Meet Jetzabe Lopez | Poet & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jetzabe Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jetzabe, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Being creative is essential to life. There is art everywhere, from the architecture, to the food, and the clothes. I personally love photography because it allows me to capture the world and the beauty of those around me. It freezes time and allows me to go back and remember those special moments. Right now photography is just a hobby but the idea of making it something more is in my head all the time, I love sports and got the chance to take some pictures during my little brother’s soccer games and it was fun. Last year I got the chance to attend a RedBull showrun in Nashville and I loved it, as someone who likes motorsport taking pictures of this cars and talented people was amazing. Poetry is also beautiful to me because it is so powerful. The way we use the words to express ourselves, it can impact other people too. Everyone in this world has a different perspective of things. Poetry can be very diverse in the eyes of all the readers in this world, it is full of passion and truth and it comes to life when the poet or the writer feels so much. As a seventeen year old pursuing a creative career is not easy because it doesn’t assure me things will go as planned or if they will work how I want them to, but being creative is one of my goals because the world needs more art, passion, love, and understanding.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write poetry, most of my poems are in English even though it is not my first language. I was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. I was born speaking Spanish and it was all I knew. At the age of twelve I had to learn English and I am now seventeen years old and I am bilingual. I started writing poetry three years ago and it was not the best back then. Most of my poems were written during difficult times in my life. I stopped writing for a a while and started writing again last year. My focus right now is on love, admiration, beauty. It can be challenging to write about it but I find inspiration on those around me. I chose to write the majority of my poems in English because somehow I feel they are less personal. They are still very precious to me, being bilingual is like having two personalities sometimes. Somehow writing in my second language makes me feel better, more confident, more proud. When I write in Spanish I feel they are very intimate and they feel more personal. Poetry has become my everything, the way I can share my thoughts and feelings with others. Right now not many people know about my poetry but those who know are my biggest supporters. I always judge all I write and at times feel my poetry is not enough, perfect. I know it doesn’t have to be, but seeing all those creatives in the world makes it difficult to see my art as something more. I am very young and I will keep improving, but until then I only have my computer and my document with my poems trying to decipher life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My family and I like to keep it simple. One of our favorite restaurants is La Bonita. We are almost regulars and the food is very good. Every place is great when we are together so I would say it doesn’t matter where we are as long as we are together. Another place we love to go is the park Victor Asher, it is very big and allows my family and I to play and spend quality time together. Most of the time I am at home but whenever we have the chance we do small things. Downtown is also a very good option, I personally have not spent a lot of time there but it is always nice. I had the opportunity to go once to the Emporium Center which is in downtown and it was an amazing experience because it has amazing art. I will definitely invite someone who appreciates and loves art.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am very grateful for my family. My mother Irasema and my father Alejandro are two of the most hardworking humans I know. They have worked so hard and keep working eveyday so that me and my sibling can have all we need. They have taught me how to be grateful for the little things and how money doesn’t bring happiness. They are very authentic and have shown my siblings and I how to be authentic too. I am who I am thanks to them. They are always encouraging me to be better and they don’t pressure me with anything. I love them so much and I will forever be grateful to call them my parents. I also feel grateful for all my siblings. I have four supporters who inspire me everyday and for whom I strive to be better so I can be an example to them. My family has always been with me in the good and the bad. I need their encouragement, support, love, and inspiration in my daily life. They deserve all my success because they know everything before anybody else. My success is theirs too and it will always be like that. During my high school years I met incredible people who supported me, my friends and teachers. My friends were there for me and my teachers helped me with the language I was learning. There is many people I met that I got to know for a short time but they still inspired me. All this people shaped who I am today and they deserve a lot of credit too.

Instagram: jetzabe_lopezj

Image Credits
Personal photo taken by Zehila Lopez