Held Close, Now Shared: Rooted and Honored — A Storyteller’s Path of Empowerment at the 5th Annual Jornada de Artistas, CDMX, Mexico.

In December, I had the deep honor of being invited to Mexico City as a guest artist for the 5th Annual Jornada de Artistas, hosted by the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores and I.M.M.E. This annual event recognizes artists of Mexican descent who are doing meaningful creative work around the world - and being included among them was profoundly affirming.

I was one of 30 of the 118 artists nominated by Consulates of Mexico worldwide, recognized for my work as a multidisciplinary artist - photography, installation, teaching, and storytelling through interdisciplinary media. For years, I’ve documented movement, memory, and identity through the eyes of a Chicana Indigenous woman - a perspective grounded in lived truth, rarely centered.

My work is rooted in cultural memory, land connection, and the resilience of people who continue to create beauty, even when conditions try to erase us. I’ve photographed history as it unfolds, created installations that honor ancestors and lived experiences, and taught others how to use art to tell their own truths. This invitation wasn’t just about art - it was about responsibility, lineage, and the ongoing role of artists as keepers of collective memory.

📷 You can see more of this work on Instagram:

@RobertaAlvaradoPhotography

@newbirdstudio

New Bird Studio: A Home for My Art and My Purpose

New Bird Studio is my offering to the world. It’s the studio I built to give me the freedom to continue my art and live authentically - while helping others do the same.

It’s how I fund my work, yes, but it’s also how I stay in alignment. I get to work with incredible people - creatives, educators, organizers, solopreneurs, and community builders - who believe in their vision and want to present it with clarity, cohesion, and soul.

At New Bird Studio, we’re passionate about helping others live their truth, share their stories, and create freedom through visual identity and entrepreneurship. We believe in more than just design - we believe in equipping people to step fully into their power, build something they own, and define success on their own terms. Whether it’s launching a brand, reclaiming a voice, or transitioning from a job that no longer aligns, we offer more than services - we offer momentum.

This mission is deeply personal to me. Before I founded New Bird Studio, I worked full-time at Kaiser Permanente while raising three children. Photography and art were my passions, but they lived on the side - something I did after hours, thinking I was just honoring creativity. What I didn’t realize then was that I was laying the groundwork for my freedom. I was quietly preparing myself for the life I actually wanted.

I had always known I wanted to leave corporate, but it was during the pandemic - when healthcare workers like myself were undervalued and underprotected - that I became especially grateful for pursuing my life’s path. That’s when I truly saw the value of the skills I had spent years developing, and how they positioned me to open New Bird Studio. As a single mother who knew how to stretch one chicken into a week of meals, I had always known how to survive - but now, I was choosing to thrive. The side hustle I once saw as “just art” became my way forward, and New Bird Studio was born.

This is why I believe everyone should explore their passions beyond the 9–5 - not just for taxes or creative expression, but as a pathway to freedom. I’m not interested in chasing big corporations for status. I’m here to be paid my worth and help others do the same. That is wealth. That is liberation. That is New Bird Studio.

At New Bird, I don’t separate design from art, or branding from story. I bring everything I am — my lens, my heart, my curatorial experience — into each visual offering. That’s what makes it powerful. Whether I’m designing a logo or helping a client craft a full brand identity, I’m still asking the same questions I ask in my art: What does this really mean? Who is it for? What story is it telling?

This studio gives me the space to grow, to teach, to create, and to help others do the same. It’s how I live out my commitment to be of service — to be a bridge — and to keep art at the center of how we show up, do business, and tell the truth.

Stay Connected

If you’d like to follow along with my journey — from client projects to gallery walls to community work — I invite you to join me on Instagram @newbirdstudio. I share updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and the heart of what we do here every day.

Thank you to everyone who supports my work and believes in what New Bird Studio stands for. We are here to build honest, empowering visuals — and to help others define success on their own terms.

Let’s Build Something Meaningful TogetherIf anything in this story resonated — if you’re building something with heart and want visuals that feel aligned and powerful — New Bird Studio is here for you. We offer thoughtful design, branding, and storytelling grounded in clarity, connection, and impact.

I’d love to hear what you’re working on and help bring it to life visually. Reach out when you’re ready. We’re here for the doers, dreamers, and bridge-builders.

Let's Connect!