Amber Ibarreche is an artist, writer and designer whose inspired illustrations and wordplay have not only earned her a legion of followers on Instagram, but Buzzfeed articles and shout outs from celebrity fans like Lena Dunham and Cassie. Her work ranges from the cute – ‘Life is scary find your boo’ to the political – ‘You’re a product of what you buy into’ and is consistently anchored in themes close to the artist i.e feminism, self-love and her witchin’ outlook on life. Additionally, Amber produces limited quantities of wearable art, her favourite poems, collages and drawings are made into t-shirts, sweaters, posters and coffee mugs. Most recently she created a series of one-off, hand stitched baseball caps and a t-shirt to raise funds for the earthquake in Nepal, oh and our Ibarreche design of choice? The instant classic, “I only fuck with goddesses” tee and sweater.
Having recently moved from Los Angeles back to New York City, Amber filled i-D in on 7 crucial things we should know about the artist hailed as the ‘The Oprah of Instagram’.
1. Her Floridian childhood was a blur of eccentric southern characters.
“I was born in a small town in Florida called Atlantic Beach. Minus many dark moments and times I now appreciate the good things about my childhood but most of it is a blur. I think I blocked most of it out. Me and my Mom got to spend a lot of time together and I remember those times the most. We sold shit at this flea market every weekend in this random hickey part of FLA. I sold baseball cards and she sold things we picked up at garage sales every Saturday morning. Talk about characters. People with names like Cricket, Kitty, and Toad LOL. Me and my Mom were totally out of place but we always were and have that Bolt in us that doesn’t give a fuck about what other people think about us.
2. Her Mumma is her biggest inspiration.
“Mom is for sure my biggest inspiration, she has lived through so much and was able to raise four kids on her own whilst always hustling to make things happen and still is. I am so grateful to have such a tight bond with her, we have been through a lot together and i’m so glad I am now able to be there for her. She is the most beautiful person i’ve ever known.
3. Her sexuality was a blessing in keeping teen angst levels in check.
“My teenage years were whatevs’. I basically got towed on a bmx and skated with my friends. I was gay so all that relationship drama didn’t apply to my life then and honestly i’m grateful, it seemed so miserable for most of my friends even though it was a little strange to feel like you would never have that chance to be in one. I ended up dropping out of high school and moving to NYC and that changed everything.”
4. She lived in Hollywood and loved it.
“I was in LA for about a year and I loved the street culture, I didn’t have a car so I walked and skated everywhere. I lived in Hollywood and loved it, I ended up meeting a lot of cool new friends out there and it was also super nice making art and work in LA. There is a more open minded attitude towards art in Los Angeles, or it seemed that way. I was mostly enthralled by the plants though, they are for sure the most thriving thing out there.”
4. She is all about honest work that makes an honest living.
“I personally think art should be accessible and not something that’s so untouchable to so many people. I enjoy sharing what I do with people and making it accessible to them. I’m not too familiar with the ‘art world’ as such, that was never really my thing, I just make art in the world and want to make honest work and an honest living. I’m so grateful for the people who are into what I do.”
5. She has some ‘unfuckwithable’ advice when it comes to magic, men and misogyny.
“Misogyny is everywhere but everybody deep down knows that women are fucking magic and men are just auight.”
6. Oh and her very first t-shirt design is also something she wants y’all to know.
“FYI ALL GOTHS END UP BLONDE.”
Amber Ibarreche Shop Amber Ibarreche
Credits
Text Courtney DeWitt
Portrait Jenny Hueston, all photos courtesy Amber Ibarreche