{"id":820225,"date":"2025-06-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/?p=820225"},"modified":"2025-06-26T09:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T16:26:06","slug":"yulissa-mendoza-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/yulissa-mendoza-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographer Yulissa Mendoza on being community made, how their hometown inspires their work, and making art in troubled times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Pride month, we're celebrating LGBTQ+ artists across the creative spectrum. We highlighted some LGBTQ+ comics creators previously,<\/a> and learned more about the work<\/a> of Translatin@ Coalition<\/a>'s graphic designer Kevin Cortez<\/a>. Today, we're looking deeper into the art of photographer and installation artist Yulissa Mendoza<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yulissa Mend<\/a>o<\/a>za<\/a> is a fashion photographer and multi-media installation artist based in Southern California. The foundation of their work stems from their desire to facilitate safe spaces in order for people to be able to express themselves fully and explore themselves further.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They use this as their building block in order to amplify voices, empower marginalized communities, and carve space for those often overlooked. They aim to rebuke rigid, old gender roles while honoring cultures and pushing the boundaries of fashion and culture.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mendoza has been using Wacom tablets for years for their photo retouching. So, when we released the new Wacom Intuos Pro<\/a> pen tablet line, we wanted to see what they thought! We also interviewed Mendoza to learn more about their background, their work, and how they're getting by in tough times. Note: The interview below has been edited slightly for clarity and length.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How did you come to pursue art as a career? Were you a creative kid?\u2028<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I have always been creative. I was the kid that would draw on my homework, my arms, and school desks. Alongside that, I would fill up rolls of film on family cameras and then eventually the memory sticks of digicams. In high school I was doing mandala art, in college I began to draw florals as an ethnographic practice, and then I began to take portraits of folks. It wasn\u2019t until the last few years where I feel like I have finally found mediums and styles that suit my inner voice and allow me to explore myself and the world further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you go to college? Do you recommend it to young creatives who are trying to determine their paths? How about art school vs. a more traditional educational focus?\u2028<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, I used to tell people that college was a waste of my time, but deep down it's because I didn't go out of my way or take the time to soak in and take part of all that my school had to offer. I simply didn\u2019t know what I didn\u2019t know. As I've gotten older, I\u2019ve come to realize that I move the way I do because<\/em> of my college experience. Those qualities are some of the things I admire most about myself, so now my answer is the complete opposite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went to school for cultural anthropology, so I never took any formal art courses. I am a self-taught, but community made<\/em> artist. What I mean by that is I\u2019ve learned a lot of my skills by being a sponge and listening to what strangers and friends have to say, or even by offering a hand. I\u2019ve learned and grown so much as an artist through others' teachings, conversations, and everyday life. Art and its lessons can come from an institution, a video on a screen, or someone's bedroom, and it\u2019s important to not limit one's thoughts on where knowledge can come from or by who can be teaching it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You work as a photographer, but also build immersive exhibitions like Regalo<\/a> among other creative pursuits. How do you balance having a variety of artistic interests with the need to \u201cmake a living?\u201d Do you have any advice for early-stage creatives who are trying to find a balance between self-expression and financial sustainability?\u2028<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My pursuits have only come because of others and the relationships that I have cultivated. On the record, my solo show REGALO was a year's worth of work, but off the record REGALO was five years' worth of building relationships, shadowing, and collaborating with others. Time is valuable, and so are exchanges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Financially speaking: I have worked odd jobs, part time, and seasonally, just to invest in heavy periods of art making, alongside maintaining a steady rhythm of art making in the meantime. Finances, time, responsibility, and lifestyles aren\u2019t going to be the same for everyone, but if there is one thing I learned from being a runner it's that slow and steady wins the race and you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has Wacom factored into your creative journey? Why do you continue to use Wacom products for your work?\u2028<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Wacom is my #1 tool when it comes to retouching. Since the day I first used one, I have not been able to edit a photo without it. It\u2019s a reliable tool that cuts my editing time down significantly and allows me to pinpoint areas that need work. Some of my favorite consistent features over the years have been the pressure sensitivity on the pens, the ability to travel with a tablet because they are lightweight, and the customizable buttons. It\u2019s truly my main talking point whenever I see an artist of any sort working with a mouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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