We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ruth Monjaras. Check out our conversation below.
Ruth, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I am the type of person that gets sucked into whatever it is that I am doing. Depending on what it is that I am doing, it can be a strength or a weakness.
I always lose track of time when I am working on my art. Whether it be drawing, painting, sculpting, carving, and recently, chainmailing, I get into a trance-like state and next thing I know, it’s been 5 hours since I last stretched or had a sip of water or even been to the bathroom! This isn’t the worst way for me to lose track of time though and I end up snapping out of it when I feel that I am at a good stopping point or when I start to get sleepy.
The worst ways I lose track of time these days is mindlessly scrolling through social media, unfortunately. I can scroll through TikTok and Instagram for hours and not even realize it. At my worst boughts of depression, I have spent sunup to sundown swiping through all the different social media platforms absolutely obliterating my brain with constant dopamine hits. I still struggle with this particular obsession, but I find myself again by journaling, creating, putting on a horror podcast, rewatching my favorite movies, or playing games. Reminding myself of all the things I love to do helps pry me away from my phone and back into reality.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Howdy, my name is Ruth Monjaras and I am a trans, queer, Latinx artist based in Texas! 🤠
My pronouns are they/them/he/his.
I was born in Dallas, TX in June 1997 and was raised in Irving for the majority of my life. I grew up watching cartoons and anime and reading a lot of manga, which is what inspired me to start drawing and what informed my art style as well. In 2017, I attended Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX and in 2021, I received my B.F.A in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. During my time at TWU, I got to experiment with other mediums outside of painting and drawing, so I have grown interests in ceramics, printmaking, bookmaking, paper making and more! In summer of 2024, I worked at a summer camp in Vermont and had the pleasure of learning and teaching glass fusion and ceramics, so I have grown a huge interest in learning more about fused glass and stained glass art!
I was formerly known as Huevo Triste on social media, where my art focused mostly on feelings of sadness, depression and helplessness. Unfortunately, my obsession with this theme led me to believe that I had to stay sad and broken in order to make meaningful artwork. However, when I started therapy I realized that my depression didn’t define me, so I embarked on a journey of healing and radical self acceptance and have branched out from making “sad art” to exploring themes of love, pain, vulnerability, sexuality and sensuality, and self-expression. My art is a labor of love, so I am now Ruth Monjaras, a Laborer of Love ❤️.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I have been an artist ever since I could pick up a pencil. Truthfully, I don’t know what the world wanted me to be and maybe that’s because I wasn’t listening or paying attention haha!
My mom never discouraged me from pursuing my dream of being an artist, and I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that she didn’t get to pursue her own dreams. My mom grew up in rural El Salvador where she was only able to complete school up to the 3rd grade before she had to take over family responsibilities. At age 18, she fled to the United States to escape the war striken country, making her dreams further from reach. She never pushed me to do something I didn’t want to do and she never discouraged me from pursuing art. I am grateful for that freedom to chose and explore.
However, this world demands one thing from everyone and that is that we need to work to live. Sadly, I had to comply with the world and became a working adult when I was 18 and now I have an 8 to 5 desk job unrelated to my field of study. This has not stopped me from creating though. My love for art and for making art has not stopped and I even got some work accepted in five different exhibitions this year!
There are definitely moments when I feet like I should’ve listened and pursued a different degree and career because it is hard out here ( and it sucks to be poor!), but I know in my heart that I was meant for art and art was meant for me, and I am glad I went for it!
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Up until recently, I let my anxiety and fears stop me from trying new things. My fear of failure and rejection ultimately froze me, causing me to stagnate and miss out on opportunities to learn, grow, and connect. It is a lifelong regret I have, but I am actively working on it and pushing myself to do better moving forward.
If I could go back in time and say one kind thing to my younger self, I would say that it’s okay to be scared but to not let that stop me from trying. I would say that it’s okay to fail because that is a part of life, and we learn and grow from our mistakes and shortcomings.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is the real me, but it is not entirely me. I think it’s important to maintain a healthy connection between me and my audience, so I am vulnerable and honest, but there are parts of myself that I don’t feel are necessary to share. The public version of me is authentically me, just not wholly me. And as an artist, it’s kinda fun to have a bit of an air of mystery haha!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Even if no one ever praised me, I would 100% give my best! Honestly, I generally do things for my own self-satisfaction, so my brain is wired to give it my all; I don’t like to half-ass things, even if it’s something I don’t like doing haha! I have many art projects that I poured hours and days on that I haven’t shared or posted on my portfolio or social media, but I am proud of them anyways. I think if people’s praises was what motivated me to give my best, I don’t think I would get anything done 😭.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laborer-of-love.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chupa_mis_huevitos/
- Other: Professional Art Insta: https://www.instagram.com/laborer.of.love/
