Today we’d like to introduce you to Manuela Escobar.
Hi Manuela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My art journey started around 2020 after the pandemic I had a lot of downtimes and started exploring art after coming out of a long battle with drugs and alcohol I used art as an escape, and I started to pursue art like never before it was like I had to do art or I didn’t feel right so I started exploring with different mediums and fell in love with spray paint and the graffiti world after being inspired by the movie “exit through the gift shop ” by Banksy she then took on the streets of Miami and after receiving backlash on murals she painted on the street with writing toy over her work she then took this word ” toy ” that held a negative meaning in the street world which if they wrote toy over your art it meant you weren’t shit so I created a colorful happy bear name toy and he was on a mission to invade Miami so toy invades was born!
And then as I kept exploring with spray paint one day I came home from work and decided to just spray paint the walls in my apartment like crazy just a bunch of colors everywhere then when I realized it looked bad and I wanted to organize the chaos I thought of tape to create a structure on top to balance out the chaos which is how my iconic tape maze design came about and when I discovered how cool it looked under a black light that’s what got me to go viral on tik took with my account has gained over 50 million views in just a matter of two years it pushed me to be able to transition into full-time artist making content for brands and partnerships or painting murals around Miami! “Art for me has been a healing process and it made it a way for me to connect with others who have had similar experiences.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not everything has been easy on this journey. I’ve had to deal with mental health, toxic relationship addictions, and all the challenges that come with building a business from scratch. Manuela had to teach herself everything from accounting and finance, social media marketing, website management, effective communication, and many more. As she says, it was a whole new world to her!
“I discovered that mindset is everything. I had to cut off toxic relationships, stop partying and give anyone access to me. I had to become selfish and do whatever possible to protect my bubble “energy” because when my mind is clouded with nonsense it makes it harder for me to focus. I learned that I have to be very disciplined with myself”, Manuela details.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I paint to canvas, murals, installations, and immersive experiences I also just transitioned into web 3 and took out my first NFT collection. I’m most known for my iconic glowing maze murals that have gained the most attention and have been placed all over Miami including over smoke shops, nightclubs, podcast rooms, residents’ homes, stores, etc. I’m most proud of my dedication to the toy he’s the proudest creation I’ve put my purest love into everything I do is a toy.
Also, I’m proud of being a Latina Doca recipient that’s been able to create a business and fully sustain myself on it and help others. I think what sets me apart is that a lot of these artists in Miami do it for the wrong reasons I feel my intentions and love for the community will be with me forever over money and fame.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am fluent in Spanish and can speak beginner French starting to learn Chinese, I am a big tech nerd I also love to code and have an obsession with math and science, I play the violin, and I have a fear of fruits and vegetables but I’m going to therapy for it I’ve now been able to transition into some smoothies as of last year thank God finally!
Contact Info:
- Website: toyinvades.com
- Instagram: @toyinvades
- Twitter: @toyinvades
- Youtube: @toyinvades
Image Credits
@myfitnesspal, xscape, and Dj Nano
