WHAT IF THE SAFE PATH ISN’T YOURS?
For 25 years, I built a career as a mechanical engineering supervisor in the automotive industry. It brought challenges and moments of joy, but something essential was missing. I longed to create, to explore a life led by instinct and imagination. I wanted to break free—and one day, I did.
IMPRINTED
I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, where the forest brushed up against the sea and the city moved to its own beat. At the time, it all felt ordinary. Only later did I realize how much it shaped me—a place where nature wove through daily life, where people lived boldly, and where improvisation was constantly observed in the streets, the music, and the architecture.
In my twenties, I found the rodas de samba e choro—spontaneous music circles that stirred my soul. This was when I started collecting sensations—the sound of a clarinet, the smell of salt in the air, the warmth of the sun on my skin. Years after I left the city, they still pulsed in me. I carried a longing to hold onto them, to make them last.
THE TURNING POINT
At 17, I thought I might become an architect—but dismissed it, convinced I couldn’t draw. I chose mechanical engineering instead. It felt safer, more certain. For years, I stayed close to creativity—through acting, guitar, ceramics—but it never took hold. Then in 2013, I picked up a paintbrush, and something shifted.
I became absorbed in the act of using color to say what I couldn’t put into words. My instructor helped me see that drawing wasn’t about talent—it was about practice. Around that same time, I met my husband. A few years later, we moved to the United States.
That’s when the pull grew stronger. I dove into abstract art and signed up for every online class I could find. By the end of 2023, I enrolled in the Mastery Program from the Milan Art Institute—a year-long commitment I wasn’t sure I could finish. But four months in, I realized I could draw and paint whatever I imagined. For the first time, I felt free. And I knew my engineering career no longer reflected who I had become.
STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN
Each day at my desk, I felt more out of place. The work no longer energized me, and I wasn’t connected to the goals that once seemed important. By September 2024, I made the decision to leave behind a 25-year career in automotive engineering to focus fully on building a life as an artist.
It wasn’t easy. There were fears—of failure, of letting others down, and of letting myself down. Some days, it’s still hard to believe I have what it takes to succeed as an artist. But the voice inside me—the one that had been quietly growing—kept insisting I had to try. And I decided to listen.
In the final days of that transition, I created Dancing with Myself—a collection about the courage to transform, the fear of becoming, and the quiet joy of choosing your own rhythm. It became a way to face uncertainty and give form to what I was feeling.
“The layers don’t always make sense right away. That’s intentional.”
ART AS A REFLECTION OF LIFE
My work explores the tension between stillness and change. I use color and movement to map emotional terrain—spaces where clarity collides with uncertainty. Bold forms, like butterflies and flowers, move through layers of loose marks and unexpected textures. There’s no fixed outcome—just a sense of motion, of becoming.
The layers don’t always make sense right away. That’s intentional. Like life, they evolve through choices that feel both instinctive and unsure. Through this process, I explore what it means to shift, to risk, to stand in the middle of fear and still move forward.
I hope my paintings invite others to see their own changes reflected back—to find meaning in process, courage in vulnerability, and beauty in the parts that remain unfinished.
AN OPEN INVITATION
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for walking alongside my story. If you're curious to see how it’s unfolding, you can explore the artwork I’ve created here.
And if something in my path resonates with you—especially if you’ve ever wondered what might be possible—I highly recommend looking into the Mastery Program at the Milan Art Institute. It helped me rediscover what I was capable of. Maybe it will do the same for you.
