Mayte Alquicira shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Mayte, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Recently, I had to make the difficult decision to leave my job due to circumstances outside of my control. It’s one of those moments in life where you suddenly realize that the only thing you can do… is wait. Be still. Trust the process.
A few years ago, I would’ve spiraled into panic and tried to “fix” everything from a place of fear. But today, my response has been completely different. I’m genuinely proud of the inner evolution and how I have learned to choose intention over urgency, groundedness over reaction.
I’ve built a sense of balance that isn’t about perfection, but about understanding that stillness isn’t the absence of movement, rather it’s movement in the right direction. It’s energy being held, not wasted.
I’m deeply grateful for the love that surrounds me, and for art, the most honest funnel I have to process life’s biggest shifts. And despite the uncertainty, I feel excitement. I feel possibility. That inner steadiness, that quiet resilience, that’s what I’m most proud of building.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Of course! I’m Mayte Alquicira, an abstract artist and marketing strategist. My work is rooted in emotion, storytelling, and transformation. While my professional background is in marketing, my art informs the way I approach everything else. Painting has taught me the principles I bring into my career: intentionality, depth, clarity, and the courage to explore spaces others often overlook.
My practice is influenced by artists who stretched beyond the literal and into the psychological, spiritual, and intuitive: Artemisia Gentileschi, Helen Frankenthaler, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, Joan Mitchell, and Hilma af Klint. Like them, I explore inner worlds, hidden narratives, and the unseen forces that shape us.
Every painting begins with a story I’m actively working through. The canvas becomes a place where I rehearse what I’m learning: taking up space, confronting fear, slowing down, choosing intention over reaction. If I’m navigating insecurity, I go big physically and emotionally. If I’m confronting fear, I introduce techniques or colors that intimidate me. My art is not a documentation of healing; it is the act of healing.
Visually, my language centers on stains, gestural marks, and layering. Stains are my first layers, representing surrender, soul, and transparency, the parts of us felt before they’re understood. Gestural marks represent agency, willpower, and the body & mind shaping their own direction. Layering reflects transformation, the power we all have to add, shift, or evolve the parts of ourselves we’ve outgrown.
In a world that asks us to move quickly and suppress what we feel, my work aims to do the opposite. I want my paintings to give viewers permission to feel, to pause, reconnect, and touch emotions that often live just below the surface. I’ve cried in museums and galleries; I know how art can open channels inside you. My hope is that my work can offer that same opening.
At the core of everything I do is the belief that emotion, honesty, and human experience are the most powerful forms of storytelling. My art taught me that and it’s the foundation of my work, my brand, and the world I’m building next.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
Unquestionably my parents. They raised me with a simple but powerful philosophy: “The worst you can get is a no, so go after the yes.” Context doesn’t define you; you get to create your own opportunities. That mindset shaped everything about how I move through the world. They taught me never to assume, always try, give my best, and celebrate every accomplishment along the way.
Through their life example, I learned that trying is never failing. Failure lives in inaction, in ego, in the moments when we let fear or pride hold us back. They taught me that stumbling is not a setback; it’s part of growth. That limits are often self-imposed.
They also taught me humility and generosity: stay grounded, help others, and share what you learn. Those values anchor everything I do, whether I’m painting, building strategy, or mentoring others.
The second person who deeply shaped how I approach work is my mentor, Eduardo A. He taught me that effort and honesty matter more than having all the answers. If you don’t know something, you say it, you research, and you come back prepared. He showed me that you should never feel limited by your job title; be brave enough to think beyond it.
One of his biggest lessons was this: if you’re calling out something that isn’t working, you must also bring a possible solution. Don’t just observe; contribute. Be proactive. Create movement. He helped build my confidence and taught me to bet on my own potential long before I fully saw it.
I hope they’re all proud of how I work, how I lead, and how I create: with courage, humility, honesty, and a belief that every “no” is simply the first step toward a “yes.”
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, and for about six months, I actually did.
It happened right after finishing my master’s in Art & Culture Management in Rome. I had wonderful temporary jobs during school, but when graduation came, nothing materialized. No job offers, no work visa, no next step. What I felt wasn’t just rejection; it was a deep, paralyzing sense of failure. I remember thinking, “I left a stable, growing corporate path to chase a dream that now feels ridiculous. Who am I kidding? I’m not an artist. I’m not good enough. And I just spent all my savings on this.”
I returned to Mexico, but not home. I avoided that at all costs, I felt embarrassed. Instead, I moved to another city and fell into a depression I didn’t yet recognize as grief. I was in denial and bargaining, trying to convince myself that no one would ever take me seriously again, and that maybe I had ruined everything.
Fortunately, it was temporary. And here’s the truth: I didn’t rise because I suddenly found inner strength. I rose because I wasn’t alone.
I’ve been blessed with people who love me with a purity that humbles me. They let me sit in my sorrow, but then gently said, “Hey… it’s time to shake it off.” Their love is what pulled me back. From them, I learned that asking for help is not weakness, it’s one of the most powerful expressions of self-love.
That lesson allowed me to move into my next adventure: returning to the corporate world, rebuilding my confidence, and eventually moving to the United States.
I am forever thankful and in awe of the power of love, family, friendship, and the leaps we take even when the landing is uncertain. Giving up might have felt easier in that moment, but choosing to keep going with help, with humility and with community is one of the greatest gifts life has given me.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
I believe that truths aren’t formed during easy times. They are shaped in the moments when life pulls us out of equilibrium. A foundational truth in my life is that everything; who we are, how we show up and how we respond, is a choice. Not a convenient one, not always an easy one, but a choice nevertheless.
With that, these are the main 3 things I apply this truth to:
Happiness is a choice, a daily practice. Something we choose even when circumstances are messy or painful. It’s choosing our mindset, interpreting our experiences with intention, and refusing to let the outside world dictate our inner world. It’s our path to inner peace.
Kindness is a choice, and often the hardest one. It’s easy to be kind when things are going well. The real power comes when we choose kindness in the middle of frustration, stress, or disappointment. We may not be responsible for how others feel, but we are responsible for how we act. Kindness requires discipline, self-awareness, and strength.
And the one I hold closest: we must emancipate ourselves from our past. I don’t believe in “I’m this way because of what happened to me.” Our past may influence us, but it does not dictate who we become. Staying stuck in old stories is a choice and so is rewriting them. We are responsible for our evolution.
Agency is liberating, accountability is empowering, and even in the hardest seasons, we still get to choose the person we’re becoming.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
What would remain is the internal drive to create and to help. Even when I’ve lost my footing, those two impulses always rise to the surface. They are the through-lines in every chapter of my story.
My essence is made of sensitivity, curiosity, awareness, and determination. At my core remains the courage to feel deeply, and because of that, the choice to be kind.
These traits have carried me through every reinvention, every heartbreak, every leap of faith. They exist whether I’m in a studio, a boardroom, a new country, or starting all over again.
That, I believe, is the essence of my soul.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maytealquicira.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maytealquiciraart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayte-alquicira-3b316777/
