Draws in Spanish | Conversations with Latinx Visual Artists and Designers

13: Mexican-American Graphic Designer & Illustrator Marisol Ortega

Episode Summary

In this episode, I speak with Mexican-American Graphic Designer and Illustrator Marisol Ortega. Marisol is based in Tacoma, Washington, and has worked as a designer and illustrator for brands like Starbucks, Amazon, and Target. Listen to this episode to hear us talk all about generational trauma, how she found her passion for design through a foreign exchange program, and her perspective on freelancing and motherhood.

Episode Notes

This week’s guest describes herself as “100% Mexican and 100% American.” In this episode, I chat with Mexican-American Graphic Designer and Illustrator Marisol Ortega. Marisol and I discuss everything from the trauma of being first generation American, to getting a full scholarship to art school, to landing an in-house role at Amazon. Aside from her Mexican background and culture, we also get into how she found her way to design and illustration.

Marisol discovered her passion for art and design after living as a foreign exchange student in Italy for a year during high school. This experience shifted her entire perspective and opened her eyes to art as a career. Once arriving back in the States, she took this momentum and channeled it into finding scholarships to fund her dream of going to art school. With dedication, Marisol was awarded a Gates Millennium Scholarship and received a full ride for her art education.

In this inspiring episode, Marisol shares her perspective on freelancing and motherhood, how she’s putting a stop to generational trauma, and how she found her passion for design through a foreign exchange program.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

Marisol’s experience being a first-generation Mexican-American
Motherhood and breaking generational trauma
The trade-offs between being an in-house designer and a freelance designer
How she found her passion for design through a foreign exchange program in Italy
Being the first in her family to attend college
Becoming a Gates Millennium Scholar and getting a full-ride scholarship to the Art Institute of Seattle
The struggles of being one of two minority students in art school
The intricacies of being a white Mexican and not feeling Mexican enough
Dealing with backlash in the workplace for speaking on politics as a Latina
Being the token Latina in the office
How she landed her graphic design role at Starbucks
Why Marisol has a passion for packaging design
Her process for collaborating with a brand designer
Her process for creating powerful color palettes
The difference between illustration and design
How to think more broadly about the application of illustrations
Why she was compelled to work with Linocuts and incorporate it into her design practice

Guest Info

Check out Marisols’s Instagram, Portfolio, and Shop!

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