Faith, Fine Art, and the Founder Journey

This week, we’re exploring what happens when personal reflection meets professional ambition. I share a candid look at my experience with Lent discussing the specific habits I stepped away from and the surprising lessons that surfaced when I cleared the air.

That mental clarity couldn't have come at a better time, as I’m officially pulling back the curtain on two major milestones: the launch of my dedicated art account and the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. From the first "post" jitters to the logistics of building a brand, I’m sharing the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of turning a creative passion into a professional path.

Key Highlights:

• The Lenten Fast: A breakdown of what I gave up and the spiritual/mental growth that followed.

• Artistic Origins: Why I decided to create a separate space for my artwork and what I hope to achieve with this new platform.

• The Leap into Entrepreneurship: The challenges and triumphs of starting a business and the mindset shift required to go from "creative" to "founder."

• Connecting the Dots: How discipline in my personal life is directly fueling the momentum in my creative career.

Your Turn: Who’s Next?

As the show grows and enters this new chapter, I want to bring on guests who inspire, challenge, and move us forward. I’m looking to you for suggestions!

Is there a specific artist, entrepreneur, or visionary you’d love to hear an interview with? Send me your guest nominations via DM or in the comments this show is built with you in mind, and I can’t wait to see who you want to hear from next.

Help shape future episodes!

Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. 

Follow along on social media.

IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita 

Tik Tok: @lachismosadelvalle

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Okay, let's wrap up the season. Okay. Earlier in the year, or I think maybe the end of last year, a wonderful homeless man told me to stop saying sorry, or else no one's gonna believe me when I actually am sorry. Which honestly, I took it to heart because I say sorry a lot and actually do mean it, but I understood what he was saying because I, you know, at some point, like enough is enough of the sorry, you know. I can only apologize for so long or for so long. And sometimes I feel like people know or want me to. They know I'm gonna give in easily to apologize, and I'm just like the easy scapegoat coat, and yeah, I don't know. Basically, I'm what I'm trying to say is I pissed off the city last season or last, um, yeah, during the last summer, and I would like to say that I'm sorry, but no, because I would not be very unapologetic and unafraid of me. Um, and I had a lot of critiques, and I feel like my critiques were heard and a lot of things are being worked on, and I like that, and you know, um it sucks that it had to be this way, but I'm glad that everything is starting to come together. Um for Lent, I gave up a lot of things. So I gave up social media, the devil's lettuce, alcohol, and sugar. Um honestly, those are some of the things I gave up last year. I think I did much better last year than this year. This year I just was like, okay, I just gave up. And I and and I decided that I'm gonna just not feel guilty. That's what I'm gonna give up for like is the Catholic guilt, which yeah, totally makes sense. Um but only because I had good intentions for everything, but you know, medicine, uh, the devil's letters is I I see I preach it as medicine and I really needed it, so I don't regret that. Um, alcohol, I would say that I don't really like drinking anyways. So it was one of those things where I was just kind of experienced, like seeing, like, from the consumer point of view, of like, okay, what's it like to try to not drink? And there is just like I I found myself not wanting to pay for non-alcoholic drinks because I thought it was just juice, but then one of my friends actually bought one and I didn't taste like that, and it tasted like an actual like cocktail, but without the alcohol, and I was like, Oh, okay, cool. So I I'm sold. Um, but yeah, it made me want to go through with my non-alcoholic beer, which I hope that you guys join me on that journey as I try to gain money to make that dream come true. Um, I have a lot of dreams, a lot of big dreams, okay. Um, and then yeah, so but yeah, I think I'm gonna stick with the non-alcoholic, maybe some fun sour beers. I don't know if that's possible. We'll see. Anything's possible, freaking possible. Um, but yeah, uh sugar, I did a pretty good job at like not uh consuming as much as at least with the soda, I like did not touch the Coca-Cola. So I'm very proud of myself because if you know me, you know that that is really hard for me. Um social media just gave up towards the end because my job just ended up needing social media for everything. I got to host my very first kind of like industry talks here in Seattle, which you know, we gathered some uh panelists from professionals in the industry and just shared their experience um to a couple of interns at a record studio that I'm helping out with right now. Um hopefully I can interview her as one of my guests, because that'd be great. Um, she's doing amazing stuff for the community, so she's definitely someone that I, you know, want you guys to know get to know more of. Um but I already forgot what I was talking about. But, anyways, yeah, I guess so I got to do that during Lent, but then I realized, oh, if we need social media for just things, especially that's where you know, a lot of like the sometimes I even forget that like kids, teenagers could be listening to my stuff and they're on social media too. And I'm not really saying like I'd prefer like 21 and over, but I don't I also so I don't get to control things sometimes. Um I also at the same time want to encourage people to go to school, want to encourage people to get a job in a pre professional field or in a in a uh blue collar field or just anything as long as they're just doing something, you know. Um I'm still unemployed. Don't let my don't let that scare you from finishing college. Um, a lot of it is just on really on me. I'm starting my own kind of like business, but I've also been kind of scared, but it's also been kind of fun. Um it's one of the I started like a travel art account, um, and I want to host like postcard meetup, art meetups. Uh, people just come and make a postcard and we draw other like, for example, like a waterfall, you know. If we're we all meet up at a waterfall and we draw that waterfall, and really it's just a way to disconnect from your phone, connect with nature. Um, maybe you don't even have to talk to us. It's just like a really low pressure environment. Um, AmericaOnthemaps.com, that's live if you want to see it. You can also follow my social media at America on the maps, TikTok, Instagram, all of that. I'm working on my sub stack right now. I do plan on just, you know, I forget that you can like get paid for like travel riding, um, which I don't know how that works, but I'm gonna try it. Um, but yeah, I just I've always wanted to travel and I've always wanted to visit all 50 states. Uh, since I can't really travel the world right now, while I figure everything out, I figured, okay, like let's just document all of my favorite spots, a lot of my favorite locations, and just talk about them, give them art tips. A lot of my friends sometimes will come and visit, so kind of just give them a quick, easy. Here's here's what I like, here's one of my fun things to do. Location. I don't know, website with all everything. Um, so yeah, we'll see how that that goes. Um, okay, so yeah, I think I already talked about the alcohol. Yeah, that I figured that there's no really thirst. Oh, yeah, back to the alcohol, there's just like no third spaces for like I just feel like everything is so like involves alcohol. I guess you don't have to drink, but still, it's just like I I caught myself being like, oh, like why am I in a bar here if I'm not gonna be drinking? Like, what is there to do? I don't know. I want to open up like a fun space. I have like two spaces that I wanted to like imagine like a digital night library, but it's like also a cafe, bar, but like mocktails, I don't know. But I also still want to open up my speakeasy, which I won't discuss about because that one I my favorite. Okay, a lot of I have a lot of plans, okay. Um, yeah, social media. I hate that everything just turned so competitive last summer, and I'm really hoping that the summer just does not go like that. But I'm noticing that a lot of creators around town are using that like strategy now of either hate or fights. Um, and yeah, I don't want to do that this season. Uh but good for you guys. I'm glad that you guys are doing that. Um, but real quick, bone not a not a bone to pick with anybody in particular, but last season or last year, I was getting in trouble. I was getting yelled at for taking a photo of my cute outfit um at the Mariners game. Apparently, I was just supposed to focus on the game, and I was like, what everybody takes a photo of their outfits, but anyways, now this year I'm seeing so many like Mariners influencers and stuff like that, which I'm it's great, I'm loving it. But to that lady who yelled at me, I hope that your games are ruined every time you go with cute outfits because clearly you were just uh I don't know, whatever. I'm whatever. Um, okay, see you anyways. I'm glad I'm glad to see the city pop in. Okay. Uh go mariners. Uh you you will be seeing me wear my hat more because uh my mariner's hat because I did say I was gonna root for you guys this year. Uh but guys, if you guys have a gambling or sports speding problem or something, a dextrin line, please get help. Like, don't it's gonna be crazy. We also have FIFA and everything. Oh god, be careful, okay. Um okay. I don't know, guys. We're still I can't be too political at the same time. It's not because I mean it doesn't matter, right? This is my podcast. But I I mean if but I'm looking for jobs and oh god, I don't know, everything's just I'm just gonna talk. And if if if it pisses somebody off, please let me know. Um, I've been going to the libraries, they're so fun. I there's just like every library is so different, it has its own little character. Maybe I can, I don't know. Library, I'll be reaching out soon. Um okay, so guys, I want to hear from you on who you want me to interview for the next season. I have my lineup, but I want to hear from you um as I start reaching out to all of these folks. Um yeah, just wrapping up this season. This last season was crazy. Uh it took me three years to finish it, but I'm hoping that I make summer my thing, and like I could just finish one season every summer and I can make this like a weekly, I don't know, weekly thing with interactive. I don't know. I'm gonna be using my TikTok uh to promote this as well. And uh hopefully fun the office style way. I don't know, we'll see how it works. Um yeah. Uh I I I plan to just mainly talk about pop culture, movies, TV shows, and then interview folks from the city, from my hometown, uh, and then just give you guys some updates and news on what's going on in the media. So yeah, uh let's just wrap up the season and let's start this new season fresh. No drama, hopefully with me, because I'm not I'm not gonna be sucked into that, but uh but but okay. Um, anyways, um go mariners, go dodgers, go sports go.