Meet Isabel Martinez | Dreams Hatchery CEO & Artist

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

Hi Isabel, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
well, I do everything around my kids so probably the most difficult decision was taking them out of school and start doing homeschooling while at the same time I needed to keep working.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think I am not a normal artist or a normal person, who is it anyways? I didn’t go to school to be an artist and I can’t really say that I learned something good at school. I started doing art in a more conscious way when I was 18, I always have been a very artsy person since a little kid, but when I was 18 I went through a LOT. I have been using heavy drugs since I was 12 years old I didn’t want to live and most of the time I was locked on rehab centers or hospitals, I would tell my mom to stop wasting her money on me because the only thing I wanted was to be dead!

Something changed in me when I was 18, and I really believe that art was a beautiful healing tool that God allowed me to use to keep moving forward.
I stared drawing dark stuff, (they were really UGLY!) but eventually all my art started to changed too, they became lighter and lighter and I noticed that every time I painted I will feel better and better! It was like somehow all the darkness disappeared.
So, for me art is not just a pretty painting or a beautiful song, it’s way more than that! It’s the freedom of the soul, it’s a gift from God, a tool of healing, that allows you to see everything in a different way.

I stared teaching art to kids since 2015, but it was on 2017 were I opened a nonprofit organization called Dreams Hatchery.
I thought: this is a gift and I need to give back to the ones that need it the most.
So, Dreams Hatchery is an organization that donates art classes to kids and teens that are going through human trafficking and abuse here in Miami.

It’s been hard! I’m not gonna lie. The stories are too much, sometimes is like you are listening to a horror movie! At the beginning I used to cry a lot, but then I got stronger, I guess.

We are working right now on 2 projects,
One is called 1000 FACES OF HOPE where we are making a huge mural with all the paintings from our program As I See Myself and the mission is to raise awareness about child abuse and human trafficking here in our community and also give each of the kids and teens that have participated a voice every time we share their stories.

And the second project is our Art Bus!
Yes, we are making an art studio inside a school bus! Since is been hard to take them out from the shelter we came out with the idea of creating and amazing space for them were they can feel more comfortable when they’re doing art with us.

I also have an art studio where I teach art, music and theatre classes to kids with beautiful parents, it’s called WONDER ALL AROUND. What I love about this, is that I have the privilege to see both sides of the coin and at the same time see how much everyone needs to learn how to express their feelings in a positive way.

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.
I would take them during the day to the beach of course! At night I would take them to see the city like downtown, Miami district, and probably eat at a nice restaurant. Next day I would take them to Wynwood so they can see all the beautiful art that we have in our city, eat again in one of the artsy restaurants at Wynwood.
Then I would take them to key west for the weekend and we probably would eat again!

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?
It will be God, I honestly believe that I am alive today all because of Him! Also my husband! He is the most important human in my life, he is been there in my darkest moments and my most beautiful ones too, he inspires me to be a better person every day, I want to be like him, sing like him, play the guitar like him, fix everything like him etc! He is the one holding all my horses when I get a little weird and I REALLY REALLY don’t know what to do without him!

Website: https://dreamshatchery.org/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/isadreamseveryday?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=