Venezuelan illustrator and writer. Digital artist representing in illustrations and poems her emotions and personal experiences, using her art as a reflection o personal growth and healing in different aspects of her life. Using art to deal with topics not normally accepted in society such as depression, suicide, self-love, feminism, among others. https://linktr.ee/drawsbymv
How could I say that
love is a foreign body
in my system
when
I experienced
for sixteen years
the taciturn love
expressed by
a wagging
tail.
How could I say
that love is a foreign body
in my system
whenI experienced
the trust of
my best friend,
brother,
son,
dog
to hold him
in his last
breath.
How could I say that
no one has ever
loved me
when
the little girl
seeking
acceptance, death
by sticking her fingers down
her throat,
is proud
to see me
alive and
naked.
How could I say that
no one has ever loved me
when
I decided
to close, to
heal
the leak of
hope in my
arms,
to accept that
life is worth
living.
Love can come in many forms and situations. "Even if that's how I feel today" represents the times when I've felt that I'm not worthy of love. But it's always necessary to look back to perceive it.
Original:
How could I say that
el amor es un cuerpo extraño
en mi sistema
when
I experienced
for sixteen years
el taciturno amor
expressed
En las casas del viejo pesebre/In the houses of the old manger
Green mountains,
browns rise up
in a warm hug
to the sheep
and their walk
over them.
Lights illuminate my face
as they turn on
and off,
reminding me that the laughter,
the games
end as well.
Some lights
one day decided
to sleep forever,
and I wish I had noticed
the warning
so as to accustom
my heart
to the pain of the
brightest lights,
and their absence.
The enthusiasm
of years ago,
to know if
Mary was going
to the left
or right.
I relive it
in memory,
because divorces,
deaths,
fights,
years
have weakened
the illusion for these dates.
Separated sheep
like the relatives
I no longer see,
since the nucleus
was my grandmother,
and without speaking
we signed the agreement
to ignore everything
that reminds us
of her.
I cling
to the fallen sheep,
old paper,
broken pictures,
damaged lights,
dusty star
when tears
remind me
the sadness of living
without the Verde.
I remember my excitement several years ago when it was time to create the shape of mountains out of manger paper. Sometimes with the help of shoe boxes, books or anything that was useful. Always accompanied by sawdust to simulate the earth that gives life to the mountains.
Houses of the same size as the sheep around them, many of them fallen down while others stood up. Small, medium, large. Size didn't really matter. What was important was the complement with the figures of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, Baby Jesus, the mule and the ox. The "Nativity Scenes".
It's common to visit a house around this time and focus on the number of nativity scenes they have. Two, four, six. It depends.
But it wouldn't be a nativity scene without the lights. Yellow, red, many colors. The last step. The conditions were already optimal for receiving the gifts from St. Nicholas or Baby Jesus days later, at 12 AM on December 25.
"In the houses of the old manger" celebrates the Christmas tradition of the Venezuelan Andes of assembling the manger in December.
A tradition full of union, love, family. But nostalgia and sadness are impossible to ignore when the last component is missing. When paths have separated and grudges have triumphed. When a light is damaged and the manger is never the same again.
Español:
Montañas verdes,
marrones se alzan
en un abrazo cálido
a las ovejas
y su caminar
sobre ellas.
Luces iluminan mi cara
mientras se
Cual mariposa formando, antes larva;
no se consigue la expansión sin calma
Ante el incesante paso del tiempo
ir en paz hacia la meta prefiero
"Like a butterfly forming, once a larva;
expansion is not achieved without calm
In the presence of the incessant passage of time
I prefer to go in peace towards the goal"
I've been feeling very impatient lately. Impatient with myself, with my goals, with the universe, with everything. I want so many things in my life and I want them now. Maybe that's what keeps me from moving forward.
Today I decide to let go of the when, where, how and understand that everything I want wants me even more and it will come at the right time.
