Mar de Luna Arts Is Creating a Fantasy Universe With Heart, Culture, and 500K Fans
Risk-taking, passion, and community-building have taken Mar Talavera, best known as Mar de Luna Arts online, to internet acclaim. The Latina artist has built a thriving business through a fantasy-fueled illustrated universe. With her whimsical nature-inspired characters, Mar has accrued a social media following that exceeds 500k users across platforms.
Now, the artist’s portfolio spans a wide variety of products and high-profile brand collaborations that showcase an animated world teeming with cuteness and nostalgia.
How Mar de Luna Turned Risk-Taking Into an Art Empire
Mar developed an interest in art from a young age. As a disabled kid diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, Mar turned arts into her personal haven. “I was very limited on what I could do when I was younger, just because of my disability, so art was the only thing that I was able to indulge in,” she shares.
Though Mar focused on realistic art on the advice of her professors, she returned to her roots during the pandemic. Her goal was to fund her school semester by selling illustrated characters on an Etsy shop. However, people’s response far exceeded her expectations. “I started it on July 1 of 2020, and then after maybe two weeks of opening my Etsy shop, I was getting a good amount of sales. People started following me,” she recounts.
When the time came, Mar found herself at a crossroads, torn between returning to college and closing the shop or continuing her business but dropping out of school. In the end, she took a leap of faith. “I just dropped out of my semester before it even started,” the artist says. “I just went full force and did full time on my art business.”
From One-Person Hustle to a Family-Run Creative Business
Mar has shaped her style over time, influenced by popular illustrations including Snoopy, Precious Moments, and Strawberry Shortcake, whose creator even acknowledged Mar’s work. Placing cuteness at the forefront, her characters — helmed by a mushroom named Marshall — have captivated audiences across demographics. Mar de Luna Arts’ quirky and fun products, ranging from hair claws to snail purses (best known as snurses), are all internet sensations.
Today, her one-person venture has evolved into a family-owned business, with Mar overseeing art creation. Her mother, brother, and partner help her to complete orders and support her during conventions and events. “Coming from a Hispanic household, we really believe in helping each other before we get help outside of our family circle,” she shares.
After growing up in a low-income household, Mar is happy to provide for her family. “Letting [my mother] live a more comfortable life has been really good. Then, my partner left his job to help me.”
As for her brother, whose portrait and nickname inspired Marshall, it is only fitting that he gives life to the brand’s mascot. “He’s just there for the ride,” Mar says lively. “He’s younger than I am, so he just loves going to all the events that I’m going to and being in the mascot costume.”
Why Mar de Luna’s Characters Have Fans of All Ages
Garnering a wide audience who resonates with her creative pursuits has allowed Mar to take control of her career and business. She has also found joy in bringing beloved characters to life and finding a community that enjoys them. “I have a wide range of audience. Kids love my characters. Teens love my characters. Older generations love my characters because they find that my style is very nostalgic,” she adds.
Growing up disabled, Mar says, it was hard to make friends. Kids didn’t want to play with her because she wasn’t able to keep up physically. (In case you need a rundown, Marfan syndrome affects connective tissues, predominantly debilitating the heart, eyes, bones, joints, and skin.)
As the artist puts it, starting a business helped her out of her shell and introduced her to a supportive community. “I finally was able to live out having people wanting to be friends with me, or feeling a sense of community that I never really had growing up with people around my age or people with the same interests,” Mar says. “It feels really nice to have a community and to have people who are there to support you. It has really helped with my confidence.”
The Latina Mindset That Keeps Mar de Luna Moving Forward
While Mar’s journey has been rewarding, it has not been without challenges. As the creative force behind the brand, Mar has found it challenging to keep up with business when she is not in good health. “If I’m not having a good year in my health, it does slow business down because I’m the one who’s creating the art, interacting with people online, and making videos,” Mar explains. “I think that’s one of the hardships and the most stressful part.”
But despite her health struggles, the artist always finds the drive to continue pushing forward. It’s a trait she credits to her upbringing as part of the Latin American diaspora. “We were always on the go, and we didn’t take no for an answer. Even if we didn’t have a lot of money at the time, we tried our very best to get by. I’ve always been running with that mentality where I need to risk it all and try my very best to make it work,” she says. “I’m very perseverant. I think we, Hispanics, are very perseverant and we just want to make it work somehow.”
“I think it’s in our nature to take risks,” Mar adds.
Dreaming Big and Bringing More Latinx Representation to Art
Moving forward, Mar wants to expand her business and bring her characters into the spotlight. Her goal is for her characters to become cartoon icons that connect with people across generations. She also hopes to bring Latinx representation to the illustrated art sphere.
“I just want to be able to take over and have my characters be everywhere,” she says. “It would be really nice to have an iconic character made by somebody who’s Hispanic. So in the future, when people are looking into our career paths like this, I can be a representation.”
And speaking of creative paths, Mar encourages people in the Latin American community to pursue their ideas fearlessly. “I honestly see a lot of creativity in the Hispanic community. We’re naturally creative. I think kids or teens growing up, if they feel creative, or if they have some ideas in their mind that they think are unattainable, they should go full force and take some risks.”
