Meet Katia Zúñiga

We were lucky to catch up with Katia Zúñiga recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katia, 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?

Being a designer doesn’t mean ideas always flow easily. Some projects are complex, hard to explain, or difficult to summarize into a single image, logo, or campaign. Over the years I’ve learned that creativity isn’t about forcing ideas, but about creating space for them. When I hit a block, I step back: I go for a walk, do errands, wash the dishes, work on another project, or exercise. Moving my body and shifting my focus helps release the energy that’s stuck and lets fresh connections appear.

I also practice speaking ideas out loud—especially with my partner at The Corner Studio. Saying things aloud often answers my own questions and brings unfinished thoughts into focus. Small, intentional changes in routine—like brushing my teeth with my non-dominant hand or consciously noticing everyday actions—remind my brain there’s more than one way to see a problem. That simple disruption often unlocks new creative pathways.

Travelling has allowed me to understand that we all are creative in our own way. While discovering new places, I find different ways of doing things. I can’t explain why or how, but every time I travel my mind enters in a creative way that starts developing powerful ideas.

And finally, I stay open and receptive. Watching what others create, reading, seeing films, spending time with friends, even doing “nothing” on purpose—all of it feeds my imagination. Inspiration can come from anywhere when you’re willing to notice it.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Guatemalan Graphic Designer and Brand Manager, deeply passionate about art and culture. I am always seeking new trends and committed to helping others discover their brand’s true value and purpose.

My love for art and culture began in childhood, inspired by my grandfather, a renowned photographer who studied in California and traveled the world. I also attended an Austrian school in Guatemala City, where being immersed in European culture and exposed to a global perspective awakened my curiosity for traveling and studying abroad.

After graduating from college, I worked for a few years as a web designer and earned a Community Manager certificate in Guatemala. Yet, my desire to study abroad remained strong. I am grateful for the opportunity to have fulfilled that dream in Madrid, where I earned my Master’s degree in Brand Management and Strategic Development in 2019. Fortunately, I returned home just before the pandemic and was able to apply my knowledge in the corporate world. However, due to financial challenges, the company I worked for closed in 2020. Although it was a turning point in my career, it led me to revive my mother’s graphic design boutique agency—an experience that proved both challenging and fulfilling.

I soon found a balance between part-time work and freelance projects. During this time, my cousin, Marisa Bean, reached out to me for support on a web project. I enthusiastically accepted, and we quickly realized we made a great team. Our smooth collaboration inspired us to build something bigger. When I shared my vision to grow and expand, Marisa proposed starting a company together in Guatemala. Of course, I said yes! That’s how The Corner Studio was founded. To learn more about our story, I invite you to visit: www.thecornerstudio.net
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Always seeking new opportunities and best practices in digital marketing, I attended a seminar in Guatemala City that focused on creating better social media ads and strategically using Artificial Intelligence. What I found went far beyond that—it was an event centered on discovering personal purpose and growth as the foundation for success in both life and business. This experience inspired me to attend the Silicon Valley in Latam Bootcamp in Medellín, Colombia, in April 2025. Since then, I continue encouraging The Corner Studio team and our clients to never give up on their dreams and ventures. As we like to say: “Let’s keep the ball rolling, even if it’s not perfect.”

Sharing knowledge is something I deeply value and practice. This mindset, combined with my experience as a Visual Merchandiser, opened an important new chapter in my career. Since 2023, I have been teaching at Universidad del Istmo (UNIS), where I lecture on Visual Merchandising and the essential role graphic design plays in strengthening brand identity and enhancing user experience.

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?

My eagerness to learn and stay constantly updated with trends has allowed me to better understand how the market and communication methods are evolving. My experience in graphic design and customer service has been quite diverse. Working in web design, social media, personalized materials, branding strategies, and more opened my mind. I always knew I wanted to reach a managerial position, so I made the most of every job opportunity and learned everything I could about creative and logistical processes. It’s important to remember that there’s no such thing as a perfect job—but every experience has something to teach you. So, be grateful for every opportunity that comes your way, whether pleasant or challenging; each one leaves you with something valuable to help you grow.

I believe that if your goal is to become a creative director or brand manager, the most important thing is to explore all the areas you’ll be responsible for. If you don’t know how to do what you’ll be asking others to do, you won’t be able to lead or truly understand your team. You must be willing to teach and share your knowledge. Without that, there’s no real growth—and interestingly, when you do, new opportunities arise for everyone.

So, no matter what professional field you’re in, I recommend this: keep learning every day, develop skills in different areas, and always stay honest and humble. Technical skills can be learned and improved, but being a good person and earning people’s trust is something far more meaningful.

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

Not every day do we operate at 100% of our creative and productive capacity. Some days, physical fatigue kicks in; other days, the mind simply slows down and doesn’t move as fast as we’d like it to. Understanding that this is completely normal—and that it happens to everyone—has helped me a lot to practice self-compassion and to apply different techniques to overcome this “productivity block,” which, if not acknowledged, can pull you down even further.

Here are some of the things I do:

Communicate with my team. I let them know in advance when I’m facing a mental block or having trouble moving forward. Good communication solves everything.

Switch tasks. Shifting focus to a different activity is often the push I need to regain productivity while still making progress on other responsibilities. Sometimes, even though it seems counterintuitive, forcing the mind to finish one task before moving to the next is what leads to better and faster results.

Take a mindful break from screens. I step away from the computer and do something completely offline. I use my lunch break to cook or clean—activities that also release hormones that boost happiness and help me get back into a creative flow.

Exercise. Physical activity helps me release and manage stress. Beyond its health benefits, it improves my sleep and rest—both essential to avoid burnout.

Color mandalas. This practice really calms my mind. I don’t set a goal; I simply feel which mandala calls me that day, choose one whose shapes bring me peace, then pick colors intuitively, one at a time.

Listen to music. Sometimes I go for uplifting tunes that make me happy; other times, I choose calm instrumental music. If I combine the latter with a few minutes of deep breathing, closing my eyes, and resting for about 10 minutes—it becomes incredibly powerful.

These are some of the practices I return to most often. Some I’ve discovered on my own, others I’ve learned from books or recommendations. The key is to find what works for you—how your body and mind reconnect.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Portrait and picture with Marisa Bean both photographs by Kira Whitney.

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