Ciara Sana March 19th 2020

What do you do?

I am an illustrator, trying to represent POC and empower women through my art. I create pieces that I can use to turn into different products, so that my art is accessible to many types of people. I feel like my purpose is to cultivate a place of happiness, and I try and do that with my art.

Advice/words of wisdom that affected your life you’d like to pass on?

I would like to tell people that when you face an obstacle in your life, whether it be your train of thought, your inability to comprehend, your financial burden, your mental state, your body image....whatever it may be, find the blessing in it, because when you get through these tough times, you come out stronger and more resilient.

I used to be very angry, very poor, depressed, and I hated my body and who I was in the world. I thought that the things that made me, ME were somehow a mistake. I wanted to be anyone in the world, but who I was. I went on a journey to love myself, and it started with accepting all those things. I started to accept my psoriasis, and started incorporating it into my art (circles on the cheeks) and now, it's a way people recognize my work.

I used to hate struggling to pay rent, but if I didn't have those experiences of what it meant to work hard, and to do whatever it took to make my dreams a reality, I wouldn't have the mental fortitude I have now to take on my own business as a completely self taught artist. I used to be very angry and think that the world isn't fair...but that is the reality of existing. Nothing is fair, and my circumstances were the way they were, but they taught me to rise above, and have compassion for those who have less. I would not be the person I am today if I never had the experiences I had, if I continued to loath the cards I was dealt. Once I started to accept and to love these things that seemed like burdens, my outlook on life changed. My goals changed. The beliefs around them started to change. I saw my dreams as things that were attainable, but I had to take it one day at a time and NEVER GIVE UP.

I wouldn't allow myself to be stuck on "failure" but rather learn and grow and pivot, always. I find my trials as blessings. I would not change a thing about where I was in my life, and oftentimes I look back at it with great gratitude for where I am right now and all I've achieved. It makes me feel empowered to help others and to cheer them on, because sometimes when you can't be your own cheerleader, it helps to know that someone who has experienced similar things can understand what you're going through, and that it will get better if you push through the hard stuff. Don't give into the lies you tell about yourself, and don't give up.