Today we’d like to introduce you to Belen Abreu.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been into creative things. Anything that allowed me to express myself without actually having to say any words. I’m not the most talkative when it comes to expressing myself so having an outlet is extremely important for me. I started painting and drawing very early & took a big liking to it. As I got older, it didn’t seem so cool to be an artist, leading me to put the pencils and brushes down for a long time. In 2013, my biological & stepfather (who raised me) both passed due to health issues within eight months of each other. Needless to say, that sparked that creativity very quickly. I went skydiving in Jan of 2014, and my instructor who jumped with me had also lost his father. When he shared his story with me in mid-air, it truly touched a feeling I had not felt since forever.
Last thing he said was, my father, died doing what he loved so why was I in a corporate office at a job I hated? That stuck like glue in my mind. I had already tried so many different things to help cope with the deaths, therapy, exercise, partying, traveling, shopping…nothing helped as much as art did. Art gave me my freedom to cry, scream, be angry, and make it look so beautiful. My mom use to always say “nobody needs to know your problems” so I found a way to make my problems beautiful & still deal with them quietly. I moved to Atlanta later that year in October of 2014. I quit my jobs back home in Miami, and just left out of nowhere. Found the closest art store and bought everything I needed to pick up my brushes again. I spoke to a close friend of mine, and I was like “I want to paint but I don’t know what to paint!” He replied with “why don’t you paint how you feel about yourself”. I spent the 1st four months locked in my apartment painting for 12-16 hours a day. I suppose I felt a lot of ways about myself. Little did I know that making one post on Instagram would have started where I am now.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth yet challenging road. Smooth in the sense of how it comes to me, challenging on how to keep it going. Most of my challenges have been more internal. Like getting out of my comfort zone. For example, my 1st art show I ever did. I was asked to do a live painting. I was the only one doing the live painting, so the focus was me. I had so much anxiety, I was so nervous I put myself into a panic. Getting people to take me seriously was another thing. Art is still very male-dominated, so here I am a Dominican woman in a world where women are rarely acknowledged. Setting my prices and sticking by them even when I was in desperation for money. I went from making roughly 8k a month to making maybe 1000$ every three to six months.
Even still now I have months where I sell no work at all. Placing myself in the correct events, and even how to get into those events were hard. I was brand new in a city no one really knew me, showing work my friends of 7+ years didn’t even know I knew how to do! I moved and had a whole new life and a side barely anyone ever saw. Have you ever tried to convince someone you knew what you were doing with ZERO references? It’s like trying to buy a house with no credit or rental history and no job. Thankfully, I have always had a good reputation and a good heart. Those are two things you can’t buy and it’s hard to not see. I have great friends who truly believe in me and would help me any way they could! Now the part I still struggle with on a daily, is how to stop the fake interest for a date. I get a lot of men who act as if they want a painting or want their apartments painted in exchange for a date. Nothing that makes me feel more like a piece of meat when I am working hard & I get hit with the “so do you have a boyfriend? “ In the great words of Future, “I’m good luv, enjoy.”
Please tell us about Belen Alejandra.
My company is about changing peoples perspective. Whether it’s from your personal life or your home. I open peoples eyes to something they couldn’t see before through art… I paint homes, murals, jackets, canvases anything I can get my hands on honestly. I am known for being a deep thinker, my persona and how I translate colors. I give people comfort and they trust me to see their vision and help them put it together. With each consultation, I must be a bit of a therapist and interior decorator. Not an easy task, but I believe it’s a gift I possess. I think what I’m most known for is how I use colors.
One of the things I’m most proud of as a company is the smile on my client’s faces and to know in some way I have touched them on their heart. Nothing means more to me as a company than that. God is what sets me apart from others. This is nothing but Jesus & the Lord himself. I asked God years ago, to guide me. I asked him to take over when I’m doing my craft and whatever messages he has, he use to merely them. My goal is to make sure lives are changed in the smallest way that makes the biggest difference. I don’t settle for less, and I never will. I will always go against the grain and push the envelope, however, I can. I make people think, that’s not something everyone is doing nowadays.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
I’m not sure yet, things change so much and so quickly these days. In 3 months, anything can happen and a lot can change in a year.
Pricing:
- Commission Art starts at $600
- Home (regular solid color) start $100 per wall depending on height and length of wall
- Gallery pieces range from $1000-5000+
Contact Info:
- Website: BelenAlejandra.squarespace.com
- Email: belenalejandraart@gmail.com.
- Instagram: Instagram.com/b3anz10
Image Credit:
Rious Photography (only one imagine), Belen Alejandra self timer (I’m a pro at selfies)
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