Episode #15: Cuban & Egyptian American Muralist Symone Salib

Episode Summary:

In this episode, I'm talking to Egyptian and Cuban American street artist Symone Salib. Symone is a Philadelphia-based artist that I connected with here, and i'm so thrilled to bring this conversation to you all.

Through acrylic paint and illustration, Symone works to highlight the lives of people, with an emphasis on Black Indigenous People of Color across Philadelphia since 2017. She focuses on vibrantly sharing the stories of people in hopes we can connect and resonate with humans who are different from ourselves. She strives to spread joy and create a space where people are not only seen but heard.

Keep listening to discover how she unexpectedly became an artist, her debut street art creation, and her mural preparation process.

Episode Links

⚡️ Connect with the Community: Join the Discord or Patreon

🍊 Host Links: Follow Fabiola on Instagram, Youtube, & TikTok

🎨 Guest Links: Follow Symone Salib on Instagram

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  00:00:10:08 - 00:00:34:22

  Fabiola Lara

  Hey, friends, You're listening to [Draws in Spanish] if you're new here. Welcome to the show. I'm your host, Fabiola Lara. I'm an illustrator and podcaster based in Philadelphia. And on [Draws in Spanish] I chat with Latinx visual artists and designers to discuss everything from their identity and culture to their creative process and work, because I think that they are very much connected and intersect.

  00:00:34:22 - 00:01:05:16

  Fabiola Lara

  And I want to talk about it. Today I'm talking to Venezuelan Illustrator and Art Director Andrea Caceres who is both an illustrator and art director based in New York City. She's illustrated comics, murals, textile designs for both products and clothing. And she's worked with brands like Microsoft, Snapchat and J.Crew. She got her start sharing dog illustrations on her Instagram with her series, A Dog a Day Keeps the Stress Away, which she did for an entire year.

  00:01:06:03 - 00:01:34:13

  Fabiola Lara

  This year, she's also releasing her debut picture book, My Dog just speaks Spanish in both English and Spanish. So be sure to go get that on May 9th, or you could preorder it today on any of the major bookseller sites. Now, before we get started, remember that you can also watch this episode over on YouTube. If you're tired of only listening to my voice, you can go over to YouTube.com, slash the drawers and watch the episode.

  00:01:34:20 - 00:01:54:16

  Fabiola Lara

  It can keep you company while you're cooking or doing laundry or whatever you want. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel. It's amazing. Anyway, I just wanted to remind you. Plus, remember, you can join the free draws in Spanish Discord to connect with other Latin artists and listeners of the show. Just go to draws in Spanish dot com slash chat.

  00:01:55:02 - 00:02:09:03

  Fabiola Lara

  Now keep on listening to hear and their share why she went to school for civil engineering. How she moved to the U.S. as a student and how she landed her first agent for her first ever picture book. Okay, let's get into today's episode.

  00:02:16:08 - 00:02:21:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Welcome to the show, Andrea. Thanks for being here. Thanks for joining me. How are you doing today?

  00:02:22:23 - 00:02:28:17

  Andrea Caceres

  I'm doing good. You know, Monday, we're recording today. Great way to start the week.

  00:02:28:21 - 00:02:50:24

  Fabiola Lara

  Yes. Starting off strong. So I know that you're a Venezuelan artist. It's on your Instagram. You also we also talked about it in the demands. So can you tell me what your life was like before moving to the U.S.? Because on this show, I like to talk to different artists from Latin America. Just to paint a better picture of all the different countries.

  00:02:51:00 - 00:03:13:20

  Andrea Caceres

  Sure. So I am from Venezuela. I moved to New York City when I was 23. So basically, you know, born and raised and everything I am is from there. I was born in a little town called 12. You are this close to the Amazonas. But I grew up in a city. Let's say, like the second biggest city back home of Valencia.

  00:03:14:04 - 00:03:31:08

  Andrea Caceres

  So that's where I feel like all my culture and my upbringing. How brazen is English? My second language, since everybody can already notice. So you hear a lot of little grammar mistakes, but I'm not really ashamed of them anymore, so it doesn't really matter.

  00:03:32:01 - 00:03:46:05

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, I'm glad to hear it because I think that that's awesome. If you forget a word, I'll be here to help and, you know, let's keep it moving. So tell me a little bit more about your life in Venezuela. You grew up in Valencia. That's what you said, right?

  00:03:46:14 - 00:04:01:22

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, I grew up in Malaysia. Really? Small family was just my mom and me. My dad died when I was really young. So I grew up. Yes, with my mom. And I don't know, it was beautiful. You know, the city that I grew up with was pretty close to the beach in one of the most beautiful beaches back home.

  00:04:01:22 - 00:04:19:05

  Andrea Caceres

  So I would go there all the time. Very conservative, classic Hispanic culture around the city. Everybody, you know, is Catholic go to church. Overall, I feel like a really, really happy and colorful and very connected with nature.

  00:04:19:17 - 00:04:20:16

  Fabiola Lara

  Even in the city.

  00:04:21:00 - 00:04:42:06

  Andrea Caceres

  Even in the city. Yeah. This is something that I all the time bring up and is I feel like here in the United States is either during a big city or during like a little town, but there's no like in-between or the in-between zone really feel like an in-between. I feel like back home it was a city, but I would do exercise going, you know, up into them on time because you could just do that.

