Episode #01: Queer Chilean Illustrator, Fran Meneses

Episode Summary:

Welcome to this week’s episode of Draws in Spanish where we chat with queer Chilean illustrator, Fran Meneses, aka @frannerd. We bond over the cringey Americanized versions of our names, dive into what it’s like to find your place in the hodgepodge that is New York City, and set the record straight on where Chile is (and no, Chileans don’t wear coconut bras). Fran also pulls back the curtain on her nonlinear process for her upcoming graphic novel, how she balances social media with long-term projects and carving her own path as a modern illustrator. Join us on this week’s episode to learn more about Fran’s extraordinary story.

Episode Notes

What’s the name that you give when a barista asks? There’s a good chance that it’s not the one that’s on your license or what your friends call you. Fran Meneses knows all about that, having grown up in Chile and living most of her adult life in Germany, the UK, and now the US. The Brooklyn-based queer illustrator is known for her insightful comics that she posts to her popular Instagram account @frannerd, and her YouTube channel by the same name that gives viewers a peek behind the scenes. 

But the path to settling in her cozy Brooklyn studio wasn’t exactly how she sketched it out to be. Starting with everything–and she means everything–going wrong upon arrival in Germany, to realizing the idyllic life she created in England wasn’t so idyllic after all, Fran has channeled those challenges into growing as a storyteller and illustrator. Her Chilean-accented English that used to cause her such shame now empowers her to share tidbits of her immigrant experience through her art.

Her latest challenge is a 250-page sci-fi graphic novel, which she admits to having started and scrapped a couple of times now. Working on something long-term in this instant gratification world can be daunting, but Fran says she likes to keep her audience involved with the process so that she doesn’t feel so far away from her community. Listen to this week’s episode to hear more about her projects and how she’s reframing what it means to be a queer Latin content creator. 

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

Topics Covered:

1. Living abroad as a Latinx person

2. The struggles & privileges of being a white-passing Latina

3. Honoring your culture through art

4. Discovering your voice as a storyteller and illustrator

5. Finding the courage to create your own career path

Guest Info

Connect with Fran on Instagram, Patreon, and Youtube. Also, check out her online store We Are Nice Humans.

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Show Transcript

[00:00:00] Fabiola Lara: Hello, everyone. Welcome to Draws in Spanish, a podcast that showcases the creative journey of notable Latinx, visual artists and design. I'm your host Fabiola Lara. Today. I am so, so, so, so excited to be chatting with Fran Meneses, AKA frannerd. Fran is a queer Chilean illustrator currently living in Brooklyn, New York.

[00:00:35] Fabiola Lara: Fran creates incredibly relatable comics that really hit home with many people, myself included, all while creating cozy YouTube videos, awesome Patreon extras, and running an online shop of her illustrated goods under her brand name Nice Humans. She's amassed a following of over 250,000 YouTube followers, 150,000 Instagram followers all revolving around her illustrations and comics. To me, she really represents what it means to be a modern day illustrator.

[00:01:13] Fabiola Lara: Fran, first, thank you so much for being on here, for making the time. I really appreciate it, especially, I know you have a busy schedule with everything that you do. So thank you.

[00:01:23] Fran Meneses: Thank you for having me.

[00:01:24] Fabiola Lara: Yes. Okay. So we met recently through our mutual friend, Kendall, amazing illustrator photo, realistic, incredible detail.

[00:01:33] Fran Meneses: So, our girl Kendall, we were organizing this illustrators retreat to Pennsylvania, right?

[00:01:41] Fabiola Lara: Yeah.

[00:01:41] Fran Meneses: Like, near the Poconos. And we met there for the first time and we clicked instantly. Maybe because we're Chileans, both of us. And you baked empanadas.

[00:01:50] Fabiola Lara: It's because I brought the empanadas. Because I had to, it was my only opportunity to share the vegan Chilean empanadas with somebody from Chile.

[00:02:00] Fran Meneses: We had to.

[00:02:01] Fabiola Lara: So I had to. And that was, you know, also probably helped that I've watched all of your videos, just in case everyone's like, oh, so she didn't know. I knew a lot about you going into it, but I, you know.

[00:02:15] Fran Meneses: Thank you, baby. Thank you. What an honor.

[00:02:18] Fabiola Lara: Can you introduce yourself to maybe people who don't know who you are, which I doubt will be happening, but just in case?

[00:02:24] Fran Meneses: So much flattery. Uh, so hi, my name is Fran. Actually, my name is Francisca, but no one can ever pronounce my name in the states or abroad. So I just shortened up to Fran. And I am a Chilean, queer illustrator currently living in Brooklyn. I'm also an author. I'm working on my first graphic novel. I mean, not my first graphic novel, but my first sci-fi graphic novel.

[00:02:50] Fran Meneses: I want to apologize in advance, because living and working in Brooklyn means that there's a lot of background noise, so I apologize in advance.

[00:02:58] Fabiola Lara: We like it. We like it.

[00:02:59] Fran Meneses: Yeah. It's like the zest, the urban zest

[00:03:00] Fabiola Lara: The urban zest of the podcast meat

[00:03:06] Fran Meneses: And I think that that's it. Oh. And, uh, I live with my cat, Hamburguesa, which is, um, a stud, so that's it.

[00:03:15] Fabiola Lara: So cute. I relate to your name thing. Nobody ever can pronounce Fabiola.

[00:03:21] Fran Meneses: You're kidding me, Fabiola.

[00:03:22] Fabiola Lara: I have to say Fabiola. The first time that I heard my name, like in English pre-K, I cried. I cried. I was like, oh my God, that's my name? You're talking about me? I thought it was so ugly in English.

[00:03:35] Fran Meneses: Oh no, but like, your name is so easy to say out loud, even in English.

[00:03:41] Fabiola Lara: No, I call when I placed and me being like that

[00:03:45] Fran Meneses: I do have a fake name?

[00:03:47] Fabiola Lara: Sometimes I say Fab, but even that people can.

[00:03:53] Fran Meneses: Because they think you're saying fabulous. Right?

[00:03:56] Fabiola Lara: No, I don't, I don't think it like registers. I have to say Fab, like fabulous. And then they're like, oh, okay. Or I just say Andrew, my partner's name.

[00:04:05] Fran Meneses: Oh, that's nice.

[00:04:05] Fabiola Lara: I just say Andrew. And they're like, uhh. I'm like, yeah, that's my name, which is

[00:04:10] Fran Meneses: I mean, I have a very similar experience than you. People usually call me Francesca. Or Francis, which I don't look like a Francesca, right?

[00:04:18] Fabiola Lara: No, I don't think you look like a Francesca, but I can't think of one Francesca that I've ever met.

[00:04:22] Fran Meneses: Me neither, right?

[00:04:22] Fabiola Lara: So no

[00:04:23] Fran Meneses: So it's the Latina experience of living abroad, right?

