Muralist La Morena Turns Art Into Community Impact | Guiding You Forward
Quick Summary
When La Morena picks up a brush, she’s doing more than creating art—she’s sparking conversations and building community. The Arizona-based muralist shares how her intuition guides her creative process and the mantra that defines both her art and her life.
When La Morena creates art, she’s not just making something beautiful—she’s building bridges between the past and present, sparking conversations that matter. In this episode of the Mountain America Credit Union Guiding You Forward podcast, she shares how social issues and the beauty of the Arizona desert inspire her work, and reveals the surprising way one unfinished mural project came back into her life, making for a meaningful full-circle moment.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- How La Morena’s intuition led to true change in her community.
- The financial planning advice that gave her peace of mind.
- Two career-defining projects that showcased her range and impact.
La Morena shares one of her most meaningful art pieces—a mural project in conjunction with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). After presenting her initial concept to the group, she found herself restless and unable to sleep. While scrolling through her phone, she discovered an image that changed everything. It pictured an Indigenous runner named Jordan with a red handprint painted across her face, the symbol honoring MMIW. In that moment, La Morena knew she was meant to paint it. “[Public art] provides a sense of human connection to the community,” she explains. “Anytime anything is going up, people are asking questions. They want to know more about it.” Watch the full video to learn more about how this mural sparked real change in the community. “That just shows you the power of art,” she adds.
Behind every stunning art piece lies the reality of the challenges of running a creative business. Even successful artists need a plan to achieve their financial goals. La Morena shares the learning curve that came with owning her own business. As a Mountain America member, she was able to connect with a financial professional who didn’t just help her with her needs, he also taught her about planning for the future. “It gave me peace of mind,” she reveals. “He also helped me with a plan going forward with my business, and I’m very grateful for it.”
Among the standout moments in La Morena’s career, two experiences hold particular significance. In 2023, she received a prestigious commission from the NFL to design the Super Bowl tickets—a project that brought her unique artistic vision to one of the world’s biggest sporting events and introduced her work to millions. Watch the full video to discover an equally meaningful moment, when her work with MMIW brought her full-circle to the completion of a mural that was cancelled years prior.
La Morena lives by the simple words “sigue adelante”—keep moving forward. It’s the advice she offers to aspiring artists, and it’s the mantra that has carried her through her own challenges. The concept is also a cornerstone of Mountain America’s service, which promises to guide you forward.