  00:04:42:06 - 00:04:55:23

  Andrea Caceres

  And then, you know, how about half an hour away you have like a really magical beach that you could just go over in the weekends. So it doesn't really like in the city, but it doesn't really feel as crowded or as disconnected of nature. Like here.

  00:04:56:07 - 00:05:15:21

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, I understand what you mean. I think that there are cities in the U.S. that are more like that, but definitely not New York City, which is where you are. Well, you have a beach like an hour away by train, but it's not the best beach on earth in my experience. What's your opinion of the Rockaways?

  00:05:16:06 - 00:05:28:15

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, definitely. I mean, I go I enjoy I love New York City and I love the culture here from all over New York City the first day I came. So it I have no complaints, but definitely not the best beach I've ever seen.

  00:05:28:23 - 00:05:51:05

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, well, New York is not known for the beaches, so, you know, there's that. Okay, so I totally get what you mean. I think maybe there's, like, other cities that are a little bit more nature friendly, but, you know, you can have it all, I guess, here. What was your opinion of or your perception of the U.S. growing up in Venezuela?

  00:05:51:23 - 00:06:29:16

  Andrea Caceres

  It is interesting because I feel like exactly my generation had like different point of view of what they might have right now. But when I was really small, Venezuela was really connected to the United States. So basically everything we had was from from here. So our grocery store to have like Captain Crunch, we have like sneakers, you know, it was like almost the same kind of products or the TV will be Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and things like that later on when Venezuela and like cut ties with the United States and all of these changes happen, then we didn't have access to any of those things.

  00:06:29:16 - 00:06:50:06

  Andrea Caceres

  But I still think my generation precisely I don't know, younger generations growing without the influence of the United States, and that's me. But my generation really idolize yeah, idolize the United States. And I feel like, you know, if you wanted to go for a vacation and he was cool with the United States and things like that, I grew up with not really a lot of access to money.

  00:06:50:06 - 00:07:02:17

  Andrea Caceres

  So I didn't really came to the U.S. until the moment I moved. But that's what you will see. Like on your friends. Like that's where they were going to go on vacations. That's where the cool things were, and that's when everybody wanted to be part of, if that makes sense.

  00:07:03:03 - 00:07:20:13

  Fabiola Lara

  Yes. Yes. I love to talk about this because I think it varies per country and also per class, like depending on where you are in the class, you have a different perception of the U.S. Did your perception ever change or did you ever did you always look at it like this amazing place while you were in Venezuela?

  00:07:21:01 - 00:07:50:13

  Andrea Caceres

  You know, being there, it looked like a better place to be. I wouldn't say necessarily the best place to be or the only place that it was great to be like when I was, you know, really small, like being in college and learning of all their places and other cultures and all of this used, you know, my list of great places to be was bigger than just the U.S., but still looked like a better place for me to grow and, you know, for my future than back home just because of the situation back home.

  00:07:51:03 - 00:08:02:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Right. And so tell me a little bit more about how you immigrated to the U.S. and why you chose the U.S. because like you just said, there are also other amazing places to move to.

  00:08:02:24 - 00:08:26:07

  Andrea Caceres

  Okay. It's a funny story. So I didn't wanted to come here. I wasn't in my plans. It wasn't what I wanted. I saw it was too hard for me to, you know, do all the investment of money that I didn't have. I had to, like, save money to come here and then figure out how to stay. And everything was so hard as an immigrant to stay in the United States and whatever.

  00:08:26:07 - 00:08:49:18

  Andrea Caceres

  So it wasn't on my goal, it wasn't in my mind at all. But I met someone online that he was from here. He's also an illustrator and we like each other's art. And we were, you know, we started like talking and we were just like, Oh yeah, like you're are. And he's like, Come to New York. And I'm like, I'm not going to go to New York because the next time I buy a ticket, I'm going to leave.

  00:08:50:00 - 00:09:07:06

  Andrea Caceres

  He's like, Oh, I'll go there. And I'm like, Cool. So he went to Venezuela and he met me, and then he was like, You have the doors open in my house. My mom has an empty room because my sister is in England. You can stay with us, whatever. And I'm like, okay, whatever. Let me see. I didn't even have a visa.

  00:09:07:07 - 00:09:22:21

  Andrea Caceres

  Never came here before, so but I was like, why not? Like, let's try it out. I'm going to ask for my apartment and my visa and figure out I will apply as a student to study English. And then if I like out of stay, I will figure out how it works. Right? That was like a three month process.

  00:09:22:21 - 00:09:36:02

  Andrea Caceres

  And then I did get my visa and then I texted my friend, who is now my husband, and asked him. I told her I got my visa, I'm going next week. And then I was here. So it was crazy.

  00:09:36:10 - 00:09:52:05

  Fabiola Lara

  Oh my gosh. That takes a lot of guts, right? That takes a lot of just like, Yeah, okay, let's just try it and see what happens. I love it. It's such a wonderful little illustration, love story. It's so cute. I had no.

  00:09:52:05 - 00:09:52:22

  Andrea Caceres

  Idea.