Like a butterfly forming, once a larva:
expansion is not achieved without calm
In the presence of the incessant passage of time
I prefer to
Mi vida cambió
cuando comprendí
que amor propio no es comparación
Por mucho tiempo me dije y creí
"No hay ser más grandioso que haya creado Dios"
y la verdad es que sí
Sí hay mujeres más bellas, mejor ilustrador
y admitirlo no indica que mi brillo perdí
porque mi vida no es una competición
En un mundo donde amor propio es rivalidad
prefiero subir una cuesta sin pensar en tumbar a los demás
"My life changed
when I realized
that self-love is not a comparison
For a long time I said to myself and believed
"There is no greater being that God has created"
and the truth is that there is
There are more beautiful women, better illustrators
and admitting it doesn't indicate that I've lost my luster
because my life is not a competition
In a world where self-love is rivalry
I'd rather climb a hill without thinking of knocking others down"
I don't believe in self-love where we seek to tear others down. That self-love where we are commanded to think that we are the best, that there is no better illustrator, writer, chef, teacher, etc that compares to you. That belief that leads us to disappointments, competitions, rivalries.
And the truth is: there will always be someone with the same talent as you or even more. And that shouldn't make you feel bad. Because we are simply all different and each person is on a different path.
For a long time I listened to affirmations to reinforce my self-esteem and I believed in that kind of "self-love" and it only generated emotions that I don't want to feel in my heart.
I believe in self-love where we all help each other and where our lights are not overshadowed by any because together they can make a bigger one.
I seek to overcome my version of a week ago, a month ago, a year ago. Not others.
"My life changed
when I realized
that self-love is not a comparison
For a long time I said to myself and believed
"There is no greater bein
Aquí he visto esa unión indescriptible
kilómetros de distancia viajar
pasar tan imponente como un roble
cielo, tierra, desierto y mar cruzar
Esta alianza ya viene establecida
desde el momento en que el "Sí" se dijeron
para amar durante toda una vida
y que el amor viva aún a dos metros
Como esos canarios juntos volando
van abriendo sus alas por los cielos
o ese perro en las noches divagando
compartiendo en el frío con su dueño
Lo presencio en esa flor renacida
que por tanto tiempo estuvo dormida
y, después de la muerte, revivida
"Here I've seen that indescribable union
miles of distance travel
pass as imposing as an oak tree
sky, land, desert and sea cross
This alliance is already established
from the moment the "Yes" was said
to love for a lifetime
and for love to live even two meters away
Like those canaries flying together
they open their wings in the skies
or that dog at night wandering
sharing in the cold with his owner
I sense it in that flower reborn
that for so long was dormant
and, after death, revived"
"Lazo Eterno"/"Eternal Bond" is my poem in Spanish inspired by the MyOneAndOnly: Love Everlasting event.
After my grandmother's death I understood a lot about the strong connection and spiritual bond she had with my grandfather. A therapist once told us that their souls had a pact, which nothing and no one could undo. That pact can make us put that person before everything else, even our health. It's something that's hard to understand when you're not there, but that's how it is.
My initial intention was to write my first sonnet. Then inspiration struck and I just let the words flow.
Here I've seen that indescribable union
miles of distance travel
pass as imposing as an oak tree
sky, land, desert and sea cross
This allia
"Unstoppable" represents the recognition of the obstacles that I have put myself for many years, which prevent me from fulfilling my desires. I let go of everything that doesn't bring anything positive to my life.
The limits come
from my mind
from traumas
of my ancestors
And I cut the cycle
I let them go
now
It is written
that waits for me
everyth
My goals have changed a lot over the years. The most important thing for me today is to love myself completely, in all my versions and in all the paths I take.
My goal is
to love myself
not just 5 days a month
To love my body
every hour, every minute, every second
no matter what size I am
no matter
Days are not always good. Sometimes I even feel like there are more bad days than good days. Maybe that's not true and I only focus on the little negative things.
But what is true is that the universe always manages to surprise me. It manages to wake me up and take me out of that great emptiness in which I sometimes find myself.
And they are not always extraordinary things. Sometimes it's simply a hug, a message from my loved ones or the visit of a beautiful bird at my window.
Looking back I realize that bad days don't last forever, and that I'm so grateful to be alive to realize the blessings of the universe.
The days are not always good. Sometimes I even feel like there are more bad days than good days. Maybe that's not true and I only focus on t
In my head has been this thought, this idea. It pops up every time I look in the mirror. Every time I try to put on those pants that no longer fit. Every time I sit down and my belly comes out. Every time someone reminds me that I look fatter. Or every time I look at pictures from months ago and I don't look like I used to.