[00:04:27] Fabiola Lara: I get a lot of, oh, Raviola, Raviola. And I'm like, what? Okay, like ravioli. I don't know. Anyway. Yeah. That is part of the Latina experience here in the U.S. I have grown up with it. You have had it also in the UK when you lived abroad?

[00:04:44] Fran Meneses: In Berlin and the UK. Yes. And that was, I mean, in Berlin it was actually easy because they do have a name that it's basically like Francisca, but with a Z and a K. Anyway, there’s a Z and a K between. But in the UK, there isn't Francisca. So that was very confusing. I always try to use other places in order to describe my name. So it's like, oh, it's like San Francisco, but instead of O, it ends with an A, and still people don't get it.

[00:05:12] Fabiola Lara: But that is so long.

[00:05:14] Fran Meneses: Right. And they're like, oh, and I can see in their faces, they're not understanding, but I really don't

[00:05:20] Fabiola Lara: It doesn't capture. It's like they can't capture the sound.

[00:05:23] Fran Meneses: Yeah. And in order for them to understand, or like in general, I'm placing an order. I have to be like Fraaan and that's the way they get it.

[00:05:33] Fabiola Lara: I do the same. I say, Fab-ee-oh-la. It's so nasty. And I can hear like, I'm looking at Andrew in the eye while I placed the order. Like, I hate this. Like, why do I live like this? But now I say Fabiola, like fabulous. That sometimes works. You should try Francisca, like Francisco, San Francisco.

[00:06:00] Fran Meneses: Oh, do you think they will get it? Although, yes. Yeah. Hopefully. Fingers crossed, baby.

[00:06:05] Fabiola Lara: You can try it, but no guarantees. We don't put too much faith in the people. Speaking about, you know, everywhere that you've lived. You lived in the UK, you lived in Berlin, right? You lived in so many places in Europe and now you're in the U.S. Can you tell me why you decided to leave Chile?

[00:06:23] Fran Meneses: So I left back in 2013, I think. And I left because at the time it was really hard for artists and illustrators to make a living in Chile. So I really love what I do. So I also, I was dying to have an online store and I also noticed that the post system in Chile, like in Latin America in general is not the best.

[00:06:51] Fran Meneses: So when I had the opportunity to leave and move to Germany, I just took it. I am really thankful of my, I think, uncle. Yes. He started doing all of this paperwork because we realized that we had like a great, great, great, great, great father who is Italian. And that's why I was able to live and work in Germany, which is like the nicest gift ever. But it was basically that. Wanting to do what I love for a living. And it's been a really intense and learning, like heavy duty learning experience, living abroad away from your family and friends.

[00:07:31] Fabiola Lara: Yes. That's so intense. How did you at such an early age, right, decide like, okay, I'm going to take the leap? Did you have any like proof of concept at that point yet? Do you know what I mean? Like, it's such a leap of faith when you do something like that, like leave your home country. Did you have anything that had already worked out with illustration that made you think an online shop, you know, this is definitely what I want to do, so I have to go?

[00:07:57] Fran Meneses: Yeah. That's such a good question. The only thing I had was hope, Fabiola. I had nothing else. I was terrified.

[00:08:04] Fabiola Lara: That's so brave.

[00:08:07] Fran Meneses: And I think at some point I learned that the fear never leaves you. You're always dealing and facing fear in every single situation in your life. No matter if it's like big life changing decisions like living and like moving abroad and moving away from your family and everything you know, because that's basically what happens when you move abroad. You are being born again. You have to

[00:08:30] Fabiola Lara: Yes. Relearn a whole country.

[00:08:32] Fran Meneses: Yes. You have to relearn everything. It's like a new way of living, new, like a new culture and a new language. And I genuinely didn't know what I was doing, Fabiola, if I can be honest.

[00:08:44] Fabiola Lara: That's awesome to hear, because I think a lot of people think that when you make those decisions, you're like, um, next on the to-do list, Germany. Check. They don't realize that maybe that's just what ended up happening and you just kind of did what was coming next, essentially.

[00:09:00] Fran Meneses: Oh yeah. And like, looking back now, and this is why I said that I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't guess like gauge how hardcore this experience was going to be, because everything, like all of the plans that we had, like Ed and I, my ex husband, everything failed, Fabiola. Everything.

[00:09:19] Fran Meneses: Like we had all of these like payment plans and government grants that we were applying and all of this financial aid to make a living abroad and everything failed. So yeah, it was kind of shocking.

[00:09:32] Fabiola Lara: Like, getting the rug pulled out from underneath you.

[00:09:35] Fran Meneses: Yes. I think I pride myself a lot of from being super organized, but that's why I was so surprised that nothing worked out.

[00:09:42] Fran Meneses: And I think that happens a lot when you move abroad. It's like you can do so much about it. And you can plan so much, but at some point, things like this happen and it's such a, it was a big learning curve of like, not only being prepared for the worst, but also dealing how to face like uncertainty pretty much 24/7. It happens, and I'm sure it's happening to you now, Fabiola, because I know that you're just started, it is like your first week of freelancing. And part of being a freelancer, the ABC of freelancing is dealing with uncertainty. So that was like a crash course when I moved abroad, you know?

[00:10:22] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. Yes. That's major. Your scale, what I'm dealing with now is like little compared to that.

[00:10:28] Fabiola Lara: But similar to what happened to you, when I moved very briefly to Barcelona to go to school, which I had hopes of staying there long-term, I ended up falling into a housing scam. And so like, you never know what's going to happen when you move abroad. I planned so well, I had every document, I had every document like backed up.

[00:10:47] Fabiola Lara: I did everything. And, you know, things just don't go your way. When you're abroad, it's like a whole new system. What you thought you knew does not apply anymore.

[00:10:58] Fran Meneses: Yeah. So anyone who's listening to this please don't feel guilty or frustrated. I mean, I think it's okay in normal to feel frustrated, but this has nothing to do with your organization skills whatsoever.

[00:11:11] Fran Meneses: This is purely the fact that when you make big life changes or when you're facing the unknown, things like this happen, things that you can't control happen. And this is basically pretty much the learning experience. Like you learn all of this as you go. So I think this is why we rarely face things that we don't know and why it's so hard to get out of our comfort zone.

[00:11:33] Fran Meneses: Because the unfamiliar is frightening. The unfamiliar is what makes us wonder, like, is this okay? Is this what I really want to be doing? I would rather be comfortable.

[00:11:44] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. I think that's why a lot of people maybe don't take the leap to be artists because it's so unknown. And if, especially, if you don't see people doing it. Like when I found your YouTube channel, I was like, oh, people are doing this? It's not just made up,? Like I'm not making this up? Or like, you know, you have like three examples and maybe they're all white men and you're like, Hmm. Could be, but also I'm not them, you know? So when I saw your channel, I really like expanded what I thought was possible. Okay. So you were living in Europe, right?

