Meet Sophia Arguelles

We were lucky to catch up with Sophia Arguelles recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sophia, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I grew up a very quiet and shy child. I had trouble conversing and speaking my mind, and it all stemmed from insecurity. When you are a quiet kid, you spend a lot of time stuck in your head and convincing yourself that it’s best to stay that way. It is a hard habit to break, that is for sure, but I got to a place where I wanted to change, and there were a few steps that really helped break me out of my shell. My confidence grew when I found my passion for art, and being the quiet kid gave me a lot of opportunities to grow my imagination and spend lots of time alone honing that craft. However, it was still hard to have any confidence outside of that, and what I needed was to be pulled out of my comfort zone and put in a situation where I was forced to deal with my confidence issues head on.

When I got a job as a waitress in high school, I truly believe it changed the trajectory of my life. The service industry, especially waiting tables, requires you to talk to people nonstop for hours at a time, and you are basically forced to learn how to small talk and communicate with people for the sake of your tips and coworker relations. It was not easy since conversation did not come naturally to me, and I was so concerned with how I was being perceived. I would be sick thinking about embarrassing myself and looking foolish. However, I soon learned that it did not matter at all if I stumbled on my words or spilled a drink at a table because none of the customers were that concerned with me at all. They were satisfied if I was nice and got them their food on time. Letting go of the fear of looking stupid was such a huge step on my confidence journey because I just accepted that no one observing me would ever remember the embarrassing thing I did as much as I would.

I continue to foster these habits today by having the confidence to put my work out there for the public to see and reaching out to people I want to work with. After years of practice in the service industry, I feel that I can confidently talk to anyone. The ability to get out of my head and be more present in what is actually going on around me has helped my self-esteem blossom. Interacting with the public so much makes you realize that we are not that different and so many people are feeling just as awkward or insecure, if not more. I can be the confident, creative artist I have always wanted to be because I do not need to be shy about flaunting my skills that I have worked hard to develop.

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 am a whimsical illustrator with a passion for quirky animal characters and bold color. I work primarily as a traditional painter, and my most recent venture has been laser-cutting shapes out of wood and painting on them to create what I believe to be more interesting and dynamic shape-based decor. Most of these shapes are unique, animal-inspired designs inspired by folk art and mythology. I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, with a Mexican family, so the Tex-Mex and Southwestern styles have significantly influenced my art. Bold colors and patterns are present in almost all of my work, and I use them to create these highly exaggerated and personality-filled designs. I sell these pieces at the Forsyth Farmers Market every Saturday here in Savannah and I am trying to branch out into more art markets in town. My favorite thing is when people see my creations and are compelled to buy one because they say it reminds them of a pet, friend, or family member. My designs vary so much in shape and personality; I love how many different people they connect with.

I also work as a freelance illustrator, and right now, I am specifically trying to grow my mural business in town. I have a few murals in Texas, but I would love to provide art for businesses locally. I had a wonderful experience doing a mural for With Love Tattoo on Bull Street, and I hope to connect with more businesses in the near future. However, I am flexible with my illustration work and believe my quirky style can be applied to numerous projects. I have done poster designs, animated illustrations, logo designs, children’s illustrations, pet portraits, and even repeat patterns. I am passionate about all types of illustration because I have been fortunate enough to work with people who connect with my distinct style and give me a fair amount of creative freedom. I am still growing my illustration business, but I am optimistic for the future!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

As basic as it is, networking is one of the best things for an art career. I have gotten almost all of my freelance gigs from talking to people at the farmers market, at my part-time job at the art supply store, or just from cold emailing people I think might like my work. You have to shamelessly plug the fact that you are an artist and can provide a service for people. Social media is great, but it is tough to gain a large following, so just talking to real-life people and collaborating with others in your field is probably the best thing you can do while early in your journey.

You also have to get used to not hearing back from many jobs. Many times, trying to find art jobs feels like emailing into the void. It can be hard to be optimistic after a majority of rejections/radio silence, but you just have to remember how many artists are in your exact position and not let that discourage you from continuing to do what you love. It is hard, but it will be worth it if you can continue pursuing your passion. I still have a part-time job because I am still growing my art business, and it makes it so that if I do not have any gigs for a minute or the farmers market gets rained out one week, I can still have an income and time to create. It is not ideal, but it is a process.

The third most important thing is to stop comparing your position to others. I am guilty of this because I don’t feel I have quite “made it” yet, but I do not let it prevent me from making art and doing what I can. It can be discouraging to see peers get jobs and move forward faster than you, but art is unlike any other industry, and the process of being a successful artist is different for everyone. It takes resilience and passion and remembering why you are doing it in the first place. You did not start drawing as a kid to make money, you did it because you loved it, and it brought you happiness and self expression. So many people do not get to live off of doing what they love; it is a privilege to pursue a career like this, and if that means it will take me a bit longer to be fully sustained by it, I am okay with that.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is really anyone who connects with my art and style and thinks it would suit their project. It can be frustrating when a client reaches out to you and wants you to work in a style that is very different from the work you showcase. Luckily, I feel that most of my clients have been drawn to the way I work specifically, and not just the fact that I am an artist, so I should be able to do any style of art they want. It is partially on me to be upfront with clients about that, and if they are asking for something out of my realm of expertise, I can politely decline and potentially point them in a new direction.

I love having creative freedom on a project, and work well with vague prompts if I know the client wants it to be uniquely my work. When a client has a specific vision, I am more than happy to carry it out if given explicit instruction. Ideally, the client has some good examples or references since I cannot see the vision in their head. I love when clients have mood boards, color palettes, or a good description that clearly describes their wants. It is also always helpful when a client is responsive because there are a lot of phases to an illustration project that requires the approval of the client before moving forward. Projects drag on if either party is bad about replying to updates. I would rather a client message me a lot and have lots of notes during the early stages of a project than wait until the very end to make big requests. I want a client to tell me what they want! I am receptive to criticism and more than happy to make changes if it isn’t going in the direction they want, it is best for these requests to be clarified early on.

I am open to all sorts of clients. If you respect my time and work, I will hear out just about any project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sophiaarguelles.com
• Instagram: @scargue.lles
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/sophia-arguelles-502719208

Image Credits

Pat Crump (With Love Tattoo Mural)