Meet Martina Tasende

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

Hi Martina, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Like many illustrators, I grew up dreaming of becoming a Disney artist. It felt like the most natural goal— I had always loved drawing cartoons, creating characters on the fly, and devouring animated movies every week. From very early on, I took on a lot of commission work, and the hugely positive response I got from them encouraged me to sharpen my skills by pursuing a BFA in Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

After my first year of foundation classes, I flew out to Lightbox Expo in Los Angeles; it’s this amazing hub where the biggest names in animation come together. I went to make connections and immerse myself into the industry, and while the Expo was incredible, I left that weekend realizing animation might not be the path for me. Other areas of illustration started to catch my eye.

Back at SCAD, I explored children’s books, graphic novels, and editorial illustration, but none of them really clicked. I wanted my work to have further reach and longevity than what I had been practicing. Then, I took an advertising illustration class, and everything changed. Something about telling a person’s or company’s story visually—through packaging, ads, or branding— made my art achieve something I never imagined it could. It wasn’t just about drawing; it was about enhancing how people connect with a story by means of tangible design. Through illustration and graphic design, for the first time, I felt like I could use my art to convey people’s stories and ideas, one image at a time. That’s when I realized I’d found my purpose as an artist.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an illustrator and graphic designer passionate about turning people’s stories into practical, meaningful, and impactful designs. I say I’m both an illustrator and graphic designer because, while I work professionally in graphic design, I still have an illustrator’s heart— and it touches all the work I do. It’s like a superpower in that I’m able to convey messages and emotions through color, line, and style of my own making. What ties all my work together is a commitment to celebrating the story behind it, bringing it into the real world through uniquely vivid designs. Working for, and with, other people brings the most satisfaction to my art.

I most love designing for branding, advertising, and packaging; however, I’ve worked on a variety of illustrative projects, such as posters, maps, book covers, and murals. The most recent and memorable of my projects was designing and painting a mural for United Way Miami, a non-profit dedicated to supporting people in mental health crises. Although it was my first time tackling a mural, I was inspired by the cause— not only would the artwork honor the space, but engage the community through volunteers helping me paint. Leaving visible impact on the community and bringing people together was the most rewarding experience.

In addition to my professional day-to-day work, I continue to illustrate for my fanbase on Instagram, connecting with individual people through personalized commissions.

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?

I’m always learning, but when it comes to a creative career, these are a few lessons that have stuck with me:

1. Stay Open to Ideas: Throughout my experience in both freelance and university, I learned the importance of the client’s needs and how they desire to tell their story most authentically. While initially some of the ideas may clash with my own, I find a way to merge both our perspectives together, utilizing my creative expertise to execute the best possible design. During feedback, I always try to build off the client by saying “Yes, and…”.

2. Be An Entrepreneur: Being an artist and working on my brand and business has led me to becoming my own entrepreneur. While fostering my eye for aesthetic, composition, and color, I’ve had to learn other key skills such as time management, finance, promotion, and planning. I’ve also had to become my own worst critic, assessing my performance and portfolio on a regular basis. It’s a one-man show, but there’s also a lot of satisfaction in learning how to do these things by myself in a way that makes me self-sufficient, reliable, and deliver work at my best capacity.

3. Continue to Grow: As new technologies and needs arise in the industry, I push myself to stay on top of the curve. Through pivoting to graphic design and desiring to be on-par with other designers, I taught myself professional graphic design softwares such as Adobe Indesign. At SCAD, I aimed to be the first student to try new techniques or ways of generating ideas, such as illustrating conceptually instead of narratively. All in all, I consistently expand my horizons so that I’m always moving forward in this ever-changing field.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I would like to connect with people within the creative design realm— this includes art directors, creative directors, and graphic designers of any industry. I’m very passionate about branding, advertising, and packaging, but as always I’m interested in any of the fields of illustration and graphic design, including publishing, editorial, and surface design (also, if you’re an individual looking for an artist to bring your project to life, let’s connect!).

Having said this, I strive for new challenges and to collaborate with diverse people; whether we are from different backgrounds or industries, I truly believe that combining diverse skill sets leads to delivering the most ground-breaking work. I look for positive environments and client relationships where critiques are always welcome, there’s a mutual hunger to develop increasingly better, more meaningful designs, and there are opportunities to learn.

If you’ve read this and are interested in contacting me, you can view my work by accessing my portfolio website (scribblesbymarti.com) and write to me through email (marrti.tas@gmail.com) or Instagram, @scribblesbymarti.

Thanks Bold Journey for the opportunity to share my story!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.scribblesbymarti.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scribblesbymarti
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-tasende

Image Credits

Jason Conforti
Martina Tasende