Meet Crystal Garcia | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
My end goal is to have my art reach as many people as possible. In the future I would love to have some solo exhibitions in a gallery or museum. Ever since I was little I’ve always wanted to leave my mark on the world. It doesn’t have to be a big mark. I don’t need to be a millionaire. I just want to touch people’s lives. I would like to be remembered as someone who made people smile. I try to do that with my art. I paint my little world and I paint what makes me happy. Sometimes I get lost in my head and I start thinking about all the troubles in the world. It really brings me down and I don’t want anybody to feel that way. Art helps me stay present. When I create I’m completely focused. There are too many problems in the world so I want my art to bring a little joy to people’s lives. The same joy I feel when I’m creating.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is often very colorful and usually inspired by my tropical South Florida surroundings. I think what sets me apart from others is that I’m always trying new things with my art. I love to create all kinds of art! My style is hard to define because I love to try out new mediums. I can’t seem to stick to one! I’m proud of the opportunities that I’ve had so far to display my art in local group exhibitions. I’m also proud of the commissions I’ve had and I’m proud to announce that I recently opened my online shop.

I think the biggest challenge was overcoming my own doubts. I always felt that I wasn’t good enough or that I didn’t have anything new to offer.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to put yourself out there! I still struggle with this at times but the first time I did, I approached Pati Vargas who organizes Viernes Culturales in Little Havana. She was the first person in the art world that believed in me. I displayed my art in Little Havana at several events and from there I’ve met other people and received more opportunities. I’m really thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. None of it would have happened if I didn’t put myself out there!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so much to do! We could explore a little bit of Broward. The first thing is to have breakfast. I love Circle House Coffee and my favorite beaches are Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. On another day we could wander around Wynwood and have lunch but before we leave I have to get some donuts from Salty Donut. Then we could head to some of the art museums. I love the Wolfsonian-FIU on Miami Beach and of course, PAMM is a must see. We would definitely have to see Vizcaya and the lighthouse at some point. We could also spend a day at ZooMiami. As a grand finale we could have a fancy dinner at Area 31 in Downtown Miami.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my brother, Christopher Garcia! It’s hard to put into words how amazing he is. He’s done so much for me. He’s my biggest fan, my greatest supporter, my best promoter, and my motivational speaker. Whenever I doubt myself he knows exactly what to say. He helps me stay positive and he helps me see the value of my art.

Website: https://ko-fi.com/artistcrystalg/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artist.crystalg/