  00:09:54:09 - 00:10:14:14

  Fabiola Lara

  And I love it. Okay, So wow, that takes a lot of courage to just be like, Let me go. And. Well, you had already met him once. He had been at your place or in Venezuela at least. So you knew he was real, right? Like, no, he's like a like and that you could be around him for a while because that's the other thing, right?

  00:10:14:14 - 00:10:21:06

  Fabiola Lara

  Like, are we going to be down for that long for. So how long did you book that ticket for it?

  00:10:21:11 - 00:10:39:06

  Andrea Caceres

  Everything they're saying, like it's just so funny to me because when he first say he was going, he say that he had the biggest pie he ever had in his life because all my friends, my neighbors, everybody went to my house to to receive him because everybody saw I was getting catfished. So they were like, you are getting catfish.

  00:10:39:16 - 00:10:43:07

  Andrea Caceres

  So there's like 40 people waiting for him in my house. So.

  00:10:44:04 - 00:10:47:13

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, I love it. And what is your family accepting.

  00:10:47:13 - 00:10:48:00

  Andrea Caceres

  Of this.

  00:10:48:00 - 00:10:51:17

  Fabiola Lara

  Or was your mom or your grandma like. And they are. What are you.

  00:10:51:17 - 00:11:07:09

  Andrea Caceres

  Doing? No, I'm almost like, yeah, all right. Like, you do. What are you. I don't know. My mom is, you know, she's awesome. She's. She was optimistic. I love her, but she was optimistic and she's like, let me do it. She's like, all right. I mean, if this is your destiny, I guess you're fine.

  00:11:09:21 - 00:11:11:12

  Fabiola Lara

  And then funny and crazy.

  00:11:11:19 - 00:11:19:10

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, it's it's insane. Like, it could have go so wrong for both of us. Like, I could have been crazy. He could have been crazy.

  00:11:19:23 - 00:11:29:22

  Fabiola Lara

  You. But at least you followed each other's Instagrams. And I'm assuming there was a lot of content. And how long did you guys follow each other before he came to visit you?

  00:11:30:04 - 00:11:41:18

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah. Yeah, it was for a while. So, like, we. We followed her for a while. We talked to each other for a while, and then he's like, I'm just going to go for vacations. I'm like, Cool. You know, we'll take care of it. Just come and then. Yeah.

  00:11:41:23 - 00:11:49:05

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, exactly. So you knew so you knew you was like a real person on the other side. I'm assuming you say timed or something like that.

  00:11:49:05 - 00:11:50:04

  Andrea Caceres

  Before one time.

  00:11:50:13 - 00:11:53:01

  Fabiola Lara

  One just one time deployment.

  00:11:53:18 - 00:12:00:08

  Andrea Caceres

  And I didn't speak English like I didn't speak English and I moved here. It's like I speak a little bit of English. That was funny.

  00:12:01:02 - 00:12:06:13

  Fabiola Lara

  I love it. I love the courage and like just following it because it did turn out all right.

  00:12:07:00 - 00:12:15:10

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, we have seven years, you know, I think five years married now. So, yeah, it turned out we're fine, but it was a crazy, crazy beginnings.

  00:12:15:17 - 00:12:23:02

  Fabiola Lara

  Right? You took a chance. You took a chance for sure. So you came. You went to the U.S. on a student visa for English, you said.

  00:12:23:09 - 00:12:23:16

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah.

  00:12:24:06 - 00:12:32:13

  Fabiola Lara

  Okay. And why did you choose that instead of, like, a illustration program or an art program or something like that?

  00:12:32:16 - 00:12:48:01

  Andrea Caceres

  It was just for Visa. It matters just because I move here with a student visa to learn English as a second language, and then the plan is for you to go back. So that's like, I feel like that's a way for you to get a visa that is not.

  00:12:48:01 - 00:12:49:23

  Fabiola Lara

  Really just a tourist visa.

  00:12:50:04 - 00:13:06:09

  Andrea Caceres

  Exactly. It's not a tourist visa. And it's not like a working visa. Like I'm just going to study whatever. And, you know, you just have to, like, sign up into like an in like an agent. I was the only person who got the visa that they they've rejected anybody else. So it's like really hard to get a visa.

  00:13:06:09 - 00:13:09:15

  Andrea Caceres

  And that was the easier way to get got it.

  00:13:09:15 - 00:13:13:16

  Fabiola Lara

  But it still has it's still tough. It's not they're not handing them out every day.

  00:13:13:17 - 00:13:15:11

  Andrea Caceres

  No, no. For sure now.

  00:13:15:24 - 00:13:36:02

  Fabiola Lara

  Okay. And then tell me about how you ended up staying, because you're supposed to leave, right? But you have this this man now who's I assume at that point, maybe your boyfriend, maybe not yet. At some point he becomes your boyfriend, I'm assuming, before husband. And so tell me a little bit more. Give us the full picture here.

  00:13:36:12 - 00:14:02:13

  Andrea Caceres

  So I move here and yes, we're just friends. And then I moved by myself for like a month. And it was a crazy experience. And then for a crisis circumstance, he was like, Go back to my house. We're already dating. It's okay. Go back to my house. Then I went back to his house and then we stay with his mom for like another year because he's a lot of things happen where you would say, he's die, die.

