Check Out Madelyn Zavala’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madelyn Zavala

Hi Madelyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born and raised in Los Angeles I was surrounded by diversity, culture, street art, and music. My grandparents were the first ones of the family to come to the U.S. and as my grandparents helped raise me, I was innately immersed in traditional Mexican culture, which has had a major influence in my creativity. My grandpa himself is an extremely creative individual who loves creating something from nothing. I really enjoyed hanging out with my grandpa as a kid, because he always seemed to be making stuff and would let me help. Cement and bricks is something I always remember him working with and this was my favorite because he would let me write my name into the cement. I thought it was the coolest thing. So I like to think that was my first experience into tagging haha. Which leads me to my artist name, Mala—for whatever reason when I was like 2 or 3 whenever anyone asked what’s my name, I would say “Mala”, and I think it’s awesome that before I could even fully speak I was telling the world I’m bad haha. Mala is ‘bad girl’ in Spanish.

My grandpa definitely influenced my creativity as he also enjoys drawing/painting and playing acoustic guitar. The daily sounds of my grandpa singing his heart out and playing guitar while my grandma would be in the background shaking her head. Let’s just say his singing and playing skills could use some work, but you know what, he didn’t let it stop him from embracing his passion. Similar to the other influential person in my life, my uncle. Being the son of my grandpa, he himself is innately creative. As we grew up and he started playing drums in bands I always wanted to tag along with him so I became immersed in the creative realm of music. I was immediately attracted to music. I was already getting into acoustic guitar with my grandpa at a young age and once my uncle exposed me to the hardcore scene in the early 2000s, there was no turning back. I became obsessed with music and that is where i started to discover self expression.

I started exploring self expression through clothes, makeup, hairstyles, etc. You could say I was definitely a scene kid lol. Graffiti and street art was also common in the underground music scene. Many of the lettering of band names were written in dope letters that I was always obsessed with too haha. So from a pretty young age I was drawn to these subcultures and creative individuals. When I was in these communities and around like minded individuals, I experienced that sense of belonging, inspiration, and connection. Then in my teens my life took an unexpected turn, and I moved to Kansas.

I thought my life was over, talk about some teenage angst haha. I was so confused when we first arrived, it was a small town and I was one of just a couple other people of color in my high school. Not to mention, coming from LA to middle of nowhere Kansas, at the time let’s just say the trends and music was maybe a decade behind…I remember showing up to school with what i would normally wear as the scene kid I was, some bright yellow pants and whatever favorite band tee with my studded belt, so I stuck out like a sore thumb. I felt isolated and disconnected from the music scene and whole culture. I no longer had people to talk to about local upcoming bands, the latest albums, and let alone go to shows. That was completely nonexistent where I was. It sucked. All I ever wanted to do was sit in my room and play guitar. I started creating more then too. Drawing, painting, and even started getting into photography for a bit. That’s until I started playing around more with makeup.

I became obsessed with makeup. I would spend hours watching YouTube videos of makeup artist. Eventually I started getting into special FX makeup and since I was always intrigued with anything spooky and horror, I just further fueled the obsession. After high school I was pretty determined on becoming a makeup artist. I had started working on a portfolio and I wanted to go to this makeup school in Hollywood that also specialized in special FX. Not to mention I was also ready to get out of Kansas and back to the city. As determined as I was, I unfortunately was met with “that’s not a real career”. “Art is just a hobby, and you can’t have a career with that.” In my family it was viewed as a disrespectful to go against their expectations, which at the time I believed to be true so I went off to college with the hopes of pursuing makeup afterwards.

I completed a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology; then immediately after graduating I went off to start a Master’s program that Fall. At this point i was already so disconnected from the creative communities and had little to no time for art so I was going through the motions and just like okay on to my next task…Went through the program, graduated with my Masters 2 years later, and went off to begin building a career as a mental health therapist. I was in the field for a few years when one day it hit me. I was unfulfilled and couldn’t imagine this to be every day life for the rest of my life. While I enjoyed what I was doing I knew there was more I needed to experience. Yet everyone around me was “so proud” and happy with what I was doing. While internally I felt none of that. I remember being confused on graduation day as to why I wasn’t so happy or excited about completing my Masters. I was just like ‘oh well I’m probably just exhausted that was a lot…’ but nothing really changed, except I only became continuously exhausted and depressed with my own life feeling like I hadn’t done anything with it even though I was a “mental health professional”. I eventually hit complete burnout in 2021. I knew it was time to redirect my course.

