My Child Was One Of The World’s Youngest Professional Artists. Then She Said, ‘No More.’

My Child Was One Of The World’s Youngest Professional Artists. Then She Said, ‘No More.’

“Mama, I don’t think I want to do art anymore.”

My entire world came crashing down with those words. My daughter, barely 10 years old and already one of the world’s youngest professional artists, just pulled the plug on an entire career that was supposed to be hers.

Everything had been going right. She had debuted her solo exhibition at Google, showcased her work in three countries, won award after award, held memberships in two professional artist organizations. She serves as an art ambassador to the Amazon Aid Foundation and Tomorrow’s Air. The Cartoon Network included her in its celebration of Hispanic Heritage month last September. Telemundo came to our house to film an extended interview. NBC’s California Live did a piece; ABC 7 News aired a spot about her 6-foot sea lion statue at Pier 39 in San Francisco. More requests were coming in — but Aria Luna had had enough. She was done.