  00:14:02:23 - 00:14:19:23

  Andrea Caceres

  So we have to stay. So we stay with his mom for a year. And then I was over, would study at the same time. My husband went to England and I couldn't go because I couldn't go out of the U.S. So it was like, Oh, I'm so sad that you're now here. And I'm like, you know, I can go out of the country.

  00:14:19:23 - 00:14:25:17

  Andrea Caceres

  And then he said, We should just get married. And I was like, All right, let's just do it. And then we did it. And then I say.

  00:14:26:13 - 00:14:32:02

  Fabiola Lara

  Yes, Good, Good for you, good for you. How did you end up getting those design jobs?

  00:14:32:10 - 00:14:51:13

  Andrea Caceres

  Sure. So I graduated in college as a civil engineer. Wow. Has nothing to do or what to do now. You know, creatively, I think, and like in process and stuff, I think has helped me a lot. But it's obviously not what I do with my day to day. But when I was graduating college, I saw all my friends happen to be designers.

  00:14:51:21 - 00:15:21:12

  Andrea Caceres

  I started a company with my best friend Cole Levy and Rose, and he was hand-painted mocks that we were illustrating. And I kind of like started my passion for illustrating. And then with her and my my other friend, they kind of like taught me the principles of design and like how to do certain things. And yeah, my first year in college I was already working with this and I know this was my passion and I was like, I'm going to make the best that I can to work into this area.

  00:15:21:12 - 00:15:23:19

  Andrea Caceres

  Even when I'm graduating something totally different.

  00:15:24:04 - 00:15:30:00

  Fabiola Lara

  So your first year of college, you were already doing that and you stayed with civil engineering?

  00:15:30:03 - 00:15:31:11

  Andrea Caceres

  My last year of college.

  00:15:31:23 - 00:15:36:12

  Fabiola Lara

  Your last year of college. Okay, okay, okay. I was like, I was like your first year. You sort of switch.

  00:15:37:12 - 00:15:59:05

  Andrea Caceres

  Okay. But that's you know, it's very interesting because I knew since I before I started that I wanted to work in design or marketing something like this, but I didn't because those careers are private and I didn't have money to pay for those. My mom was a teacher, so she didn't have money to be for the careers like engineers and medicine and lawyers.

  00:15:59:05 - 00:16:00:13

  Andrea Caceres

  Sour cream, Venezuela.

  00:16:00:18 - 00:16:02:09

  Fabiola Lara

  All but anything else? No.

  00:16:02:18 - 00:16:04:17

  Andrea Caceres

  So like our careers are now.

  00:16:05:01 - 00:16:11:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow, this is interesting. What an interesting concept. But did you ever consider not going to school?

  00:16:11:22 - 00:16:18:09

  Andrea Caceres

  No, that wasn't even on the. No, I have to go to school. Yeah. If I go to school, my mom would be cause.

  00:16:18:09 - 00:16:24:18

  Fabiola Lara

  I'm thinking maybe with your friends, you could have been like, Oh, you know, I'm going to quit. I'm going to work with my friends. Not an option.

  00:16:24:18 - 00:16:35:02

  Andrea Caceres

  No. Okay. I'm not an option for sure, but go graduate it. And then with my the illustrations that I was doing with, like my all my company.

  00:16:35:10 - 00:16:38:06

  Fabiola Lara

  With your what I want with what kind of company?

  00:16:38:08 - 00:16:41:04

  Andrea Caceres

  Mug. Mug teacups.

  00:16:41:10 - 00:16:46:11

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it. Mug company. Sorry. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure so I understand. Wants to have.

  00:16:46:14 - 00:17:03:00

  Andrea Caceres

  Income so that kind of like, caught the eye of now a close friend of mine who has a sublimation company back home, and she gave me what it was my first design job like full time. So I graduated as a civil engineer. But when I finished my classes, I already had an actual like, design job.

  00:17:03:10 - 00:17:21:11

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow. Perfect. And that's what you wanted to do anyway. So it was just like, perfect. I worked out. So when did you realize that you could make illustration a career? Was it when you were in the U.S.? Was it when you were back home? Tell me how illustration kind of started happening for you.

  00:17:21:24 - 00:17:44:07

  Andrea Caceres

  It was back home with my with my friends. Now, I tell you, like they all have freelance work and they all had like different contacts. They gave me jobs, they taught me stuff. And with them I realized like, Oh, I can make this work. And I start getting, you know, certain jobs here and there. And my even my mom was like, I guess you can make this your job, because my mom was like very, very against it.

  00:17:44:07 - 00:17:50:11

  Andrea Caceres

  She was like, You are this is not going to make any money. You're crazy. Oh, my gosh.

  00:17:50:20 - 00:17:59:24

  Fabiola Lara

  I want to know everything about that. Okay. Why did your mom not think you could make any money with illustration? I mean, I'm not surprised. This is common.

  00:18:01:11 - 00:18:16:06

  Andrea Caceres

  I mean, I feel like people still don't really understand that. Like, I have people from my past who will, like, you know, come to New York City and see me and they will be like, Yeah, but what do you do? What did you do on my do you see it like I'm being a boss every day. You see what I do?

