Today we’d like to introduce you to Aidee Alfaro.
Aidee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Lonesome Cowgirls came about when in 2020 my best friends all moved to New York to live their best lives and as happy as I was for them, I was reminded of what being lonely felt like. As a kid, my Parents worked hard for my siblings and I to have a great life but it came at the cost of being my own company for long stretches of time.
Being the baby, I was either dragged along or dropped off non-stop so when the family was able to spend time together I clung onto those moments of joy. More specifically, when I was younger my mom would take my sister and I to a ranch on out outskirts of town where we spent time riding horses, playing with goats, and living a life we knew very little about. Some of my fondest memories of my time at the ranch was my time with a horse named Pebbles, who my mom encouraged me to develop riding skills with. My mom taught me to be strong during these lessons even when they were rough (followed swiftly by icing my butt afterwards) but I’ll always look back .
I started my line work with a western focus reminding me of those days I spent at the ranch, and I utilize blobs to express my emotions through color. I like to call them memory puddles, to convey in an abstract sense of what emotion can look like smeared on paper. I’d like to think that by keeping my primary colors to a limited palette is my “identifier” but I hope my artistic stroke becomes more recognizable as I grow.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say my biggest challenge is fighting imposter syndrome. No one wants to admit to the anxiety that comes with being so vulnerable but it’s good to have a little bit of that to keep you motivated and an opportunity to practice some self love. You never really know if you’ll be a hit if you don’t swing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Lonesome Cowgirls started with a few stickers but it’s been a slow burn of growth with collaborative projects and bigger goals along the way. Most recently I’ve started working with local printmakers to create hand-pulled prints and hope to dive into a wider array of merchandise in the next year! I’m still in the early stages, but I would say that having a full time job and pursuing this on my free time has been extremely rewarding and I can only hope to strive for nothing but growth.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I’d like to thank everyone who’s ever bought and supported the store and I’d especially like to thank Nikki, Julia, Carlos, Andrew and my Mom for believing in me.
Contact Info:
- Email: aideealfaroart@gmail.com
- Website: Lonesomecowgirls.bigcartel.com
- Instagram: @lonesomecowgirls
- Twitter: @lonesomecowg1rl
Image Credits
Únies González (Portraits of Aidee Alfaro)
