With the internet being so easy to access, it has become easier for independent artists to find an audience and let their work be known. As a result, a variety of movements, collectives, and scenes have found a way to pave their path. The independent art scene in Puerto Rico is no different. Recently, many artists from a variety of disciplines have found platforms that have made it easier for them to share their work. In addition, small businesses such as Electroshock in Santurce and Rio Piedras, bars like Off The Wall in Mayaguez, book stores like La Casita Books and Gifts in Aguadilla, Libros AC in Santurce and Libros 787 online, and independent festivals like Feria de Libros Independientes y Alternativos and Tintero: Festival de Cómics y Arte Independiente de Puerto Rico have provided up-and-coming artists a space to display their talents. “Puerto Rican Women Killing It in the Independent Art Scene” is a series of interviews that provides a glimpse at some of the women who have recently gained recognition in the art scene. Though the artists are asked similar questions, some are asked queries surrounding their work, specifically.
What’s your name and what do you do in the arts?
My name is Nelmaries N. Medina and I express myself through literature; everything from the process of writing, creating and imagination, especially in the field of poetry.
What got you into writing?
Honestly, it was an English course in high school. We had to do a series of exercises to create poetry and its different styles. It might seem childish, but I’ll never forget the moment when that teacher said: “tienes talento” (you have talent). Her words have always resonated with me. It’s a talent that I’m still practicing today so it can serve as a good for society. That was the first moment that garnered my curiosity towards poetry.
How did you develop your style?
Writing feels like an agent of change for me which is why I try to adapt to the moment. My style focuses in questioning “What’s in?” and “What do people like?”, so I can connect with the reader.
How has it evolved through the years?
Little by little; I compare what I wrote two years ago and what I have now and I can see the maturation in my thinking. I mean, in high school we usually write about what’s Platonic and impossible but the biggest difference is my imaginative tone, but with a purpose. That would be the concrete evolution of my writings.
What are some of your influences and inspirations?
Olga Nolla, she isn’t a direct influence, but she’s still an influence. Every time I read her work I feel like her verses hug me.
Is there any other form of art you wish to pursue? If so, what field and why?
Of course, I would love to have some time for drawing and painting. It feels like another form of expression that can directly reach the public. Visual art is another great way to convey a message of change.
What do you think about the current state of the arts in Puerto Rico?
When the love of art and culture is not transmitted through education, it becomes a dead form of communication. It tries to survive and it has its moments of recovery, thanks to us who try to keep it alive, but it doesn’t really have complete staying power. And I mention education because it is one of the first interactions humans have and what one learns there, stays. Because of that lack of support from the educational institution, the arts have a hard time staying alive.
What do you think about the current state of the independent scene in Puerto Rico?
I hope it continues to flourish and people never give up. We all share that same fire that keeps us moving for the arts, even though it seems impossible at times. We should always try to support each other.
If a young girl came up to you and said she wanted to be an artist, what would be your advice for her?
What wouldn’t I tell her? I would motivate her to do what she loves, without thinking about what people say. I feel like there’s always a passion inside that motivates people and keeps unstable until they achieve their goal. So I would tell her to do what she wants, without thinking it twice because when that fire is turned off, the volcanoes are turned off and end up in rivers of queries and incertitudes that nobody wants.
What is your biggest goal right now?
Continue writing, if I want to be direct. I want to get better and continue to following that pen that has and wants to continue capturing me.
What do you seek to achieve with work?
Be it as a teacher or a writer, I just want to develop critical thinking that unites us. Everybody has their definition of art, but for me it means unity and as one of my teachers use to say “sensibilizando al mundo una palabra a la vez” (sensitizing the world one word at a time).
All of the pictures in this article were provided by Nelmaries N. Medina