  00:18:16:14 - 00:18:36:06

  Andrea Caceres

  Like that's what I'm doing. And they're like, I don't understand. I'm like, Alright, right, that's fine. You know, I, I still think that people don't really understand what I do and especially if you're in the Hispanic community, they don't see not it's no, they don't see the value, they just worry about other things. So don't have really time to think about, oh, how are these things made?

  00:18:36:06 - 00:18:45:10

  Andrea Caceres

  And there is a person behind doing all these things. So yeah, my mom was very much against it. She thought I was crazy at the beginning, but now she loves that, so that's great.

  00:18:45:18 - 00:18:58:20

  Fabiola Lara

  I was going to be my next question. How does she feel about it now? Because now you're in the US, you're illustrating, you have a book coming out which we will talk about in a little bit. So she's over the moon. She's supportive now. She's on board.

  00:18:59:07 - 00:19:16:16

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, she loves it. You still say she still is like what? You are the engineer. And I'm like, I know that that helps. You know, I do agree that that helps in like, my process, my working process, my business, mine and all of these things. But it's like not, you know, like I don't remember anything of what I learned there.

  00:19:16:23 - 00:19:24:17

  Fabiola Lara

  But do you like do you think your mom presents to you, to her friends, like my daughter, the engineer, or my daughter, the illustrator?

  00:19:25:08 - 00:19:29:14

  Andrea Caceres

  I don't know. I don't know it. To me, that's you know, because I could see.

  00:19:29:23 - 00:19:33:08

  Fabiola Lara

  I could see a parent being, like, still stuck there right.

  00:19:33:16 - 00:19:43:21

  Andrea Caceres

  Now. I think she says I'm an artist now. I think she's like artist, an audience. She does design, you know, and whatever. But I think you those are now. But I think at the beginning it was definitely a challenge for her.

  00:19:44:04 - 00:19:52:18

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it. Okay. When do you think that she finally got it? Was it after a certain project or after a certain accomplishment?

  00:19:53:04 - 00:20:05:22

  Andrea Caceres

  When I moved here, when I moved here and I was leaving all of this and I was like, I'm not even going to do you know, sometimes she will, like, sneak in, like, are you going to try to validate your degree there? And I'm like, Absolutely not. There's no need for me to do that.

  00:20:06:16 - 00:20:10:03

  Fabiola Lara

  I love that she's still carrying that degree for you.

  00:20:10:20 - 00:20:26:05

  Andrea Caceres

  Even if I wanted it. It was so hard that it was just like and really far away and like, I will be doing it like, right now, seven years after, you know? No, no, like, close there. It was like, so expensive. I needed to do another class where I going to even fit that? It didn't really make sense.

  00:20:26:19 - 00:20:27:19

  Andrea Caceres

  So I'm like, No, I.

  00:20:28:03 - 00:20:53:16

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it, I got it. I it's adorable and I love it. And it's it's funny because it's like, sad and annoying, but adorable at the same time. Like, you understand where she's coming from, right? She's like, Oh, my daughter, she got this amazing degree. This is like stability. This is like a career. And you go and you do something completely unstable and especially perceived as super unstable, right?

  00:20:53:17 - 00:21:04:02

  Fabiola Lara

  There's like this myth that you're going to be broke forever and that it's impossible. So I understand where she's coming from. I understand where a lot of parents are coming from, but especially here in the US is very possible.

  00:21:04:07 - 00:21:06:07

  Andrea Caceres

  Oh, yeah. I mean, 100%.

  00:21:06:07 - 00:21:13:02

  Fabiola Lara

  What do you feel is the difference between being an illustrator here and being an illustrator in Venezuela or in Latin America?

  00:21:13:08 - 00:21:34:14

  Andrea Caceres

  I feel like the opportunities that you have here are pretty much just here in the United States, like, I don't think people really realize that when they say that whatever, they don't want to be here or whatever. But the opportunities that I have that, especially in New York City, have opened into me, I feel like I could have just made that happen here the beginning.

  00:21:34:14 - 00:21:57:01

  Andrea Caceres

  There is a market for everything. People is putting money in a lot of a lot of stuff. I have all the artist friends in other parts of the world. Everybody is moving out of the country and they do have opportunities, but it's not really there's not as much money as here and there's just so much happen in the United States is so big and there's so much happening at old times.

  00:21:57:01 - 00:22:17:05

  Andrea Caceres

  And you really do have a chance to work in like any area you want to expand yourself too, and find clients too. And even if you want to, you know, have a niche, like I have a niche and I decided to be there and I it has grown so much that now I'm like, I don't know, like I we're, we're basically a repair company at this point.

  00:22:17:21 - 00:22:23:14

  Andrea Caceres

  So I think the opportunities there's not enough opportunities back home for artists.

  00:22:23:24 - 00:22:48:12

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, I think that's that's why I wanted to ask you this question, especially for someone who did it in both countries. Like you said, people here are always like, Oh, I want to leave. I want to get out of here, because there are a lot of negative things that come with living in the U.S. But the one thing that the U.S. does really well is have a ton of money and a lot of industry because ultra capitalism is super strong here.

