Author: Naomi Valdivia

Naomi Valdivia is an artist originally from the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, California. Growing up in a large house that was constantly under construction by her grandfather, using mismatched and often found materials heavily influenced her creative mind. There were always nooks and spaces to hide in and create different worlds from her imagination. Because there was no standard in her environment that looked normal, out of the box thinking was the baseline for her developing brain. Her younger education consisted of strict, evangelical Christian schools until she was dropped into Hollywood for high school at the Fairfax Visual Arts Magnet on Melrose Avenue. This was a culture shock that opened up a whole new world to her creatively, and it was then that she decided to continue her art education with a Bachelors of Fine Arts at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Meeting her husband in college, graduating, then having 3 kids while maintaining a career in graphic design and illustration, she has been quite busy with very little time to create as much personal art as she had originally planned. She has held positions in various areas in the field, including scientific, biomedical, patent illustration, label and package printing, and publishing. This career has spanned almost 20 years. She now resides in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona, and is excited to work with Aurtistic Zine, as she has only recently discovered that she is on the spectrum. It took all of the time at home during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, away from an office and people that she would constantly mask in front of, for her to be able to research and finally accept the fact that she is Autistic. At first, it was scary, but quickly became freeing. Her mission now is to help educate more people about what Autism actually means and includes; as it is such a broad spectrum, and no two Autistic minds are alike. To be able to combine her identity as an artist and an Autistic person, a truly Aurtistic individual, is extremely meaningful.

3-22-17 Everyday Celebrations

What if you made every little thing you do a celebration? Every boring, menial task…make it a mini celebration, in some way. This applies especially to tasks that often feel hurried. Slow it down where you can. Take an opportunity to have a meal or coffee with a friend before or after the task, sing loudly along to your favorite music on the car ride there. On some level, in some way, celebrate the things you have to do, because that means you are alive. It means you are succeeding at being a human.

leonardo-dicaprio-great-gatsby_34_paused.jpg

0

3-21-18 Chipping Away

Quick thought this morning about how slowly and quickly time passes. It often seems slow, so after we come home from the work day with an already tired mindset, we’ve given up for the day. It’s easy to fall into the slump of thinking that the day is over. To plop down and watch television (especially when there is so much to binge watch!), until it’s time to go to sleep. Then once in bed, when sleep should be priority, many people begin the cycle of being on their cell phone, “wrapping up” their social media for the day-completely disregarding how light from their phone has been proven to disrupt sleep patterns and circadian rhythms.

There comes a point when you realize how much time has passed with this exact pattern. Years go by, and those personal goals we have on the back burner, seem to never get done. This is why it’s important to chip away at them, now-monthly, weekly, daily. We are always waiting to set aside these large chunks of time that we find we never have. I know I’ve been guilty of this. Looking for some grandiose weekend to really start getting things done. This empty, long weekend never comes. 

So what projects, goals, passions, ambitions have you been putting off? Start chipping away at them today! I know I have finally started, bit by bit, and I can feel the changes being put into place. Just gotta keep chipping away. 

0

3-19-17 Sunday Funday

Sunday Funday. In the not so far off past, I would dread The work week so badly that I wouldn’t even enjoy my Sundays. All of Sunday from the minute in wake up to the minutes I’d toss and turn trying to get in a decent night’s sleep before the alarm rang, I would be dreading what was the inevitable. Why? Honestly, ritual. Bad habits. Obsessive, negative thinking. Guess what? The weekend seems longer when you actually don’t dread or think about the day job. Monday will still be Monday whether you spend the day before actually savoring the Sunday, or wasting away the hours of thinking about Monday. Hope you all aren’t this bad, but for those of you who are, it’s definitely something I urge you to consider. 

0

3-18-17 Stop

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your mental health is just stop and rest. To try to force anything during that time causes more breaks in the defenses. Not my best day but feeling better now. Tomorrow will be better. Time to relax, reset, and pray clearly with my heart while my mind sorts itself out. Be thankful for those who love you enough to allow you to do this and support you during this time. 

0

3-16-17 Embrace the Negative Space

What the heck does that mean, “embrace the negative space?” It’s not what it sounds like. I’m talking in art terms for this post. There are times in life where you feel like you’re stuck in limbo. In the midst of something that’s about to happen, but not yet; in that weird timeframe of waiting. I’m calling that “negative space.” In art terms, if you draw on a piece of white paper, the space you didn’t draw on is called “negative space.” If you didn’t have that negative space, your drawing would not have a distinct shape. The entire page would be the same, without any kind of contrast or transition. Same goes for these “limbo” or “in between” moments in life. We can’t force or hurry certain things. So why not embrace the negative space while it’s here? 

0

3-15-17 Underlying Fears

With the political climate being what it is, there is a lot of uncertainty. All I can think about it right now is, how much fear is effecting it all and has effected it all from the start. A longer post will be written soon about this, but please keep this in mind today. Do not allow fear to rule your thought process or your emotions. If you allow fear to be the front runner, you will be easily manipulated, even when you don’t realize it. Underlying fears are the most dangerous, because you won’t even realize you have them, and you won’t be looking to prevent them. Be blessed everyone, be strong in your mind and heart, and keep looking up.

0

3-14-17 Coffee and Nature

Like many Americans, I start my day with a cup of coffee. Depending on how sleepy I am, I’ll either make my usual cup, or I’ll go to the local Starbucks and get something with a little (or a lot) more kick in it. But here’s something I’ve found about coffee or caffeine (green tea works wonders as well); once it takes effect, it is best to connect to something outside of just sitting in one place and working. Best thing to be able to explore after a cup of coffee is nature, the outdoors, even if that means just a quick walk on your street or a couple of stretches in your backyard. Just to breathe some fresh air, and if possible, refresh your vision with some greenery, even if it is just a potted plant outside your windowsill. It is instant mind, body, and spirit reset. Afterward, you can go about your day, and work as usual. I highly recommend making that connection with nature while you are experiencing the effects of caffeine as opposed to just coffee and straight to work, without heightening your senses and reconnecting to the roots of being human.

0

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