Interview with Rocío Heredia

November 2006

Who or what has influenced your work?

Life itself has drawn a line and has been the main influence for who I am and what I do. There are so many friends and masters from the visual arts community that have been so warm and generous in teaching me and inspiring me along the way. I would need to write an e-book just to thank each of them individually.

What are you feeling when you are working?

It depends what I am doing. When I am the teacher, I share all of my knowledge so the process can be understood, and I focus on every individual. I would like to recall what one of my students mentioned about me. He describes me as "one of the most critical teachers that he has had in his life". He said that I was able to find out what is the best and the most difficult for each student, so we both can find the best approach to the process.

When I am working in my studio, it depends on how I feel that day, always I feel joy because I am doing what I love most in my life. But most of them I feel pain, but it is incredible how your own core can make that something negative can have a transformation to be something beautiful.

What is your thought process when you are about to approach a piece or a new design?

I am very critical with myself, so I try to be objective of what I am working on so I can feel the freedom to express that, what I can not say with words. I love to read and search for information about the subject that I am working on. I join my ideas and my skills to elaborate/create new designs. I do some sketches so I decide which one is the best to develop. Also, I enjoy very much to work directly with the metal and then I create anything that can flow. I find that the most difficult part is to decide when the piece is already finished. When I have that feeling of the piece is done, if I keep working, I know that I'll ruin.

I read that you have some vision difficulties, have you faced any other adversity in your path to becoming an artist?

My visual problems have been my most faithful ally and companion, and it was the main reason why I started to work with metals. I have learned to be a strong person, and I feel it was what taught me how to be able to face the adversities that I have actually. Until now, there has not been any obstacle that could stop me, but I can not lie, sometimes it is not easy, and I feel that I want to give up, but it is my artwork what rescues me. I only know that I must live each day by day the best I can. My health problems has been the path to become an artist and for what my life is.