  00:22:48:18 - 00:23:04:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Like you said, you have a very specific needs and you are thriving, you have commissions, you're working with brands. And so that's the privilege of of being here. So I just like to point it out for people who are frustrated, it's like, here is the place to do creative jobs.

  00:23:05:04 - 00:23:16:14

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, yeah. Hunger, percenters. I have no dope in that. And it's definitely, you know, there is I want to get stuff obviously happening, but I think if you are looking to grow, it's the place to be.

  00:23:16:20 - 00:23:34:03

  Fabiola Lara

  Now I want to talk a little bit more about your work. So you have this series called A Dog a Day keeps the stress Away that you started over on Instagram. Can you tell me how you came up with this series and what you learned from it? Because I think it was really big for you and I want to talk about it.

  00:23:34:17 - 00:23:57:16

  Andrea Caceres

  So they could just breath away. I was studying and I had absolutely no time to do anything related with my own work or any are I. I couldn't even sleep or eat or do anything. So I was working in this company, baby company, the one that I did the internship as a designer and one of the employees is to bring her dog to the office sometimes.

  00:23:58:03 - 00:24:14:08

  Andrea Caceres

  And I drew it and then it was like that was like December or whatever. And that was like, Oh, you know what? Like, I'm going to draw a dog every day. I was like, This will be that's such a good idea. I'm going to draw a dog every day. And I would like force myself to do something related with our and like practicing my watercolor.

  00:24:14:10 - 00:24:31:10

  Andrea Caceres

  And it's not, it's not just like work, work, work. And because I was drawing and stuff for them, but it wasn't enough and I obviously wasn't fulfilling for me. So I don't know how they the phrase came up. I don't remember if it was me or it was somebody else as we all was at home or at the office.

  00:24:31:10 - 00:24:39:13

  Andrea Caceres

  But I was like, I love this. I look at that, it gives the stress away. And I started January 1st and I finished December 31st of that year. So 365 dogs.

  00:24:39:24 - 00:24:41:12

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow. So many dogs.

  00:24:41:23 - 00:25:01:11

  Andrea Caceres

  So many dogs. I started with my own dog and I finish with my own or their dogs when I was smaller and all the other dogs in between. And I would just post on Instagram and I would be like, If you want your dog draw, you send it to me. I would say like six months in, it started getting big and people were like, I'm going to pay you to put my dog on the project.

  00:25:01:17 - 00:25:26:00

  Andrea Caceres

  I want a print of my dog. So I started having like a little storybook by just spring something that I drew. But I wasn't like taking commissions. Then later of that year, I contacted a coffee shop that opened a few months before I before in that same year, who are now my friends too. And the coffee shop opened and I reach out to them and I was like, Hey, like, let's do something.

  00:25:26:00 - 00:25:41:10

  Andrea Caceres

  And she was like, I have a wall if you want to paint it. And I was like, Sure, I'm on. I've been there, obviously. And then she's like, Do you want to do a live event where you draw dogs that come to the coffee shop? And I was like, Sure. So I did that and that was my first like official event.

  00:25:41:16 - 00:25:52:11

  Andrea Caceres

  But then doing that event opened up the doors for me to do like one of the biggest pet conventions. All this for free, by the way. All this for free. All painted that wall for free.

  00:25:52:17 - 00:25:57:15

  Fabiola Lara

  So up until that point, that project was free. It was not a paid project. Okay.

  00:25:57:21 - 00:26:06:02

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah. All the 365 dogs were free, but also the dogs in the special mention were also free and also they was also free.

  00:26:06:06 - 00:26:12:21

  Fabiola Lara

  I thought you were just saying the coffee shop was free. No, Even the convention was free. Yeah. Or do you regret that?

  00:26:13:15 - 00:26:14:06

  Andrea Caceres

  No.

  00:26:14:13 - 00:26:15:23

  Fabiola Lara

  Okay, tell me why.

  00:26:16:06 - 00:26:35:18

  Andrea Caceres

  I don't regret it. Because I, again, like all of this, opened up even bigger opportunities. What? I could charge people and just like building my own network. So I have this thing I heard somebody say and it stuck with me forever. And I'm like, I either do stuff free all the prizes, but it is. But I don't do cheap stuff.

  00:26:36:01 - 00:26:39:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it. Yes, Yes. And why do you think that works for you?

  00:26:40:02 - 00:27:02:08

  Andrea Caceres

  I don't want to be somebody that people think that they can come with me and they're going to get like a cheap discount and like, Oh, I'm going to just be with this artist because she's cheaper. You know, I want people to pay for what I'm valuable for. And if you are coming to me and you're like my friend or somebody and I know I don't either, I don't want to charge you that much money or I don't, I know you can't afford it.

  00:27:02:08 - 00:27:08:12

  Andrea Caceres

  I'd rather, if I have the time, do it as a gift. Then you pay me less and then recommend me to somebody else as a cheap artist.

  00:27:08:20 - 00:27:24:09

  Fabiola Lara

  Yes, because that's the thing you use charge someone cheap. Then they send you to their friend and they want something for cheap and it never stops. And now you're inundated with these kind of, like, low quality projects in terms of satisfaction. Right? Because they're not what you think anyway.

