About Me
I am an arts and marketing professional living and working in Ontario, California (Southern CA). My best friend and photographer husband, Tom Cypert, passed away in 2022, and my wonderful roomate/studio mate Mr. Gold, a sweet, adorable (and previously spicy) 10 year-old ginger cat passed away recently in August 2024.
 |
| September 2024 updated headshot |
The last few years have been filled with major life changes - (the Covid pandemic we all went through), buying a house and moving, my husband getting terminally ill and dying, grieving (no one ever tells you how consuming and debilitating grief can be), adjusting to my new life as a widow, having an existential/midlife crisis, and leaving a full-time salary-exempt stable marketing career (where I worked for a decade) to get a fresh start.
During my career break I took take care of myself (emotionally, mentally, and physically), spent my days at home with Mr. Gold and his outdoor kitty friends, started a small garden, recharged, and began my job search in early spring 2024. In September, I started an exciting new position in arts and culture marketing. For the first time in many years, I feel hopeful and optimistic about my future.
 |
| Our 2021 Covid family portrait in our old apartment. Mr. Gold looks so sassy here 😼 |
Artist & Professional Bio
I'm a multi-disciplinary creative professional; a marketing and branding expert, graphic designer, and fine artist. I've spent over 10 years working on numerous projects - marketing campaigns and collateral, graphic design projects, fine and commercial art, public art, and art exhibitions. I owned my own small business (making t-shirts, graphic design and art) for seven years before getting married and stepping back to help my husband launch his photography career; which was quality time well-spent, and the happiest, most fulfilling years of our lives.
During that time I paused on making any of my own art while I poured all my energy into growing my marketing career and accomplishing other personal goals (like buying a house). In 2023 (while recovering from a mild case of Covid/long term post-covid fatigue), I started slowly making art again for myself.
Public Art and Community Projects in Ontario, California
In 2014, I created public art for the Ontario Town Square plaza and the Conservation Park benches in front of City Hall. You can learn more about my design process for the Town Square mural here.
In 2015 I had the fantastic opportunity to complete a documentary portrait project titled Faces of the Community, which engaged the local hispanic community of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish on Sultana Street. I interviewed and documented the stories of 20 parishioners and drew their portraits from snapshots I took. The portraits were exhibited at the Chaffey Community Museum of Art (CCMA) and then at the Ontario Museum of History and Art in 2016, in conjunction with the 125th Anniversary of the City. This project was a collaboration between CCMA and the Ontario Museum of History and Art with grant funding from The Community Foundation, and was the first time the two museums and city’s various department agencies worked together for an art exhibition and public program of this type. The Community Foundation loved the project so much they invited the Ontario Museum to re-apply for the grant the following year and published this project into a book. The 20 portraits created for this project are now part of the Ontario Museum of History and Art’s permanent collection.
In November 2016, I was honored as an Alumni of the Year by Chaffey College for my arts and community service in Ontario. I grew up and lived in Ontario, CA until my mid-twenties, and we wanted to buy a house closer to our family, the two museums we loved, and the public art I made. We bought our home and moved into a wonderful community in Ontario, CA at the end of 2021.
Education & Training
I received my Bachelor of Fine Art degree from California State University Fullerton in 2012 where I studied Illustration and Graphic Design. I received my Liberal Arts and Drawing/Painting Associate degrees at Chaffey College. I spent my undergrad career studying under many esteemed fine arts and entertainment industry professionals including Cliff Cramp, Lawerence Yun, Don Lagerburg, Christian Hill, Cheryl Salava, Misty Burruel, Mila Marsh, and many others.
I've supplemented my technical skills (art, design, video editing, and marketing) and learned how to run a business over the years by listening to podcasts, reading (blogs, books, and websites), watching YouTube videos, attending conferences (Adobe Max is my favorite!), webinars, artist talks, and taking classes/workshops. I love learning at my own pace and reading - books/articles on business, leadership, interpersonal skills, personal finance, etc. My introduction to marketing and branding started in my last semester of college when I took a design class from an owner of a creative advertising studio, and I fell in love with those topics. Most of my marketing knowledge was learned through real world, hands-on work experience.
I started writing this blog in 2011 when I was still an art student to document my work in progress and share techniques. Over the years it has evolved into a place where I share my life as a creative professional. My enjoyment of writing has also evolved and increased over the years.
Other Pages/Links:
My personal website is under construction while I figure out what's next in my creative career, and I took a 2-year break from social media. You can occasionally find me at:
Pinterest (where I save my ideas on DIY, garden, and home projects)
vimeo.com/andreabenitez (where I posted my old videos before closing my first arts business)
My late husband Tom's photography website: https://www.tomcypert.com
My websites are under construction but for now they link back to this blog: https://andreacypert.com | https://andreabenitezart.com/