[00:12:16] Fabiola Lara: Because of your great, great, great somewhere along the line family member was Italian, which I'm constantly investigating for myself. I have to tell you, I'm like literally, always looking to see if somebody was Italian.

[00:12:27] Fran Meneses: I mean, as Latinos and Chileans, it's pretty common to have like an Italian relative.

[00:12:32] Fabiola Lara: I'm looking everywhere.

[00:12:33] Fran Meneses: Keep digging, baby.

[00:12:34] Fabiola Lara: Maybe I'll find them one day. But what would you say is the pro of maybe moving here, like moving to the US? In my perspective, I view like Europe as being so much better quality of life. You know, I'm curious since you're able to live in Europe, but you prefer to live here, can you tell me about that? Because for me, it's hard to kind of comprehend.

[00:12:56] Fran Meneses: This is the thing. I'm going to confess something. This is my confession. I never wanted to live in the US. I never thought I was going to live in the US. And the times that I came here as a tourist, like we all do, I thought to myself, I never want to live in Manhattan or in New York City.

[00:13:11] Fran Meneses: So stressful. I don't click with the city and so on and so forth. And then I visited Brooklyn for the first time. And I'm like, oh, and it's a much slower pace area. And, um, I love the art community and whatnot. But when I moved to Europe, I did with Ed, again, my ex-husband, and we were looking for a place in which we could both do what we love at the same time.

[00:13:36] Fran Meneses: Like at that particular city or the place we were living in, and we found ourselves never being able to make it

[00:13:45] Fabiola Lara: Financially or you mean creatively, or...?

[00:13:48] Fran Meneses: Just like, logistically. And because for example, we were living in this very quaint, small town in the south of England called Hastings. And Hastings was such a idyllic, dreamy place to live, but there were no museums, like the museums that there were available were super tiny.

[00:14:06] Fran Meneses: Or there were no art supply stores and stuff like that. Again, super tiny superficial things,

[00:14:12] Fabiola Lara: No art supplies stores? That's weird.

[00:14:15] Fran Meneses: They make a difference in your daily living, I guess. So at some point I was missing and craving living in a big city again, but at the same time, I needed a good post system and the language was a huge deal because I didn't want to live in, for example, a place where I had to start from scratch in terms of the language skills. That's where the US came as a possibility. And the thing that I like about New York, Fabiola, is that it's so weird to be in the eye of the hurricane. Like, I don't know if I am explaining it correctly.

[00:14:50] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. It's like, the center of the world.

[00:14:52] Fran Meneses: It's the center of the world. Not in every single thing, but like, it's so interesting to see the trends. Again, with the born thing, but like getting, like being born here and like, you know, see, all of these things are happening in all departments of life, sort of the social aspects, the racial aspects, the art, the social media, how people are dressing, like fashion

[00:15:15] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. The culture is being led by New York or, you know, the big cities in the US, I feel, in general.

[00:15:22] Fran Meneses: Exactly. And it's so easy to feel at home and welcome in New York City because there's so many immigrants living here. So you don't feel like you're out of place. I felt like I belonged right away. The sense of humor of everybody, like most people living here, is great. You make friends very easily because we're all coming from different places and like different parts of life and of the world as well.

[00:15:49] Fran Meneses: So I always describe New York City as the common patio or like the courtyard of a university, because it almost feels like we're all taking the same classes. So when you go to the subway, people talk to each other and talk to you. If they see you're reading a book, they will say like, oh my God, that book is so nice.

[00:16:08] Fran Meneses: And then they get off at their station, you know, or like their stop. It's a pretty fun city to live in.

[00:16:14] Fabiola Lara: I had never thought about it that way, that like, it is very communal, like the experience of living in New York. Like everybody's doing it and it's very kind of unified in that way. Like when something major happens in New York, everybody experiences it.

[00:16:28] Fabiola Lara: Like when I was living there, I remember like there was like a couple bomb scares at the time that were false, but everybody, you know, you could talk to anyone about it. Everybody, there's like a sense of community that when you're in the city, everyone is like on the same side. It is special. And I could definitely see what you mean about being welcomed instantly in New York because everybody is from elsewhere. So that's beautiful. I mean, I'm definitely glad that you ended up in New York City as opposed to any random place in America, which I don't see how that would happen. But because I grew up in Florida, Miami obviously is a little bit like what you're talking about, not as a city, but a city of immigrants.

[00:17:07] Fabiola Lara: But once I moved two hours north of Miami and it's just like white people. Just like blue eyes, blonde hair. People would ask me, are you Spanish? And I was like, what? What do you mean am I Spanish? No, I'm not from Spain. Like, I speak Spanish. It completely threw me off.

[00:17:22] Fran Meneses: That's a common misconception, though. People ask me that all the time,

[00:17:26] Fabiola Lara: Yes. Are you Spanish?

[00:17:28] Fran Meneses: They asked me why, like types of Spanish, they sound different. And I'm like, because the Spanish you learn most likely is the Spanish that comes from Spain.

[00:17:36] Fabiola Lara: Yes. It's like sometimes people will ask me specific words, you know, like, I don't know. That's not, I never use that. I wouldn't say it that way. And it makes me question myself.

[00:17:45] Fabiola Lara: I mean, you grew up in Chile, so like, I know that's a big part of your identity. For me, it's a big part of my identity, but I never lived there. So to me, I'm always questioning it. Like, I'm like, I'm not Chilena enough. I'm not American enough.

[00:17:58] Fran Meneses: You're in like limbo.

[00:17:59] Fabiola Lara: Yes. In limbo. I'm used to it now, but that's why I feel like I call myself now a Chilena gringa because my mom and my family would always be like, oh, she's like, gringita de la familia, you know? I'm like, yeah, it's true. It's not false. Like, you're right. Yeah, being asked if your Spanish is strange. I don't know if you've noticed, but here they tend to teach Mexican Spanish in school.

[00:18:22] Fran Meneses: Really?

[00:18:23] Fabiola Lara: I mean, it depends per school, but a lot of schools teach like the Mexican version of stuff.

[00:18:28] Fabiola Lara: So like, yeah, like specific words will be like more Mexican. It always surprises me. And when I was in school, it would surprise me. Cause I'd be like, I would never say that.

[00:18:37] Fran Meneses: Did you pretend not to know Spanish when you were growing up so you'd have like excellent grades at school?

[00:18:44] Fabiola Lara: What do you mean? Like in Spanish class?

[00:18:45] Fran Meneses: You're like, oh no, I don't understand Spanish. And then you would take the class and you would ace that test. It's like, oh my God, Fabiola! Insane!

[00:18:52] Fabiola Lara: They only offer one level of Spanish.

[00:18:54] Fran Meneses: Oh, okay.