  00:27:24:09 - 00:27:35:07

  Andrea Caceres

  And then you have, you know, you have like ten projects that everybody's paying you a little bit. And instead of having like one that you can like really focus on that cost the same as like dust and projects, if that makes sense.

  00:27:35:13 - 00:27:41:02

  Fabiola Lara

  Right. Okay. Tell me what happened after this convention and how you moved away from tree.

  00:27:41:11 - 00:28:00:09

  Andrea Caceres

  So that was like I think it was the first one, but it was like the first convention for Pet Influencers. And I met a lot of people in the industry. So not just pet influencers but also new companies that were showing up and things like that. And then after that my friends were not free and obviously I was charging.

  00:28:00:09 - 00:28:20:16

  Andrea Caceres

  I'm very, very fast. That's why everybody surprise up. I would do a talk in like for 2 minutes, just like very, very fast. So it was like everybody was like, I want to hire her because she's super fast. She can get me like 60 portraits in like whatever time. I'm like, So I was, you know, I start charging for my rent and then I opened up my own store on online.

  00:28:21:01 - 00:28:33:10

  Andrea Caceres

  I never I tried to, like, have a net, see, but I didn't really like it. I like to have, like, my own stuff. So it was always my website or my Instagram. So if you, if you wanted to buy something for me was directly for me and I would just like.

  00:28:33:14 - 00:28:35:04

  Fabiola Lara

  No third party. Got it?

  00:28:35:04 - 00:28:36:09

  Andrea Caceres

  No, No third party.

  00:28:36:14 - 00:28:47:24

  Fabiola Lara

  So you went to the dog influencer convention. You did free portraits. You're super fast. So and I can totally see how that's beneficial for these people who are hiring for events. So tell me more.

  00:28:48:10 - 00:29:20:19

  Andrea Caceres

  I just met a bunch of people that work in the industry and I think like that year in like November, so like a month after I got my work permit. So I was ready to like, start charging and start like fully working with this. And then so yeah, I find another job was at the Excel designer in Manhattan and I work as a textile designer and have my own illustrated illustration business in the side and he was at this point he was already a store, a business.

  00:29:20:19 - 00:29:27:24

  Andrea Caceres

  And I did have people who wanted commissions and I opened that and they cheap everywhere. And I did like shirts with your dog on it and things like that.

  00:29:28:08 - 00:29:48:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it. Wow. Amazing. I love seeing how you're telling it. Like little by little, it just kept growing and growing and growing. And it was all with the beginning was just this a dog a Day project. So that's amazing for anyone who was like, How do I get started? You know, start a personal project that you feel really passionate about and stick with it because you did it for 365 days.

  00:29:48:21 - 00:30:16:13

  Fabiola Lara

  And a lot of people give up too soon. You know, they're just like they do 30 and they're like, it's over. And they don't give it those six months that it needs for it to really take off. So how do you feel having a niche like pets has benefited you, your work, your business? I want to know because I know a lot of illustrators and artists think that if they niche too much, they're going to be too pigeonholed and they're not going to get the work that they want to get.

  00:30:16:20 - 00:30:27:05

  Fabiola Lara

  But I feel like you, you know, you've conquered pets and now you're like doing everything that you possibly can within this niche. So tell me, how has this, like benefited you and made you stronger?

  00:30:27:08 - 00:30:45:20

  Andrea Caceres

  So I think has pros and cons. I definitely think it's a it's a pro because one of the pros is that people get to know you. So basically everybody that is like deep on the pet industry knows my style, knows what I do. They want to have me on their events. They want to have me as a guest.

  00:30:45:20 - 00:31:04:04

  Andrea Caceres

  They want to have me just show up, you know, just just be there. And they love my dogs. I think just like having a needs, it really helps out to like, get yourself known into our community. So, you know, obviously the community is huge and it gets bigger every year and there is a lot of money on it.

  00:31:04:04 - 00:31:24:12

  Andrea Caceres

  So it's that great need to be in what I'm lucky I can speak for other niche, but I do think it helps out because people know you and want to work with you and they ask for you. So they'll go to places and be like, Oh, I wish, you know, you bring Andrea or I wish you will do something with this artist or their pet brands.

  00:31:24:12 - 00:31:56:04

  Andrea Caceres

  And that's kind of like how the word spreads because people know you so well. They also want to have you do collaborations with other brands they have and they start putting the seed, I feel, and then it kind of just like grows from there. I think there's cons about it and you stop. Sometimes you do want to go out of your out of that niche and either you don't get enough support on that project specifically, or you want to work with other brands that don't necessarily are connected with the needs for you don't have a portfolio to show that shows like how can you work with that brand?

  00:31:56:13 - 00:32:12:20

  Andrea Caceres

  So definitely pros and cons, but I think there's more process into getting yourself known and then branching out than just being all over and not being able to, like, secure any community. I feel like also nowadays, especially right now, community is the most important part.

  00:32:13:09 - 00:32:18:01

  Fabiola Lara

  And why do you think that? I agree, but I want to know why you think community is the most important part.

  00:32:18:11 - 00:32:36:21

  Andrea Caceres

  The community I've built, I feel they helped me to get like I'm so grateful that I have them and I grow it because if I didn't have them, I wouldn't be where I am right now. And the way, you know, they way they support all my you know, they go to all my events, they buy all my products.

