299 - Using Creativity To Fill Your Cup with Andrea Campos

Listeners, we are back this week with Andrea Campos

Andrea Campos is a Mexican-American illustrator and visual artist based in Los Angeles California. Raised in Chicago, Andrea made her way to the West Coast in 2015 in search of warmer weather and her version of the American dream. In January 2020, after nearly a decade in marketing, Andrea decided to shift her career focus and become a photographer. Her timing could have been better, because just weeks later, the pandemic hit and every production she had committed to being a part of shut down.

Like so many others at that time, Andrea became unemployed overnight and felt anxious and overwhelmed by the state of the world. So, she turned to art as a way to make sense of it all. Andrea drew and drew, and eventually started sharing her art via ‘dreasdoodles’ on Instagram.

Within months, Andrea’s work started to go viral, catching the attention of authors, agents, and even a few celebrities. Including Jimmy Fallon, and Jennifer Lopez, who invited Andrea to illustrate their debut bilingual children’s book ‘Con Pollo’ (Feiwel & Friends).

Today, Andrea is a New York Times bestselling Illustrator, visual artist and creative producer, with over 20K followers who is pursuing her dream to connect with others and spread positivity through her playful, colorful creations.

The daughter of immigrants, Andrea is committed to being inclusive in her storytelling - and hopes that her work will not only spark joy in people's lives but also share the joy of the BIPOC experience.

During this episode we talked about:

03:36 - Her heritage and her mom’s immigration story

08:32 - "I was a very curious person about everything”

09:26 - Going to college and picking “a real career”

12:05 - “The second that society and culture star shaping you…”

13:36 - Starting her career journey

16:30 - “I was finally like: ya basta”

20:16 - “The founder title is a lot sexier to the world than artist”

24:10 - Her advice for professional development

28:38 - Making the decision to change careers

31:33 - Planning her trip while dealing with health issues

36:31 - The pandemic and reconnecting with drawing

39:39 - Her personal “artist residency”

42:21 - “Use this as a way to weather the storm”

42:43 - Going viral

43:09 - “The world give me permission to accept the title”

45:20 - “Why don’t you just try and see what happens”

48:38 - Pricing

50:01 - Her new book

Follow Andrea on all things social:

PREORDER Andrea's Book 100 First Words: Amazon* | Bookshop*

ORDER Con Pollo: Amazon* | Bookshop*

*Please note, these are affiliate links and your purchases allow me to get some coins in return of using my link. Thank you for supporting small businesses!