In every corner of Maricopa, art tells a story not only of color and craft, but of courage and risk. For some, that story began far beyond the Sonoran Desert.

These artists, born abroad, have each carved creative livelihoods here in Maricopa, building businesses and community through their work. Their paths to the U.S. are as varied as their media, but all reflect the same pursuit: opportunity and the freedom to live by their art.

The following interviews, edited for clarity, explore what the “American Dream” means to them — and how they’ve found it in here.

Victor Moreno

Resides in: Rancho El Dorado

From: Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

Profession: Photographer

IN: Why did you move to the U.S.?

MORENO: I came to the U.S. looking for more opportunities for me and my fiancée back then. I graduated from college in Mexico; the opportunities over there were not that good, and I decided to come here to pursue the American Dream in 2002. I was working in construction at first. Then, I was working as a supervisor for a painting company and painting houses.

IN: Where did you move first, before Maricopa?

MORENO: We moved first to Modesto, Calif., and we ended up being there for about a year. It was so cold, I didn’t like it. It was misty all the time in the mornings, and cloudy the whole time. Kind of depressing.

IN: How did you become a photographer?

MORENO: During high school and college years, my passion was always photography. Once I got here, you know, family, bills and responsibilities; I needed to pursue a career right away, and this was my best skill. I love sports photography, especially football, soccer and baseball. Over time, I’ve started doing more family and business-owner portraits.

IN: What’s it like owning your own business?

MORENO: I love being a business owner. I can create my own schedule. I can enjoy my family and my free time. I don’t have to be there working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. During the last 10 years, when I’m doing photography, I didn’t miss my kids’ karate competitions, volleyball or soccer games.

Mauriel “Mory” Morejon

Resides in: Casa Grande

From: Cienfuegos, Cuba

Profession: Muralist

IN: What prompted the move?

MOREJON: I quit art school when I was 16. There was no reason for me to be in the art school when I was already a painter, a good painter. I walked out of the school, and I started selling my paintings and making my living. It was illegal to sell my painting straight to the art tourists; I had to sell through a gallery, and they took 40% from each painting. That’s why, when I came here, I never painted anything about Cuba again. Cuba is something that I removed from the root, out of my blood, because they disrelish me and I erased them from my mind.

IN: Now you are painting murals all across Arizona. You last said you have done over 3,000?

MOREJON: Over 3,200. Nobody in the nation has done as many murals as me. I used to paint only on the weekends, but after 2015, I decided to take this job full-time.

IN: What gave you the confidence that you’d make it?

MOREJON: My first mural that I did, it paid my rent for a year. Then, I started living off my art. By 2011, I bought my first house in Tolleson, but I don’t like to live there because the traffic and the bad people, it’s crazy. I decided to move to Casa Grande, and I bought my house with cash in 2016 on an acre of land. I also bought another mansion in Tubac, Ariz., for $1.2 million thanks to my art. I’ve been supporting my family, my mom and my kids, thanks to my art.

IN: It seems like you are truly living the American Dream.

MOREJON: It is the American Dream. You have to pursue your dreams; you can’t just sit down and wait, you have to move on and create, because if you don’t create, you destroy. The door is open, you just have to find it.

Veronika Leshchinskaya

Resides in: Senita

From: Konope, Ukraine

Profession: Painter and product manager

IN: When did you move here?

LESHCHINSKAYA: I came here from Ukraine when I was little. I came to New York when I was 6, and I still have a ton of family there. I lived in New York until I was in my teens, then Arizona ended up being my home post-high school.

IN: You were way too young to make the decision to move here on your own. What led your family to the U.S.?

LESHCHINSKAYA: In that space, especially around the time that we moved, there was a lot of scarcity. My mom describes the sheer shock when we first got here of how much food we have in grocery stores because back then food was not as frequent as it is now. Back then it was pretty bad. My mom wanted to make sure her children had a better future and had more opportunities in general, and it’s definitely shown through me and my brother. I work on art through murals and pieces, but I also work a corporate America job, too.

IN: Is your art a side hustle or a hobby?

LESHCHINSKAYA: I would say it’s more like a retirement plan. I think it’s slowly becoming bigger. Within the last year, I would say it’s becoming more and more of an actual structured business — that’s something I did not expect. It became a second job, essentially, and I love it.

IN: What’s your long-term goal?

LESHCHINSKAYA: I really hope that, in my future, I can focus solely on art. Many of my recent murals have been for schools, and that’s inspired me to start incorporating after-school programs or clubs for kids. I want to give young people a space to create — to make art feel supportive, not competitive, the way it often did when I was in high school.