[00:18:55] Fabiola Lara: It didn't matter.

[00:18:57] Fran Meneses: You could've been the...

[00:18:58] Fabiola Lara: I was always top pupil, but that was never going to be pushed further. There was no, you know, the system is small.

[00:19:05] Fran Meneses: I mean, a lot of my friends now want to learn Spanish, probably because they're hanging out with me and I keep telling them, oh, I'm way funnier in Spanish.

[00:19:13] Fabiola Lara: And they don't believe you?

[00:19:15] Fran Meneses: But yeah, they do. Naive, so naive. But I found myself, and I'm sure you do as well, but like how useful it is to know Spanish in the US because a lot of people speak Spanish as well. But I found that even though I do want to speak Spanish to certain people, like at convenience stores or like in common areas or like the subway, I'd rather them speak to me first rather than me just initiating the conversation because

[00:19:43] Fabiola Lara: I do the same.

[00:19:44] Fran Meneses: People have said this to me that I'm white-passing. So I'm always having the thought, oh, I think they think I'm trying to practice my Spanish with them because, and when they notice that I'm Latina, they're like, oh yeah, it's okay.

[00:19:57] Fabiola Lara: Yeah.

[00:19:57] Fran Meneses: Has that happened to you?

[00:19:58] Fabiola Lara: Sometimes I call places and they pick up and you can tell that maybe they're speaking English a little broken and I'm like, it would be easier to have this conversation in Spanish, but I don't want to be like offensive, like,

[00:20:10] Fran Meneses: Oh, yeah.

[00:20:11] Fabiola Lara: I don't want to bother with your English. Because your English is fine. I can do it. We both understand what's happening. So I get that too. And especially too, as a white Latina, I always feel, sometimes I do it to be fun. Like sometimes I think it's funny to say something in Spanish. It surprises people, but only something little like, you know, I dunno, goodbye, have a nice day, something like that, but it's always interesting.

[00:20:35] Fabiola Lara: And it's happened to me before that I've had people like kind of, you know, talking crap about me or, or somebody I'm, you know, like a group that I'm with, in Spanish. And I look at them and I answer in Spanish. It's so fun.

[00:20:49] Fran Meneses: Really? Oh, my God.

[00:20:50] Fabiola Lara: It's so fun. Like the Gemini in me is like ready to fight, like verbally, not actually.

[00:20:56] Fabiola Lara: And it's just hilarious, but I relate and it's just going to always happen here, I think. But have you had any bad experiences with speaking Spanish or feeling like an immigrant? I know not just feeling, but being an immigrant in the US, that was like, whoa?

[00:21:11] Fran Meneses: I don't know, really. I think when I applied to the Green Card and I got it rejected, I'm like, oh man, is this happening because I'm Latina? Like I, with the microaggressions, you never know if you are the one who is imagining things or if it's really happening or if it's happening because I'm a woman or if I'm queer. So in that sense, I don't know what box are you ticking? So I would rather think that I'm imagining things, rather than like falling into that hole or that trap.

[00:21:44] Fran Meneses: Because again, since we're wearing masks and since I'm very white passing, most people don't know I am Latina until I speak up. And they're like, oh, this bitch has a very thick accent. But like before that, they have no idea.

[00:21:58] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. Like with me, I don't have an accent at this point. And so people never know with me until they say something weird about "The Hispanics" and I'm like, oh, what are you doing? And I'm like, sir, what are you doing?

[00:22:10] Fran Meneses: One time, this friend of mine asked me, oh, Fran is this offensive? So he showed me this video of like a record player. And instead of playing a record, it was playing a tortilla. And there was this Mexican song, like coming out of the record player. And it was a joke, you know? And he's like, is this offensive? And I'm like, no, because I'm not Mexican.

[00:22:33] Fabiola Lara: Like, I don't know. You should try asking a Mexican person.

[00:22:37] Fran Meneses: It's crazy how, and again, I don't want to generalize. I'm so happy that people are being more open to learn where we come from and all of that. But usually from Mexico downwards, people think we're like, one country.

[00:22:53] Fabiola Lara: This is why I wanted to make the podcast and interview people from different countries. And that was like, you know, someone from Venezuela or someone from Chile or someone from Mexico have different ways of speaking, different language, different upbringing, different culture. But I get that a lot, like just people just think it's all one place.

[00:23:12] Fran Meneses: Oh, yeah. I'm sure people have asked you already, but have you had any like, microaggressions like that?

[00:23:16] Fabiola Lara: Sometimes some of the white people and maybe their family members will say things like, I'm sure you like beans. And I'm like, what? Or like, you know, just like general, just like things like that, where I'm just like, huh? I don't know

[00:23:33] Fran Meneses: I mean, I do. But what do you mean?

[00:23:38] Fabiola Lara: Beans are great. With or without being Mexican, I can appreciate beans. But that's what they're alluding to, or trying to make like a punchline out of. I never really meet people from Chile. I've grown up here all my life. Maybe met 10 people. Are there any misconceptions about Chile that you feel like you have had to address? My experience is that nobody knows where Chile is.

[00:23:59] Fran Meneses: Oh no. Absolutely. They have no idea. I always say we're the ass crack of the world, because we're so far below people have no idea where it is. I think most of the times they'd be like, oh yeah. I actually have to say we're the country next to Argentina. And then immediately they, oh, okay. So apparently, Argentina, you guys are way more famous than we are.

[00:24:20] Fabiola Lara: No way, I don't think that's the case. I say it's basically almost the entire coast. But yeah, people never know where it is and people, does it happen to you where people think that it's tropical? I feel like everyone thinks all of Latin America is like tropical.

[00:24:33] Fran Meneses: I think, again, I don't know what people think about what Chile is and like how we look like, but from what I've seen in movies, people think that we're wearing coconut bras. And there are a couple of movies there I'm like, oh wow, they think we're like native habitants, like we're native.

[00:24:52] Fabiola Lara: And there are native people.

[00:24:54] Fran Meneses: Yes. Yes.

[00:24:55] Fabiola Lara: But not everybody.

[00:24:56] Fran Meneses: Not everybody. Yes. And they still have cars, you know. But for example, they know about Pinochet, and like the dictatorship, the miners, the 33 miners who were stuck.

[00:25:08] Fabiola Lara: Oh yes. Wow. That was a big moment for me in my childhood.

[00:25:10] Fran Meneses: That was crazy because I was telling this to a friend. We knew when they were trapped, but the entire world knew about them when they found that letter. So for us was like a bigger, I guess, surprise because we thought they were dead.

[00:25:25] Fabiola Lara: Right. That's so crazy. We have like a different perspective on that because you were in Chile and I was here, you know, in Florida.

[00:25:34] Fabiola Lara: And I was like, oh, everybody's talking about Chile. How cool, like nobody ever talks about Chile. And I never hear anything on the news, you know, Univision never says anything about Chile. This was the first time for me.