By that June I quit and was officially unemployed with not a clue of what I was going to do next. All I knew is it was time I start following my own therapeutic advice and embark on a journey of self discovery and pursue my life’s purpose. The only idea in mind of what I was going to do next was something creative that would allow me to travel. I picked up a random virtual insurance job for the time being so I would have the mental capacity to still be creative while also having financial stability until I figured out how I was going to make that dream a reality. Well not even a month later, I met an artist at a coffee shop in KC who was from out of town, and we quickly connected. Shortly after connecting, I was told how it would be a dream for him to have me travel and assist with painting murals.

As an assistant and muse, I was promised compensation—that I wouldn’t have to worry about anything. I naively believed it all, packed up my stuff, and moved across the country to Ohio. It was the first time in my life I put all focus on my creativity. For once in my life I was not worried about doing something I didn’t want to do and could apply my creativity 100%. This was when I first started learning to spray paint and exposed to the endless possibilities of creative careers! I honestly didn’t know a world outside of the professional mental health realm, which is so sad now looking back. I was often a lone ranger when it came to creativity when I was working as a therapist. I had been told my whole life art isn’t a real career, it’s just a hobby and the lifestyle yeah just a dream so go to college. So to me it was like experiencing a whole other realm of life I didn’t realize existed.

Prior to starting this journey my main medium was acrylic so this is when I first started tapping into using spray paint, and I absolutely fell in love. I love the mind body connection when using spray paint on large surfaces. It feels like becoming one with the can and getting into a flow state as it requires total body movement to paint. I learned mostly from watching other artist spray paint, watching the different techniques and styles over time, and then practicing what I saw consistently is how I was able to really learn. I’m a visual learner, especially when it’s repetitive, so over time and continuous practice, I became more and more confident using a spray can. I never took classes or anything like that, and the artist I assisted really only showed me how to do fills and the can to canvas distance. Then everything else, I kinda just picked up from watching. I was exploring all angles of my creativity.

About 3 months into this journey things started getting pretty dark quick. The volatility of this time period is when I truly discovered how to access that safety within, which is how I learned to express my feelings through art on a whole other level. I connected deep within to paint my way through chaos and really developed the skill of bringing my internal experience and visions onto a canvas. Then in 2023, I decided to start completely focusing on my own art career. While all my resources may have been used dry at this point, I knew my experiences, lessons, and skills were irreplaceable. Bringing me to where I am now, which is an independent freelance artist, educator, and advocate.

I value creating with intent and my goal as an artist is to disintegrate the barriers and expectations society has placed on us, especially amongst women and people of color—to inspire, empower, and foster scommunity along the way. I definitely love doing murals but it’s not all I do. Along with murals I also do commissions for designs, canvas paintings, custom clothing, decor, etc. I love that I never have limit myself to only working in one specific area. I’m also discovering more on how to combine my advocacy and therapeutic skills with art, where I have began to facilitate workshops again and collaborate with communities. I can say now that I am pretty grateful for all the skills and knowledge I’ve developed through out my journey because it is pretty diverse now. The possibilities feel endless and I would say for the first time in my life I most certainly experience fulfillment and joy in what I do.

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?
Far from it haha. The start of it was rocky to say the least. I would say the first hurdle began with the initial decision to quit my career as a therapist. That in itself took a lot of courage and full belief in my vision. A lot of people around me couldn’t imagine why I would give up everything I worked so hard for. Especially when I decided to pack up my bags and move to Ohio. From that moment on, I began to go through my first experiences of what it truly meant to sacrifice and struggle for your dreams.

I left the comfort of the life, community, and home I had built in KC and moved to Ohio into an art studio. I was pretty surprised when I arrived to the studio because let’s just say it really wasn’t suitable for living conditions. It was in an old building from the early 1900s, and an old elementary school occupied the building prior to its current standing, so that art studio was essentially an old classroom. No running water, sink, bathroom, etc. Almost felt like living in an art filled garage. I was definitely disappointed, but I was also all in for making the dream a reality. So I did what I do best, and that’s try and see the light within it all. I definitely still spent many mornings crying in the YMCA locker room showers, especially in the winter when we had to walk back to the studio in sometimes single digit temperatures. Walking out with wet hair on days like that would quickly turn my hair into icicles, like seriously…haha so that really sucked. These experiences made me so much more appreciative and grateful for what may seem like small things in life that we can easily take for granted that actually aren’t small at all. Such as having a private bathroom, shower, drinking water, or even a safe home.

