ivette cabrera

The heart of an artist | The true story of a real life artist trying to succeed.

Creating art for 5 years now has had its struggles and challenges. In many ways I have felt that just when I think I am closer to my goals, I end up farther way from what I set out for. The main things that are a major challenge in creating art have been to maintain the strength and ability to stay true to your voice while the art market tries to dictate your direction. 

There are so many things that I never thought would be part of the process as an artist. I find myself spending many nights researching the topics I would like to discuss, photographing my work properly, engaging in social media, color correcting prints, mailing them, answering calls for interviews, submitting to art shows, public art calls, mixing paint, setting my work space up, sending newsletters out, looking for ads that are looking to hire artists, creating murals, setting up affordable options for buyers, updating my website, updating my collectors on new works, writing and rewriting my statement, framing art, promoting exhibits and the list goes on and on. There is so much that is involved in the art process that is not even the actual act of creating art that once can be left exhausted without resources. 

So how do I balance? Well I don't. I think its a lie to think that any artist has their life under control, you are met with the constant battle of wether or not to continue creating or quit and make real money. The truth of the matter is that the whole art world has created an intense illusion for artists. Its never been easy to compare yourself to those who have had more means, funds and privilege than you to succeed. Talent never mattered in this game, and the more and more you get involved in this world the more and more there will be resounding voices telling you to quit while you are ahead. 

Make some real money. I mean isn't that what everyone really wants in life anyway? The big house, the fancy car, the family and gong out to dinner parties every weekend? How can one maintain such a life when 80% of it is spent on art failures and not generating enough income to make that a reality? Truth is I don't know. And even though my short lived successes may appear to tell a different story, I struggle every day to maintain. 

In the end, I wont ever be sure if the struggle was worth it.  5 years later and I am still trying to figure myself out. All I can do is pour my heart into my work until I have nothing left to give.....

Latest artwork "The Martyr of Orleans" aka Joan of Arc completed

This artwork is for the heroic warrior Joan of Arc.

Monarch Series
Fine Art
Archival ink, marker, charcoal and gold leaf on paper


Just finished my latest drawing based off the historical Joan of Arc. She is also known as The Maid of Orleans, but she was a warrior who led an army so we'll give her a proper title "The Martyr of Orleans".
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake after leading an army of men to fight her to recover France from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent Joan to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief mission. .

joan-of-arc-art-ivette-cabrera

"The subjects for my work are women from various cultures. My research has led me to find important women who changed the course of history, sometimes by creating rituals to glorify certain women or by breaking all cultural barriers in a society that devalued their worth. As a woman, I feel that its important to represent and tell their story. In visual art, it is both important to convey powerful messages to the viewer and to represent a beauty which entices the viewer to search deeper. The subjects of my work are beautiful women. But what makes them beautiful is how we see the power of their presence reflected back at us". (woven tale press article here)

My work is a continuous rebellion against who society wants us to be vs. who we actually are and the battle has just begun.