[00:25:47] Fran Meneses: By the way, if you have no idea what we're talking about, but a couple of years ago, 33 miners were found alive

[00:25:54] Fabiola Lara: Miners, like mining.

[00:25:56] Fran Meneses: We thought they were dead and apparently they survived. So they sent this like very tiny letter through a freaking tube and there were rescued and it was like a super risky and dangerous task. And they managed to save all of these people. And it was news all over the world.

[00:26:12] Fabiola Lara: And now it's a movie.

[00:26:13] Fran Meneses: I haven't watched the movie, though. But every time I meet someone, I think my duty is to talk about Chile, because we have all the freaking weathers.

[00:26:22] Fran Meneses: We have one time zone and all weathers, but, I think, jungle. Jungle is the only type of like weather and landscape and the vegetation. That's Argentina and like Brazil, but because of the Amazon is in like a Patagonia, but everything else, I think it's just fascinating just to have one time zone, right?

[00:26:40] Fabiola Lara: Oh yeah. I'm going to confess right now on the podcast. I have never been to Chile for a million reasons.

[00:26:45] Fran Meneses: We have to go together, baby.

[00:26:46] Fabiola Lara: And I want to go really badly, but I'm also very nervous. And it's exciting to hear about Chile and then it's exciting to tell people. Like, I barely know Chile, and when I meet someone I'm like, no, I'm from Chile. It's this place. I want to put it on the map because I want you to understand what's happening. It's not Mexico. Like, uh, I say Patagonia cause you know maybe the brand. So I'm always trying to just connect dots for people.

[00:27:12] Fran Meneses: We have to be the ambassadors, Fabiola, of Chile.

[00:27:15] Fabiola Lara: That's how I feel. There's not very many. I think in New York, there's only one Chilean restaurant.

[00:27:20] Fran Meneses: There's one in Queens.

[00:27:21] Fabiola Lara: There's one.

[00:27:22] Fran Meneses: From what I know.

[00:27:22] Fabiola Lara: So imagine that. Even in the populated like immigrant city in the US, there is one Chilean restaurant and there's like a Puerto Rican, Venezuelan or Colombian restaurant every like couple of blocks. So I get excited. We'll stop for Chile. How does being Chilena influence your work at this point do you think?

[00:27:46] Fran Meneses: I think it made me appreciative of living abroad because I don't know if this has to do with living in Chile itself, but I had a very weird childhood and upbringing. So up until I moved abroad, so part of my twenties and all of the rest, I never visited or like been to museums that much.

[00:28:08] Fran Meneses: I never had the chance of traveling and meeting people from all over the world. So I think the fact that I'm Chilean makes me feel, it's not that if you're not Chilean you're not appreciative of these things, but growing up in Chile, it makes you feel kind of isolated sometimes because the place, geographically speaking, is super far away from the rest of the world.

[00:28:30] Fran Meneses: So I grew up feeling a lot o FOMO. And moving abroad, I'm like, oh, I'm finally in the place that I wanted to be, yet, I feel very unanchored because I'm so far away from home. Traveling is not like just taking a plane and one hour later, you're there. It's like, if I have to take a plane, it's going to be super expensive.

[00:28:53] Fran Meneses: It's going to take me eight hours to get there. So it made me realize and trying to understand where my Chilena side is

[00:29:01] Fabiola Lara: By being further away, you kind of appreciate where you came from more, especially because you can't just go there for the weekend.

[00:29:10] Fran Meneses: Yes. And there was so much shame, Fabiola, when I moved abroad as well, because I was embarrassed of my accent. I was embarrassed of speaking in another language or even speaking Spanish.

[00:29:21] Fabiola Lara: It's hard.

[00:29:21] Fran Meneses: And I'm like, I don't want to have an accent because people are going to know. And now as the years went by, I realized how important it is to have an accent and all the things that I love the most about myself, they are because I'm Latina and they are because I come from Chile.

[00:29:37] Fran Meneses: So, my vulnerability and I'm always like a very touchy, feely person. And I love that about myself. I love that, I don't know, my sense of humor comes from where I am, like where I, you know, the sense of family, the sense of community, the building connections. Again, not necessarily coming from Chile, but it is

[00:29:59] Fabiola Lara: Just your culture. Like even now wherever you go, you bring it with you. And I think it's beautiful to finally feel proud of your accent as opposed to feeling like shame about it, because it does take you back to your roots at the same time.

[00:30:16] Fran Meneses: Oh yeah. And I think the shame also came from a lack of representation. There were no artists at the time or like, no, no one in the media.

[00:30:26] Fabiola Lara: Sofia Vergara. That's the only one.

[00:30:29] Fran Meneses: I mean, and barely, because

[00:30:31] Fabiola Lara: Sorry, I laugh because I think Sofia Vergara is funny

[00:30:35] Fran Meneses: She's the best, by the way. But like the representation in media, and I'm not saying only in the US, like in general of the Latino community, it's almost like a caricature, like a cartoon of what the Latino community is in real life. So I never felt represented by that.

[00:30:53] Fabiola Lara: Abroad or in Chile? Or always?

[00:30:55] Fran Meneses: Abroad. So since I couldn't see myself, I'm like the person who I am, my accent, my Latina-ness, is wrong. And I felt ashamed of it.

[00:31:08] Fabiola Lara: I felt that too. I never, even like growing up in Miami, like I was like, oh, those people are Latina. Me, I'm too, my skin is too white. I don't have any, me, personally, I don't have an accent cause I grew up here and, you know, I, you know, just a million things that I'm like, oh, I'm not Latina actually. And this is one of the reasons I wanted to make the podcast was to show like, oh, you don't have to be, I guess, Latina can be a spectrum. Like you don't have to be. And that's kind of now I think now being talked about in general, like online.

[00:31:41] Fran Meneses: Yeah. Thank you so much, by the way, Fabiola, for doing this because I really wish I had, or like I listened to a podcast like this when I was starting out with illustration.

[00:31:52] Fabiola Lara: Hopefully, hopefully we can provide that for somebody out there. I feel like growing up, I never saw artists usually, you know, like just in general. And then commercial artists, or it was always like fine artists, right? Like they tell you about Picasso, and you're like, I can't do that. And then I never saw,

[00:32:08] Fran Meneses: And men. Let's not forget that. They were all men.

[00:32:11] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. And I never saw Latinas like in multiple because in the media for a long time, I think now it's changing a bit more, it was mostly that Latinas are cleaning or they're the help or, you know, they're playing background characters. So anyway, now we're main characters now.

[00:32:27] Fran Meneses: Yeah.

[00:32:28] Fabiola Lara: So you have made so many graphic novels, like zines, comics. Can you tell me how you started making comics, how you got into like narrative storytelling?

