Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimena Marin.
Hi Jimena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was 15 my dad got very ill — a rare illness that put him in a coma, and my family was fractured by it. He was our main provider, and we didn’t know if he would make it. I remember a constant struggle from my teens to the end of my 20’s. The economic situation forced my mom to relocate from Guadalajara to Lubbock, Texas, while my dad recovered. I stayed in Puebla, finishing my bachelor’s in fine arts, before following my mom to Texas. Moving from Mexico to the USA was brutal: the language, the food, the culture — everything different. I didn’t speak English; I learned it while working at a fast-food restaurant. I was accepted into the MFA at Texas Tech University. After six years of marriage I got divorced, and finished my master’s — lonely, in debt, anxious, with no plan B.
In 2009 I moved to San Antonio and worked three jobs: teaching in two universities and in a cookie shop. New city, stick-shift car, little to no gas, no money, recently divorced, always anxious. For five years my routine was solid: wake up and cry, teach, teach more, cry, decorate cookies. A friend confronted me and reminded me that if I wanted peace, I had to stop playing the victim and use that energy to build the happy life I wanted. When I was about to surrender, a full-time job at Northwest Vista College was offered to me — stability, and the financial independence that gave me creative freedom in my studio. Spring 2025 was my last semester teaching there after 16 years. Today I feel peace in my mind and fullness in my life, knowing I did not sacrifice my authenticity to survive. I am free to express myself, and to inspire others to resist and pursue their dreams.
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 have an intense love for life; my top two passions are art and teaching. The realization that art was my passion came naturally and very early. Since I was a girl I was highly touched, amazed, and connected to art. I noticed I could express my feelings and thoughts through symbols, lines, and colors more naturally than with words. Art has been a true friend — confronting me when necessary and keeping me company in hard times.
Teaching started as a challenge out of necessity. When I finished my master’s I was in debt, with no job, recently divorced, in a new city, driving a stick car for the first time, and experiencing high anxiety and depression. I always had the best teachers, and I felt I wasn’t as good as them — even worse, that I wasn’t enough.
Little by little I trained myself to take an hour a day in which I would not allow myself to cry, act as a victim, or blame anything for the chaos I created. I learned to be more optimistic and grateful, and to take responsibility. I used art and design as tools to better my life one hour each day. As my perspective changed, my reality changed too. My focus turned to my students, knowing any human can use these tools to better their life from the inside out.
Every semester, class, and workshop, I ask my students to focus on themselves — not the artist, not the art, but how they react, feel, or think about the material. To hold space for others has become my mission: all the struggle and pain I went through will be shared as a shortcut, a map to find self-respect and self-love.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
By engaging in repetitive tasks while exploring materials with my hands, I travel mentally to a place different from my reality. My art is a sample of what my hands and body were doing during those journeys. I create visual metaphors by repeating shapes with a rhythm, recording my thoughts and learning processes. My work is autobiographical; it records my story.
When life becomes overwhelming, I obsess or get stuck. To remove myself from that struggle, I look for ideas, materials, or images to express what I think or feel, giving it shape through the process of creating. I transform emotions and ideas into a tangible metaphor. By sharing the final product, I intend to create connections — visual conversations somebody may find useful.
I utilize paper, textiles, wood, and warm media. My processes are like exercise: repetition, uncertainty, and annoying feelings are part of it. I suspect working in my studio keeps my inner child happy and alive, while becoming an alchemist, transmuting dense thoughts into something lighter.
Come see what I’ve been up to and check out my new space on the web at JIMENAMARIN.com.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was born in Texas in February 1975; 10 days later my family and I moved back to Mexico where I was raised. My parents were both Mexican, independent, and extroverts. The world around me was constantly full of noise, movement, intensity and stimulation, most of the time it was too much for me to handle, I felt overwhelmed often. I found myself looking for a quiet place and moments of solitude to recharge. I didn’t know how to say it, however, I knew I was able to notice and to feel more intensely than others around me. My life was full of nice experiences as a kid. I was constantly described as shy, weird, or too quiet, but other than that I was a happy girl.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jimenamarin.com
- Instagram: @jimenaeatingplants
