Meet Lydia Martin | Artist & Creative

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

Hi Lydia, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Passion. If you have a calling and a passion behind your endeavors, you should always keep going. Your direction on that path may change over the years because of personal growth or maybe you’ve just hit dead ends and its not working. But that doesn’t mean you quit. That means you look for other avenues, you learn how to do it better, you find a new support group or community. Passion is what drives you to figure it out, change gears, and keep going. I’ll admit that as an artist in the game for over 15 years, my passion has definitely waned at times. Sometimes I felt that my “passion” was trying to kill me! But there was always that fire inside to create, even before the money or the accomplishments. About 10 years ago, I wrote a mission statement and I don’t share it with anyone else because not all of it makes sense, business-wise, and I don’t want anyone to undermine my reasons. Whenever I feel like giving up, I go back to it and remind myself why I wanted to walk a different path and live a creative life and it always reignites that fire.

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.
My original artwork is hard for me to summarize, but I’ve heard others describe it as somewhat surreal, dark in theme, figurative, colorful and emotional. I find a lot of inspiration from my own experiences and it acts like a type of therapy for me. I always seem to incorporate elements of nature because that’s where I find my center and calm and also get a lot of ideas there.

When I committed myself to living an artistic life I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I didn’t realize it would be this hard! Financially speaking, you have to be a hustler to be an artist. You have to think outside the box. You have to be able to switch gears. You have to face a lot of rejection. But I’m proud of myself for keeping with it. I started professionally as a painter and graphic designer back in 2008. I had no idea what I was doing, as a freelancer. Juggling the business side and the creative side was the real education. I soon realized that computer-driven arts weren’t for me and went full time into traditional painting and showing my original artworks in galleries and local businesses. After a few years as a sign artist at a local Trader Joe’s, I decided to add that to my bag of tricks and even to this day, I build and hand paint signage for all kinds of businesses and applications. In the last few years, I’ve gotten into making murals and props solely from curiosity and experimentation. There’s something magical about creating tactile, 3-D objects on a large scale that transport you into a fantasy world. It’s my new obsession and I hope to do more of that in the future.

I truly believe artists tap into the spiritual side of humanity and it takes a lot of courage to put it out in the world, to be “the weirdo”, to face rejection and criticism. My proudest moments in my career have been when someone else relates to my work and finds benefit and/or a deeper meaning. That means I had enough courage to put it out there. And that’s what I really want to encourage other artist’s to do. Currently, I’m working as Gallery Manager at Raven’s Nest Gallery in downtown Escondido. It’s really exciting not only bringing art to the people but hearing from other artist’s about their inspirations and struggles and being able to cultivate a creative community. I am really excited to see where this opportunity takes me.

So, as you can see, I don’t really stay in a lane. As a creative, my life is a meandering path, as it should be. And hopefully, there’s more of that around the corner. Just Keep Creating!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you’re visiting San Diego, there is too much to see and do! But my ideal day would include a visit to the San Diego Botanical Gardens or Torrey Pines State Reserve for a little walk through nature and then head to one of the many speakeasy experiences we have in the city like False Idol, Oculto 477, or the Space Pad for cocktails. You can’t throw a rock and miss amazing eateries in San Diego so you could go really authentic and find a taco truck like Cocina De Ledezma or you can go for a more gourmet restaurant experience like Campfire, InsideOUT, or Books & Records. I would definitely make time for some art -the Van Gogh Immersive Experience was amazing!! Or if you want to get a real taste of the local art scene hit up any of the local galleries/shops when they are throwing an art show reception. Good ones are Thumbprint, Goblin Shark Emporium, and, of course, Raven’s Nest!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As a kid, I didn’t get a lot of encouragement or support but, instead, it’s my chosen family that I’ve surrounded myself with that have always been my biggest cheerleaders. My husband, Aaron, and my kids, Jake & Gabe, have always been there for me and encouraged me to keep going. I’ve had countless friends show up to every event I’ve been a part of or curated, like La Tara! And if we are mentioning names, I should definitely shoutout the small business owners that have kept the arts alive and continue to support local artists, like Kelly at Goblin Shark Emporium, Loretta Scott at Raven’s Nest Gallery and Phil and Lee at Tasty Wax Records.

Website: https://www.lydiamartinart.com

Instagram: @lydiamartinart

Other: https://www.theprismandpendulum.com/ravensnestartgallery