[00:32:39] Fran Meneses: I think it was probably when I was already living abroad. I kind of like dipped my toes into the comic world when I was living in Chile. I used to have this blog and I always updated at pretty much every day. And I also wanted to get better at drawing with a Cintiq. So I'm like, I need an excuse to draw every single day so I can get better at this.

[00:33:00] Fran Meneses: And I started doing not much storytelling, but like a personal journal of the things that I was going through. And then when I moved abroad, I started. questioning or like asking myself, what is my voice as an author? What do I want to say? How do I feel about this that I'm doing? What do I want to communicate?

[00:33:22] Fran Meneses: And I think for the longest time I thought I had nothing to say. So my illustration started being very silent, just like drawing girls, like drawing cats, and then suddenly more things about feminism or like veganism or things that I was really, I was even until today, I feel super passionate about, started coming more and more on social media and on the internet.

[00:33:47] Fran Meneses: So I suddenly felt for the first time that I had something to say about it, but the issue is that I'm like, I'm not a comic artist, so how am I supposed to do this? And I just did it, I guess, I think Instagram was a great platform to start, because this was even before the swiping, like multiple pictures at the same time, but I'm like, okay, how can I say something in one frame?

[00:34:12] Fran Meneses: So they were usually like one liner jokes or one liner reflections about like life or what I'm going through. And then suddenly I realized that I reached a limit in terms of. not only composition, but it terms of the message that I wanted to communicate. So since I reached this gap or like, I filled the cup, so to speak, I realized that the medium that I was using and the format that I was using, it was no longer using.

[00:34:43] Fabiola Lara: Serving you. Yeah.

[00:34:45] Fran Meneses: Yes. So then I moved on into multiple frames. And that complicated things, because I'm always having the thought that I'm not a good writer, and that's why I draw. I feel more comfortable communicating through images. So I had to get better at saying a lot with fewer words and to communicate more through visual, like through the comic or like through the visual aspect of it, and leave the texts for like the really important thing that I couldn't communicate through images.

[00:35:20] Fran Meneses: But that was always like a process, because again, I'm not very good at writing, but I'm always trying to make people think that I'm not so bad at it, you know?

[00:35:30] Fabiola Lara: I think you're good at writing. I think you're definitely selling yourself short, but you are good at pictures too. So it is good to, you know, you pairing them together is natural and smart of you. And I love reading them, even just your Instagram comics that I know are there like four panels in one panel, but I love those too. And can you tell me what process, what stage you are in, in your new graphic novel that you're working on? You went from single panel to now you're doing a whole sci-fi book.

[00:36:01] Fran Meneses: So this massive beast is going to be like 250 pages.

[00:36:06] Fabiola Lara: I can't wait.

[00:36:07] Fran Meneses: Fabiola, just kill me now. No, just kidding, but like I'm so conditioned to the instant gratification of social media, I'm sure we all are, that when it comes down to like really long-term projects, I am like, where's the gratification, you know, where is the validation that I need?

[00:36:24] Fran Meneses: I feel incomplete in some way. So I'm always trying to remind myself, okay, Fran, this is a long-term project. It's important to have fun in the process, because if you're just so focused on the goal, you're not going to enjoy this. And I'm not saying that drawing a graphic novel or writing a book isn't an enjoyable process because it's way far from that, but I'm trying to work on other things in the meantime.

[00:36:48] Fran Meneses: But anyway, I am now doing like, kind of like biting from different areas because I am both testing if the storyboard that I drew is working out. So for example, I think it was like back in 2019, I realized that the storyboard, basically the tiny versions of each and every single page that I drew, they were all wrong. Like the composition wasn't working,

[00:37:12] Fabiola Lara: It's funny the way you say it, it was wrong. Like somebody came and said it's wrong, but you decided that you could do it better.

[00:37:19] Fran Meneses: Yes. And I mean, it wasn't again, serving me a purpose. I realized that the pictures, like the composition, was too tiny and it wasn't going to work out. I didn't feel like I didn't see myself in this project anymore.

[00:37:33] Fran Meneses: So I'm like, you know what, I'm going to start all over again. So I started all the 250 pages again, and I read a lot of comics and graphic novels in between. So I could pick point exactly what was wrong with the old version of the storyboard. So now that I did, I think, like 50 pages of the new storyboard, I'm like, instead of waiting or like, instead of working on this whole storyboard again, I'm going to test and see if this is actually working. So I started drawing the rough sketches in like real scale paper, so like the bigger version of the storyboard. And suddenly I'm like, oh no, I need to see if this is actually, if this is working in terms of if I transferred this to my iPad and I ink it, or if I outline it, I wonder if it's going to work out. So I started doing that.

[00:38:21] Fabiola Lara: So you're like testing as you go?

[00:38:23] Fran Meneses: I am testing as I go, because, Fabiola, I don't want to do this whole thing ever again.

[00:38:30] Fabiola Lara: Right. You don't want it to happen again where you do the whole storyboard and you're like, nevermind. Okay, this is smart of you. This is really smart.

[00:38:38] Fran Meneses: Thank you, baby. I felt crazy

[00:38:40] Fabiola Lara: It gives you a little bit of gratification, no? Because like you're unlocking

[00:38:44] Fran Meneses: I can see them finished

[00:38:45] Fabiola Lara: You're unlocking little portions.

[00:38:46] Fran Meneses: So I have all of these tabs open and they are kind of like in the midst of getting done, but I have no stage of the graphic novel a hundred percent complete. So I have like 25% of the storyboard and I have, I don't know, like 10% of the sketches. And I don't know, like 3% of the pages that are like fully painted and done, you know?

[00:39:10] Fabiola Lara: That adds up. That's like you said, like 40%.

[00:39:13] Fran Meneses: Oh yeah. And it's great because I've noticed that when I don't want to work, Fabiola, or like when my mind is fried, the best thing is just outline and paint because there's little creative work when you're just outlining. So when I feel overwhelmed or like when I really don't want to get into a sketching part or like the storyboard, I can just simply ink. I wonder if you feel the same

[00:39:37] Fabiola Lara: It's still productive. Yeah, I have. I mean, that's why I think people recommend having like different projects because depending on your mood, you can tackle whatever you're feeling. Okay. So in terms of, well, I cannot wait for your graphic novel. I don't want to pressure you. I'm very excited.

[00:39:53] Fabiola Lara: Thank you, baby. You're not pressuring me.

[00:39:53] Fabiola Lara: I think we are all, all the nerds, are patiently waiting for whenever it's ready. But I wanted to ask you, in terms of validation, you have so many social media channels, right? How do you use your social media channels for that instant gratification when you're not sharing kind of about this long-term. Do you get what I'm saying? Like you're working on this long-term book that then doesn't let you post like little comics or stuff like that. How are you balancing that?

[00:40:21] Fran Meneses: I think it makes total sense because I'm sure anyone who's listening to this probably is going through a medium term project or a long-term project.