That's when I start thinking how much I want to lose weight, how many times a day I should exercise, that I should stop eating certain things, and....
And I remember. I remember that at that time I wasn't just a body. And what about my emotions? How was my mood back then? Why was I really thin?
My body was different because I couldn't eat right, and not because I didn't want to. Hunger and
worrying about what I was going to eat the next day kept me from being healthy. So what do I really want? To go back to how I was before, even if I wasn't healthy? Those were the worst months/years of my life and I would never want to go back.
So no, I don't want to go back to how I looked before, because I would have to go back to that time where I was unhappy. And nowadays it's worth more how I feel on the inside.
"Changes" represents my healing process in terms of my appearance. For a long time I wanted to look the way I looked years ago, a time when I didn't eat well, was unhappy and hated myself. I learned that self-love is loving yourself not only when you fit within the standards of beauty.
In my head has been this thought, this idea. It pops up every time I look in the mirror. Every time I try to put on those pants that no long
October 6 was my NFT anniversary and I couldn't be happier to be here right now.
I have grown and evolved a lot in terms of my art the last few months. I've practiced confidence in myself and what I do.
It's crazy to think that a year ago I still didn't know how to draw like I do today, or that it didn't even cross my mind to start writing about my emotions.
Art has really helped me heal.
And to think that today, after so many months of being unhappy doing what I didn't want to do, studying a career that didn't fulfill me and being in a place I didn't want to be to make others happy, I can finally say that I have decided to follow my heart.
To follow what I'm passionate about. My escape for all these months I felt miserable. Today I decide to put my desires and what moves my soul first.
"Beginnings" is a gift to all my collectors who have supported my work. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I see the future a little clearer
although I know
that I don't have it all secured
because I don't have total control
But at least
I can s
Have you ever felt that way? Yes, we are human. We make mistakes. We are constantly changing and evolving and what we thought months ago may not be what we think now.
I understand that. But still the idea keeps going around in my head. I keep thinking about that pointless argument I had with someone. I don't forget that time I made a mistake in front of an entire class. Much less do I forget the decisions and attitudes I had when I was a teenager.
Inside me there is a voice that won't let me be wrong. Constantly criticizing and judging every action I take. And there are many things I'm not proud to have said or done. But I acted according to my ideals/opinions/judgments at the time.
Maybe it's time to be less hard on me.
Have you ever felt that way?
Yes, we are human. We make mistakes. We are constantly changing and evolving and what we thought months ago may
Why struggle with my "not so good" part? Why deny it? Even if I spend days in bed without wanting to do anything, even if I make mistakes, even if in the past I have done things that no longer belong to who I am today... I am more than all that.
"Yo soy más
más que mis errores
mi pasado
experiencias, dolores
más que mis defectos
y, por supuesto
más que la inseguridad
que ellos en mí
because for too long I allowed myself to be humiliated
And how could I not? If I used to trampled underfoot to myself
But today I don't hesitate to raise my voice
and tell anyone to fuck off
because this tranquility that has cost me so much
I won't allow anyone to damage my work"
This piece is the first one of my newest collecion called "Pensamientos" where I'm honoring my writings in Spanish.
When I was drawing this piece, it came to my mind all the times I have kept quiet about what makes me uncomfortable or the times I have allowed myself to be humiliated. I used to come home and cry because I felt I wasn't able to defend myself, plus I didn't want trouble with anyone. Today I look back and I know that 10, 13, 16 year old Maria would be very proud of me. And I am proud of her because without her I would not be the woman I am today.
This is a reconciliation and show of love for myself.
"Hoy celebro la mujer en la que me he convertido
fuerte, poderosa y amable conmigo
porque por mucho tiempo permití que me humillaran
¿Y cómo
Sometimes I wish making decisions were easier. At least for me. There are so many things to think about and analyze that sometimes I just prefer to sleep.
Sometimes I wish making decisions were easier. At least for me.
There are so many things to think about and analyze that sometimes I just pr
Many times I have found myself in situations where I think I'll never be able to get out and be happy again. Now I use those experiences to move forward and understand that I am strong enough.
Many times I have found myself in situations where I think I'll never be able to get out and be happy again.
Now I use those experiences to
