilience comes from the people who haven’t given up yet. We all are working collectively to achieve something wondrous and let me not fall backwards. I want my art to speak into the person who receives it. I want them to look at a portrait and for it to give them a message of self assurance , empowerment and a reminder that their life on this silly little plant matters so damn much. That they are beautiful and completely whole.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a portrait artist who uses semi moist tempura cakes and ink pens to create aura portraits. The portraits take about 10/15 minutes. You can find me on TikTok/Instagram as @flora.athens . I am an Latinx portrait artist and Art Therapy graduate student. I enjoy using vivid color in my work and am particularly interested in sharing visual narratives and story telling though portraiture.
Additionally , I enjoy organizing art therapy work shops in community settings such as nursing homes and after school programs.
Having accessible arts and wellness programs make for a more hopeful and inclusive world. I feel art is not so much about the product ,but more-so about the process and what breathes.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The most important skills I learned were to take my time , don’t over schedule and make sure to eat something. As an artist with neurodiversity , I often get very overly enthusiastic about the work that I love to do. I have often over booked myself in the beginning which was spreading myself too thin. I could notice my hand shaking after painting 6/7 hours straight. I realized now how important it is to take breaks – drink water, have a snack and to be mindful of a work and restoration balance.
Your customers will not be upset for you taking care of yourself – in fact they may know that the quality of your work is better after you take the break. I’m leaning to forgive myself for taking time to myself. I’m learning that taking the time to break and recharge is as necessary as the work itself.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I really would love to work with more caricature artists and people who draw portraits on the spot.
So far I have met one or two folks but really not very many. I would like to attend more events where I can meet and chat with other portrait artists. I would also love to do live drawings of theater plays.
Lately, I would like to do these portraits but to travel and draw people from all regions of the world. I grew up on the west side of Oahu, so making a homecoming trip and drawing where I grew up is certainly a goal. I also want to draw people in Puerto Rico, as both sides of my family have roots on the island, especially in Caguas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Flora.athens
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flora.athens
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atoledo808?mibextid=YMEMSu
Image Credits
Top photo by Max Delgado
