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JD sat alone in an empty room for the first hour of his debut art show. Then the room filled up — and his pieces started selling.

In this episode of The Global Latin Factor Podcast, host Crispín Valentín talks with JD, a self-taught Salvadoran American artist and Kava bartender from Irving, Texas. JD shares how he found music before painting, how he turned his parents' garage into a home studio, and what pushed him to finally host his first art show, "My Inner Child In Me," in Deep Ellum.

JD talks through his abstract neo-expressionist style, why he prefers oil pastels and spray paint, the influence Jean-Michel Basquiat had on his approach, and how a recent trip to New York City museums reshaped how he thinks about color and technique. He also opens up about going 100 days without alcohol and how working at a Kava bar reshaped his relationship with going out and socializing.

Listeners will hear what it's like to sit with the nerves of hosting a first show, how JD describes entering a painter's "flow state" during late-night sessions, and why he believes connection — not recognition — is the real reason he creates.

JD on Instagram: [main account handle — verify exact spelling before publishing] and [art account handle — verify exact spelling before publishing]

The Global Latin Factor Podcast is a bilingual, weekly show based in the DFW area covering Latino culture, identity, entrepreneurship, and community stories.

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