Murals by Dulce Milay

Welcome to my Portfolio

My name is Dulce Milay Barrera Rangel. I have been living in Canada since 2016. Although, I was in Canada for one year in 2010, thanks to a scholarship from the Rotary Club. I loved Canada so much that I decided to immigrate with my husband.

I studied Architecture in Venezuela and graduated as a Graphic designer at Centennial College, TO, CA, I continually worked as a Graphic designer and illustrator until I got a job as a UX/UI Designer ( app designer), loved my job!  After a year of working, I got pregnant, I went through a difficult postpartum journey and a lot of depression, I was diagnosed Bipolar and borderline years before and we had decided not to have kids because of that, but I really wanted to a be a mom, but the whole journey have been really hard on my crazy mind. I was excited to go back to work however just 2 weeks before going back from maternity leave to work my boss replied in an email that he was not going to be able to have me back as he had financial problems.

As you can imagine these were very difficult times, I wasn’t allowed to apply to EI because I already had EI (maternity leave) and the severance pay was only 2 weeks, I started applying for jobs as soon as I knew, 6 months looking and no luck, our credit card was getting almost at 20k, we were paying daycare with it and our car which we just bought because of our baby (just got my driver license few months before, I was having difficulties getting one place to another, also loneliness and also being approach by people I did not want to be approach in public transit, I wanted safety and we bought a car). We were also paying for university for one of our brothers-in-law and food and a house for another brother-in-law who was studying English, my dream was to have family close to me as my mental health was deteriorating.

I couldn’t take my daughter out of daycare even though I needed to, because I had been on the waiting list for a year. If I found a job, I needed her to be in daycare so I could work. After a few months, I realized how difficult it was to find a job. I had been laid off at least five times in less than six years, and it affected my mental health and stability.

I needed to make money on my own, while still searching for jobs, I created some colouring books and journals but wasn’t enough, so I started creating Mural, and then my business started!

It has been a while creating murals, I feel more stable, and every time I go to the home of a beautiful family, I have wonderful conversations that help me to grow and stabilize my mental health. I started going to “Church” as I really needed guidance in motherhood, I had bad experiences in Churches so in the past 7 years I tried to avoid them however the opposite side have been worse for me, so much freedom that guide me to alcohol, drugs, unknowing what to believe, and I was accepting everything until one day  I gave an opinion on my own social media about female sports months agoand I got banned from a moms group when I tried to promote my books (which does not contain anything about my opinions). The only group that I felt welcome and happy to have a community, I got denied of posting anything that will guide people to my name as they said I was tread to the community. It felt unfair and they say they believe in inclusion and I just have an opinion that can affect my daughter and felt excluded. So I decide to take a path, a clear path even when I do not agree on some things but I had to take a side, so I created @torontochristianmoms and I have been in touch with many beautiful women were I share baby and me, marriage, youth programs of Catholic , Evangelic , non denominational etc churches.

This is a bit of my complicated life! I am trying to create books, journals , arts that bring me happiness and bring happiness to my baby, I hope it can help you too!