Meet Mariana Alvarado

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mariana Alvarado. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mariana below.

Mariana , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I think being inspired is one of my biggest motivations to keep creating. I love being inspired by music, lyrics, fantasy, my favorite pieces of media from my favorite tv shows or movies and other creators as well, then I put all these ideas to work either in a sketch, on a canvas or in the form of phrases or keywords. Since creativity is something you should nurture and at some point something that needs and requires practice, I tend to put my ideas into action and materialize them into something. Also, I find it extremely helpful to keep learning new things, to be curious about different techniques and to keep challenging myself with things that are out of my comfort zone.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a freelance illustrator based in Mexico City with a Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Visual Communication. It was not until I entered university that I began to draw seriously, I didn’t know anything about the career path I was about to take in, I didn’t have the references from anyone or enough tools to start, nobody told me it was a lonely journey… that hit me badly the first two years in the degree as I used to compare myself a lot to my other classmates, also the pandemic didn’t help, it was like drowning myself with these hurtful thoughts of mine and nobody was watching because the lockdown affected everyone and not only me. But when I started to take more interest in illustration, the hunger to get better and to be passionate about it, changed the visions about myself and my artworks.
I didn’t like 90% of what I did when I was a student, it didn’t mean anything to me because that wasn’t me. I learned the hard way that you should do things for yourself, that’s how I started to take interest in visual narrative, to tell short stories through illustrations and when I shared my story about how I was feeling during the pandemic, a lot of people related to me and I felt less alone and more hopeful to keep creating. That’s why my work takes the best from this art medium, with an explosion of colors, cute characters and, of course, inspired by pop culture.
I also have a lot of interest in acrylic painting and watercolor, I use these techniques when I make commissions for portraits. I am fascinated by the human gaze, capturing an specific moment in a photograph and giving it my vision and reinterpretation. When my clients see the finished work, I am very excited to see how they react to their portrait. That moment of appreciation is always one of the best experiences and accomplishments that I have received when I work on commissions, it makes all the work and effort worth it.
Currently, I am part of a collective of illustrators and entrepreneurship named Kamtoki, where we showcase our artwork, design and concepts inspired by our favorite music idols with the aim of resonating and connecting with other people who have the same interest, passion and love for music and illustration.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think empathy, curiosity and passion were the most impactful for me as an artist who is always in search of improving and connecting with an audience. I would advise those who are on the same creative journey as me, that empathy with a great sense of curiosity and passion is essential to convey a message, to have people relate to your work and to never stop being human because mutual understanding and respect are necessary for creativity. Also, being curious leads you to find better opportunities, always ask people who work as a creative in whatever field you’re in, start building your portfolio and keep practicing, keep learning.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I just do nothing. Instead of pressuring myself to do it or stressing about the way I should stay relaxed, I go out for a walk and stretch. There are times when you should simply take a break from that work, not look at the computer for a few hours and come back when you are in a better mental state. The project will not look like it did before you gave it that moment of rest, that is when the ideas will flow and you will be able to go on with it.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

(not applicable)

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Where does your self-discipline come from?

One of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. We asked some

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
Working hard in 2025: Keeping Work Ethic Alive

While the media might often make it seem like hard work is dead and that