You know how some things in life we don’t really learn until we go through it and experience for ourselves—this was one of those experiences. Since I was naive and wanted to believe everything I was being told was guaranteed, I became entangled in power and control dynamics I didn’t see coming. Which I learned can be pretty common in the art community, much like we prominently see in our society as well, unfortunately. The compensation turned into working for my “existence”: housing, accommodations, and food. Having to ask for things I needed was tough and often stressful. There were time periods of not being able to get basic necessities, or even food. It isn’t until you don’t have access to food or the ability to maintain proper hygiene when you realize the vitality of having our foundational needs met. So trying to maintain a creative flow became challenging, because some days, or even weeks, it really was just trying to survive.

Having a background in mental health all I could think about was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Which in a nutshell, is the building block of human needs that have to be met in order to maintain wellness and growth. The foundation of our needs begins with physiological needs, the basic essentials of life: shelter, food, water, safety, etc. So pretty early on this journey I knew the lifestyle would not be sustainable. I slowly started to feel like I was losing myself and my own life for this dream. It became quite the roller coaster of a ride. Yet, I naively continued to believe all this struggle was going to pay off and things would improve soon. That’s until I finally realized that it was all a house of cards. I aborted mission and redirected courses once again, which was another hurdle in itself.

Fortunately, I no longer experience many of the same struggles. Coming out on the other side has provided me with a lot of personal growth and insight, especially creatively. I honestly think being an artist, and really just human, will always hold its struggles. Yet the struggles can also lead to profound ideas, lessons, and beautiful pieces of art. It’s during the experiences of intense emotions, whether dark or light, that artist have a way of speaking into existence through their work. Truly, I believe it’s all in how we choose to handle the struggles life deals us. We can let it try to drag us down, or find the opportunities within it to further discover, create, and grow.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I mentioned earlier how I have a background as a mental health therapist. I have a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology. So I was in school for quite some time haha. I’ve always been fascinated by the psyche and our inner workings, the deeper meanings in life. So after studying Psychology at the University of Kansas, I immediately went off to pursue my Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work, where I then began a career as a mental health therapist. So I was known as a therapist up until the last few years as I began my art career.

While I’m no longer practicing therapy, the knowledge and experience definitely continues to play a role in my art. Not only have I discovered how to channel my inner world onto a canvas, but also using my experiences as inspiration and learning to tap into the subconscious mind. Lucid dreaming has been an influential practice for my self discovery journey and learning to further explore my subconscious as well. My art is often bright, colorful, and dreamy. Turning painful experiences into something beautiful and encapsulating the charms of life through my perspective. There is often a deeper meaning and story behind every piece of my art. From overcoming struggles, self discovery, love, connection, and whatever else I feel inspired by—whether in real life or my dreams.

Acrylic and spray paint have been my main mediums but I also mess around with other forms such as clay, watercolors, digital, airbrush, etc. and I really don’t ever limit myself. When I have a vision and idea I figure out how to bring it to life even if that means having to explore and try something new. I enjoy learning new things so I usually figure it out some way or another haha.

I am most proud of the my personal growth and the community I’ve created on this journey. From collaborating with other artist, empowering others to pursue their passions, providing youth with the opportunity to design and paint murals, and ultimately reminding others to believe in themselves. My purpose with my art is to inspire and bridge the gaps that divide us, and to break free from the chains that bound us.

As for a more specific proud moment in my art career is collaborating with PlugYourHoles, a jewelry and lifestyle company. I also model and I was asked to model and do a take of their logo and put my own spin on it. So i came up with PlugGirl and we did a video shoot of me painting it. So that was pretty cool especially because the company has been an influential part of my journey. In the early 2000s when stretched ears weren’t as common, PlugYourHoles was one of the few alternative brands specializing in plugs, if not the first? lol I actually found out about them through a band I was friends with. They were playing Warped Tour and introduced me to PlugYourHoles who was also on the tour. I became a fan ever since, so it was really cool getting to collaborate with them like that.

I’m also proud of providing youth with the experiences to design and paint murals with spray paint. It’s not common for youth to have the opportunity to paint a mural, so I’m definitely proud and grateful to be able to provide these experiences for our youth, and I plan to continue doing so. I’ve also done workshops for adults combining art and mental health. I would say the combination of all this is what sets me apart, because really my art isn’t just about the visual aspect, but rather a catalyst for a more meaningful and greater purpose.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I am open to collaborations, murals, commissions, community projects, and workshops. I collaborate with other artist from creating artwork together, leading workshops, coordinating events, and building community. I’m always down to collaborate with others and try new things! I also model, so there’s a lot of different opportunities to work together! 🙂

The easiest way to support me is follow me on social media and share my work! You can find all my social media, contact information, and art on my website at www.lamalaluna.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lamalaluna.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13abyluna
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551539845706
• Other: https://lamalaluna.myshopify.com/