[00:40:30] Fran Meneses: I think what I want to do, which it also starts me with like, it has two purposes. So like the first one is to make people part of this project. I think the cool thing is that I'm self-publishing this graphic novel. So I haven't signed any contracts saying I can release the pages or I can't show the process.

[00:40:48] Fran Meneses: So it's been really fun for me to upload the working like behind the scenes on like, for example, my YouTube channel. One of the aspects that I love about having a YouTube channel is that I can show what I'm working on. So I don't have to stop working on the graphic novel if I want to film a video. Does that make sense?

[00:41:07] Fran Meneses: So people are getting more invested in this project because they have been working alongside of me this whole time. And the second purpose is also, well I hate this word, but like naturally I guess what I'm doing is also creating marketing around the graphic novel because people are going to look forward to the launch.

[00:41:27] Fran Meneses: People are going to look forward when I publish it. So in a way, what I'm doing is not only making people part of it, but also promoting it for when I decide to publish it. You know? So I think that is what, I'm not saying, like, I don't need the validation and validation is wrong because we're all humans, like we're craving connection.

[00:41:46] Fran Meneses: We want to connect with other people. And I think the pat on the back that you get from social media, it's also a healthy thing. And like, everything is good in moderation. So I think showing people this stuff, I think it's useful because again, there isn't that many people who are showing the behind the scenes project of our whole graphic novel

[00:42:09] Fabiola Lara: That's very true, yeah. Because I think most people they're like, oh, I have this long-term project. I can't share anything until it is done. And then that's why people are like, I haven't posted on Instagram for a year cause I've been working on this. But I love your approach where you're like, no I'm working on this. I'm going to just keep making this apart of everything that I'm doing, because it is consuming my life.

[00:42:29] Fran Meneses: Or, like even in like technical things, Fabiola. I remember I started Googling like, what papers should I use for drawing sketches? Or like, what are the stages? I learned so late that I was supposed to do a storyboard for it, or like have the script ready. And I'm like, what paper I'm supposed to use if I want to start drawing the ink and like what software? All of this information, or like how big the scale of the paper has to be in order to get scan and then transfer it. And like, how do I decide what is a good size for our graphic novel? And like all of those like technical things that I had no idea, people don't usually share them online.

[00:43:04] Fran Meneses: Which, again, super understandable when you're signing a contract with a major publisher and stuff like that. But I want to share more of these things. So people who want to do it eventually as well, they already have this information and then don't lose that much time like I did.

[00:43:19] Fabiola Lara: Yeah. I love that you do that. And I think it's helpful for everyone else to see, like, again, it's just like relatable and be like, oh one day I want to make a graphic novel. I don't have to wait for a publisher. I can do it myself like Fran. And I think you have a very modern illustration career, you know? You really embrace YouTube and Instagram and all of these things in a way that I think a lot of illustrators either think it's icky. They're like, oh, it's not, high brow.

[00:43:47] Fabiola Lara: I only want to work for Vogue. And, you know, doesn't hire illustrators anymore. So stuff like that, but I really think that you have such a modern illustration career and I'm so glad that you talk about it and you show your work and we can all follow along and watch.

[00:44:02] Fran Meneses: Thank you, baby.

[00:44:03] Fabiola Lara: In your recent YouTube video, you referred to yourself as a content creator, and I was shocked to hear you use this term because it can be so polarizing.

[00:44:13] Fabiola Lara: Like people feel very strongly that I'm an illustrator. I'm not a content creator. Or, you know, I'm an artist, not this, not a content creator. Can you tell me how you feel about how you personally feel about the word content creator and how you feel about social media as an illustrator?

[00:44:31] Fran Meneses: Oh man. Such a good question, Fabiola. I used to hate the word content creator, actually.

[00:44:35] Fran Meneses: And when people called me a YouTuber, I used to cringe so hard. Because I think YouTube used to have, I don't know if anymore, but used to have such a bad reputation. And if you were a YouTuber it meant that. you were, I don't know, like superficial or young or you weren't taking things seriously.

[00:44:53] Fabiola Lara: Like you're partying or something crazy, like you're pranking people.

[00:44:57] Fran Meneses: Absolutely. Yes. But I think just calling myself an illustrator, it wasn't fitting myself anymore because even though I'm an illustrator first, I think a bigger part of my life nowadays is to create content because I have a Patreon and because the stuff that I upload on my social media. is content. It's content in the shape of illustrations, in videos, in the shape of pictures as well now that I started doing that on Instagram again.

[00:45:25] Fran Meneses: But it is content and that's how I reach people. That's how I connect with people. And again, another major confession, something that hurt my ego a lot, Fabiola, a couple of years ago was when people say, I love your videos so much. And I remember feeling so frustrated because I'm like, why never people mention my comics?

[00:45:44] Fran Meneses: Is it because they don't like my stuff and they just like watch my videos and that's it? And I think with time I realized that now we're clicking more with the personality of someone and then what they do for a living. And I realized that nowadays we're intertwining. And I've said this a million times, but like we're intertwining a lot, the arts with the artist or like the person with what they're creating.

[00:46:12] Fran Meneses: Because it's harder for us just to separate both things right now. So when people say, I like your videos, they are saying, I like you as a person. And I like what you're doing.

[00:46:25] Fabiola Lara: Yes. That's how I feel when I say it.

[00:46:27] Fran Meneses: It's a major compliment.

[00:46:29] Fabiola Lara: I connected with your artwork. That to me is obvious. Like I, obviously, I like your work, but I like watching the videos and seeing you create the work and seeing kind of your life around the work inspire the work, right. Because you see Hamburguesa, and you're like, oh, I love it. You know?

[00:46:47] Fran Meneses: I know what this bitch is talking about.

[00:46:50] Fabiola Lara: And I think when people say, I like your videos, it's so honest that you say that because I can see your point of view, like, like deflating. Right? What about the comments? That's the important part. But everyone is connecting with your comics through your videos. And that's kind of how I feel about content creator, right? It's not, it's just a part of what you do, but the main thing, like you said, you do illustration. You just share it in multiple ways. And I think a lot of other illustrators don't do this. They think that they have to be pure.

[00:47:19] Fran Meneses: That's the thing. And that's where the ego thing comes from, Fabiola. For the longest time, even till today, I suffer from imposter syndrome and I'm like, man, I think I'm not an illustrator because I do all of these things online. And I have a Patreon. Like a couple of years ago, I didn't see many people doing this or like this side of illustration.

[00:47:41] Fran Meneses: So I felt like an imposter because I'm like, I don't have a kick-ass portfolio. I've never worked with like major brands. And that's why those comments hurt me. Because again, I didn't see people who were doing it like at the same time or like at that moment.

