Bluumangoo Connects With The Community
Mirasol Edrada, a.k.a Bluumangoo, turned her lifelong love of art into a business and a method of connecting deeper with other women and the community. Focusing on depictions of female empowerment, she works to create art for the female gaze–not the male gaze.
“I want to break the stereotype of the male gaze and instead show women that we don’t have to be objectified,” she said. “I want women to feel empowered in their sexiness and confidence.”
Edrada said that she finds inspiration in friends, family, and everyone around her. She also finds inspiration through collaborating with the community.
“I’m all about combining art and community together,” she said. One recent example is the recipe booklet she co-created with Fifth Sun Project and the Solidarity Fridge.
“We created the recipe booklet to share some native plant-based recipes with the community, help encourage people to eat healthier, and fundraise for the meal preps and other community projects we all take part in together,” she said.
Bluumangoo also helped draw the artwork for the recipe book. Contact Fifth Sun Project through their Instagram and arrange a donation and pickup to acquire one.
Starting Out
Edrada shared that she’s created art since she was little. “It was a way to escape from the world and find my happy place growing up,” she said. “My older cousin at the time drew a lot of anime-style art. So, looking up to her, I got into it too.”
Over time she developed her style and skill. Though primarily self-taught, she also took art classes in community college to further expand her abilities.
“I like to create art in multiple ways, especially digital art,” she said. Learning this type of art medium proved to be a fun challenge for Edrada. “When I know I’m not good at something, I’ll focus on where there’s room for improvement and growth and not be afraid of learning new or different techniques. That said, I’ve always preferred and fell in love with painting with acrylic and oil color.”
Initially creating art for fun, Edrada discovered all of the world-renowned art right in the city’s heart after moving to Vegas and finding that people genuinely appreciate art here. That inspired her to pursue art more professionally.
With the help of a friend, she came up with the artist name Bluumangoo by combining her favorite color with her favorite fruit and spelling it uniquely.
Bluumangoo in the City: Running Her Art Business
Bluumangoo’s artwork is available in several mediums, including stickers, art prints, canvas bags, and other merchandise. In addition, most of her artwork is available made-to-order.
“I try to put my art on anything and everything,” Edrada said. “If I can put art on something, I will do it. I like doing a little bit of everything to see what works and what doesn’t.”
Always looking for ways to put herself out there, Edrada shared that she started off selling her art online on social media, then began seeking out pop-up events to make money as well.
“I try to do a little bit of everything and get exposure from every opportunity available to me,” she said. “Almost all of my commissions actually came from meeting people at pop-up events. Right now, I’m focusing on diversifying my reach.”
With commissions, Edrada makes herself available to anyone wanting some custom Bluumangoo artwork. “I can create anything they want,” she said. “I’ve been doing a lot of tattoo commissions recently and have created logos for people before.”
She added that she loves it when people come to her for commissions because they like her art and connect with it. That way, they know what they will receive from a commission from her.
Contact Bluumangoo through her Instagram to request a commission. People looking to buy Bluumangoo art can purchase it at local pop-up events she attends and by contacting her through Instagram. Her website and Etsy are currently down but will be back up soon. In the meantime, follow her to find out about the next event she’ll be attending!
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Lessons Learned Along The Way
Edrada shared that she’s learned a lot from her experiences with selling her art.
“I’ve learned not to stress out as much and not become so overwhelmed with things. I’m just one person, so I had to learn how only to take on what I can handle,” she said. “I also learned to just have fun with it, whether I’m creating art for fun or selling.”
Moreover, Edrada said she learned from vending at pop-up events that people want to know her as an artist.
“They want to hear what inspired me to make a piece of art and ask me what my story is,” she said. “From there, I’ve become more transparent about myself and my inspiration for my art because people want to see that; they want to see you as that person behind the art.”
Stepping outside her comfort zone and sharing her story was a challenge because she is generally a private person.
“However, after sharing my story, I found that I feel good because people see that human aspect, which is so important because we are not simple reflections of our productivity,” Edrada said. “And really, it’s all about getting out of our comfort zone.”
Lastly, Edrada shared that she wishes she knew when first starting her business that she didn’t have to try to struggle as a starving artist. Now that she knows one doesn’t have to do that, she’s found a better balance between creating art and paying the bills.
“I have a job, but I’m still an artist,” she said. “You can do things outside of art and still be an artist.”
What Art Means to Bluumangoo
To Edrada, art acts as a means to express oneself in any way possible. “It’s anything and everything,” she said. “Art is subjective; it can be music, fashion, or whatever.”
Moreover, her favorite thing about art is its ability to be used as a healing tool. “Even before I used art to make a living, I used it as a form of therapy,” she shared. “Not a lot of people have something like that to escape things. Plus, making connections with people over art is therapeutic for all involved, from the artist to the person connecting with a piece of art.”
Edrada further explained art’s impacts on her mental health and how it’s helped her keep her mind healthy.
“Art saved me,” she said. “I need art more than art needs me. If I didn’t have art, I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now. It helped me through a difficult time, especially during the pandemic.”
She also spoke about how she relates with people even more through the intersection of art and mental health.
“I see that a lot when meeting other artists, where art is a method for them to cope with or explore their mental health and share their experiences with others,” she said. “It’s good that we can connect on more than just art. I feel like with people’s mental health, I can relate to them a little more. And it’s amazing when I hear that my art inspired them, especially when I created that to help me. Art’s impact is exponential.”
Lastly, Edrada shared a couple of other ways she expresses herself in addition to her artwork.
“I used to dance, and I really want to get back into it as it helped my confidence,” she said. “I also love fashion and the concepts behind how you present yourself to the world.”
Bluumangoo’s Art Goals
Regarding her art goals, Edrada spoke about further improving her transparency as an artist.
“I want to be at the forefront of my art and show more content with it, showing the process and behind-the-scene aspects,” she said. “I want to show the trials and errors I went through to make that. People see the finished product, not the steps taken to get there, so I want to start showing that more.”
Ultimately, Edrada’s biggest goal is to lead by example and inspire people with her art.
“I want people to see me doing what I do and find inspiration to do whatever they want and put themselves out there as I have,” she said. “It’s crazy to me when I hear people say they started doing something because they see my art. So I want to continue to create art, help the community, and inspire them along the way.”
Looking forward, Edrada has a few future projects in the works and hopes to focus on more projects that inspire children.
“I want to create a space for kids to be creative in any form,” she said. Stay tuned for more amazing things from Bluumangoo!
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