Where's the pause button to life?

About the Book

A complete original, and first of its kind. This book is a visual journey of my growth as an artist from trying to force myself out of an artist block, to filling over 150 pages of art. My first debut as an artist I wanted people to see my understanding that the beginning is not always the prettiest but there is too much beauty to dismiss and not give credit. As I grow as an artist I want everyone to have something to go back to and see themselves, that no matter where my art takes me this was my first step. My version of a mixtape, before the album, pouring into my pages through my brush, pen, pencil and seeing my frustration and accomplishments with each page you flip.

About the Author

Katherine Barahona was born June 3rd, 1995 at Jamaica, Queens Hospital, and grew up in Winchester, VA- a small city outside of Washington D.C. Her parents, both Salvadorian, came to the US at young ages, not knowing the language and leaving everything they knew behind. Her dad became a chef at different Italian restaurants while her mom cleaned penthouses in New York City, until they moved to Virginia where they became owners of their own restaurant. At 10 years old, chores included helping her parents run the restaurant, taking orders, and helping cooking, along with her older sister. Seeing her family’s humble upbringings she wanted to strive for more. They, just like many foreign parents, wanted to see Katherine as a Doctor or for her to take on the family business. She humored both ideas, but eventually, picking up overtime to prioritize bills led to failing classes making her ineligible for FAFSA, forcing her to leave school. Her family had strong views on debt, so she strived to save up, sometimes using her tax returns to pay for a few semesters at Lord Fairfax Community College. After throwing in the towel of living out dreams that were not her own, and putting her focus into her art, Katherine started to find ways to push her art by painting on hats and jean jackets, before facing the hardest part of her depression running into an artist’s block. Losing all inspiration and constantly looking at her highschool sketchbook to reignite the creativity she once had. This sketchbook was the saving grace. Initially intended for it to be a place to inspire pieces for galleries she felt like nothing in it was “gallery worthy”, yet still the biggest stride she had ever taken in her own path.