Today we’d like to introduce you to Lina Cuartas
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born very far away from here, in Colombia, but at the young age of 4 I told my mother I had been born in the wrong place. I was able to leave and expand my world. First, I found my way, to the Amazon Rainforest, where my heart felt I had lived before. Then, I was able to move to the U.S. I had studied at a bilingual school and I believed in the promise of the land of the free and opportunities that abounded for those willing to work hard enough. Being an immigrant, adapting and thriving has been a long, bumpy road, Currently, I feel committed to giving back. I was a teacher for 20 years. When I couldn’t find the kind of bilingual and Spanish language books I wanted for my children, I started my own publishing company and started creating bilingual content for different publications. I always combined writing and art, and eventually, art became the serenity fountain that I always go to when the world overwhelms me. I became a Compassion of Ambassador through Standford in 2020, and as a result, I became a podcaster. I voice a bilingual storytelling experiment; Victoria Amazonica; that is the name of the giant water lily of the Amazon. For me, the plant is feminine power incarnate. In every episode, I seek to teach compassion, honor the Amazon Rainforest and remind us all, about the power of community. I have also been studying Memoir for 4 years. I believe we need more diverse voices in the literary world. Everyone has a life story to tell. By sharing our story, we can heal, encourage and guide others. I currently live surrounded by a small forest in San Antonio. Here, I am the forest keeper and I tend to the many animals that share our home. My days are full with writing, creating art along with my daughter,, voicing Victoria Amazonica and finding novel ways to remind others to fall in love with life by remembering their own passions; bilingually.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I doubt life was designed to be easy, but I believe those challenges are what make us stronger and indeed, more compassionate, so we can understand others’ struggles and feel moved to help and motivate them. That is precisely what I wrote about in my memoir, Victoria Amazonica; the name of the lotus also describes the small victories that all of us achieve in our daily struggle, which probably will never be newsworthy material. Yet, they are in fact, what makes the world continue to function. I am talking about the mother who finds the time to prepare clean uniforms each weekend, to find the way to pay tuition and keep the fridge and pantry stocked. The words Victoria Amazonica can also be used as an adjective, to describe the small victories that eventually add up to help us realize we in fact, had the power to achieve all along, and just had to keep the focus and persistence necessary to overcome. Being a hispanic woman, I have often felt that I have to work even harder, and overcome labels, oversimplifications and the tendency of others to try to tell me who they think I am. I am many things, and I keep growing, expanding, pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I believe we must question the values we have defined as a society, because I witness very little joy and delight around me, and I believe those are the guiding principles that define a life well lived. Life is a long journey of individuation, and beyond any material achievement or externally defined success, we each came to find out about our unlimited potential, our unique way of being, the genuine gifts we came to give to the world, and then, when those priorities become clear, the road becomes clearer and decisions are easier to make.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Let’s take this slowly. I spend my days doing what I love, and in this I know I am fortunate. However, I have worked for decades to have the privilege to follow my heart and this fact allows me to live in a state of flow. I create art that is unique. I transform trash into treasure, and by doing so, I envision the stories that I write. I use sculpture, painting, resin, glass art and many other techniques. Often, I feel that my life has become my canvas. My creativity is expressed in the way I dress, I talk, I dream, and most importantly, how I select the ways in which I use my time. I usually write, read, create art and work on my podcast’s manuscript every week. I think if you’d ask people who really know me, they are always surprised at the current project I tell them I am developing. Right now, I am making a model of the Amazon Rainforest, which I know might take years to finalize. Today, I am working on a large house I am renovating in which Penelope, a main character in my rainforest stories, a forest sprite who first appeared in my imagination when my children were small, lives. I am also re-organizing an immense collection of native american tools I have found as the years have unfolded on this sacred land, and painting others who look like madonnas and pietas; irresistibly curvaceous rocks that will create a long line of people walking towards a wall that I have created over which I laid a bridge. It is my own particular way to protest the absurd way in which immigration has become a political debate, when it is, above all, a human story that has repeatedly woven human history and needs to be addressed in humane, practical ways. I believe what sets me apart is that I do not seek profit from my creations. They are not commodities. They are my way to serve the universe and to manifest the deep soul of the world, which is waiting for us humans to evolve and realize we can indeed, collaborate, to accomplish so much more.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Many, perhaps too numerous to describe here. I learned to value my social connections even more. I remembered the power of uninterrupted work, commitment and that the completion of small tasks eventually delivers large endeavors. I was able to walk away from vortexes of attention, in particular social media, and committed to use electronic devices only for specific purposes, never to distract myself or to allow time to disappear without generating a tangible, concrete result. I became more selective about my relationships and I realized I believe in science, in the wellbeing of the collective, and that nature is trying to tell us that we have pushed her natural rhythms and limits beyond healthy numbers. Most importantly, we are just as vulnerable to the consequences as any other member of the living world. We are not in control, as we so arrogantly seem to believe.
I also learned that life is a permanent educator. Every stage we live, whether it may be as individuals or as collectives, has a hidden gem for us to uncover, a lesson, a nudge to grow humility, awareness and respect for the interconnectedness of everything in nature.
Pricing:
- -my podcast is free, and I never intend to monetize it.
- -my art is commision based and visiting my home requires scheduling
- -classes are available and highly affordable
- my publishing and editorial fees are standard
Contact Info:
- Website: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/victoriaamazonica-podcast-with-lina-cuartas/id1513476190
