We were lucky to catch up with Anjelica Guzman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Anjelica, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
The classic American immigration story often portrays a linear narrative of hard work, sacrifices, and eventual success, with the family fully settled into a new country and the past left behind. However, the reality is far more intricate. My family’s immigration journey, deeply woven into my own, unravels a tapestry of diverse experiences, embracing loss, longing, duality, and achievements.
All four of my grandparents originated from Mexico, and my father was a first-generation Mexican immigrant. Growing up, I got to witness my parents’ relentless dedication. They both worked multiple jobs, doing whatever it took to provide for my brother and I, all with smiles on their faces. Their unwavering determination and tireless work ethic inspires me and pushes me to do the same.
My parents stories, filled with resilience and grit, continually fuel my own aspirations. These collective experiences have not only shaped my perspective but have given me an appreciation for hard work and perseverance. They have taught me how to do hard things better and to this day are my biggest cheerleaders.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Howdy everyone! I’m Anjelica Guzman, a recent graduate from ASU’s graphic design program. I’m originally from Dallas, Texas but, have fostered a love for the West and the Sonoran desert. Ever since I could remember I have been someone who loves art, design, and any creative endeavor. But what excites me is the intersection of problem-solving and visual design. To me, visual design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about function and impact. It’s a way to tell stories, and I’m a designer who loves pushing the boundaries of creativity, collaborating with others, and embracing innovation.
These days you can find me behind a computer at Extra Small Design in Phoenix, Arizona. I have had the joy of working with incredible people on amazing projects. Extra Small design tackles creative challenges and focuses on taking complex information to create, simple intuitive solutions that are beautiful to experience. As a designer on their team, I engage in a wide array of projects spanning web design and development, print design, identity systems and branding, UI/UX design, discovery, project strategy, and environmental design. In other professional pursuits I also teach at Arizona State University as a Visual Communication Design Faculty Associate, and take on various freelance projects.
Outside of designing you can find me over analyzing typefaces, exploring the outdoors, bouldering, spending time with loved ones or enjoying a good cup of coffee.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Reflecting on my design journey, I’ve come to realize these three qualities as impactful towards my growth: perseverance, humility, and the ability to collaborate with others. While these attributes may not fit neatly into the category of concrete design skills, they have undeniably played a pivotal role in making me a better designer.
My best advice for folks early in their design journey is to try hard, and fail a lot. The hardest part of design can be grappling with criticism, battling the fear of failure, and wrestling with imposter syndrome. In my own experience, I’ve found that the best way to learn includes making mistakes, rather than chasing perfection, and continually finding valuable lessons from failures big and small.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The Harry Potter books have always held a special place in my heart, stirring my imagination and giving me valuable lessons about friendship, love, sacrifice, and resilience. As cheesy as it sounds the magic and power of a good story gives me inspiration and drives me to be creative.
As a Harry Potter fan I think it only fair to quote JK Rowling herself and share her wisdom:
“Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation,” she said. “In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anjelicaguzman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guzman.ai/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjelica-guzman/
- Other: Extra Small Design Website: https://extrasmalldesign.com/
Image Credits
Sabrina Shabica Clark Hudson Eni Blloshmi
