Today we’d like to introduce you to Johana Reyna.
Hi Johana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My family moved from Mexico to a small town in East Texas when I was about five years old. I don’t really have a lot of memories from that time apart from the feeling of finding it difficult to connect to my new world. From a young age, art created a space where I felt at home; it was an outlet of self-expression unlimited by language. What I didn’t understand at that time was that art would soon become a consistent space for safety in a world that would turn upside down. I should also mention that along with living in a small town, I grew up in a very traditional and limited environment when it comes to being any sort of “different”. Art in the form of music, writing, drawing, and painting became my outlet as I connected with the realizations I was having about my sexual orientation.
In my early 20s, I moved to Houston and it immediately became home. I now work full time in sales for maritime logistics, but all my free time consists of creative hobbies. Expressive art is my favorite. I love when someone comes to me with an idea they want to portray and give me the opportunity to put that on paper.
My goal right now is to connect with people who are willing to allow me to understand what it is they want to piece together whether it be a tattoo sketch, or home decor.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were definitely some bumps along the road. I grew up fast. Living on my own and without a support system from the age of 17, I operated on survival mode and my passion for art was put on the back burner to make a living. I didn’t revisit this part of myself until recently and now at 29 I have reconnected with the hobby that always brought me so much joy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My profession is commercial support management in chemical logistics, but after hours I am a part time creative. Some of my recent work includes personalized “cantarito” jars (small clay jars for beverages and plants), personalized tattoo sketches, and female expressive pieces.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Currently, email will be the best way to contact me. I am looking to start a social media account but I need to expand first. All sketched work used to start up my account will be free of charge.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ill.fated.art
