MDA Ambassador Guest Blog: From Pain to Inspiration

Rodrigo Duran is a 35-year-old Latino who lives in Dallas, TX. He is an artist who studied at the Art Institute of Dallas. Although Rigo has dealt with many challenges due to living with a neuromuscular disease, he likes to focus on what’s most important to him. He wants his artwork to advocate for people with disabilities and for it to tell others that things are possible when you believe in yourself.

Rodrigo Duran

I was diagnosed with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) when I was one year old. My parents are from Guanajuato, Mexico. My younger brother, Ricardo, and I were raised in Dallas, Texas.  I graduated from Hillcrest High School and started college at The Art Institute of Dallas in 2009. But after 9 months at the Art Institute, my plans changed and I transferred to a local community college based on scholarship opportunities.  I worked at restaurants while I was a student until at 22 years old, the progression of my CMD and epileptic seizures required me to stop working. I didn’t allow that to stop me from continuing college. I graduated with a degree in art in 2015.

Changing plans, dealing with depression, and following my passion

Because of my passion for art, my biggest dream was to have an art degree. I initially wanted to work as an animator for a large company like Disney, Nickelodeon, or DreamWorks. But destiny had different plans for me.

While I was in college, I entered into a deep depression that took years to get out of. Everything I was working for, going to school for, felt like it was snatched away from me because I was now labeled as “disabled.” Feeling hopeless, I threw away drawings and sketchbooks from school.

It took me some time to realize that my disability didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be able to reach my goals as an artist. At 28 I moved into an apartment with my partner and another roommate -and I started over. I decided that I wasn’t going to let changing plans or anything else keep me from my passion. What I discovered was a resilience that I didn’t know that I had.

Finding my style

Original painting by Rodrigo Duran: a self-portrait of the artist alongside Frida Kahlo.

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is my biggest inspiration. I thought, why not paint my own stories like she did? I started painting self-portraits that tell stories of experiences I’ve had living life with a disability and the everyday challenges that come with that. As time went by, my painting skills improved. I started painting landscapes, seascapes, and imagery related to Mexican folklore. My next step was figuring out how to get my paintings seen by others.

Living with a disability, one of my biggest fears is rejection. But I knew I needed to confront that fear to find out if my pieces would be accepted in the art world or not. One day in September 2023 I saw an ad on social media from an art gallery near downtown Dallas. It was a call for local artists to submit pieces for a Halloween themed exhibit. I applied. Three days later I received an email letting me know that my piece had been accepted and that it would be displayed on its own wall. It was an incredible accomplishment!

Rodrigo Duran stands with the painting “China Poblana” at the opening of the Chicano Art Exhibition

That first taste of success led me to apply for other exhibits and contests. Earlier this year I applied for an art contest hosted by actor Johnny Depp. Over 100 artists competed and I made it into the top 15. A few months ago, the same gallery that did the Halloween themed exhibit placed an ad for a Chicano themed exhibit and again one of my paintings was accepted. And just a few weeks ago, I submitted a piece for the Rare Artist Contest.

This is my story of how my artwork has helped me and inspired me to use it as advocacy for our community – and how the power of resilience and passion can turn pain and setbacks into inspiration.