09: Mexican-American Illustrator & Lettering Artist Jackie Rivera

Draws in Spanish | Conversations with Latinx Visual Artists and Designers

Leaving a stable desk job always feels risky, but this week’s artist — Jackie Rivera — took the leap and never looked back! She is a Seattle-based artist who creates colorful and very graphic pieces mixing illustration, animation, and lettering.

Jackie knew it was time to leave her admin job when she received an inquiry for a freelance project with a budget in the 5-figures, and even though she didn’t land the gig, she saw it as a sign to believe in herself. Just six months later she’s already taking on freelance projects with dream clients and pursuing the creative career she’s always wanted.

Beyond her career trajectory, we also get into the ins and outs of growing up Mexican in Northern California, cleaning your classmates’ homes with your mom, and dealing with the guilt that comes with being a first-gen college student.

Be sure to tune in to this episode for a few words of encouragement for artists who find themselves between a soul-sucking admin job and their dream creative career.

In this episode, we talk all about how Jackie found graphic design, how she gets inspired to create new work, and how she expanded her identity beyond her artistic output.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

• Connecting with your culture through Mexican food
• Unpacking Mexican Misconceptions
• Validating your immigrant parents’ struggles
• Drawing Spongebob, Bratz Dolls, My Scene Dolls, and Zentaggle
• Breaking the starving artist stereotype
• Cleaning houses for your rich classmates
• Discovering graphic design at a career fair
• Being inspired by the Mexican designers before her such as Marisol Ortega
• Working at a soul-sucking job for a stable income
• Struggling with feeling like “an artist”
• Believing in your artistic value
• Advice for artists who feel like giving up
• Creating for Instagram in order to attract clients
• Working with Adobe on animated lettering posts
• Getting started with tactile lettering
• Being comfortable with being bad at something

Guest Info

Check out Jackie Rivera’s Instagram and Portfolio.

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