[00:47:56] Fran Meneses: And I wanted to be legit. I wanted to be that illustrator who had like impressive like portfolio and like an impressive client list. So I guess that hurt came from not knowing who I am as a career, as a profession. You know, now I understand it, but it took me a while to come sense of it and being at peace with it.

[00:48:21] Fabiola Lara: That makes so much sense, especially in a world like if you go to school for illustration, kind of what they teach you is like editorial, right? They're like editorial is how you make it.

[00:48:31] Fran Meneses: Yes, this is the way.

[00:48:32] Fabiola Lara: And you're like, I think it's so cool that you've carved your own path then, you know, may or may not have editorial in the future more and more. You've carved your own path kind of without the quote, "establishment." And I think that's even cooler. I can see what you mean about having imposter syndrome, because I feel the same way. Cause I, you know, I'm not working with the New York Times, but you have established something that many other illustrators would love to have and they just can't because they're working on something else, you know, they're working the other direction.

[00:49:01] Fabiola Lara: So you have to give yourself some grace. And I think what you're doing is a little bit, it's kind of revolutionary for the times. So maybe in like 20 years, people will be like, oh yeah, you can do that instead. But right now it's like, you're too ahead of it. You know, especially because you're pretty established now on YouTube and you're not new to it. So I think you're like the first wave of people to have it be established.

[00:49:25] Fran Meneses: But I'm happy this is now a viable option. Like having an online story, having Patreon and having a YouTube channel. I think it's a great path if you don't want to, or if you don't feel comfortable working with certain brands because they don't align ethically with what your stand for, or you're like, you know what? I don't want to do any commercial work because I want to focus on my own stuff, my own product line or my own stationary brand, or my own scenes and graphic novels.

[00:49:51] Fabiola Lara: You're speaking to me, Fran.

[00:49:53] Fran Meneses: Baby, yes.

[00:49:55] Fabiola Lara: I want to ask you, have you ever considered brand collaborations or sponsorships? I ask this because, yes, let's say you're not necessarily working with editorial, but there's this whole other world that maybe you could work with that other illustrators don't even have the chance because they don't have these platforms, this audience.

[00:50:13] Fran Meneses: Okay. So I've asked myself this question, but since I have a Patreon and people are supporting me there, I have been privileged enough to say no so far to brands and stuff like that. Most of the brands who contact me though, I don't necessarily align with their values or what they're doing and stuff like that.

[00:50:33] Fran Meneses: And I don't want like the art that I'm creating or the content that I'm putting out there to be in some way shaped by a brand. Or I don't know, like what can I say, or what I can't say. So I'm not in any way close to the possibility of working with brands, but right now, since I'm focused on the graphic novel, and my plate is pretty full, I don't want right now in this moment of my life to feel pressured to, oh, I have to upload this video this week because I have this sponsorship coming and I know that's a really big pressure.

[00:51:04] Fabiola Lara: And your Patreon kind of helps you with that.

[00:51:06] Fran Meneses: Yes. So in some way I'm being sponsored by my Patreon, but like,

[00:51:11] Fabiola Lara: Because your patreons want you to do you, which is

[00:51:14] Fran Meneses: Do me, which is

[00:51:16] Fabiola Lara: Ultimately better. I love it. I love it. Okay. You have so many subscribers on YouTube. Do you ever worry about like privacy or security concerns? Like what, literally I watch a lot of true crime and sometimes in my head I'm like, that has to be scary as your subscribers grow. Like, I always worry about like online stalking or just crazy people. Do you ever think about that? Am I crazy?

[00:51:39] Fran Meneses: Oh yeah. A lot. Yes. Actually, when, in a less creepy way, before coming out, I was dating women. And I'm like, oh my God, if someone like recognizes me on this dating app. I wonder if they're going to say something. They did, by the way, they recognized me on the dating app. But like, I'm like, oh my God, no. People are gonna know.

[00:52:00] Fran Meneses: And then after coming out I'm like, oh, it's fine. But people are super respectful in New York City. So even if they see you, they won't say anything or they will say it after. But I'm very careful of where I'm filming and for how long. I'm careful of not filming what's outside of my window in case they can recognize the building.

[00:52:18] Fran Meneses: And I haven't had like a creepy experience so far, because again, I think New York City people are very desensitized. You see famous people on the streets all the freaking time. So I'm just an illustrator who has a YouTube channel and an Instagram account.

[00:52:33] Fabiola Lara: So maybe if you are in a small town, it would feel more weird.

[00:52:37] Fran Meneses: Maybe not because there's less people.

[00:52:39] Fabiola Lara: I don't know. I don't know.

[00:52:40] Fran Meneses: I'm always careful of like, when, for example, my friends are staying at my place. I'm like, please, please, please don't film anything outside of my home. Or like, don't say my nearest subway station and stuff like that.

[00:52:51] Fabiola Lara: You have to sign an NDA to come to your house.

[00:52:53] Fran Meneses: Absolutely. Can you imagine?

[00:52:55] Fabiola Lara: Yeah, just check in here, scan the QR code and then you can come in.

[00:52:59] Fran Meneses: Fill out this form.

[00:53:00] Fabiola Lara: Here, I have a pen for you.

[00:53:05] Fran Meneses: Your initials here, here, and here.

[00:53:07] Fabiola Lara: That's it. You can come right in after that.

[00:53:10] Fran Meneses: It's like a prenup.

[00:53:11] Fabiola Lara: Okay. I was just curious, cause it was on my mind and I don't know any other YouTubers to ask. I think we're going to have to do a part two one day because I could talk to you forever.

[00:53:19] Fran Meneses: Can I come back to this podcast, please?

[00:53:21] Fabiola Lara: Yes, definitely. I can have you on whenever.

[00:53:23] Fran Meneses: I told you it was going to go really fast.

[00:53:24] Fabiola Lara: Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much.

[00:53:27] Fran Meneses: Thank you for inviting me, baby. I can't wait for part two.

[00:53:32] Fabiola Lara: All right, everyone. Thanks so much for listening to this chat with queer Chilean artist Fran Meneses, AKA Francisca Meneses, AKA frannerd. If you want to see more of her work, follow her on Instagram @frannerd, that's F-R-A-N-N-E-R-D to stay in touch with her work and see when that graphic novel it drops. Right now, listeners of the podcast can get a free, undated weekly and monthly planner inspired by the show by using the link in our show notes, or going to drawsinspanish.com.

[00:54:04] Fabiola Lara: If there's a Latinx visual artists based in the US that you think we should speak to on this show, go ahead and nominate them by going to drawsinspanish.com/nominate. Right now I'm focusing on US-based visual artists and designers that are Latinx, but maybe in the future, I'll open it up to international folks.

[00:54:22] Fabiola Lara: I'm just, you know, I'm a one person show. Now, remember to hit subscribe, to get all future episodes of Draws in Spanish. Thank you. And until next time, nos vemos. Chao chao.