  00:32:37:03 - 00:32:53:21

  Andrea Caceres

  They like everything that, you know, everything they pull, they check everything I post everywhere. They you know, they recommend me to everybody. They recommend me their own job. So I get like all there's you know, they try to do stuff with me. I feel like building that connection with the people that you are selling stuff to, it's really important.

  00:32:54:01 - 00:33:22:12

  Andrea Caceres

  And I, I also compare myself like you are selling yourself as a brand, but if you see a brand that doesn't really engage with their community and like doesn't really have like a personal connection, then it doesn't have like enough engagement anywhere. And like they do drops and stuff, but they don't have any like public if I treat myself that way and I didn't put myself out there and like show my own life and show and I engage when people like I respond to everybody that the aims me basically.

  00:33:22:12 - 00:33:39:24

  Andrea Caceres

  And I also have a pretty good memory. So I remember a lot of them. If I see them twice, I'm already saying how I do them. Like, Hey, like, how are you? I saw you last time, you know, I know who you are. I like that sense of like you belong to something or like you you are connected with somebody.

  00:33:39:24 - 00:33:50:23

  Andrea Caceres

  Also, I feel like it's it opens up the door for them to, like, be more like, Oh, this is a product that I won, but I also want to support her. So like, of course I'm getting it right.

  00:33:50:23 - 00:34:11:04

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, it's super powerful to have that connection. I have to questions for you. I'm going to tell you both. So I don't forget. First, did you set out to go after this community of pet parents and, you know, a dog enthusiast? Did you or you like, Oh, these people, they're going to be the perfect place for my art.

  00:34:11:18 - 00:34:13:10

  Andrea Caceres

  No, it just happened.

  00:34:14:10 - 00:34:28:23

  Fabiola Lara

  And how do you think people can go about creating that for themselves as artists? Like, how do you build community? Because everyone says community is super important, but sometimes it's hard to see how to build a community for yourself. Do you have any advice?

  00:34:29:22 - 00:34:47:01

  Andrea Caceres

  Definitely putting yourself out there and you have to be comfortable with that and you have to also is it can get a whole world overwhelming for sure, but I used to I don't do it that much anymore because I can draw for many hours for certain things that I have. Like I draw too much. I have like a spider lesson on my neck.

  00:34:47:01 - 00:34:50:01

  Andrea Caceres

  So that's another, that's another story for another day.

  00:34:50:08 - 00:34:51:16

  Fabiola Lara

  That's a different podcast. Yeah.

  00:34:52:16 - 00:35:12:09

  Andrea Caceres

  Exactly. I used to do livestream and yeah, like if you could see the way I have to work now, it's insane, but it doesn't matter. I have to. I start livestreaming a lot on Instagram, on Twitch and I will spend hours, you know, hours talking to people while drawing their dogs while doing my own projects. And I will they will know everything about me.

  00:35:12:09 - 00:35:37:17

  Andrea Caceres

  And they still do like dating and they know what my favorite use is. They know what my dogs do, They know they know everything. And I feel like I still share a lot of that. I don't share as much as right now because I'm a little bit busy because also I have my my neck problem, but I still have subscribers on Instagram and on Twitch on Twitch are on the livestreams, but I do have like a discord where we talk.

  00:35:37:24 - 00:36:00:17

  Andrea Caceres

  But yeah, talking to these people all the time and like, you know, being honest about who you are and also just engaging, engaging with them as much as you can, you know, I respond, you know, they will ask like, oh, which fossil do you recommend? I have a list. Like, I'm not going to lie. I'm a I'm a dog person to I have two dogs and I am psychotic with them and they have a three colonies in my whole house.

  00:36:00:24 - 00:36:08:14

  Andrea Caceres

  So I'm like, Yeah, I have all these puzzles. I recommend this. I recommend that like you use like, like really have a connection with this people.

  00:36:09:00 - 00:36:33:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, it's, it's like a mixture of your authentic passion for the topic, which in this case is your pets and your dogs and engaging actively with this community and making yourself available and sharing about yourself. Because there's a lot of artists who are really private. And that's, you know, I get it. But it doesn't help when it comes to building a community because people don't feel like know you.

  00:36:33:20 - 00:36:45:13

  Fabiola Lara

  And if they don't know you, why are they going to be enthusiastic supporters of your work? And the way that you're doing it makes so much sense and is so smart. But I can tell that it's coming from a really genuine place.

  00:36:45:21 - 00:37:08:00

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, I try to, you know, it definitely, you know, when I was streaming a lot in 2020 during COVID, obviously a lot of people was at home. So a lot of people I was watching, I would say it was a little bit overwhelming just because like I will finish a stream and then check my in certain I have like 50 messages and I'm like, I can't stream 3 hours and then spend like, oh, all hours form into messages.

  00:37:08:01 - 00:37:26:14

  Andrea Caceres

  Like, it does get a little bit overwhelming. But I do love so, like I am passionate about it and I do love to respond to people and talk to people about anything, to be honest. So I just, you know, you do have to like, pause it and like, live your real life and then like, go back to social media and like, engage with more people.

  00:37:27:02 - 00:37:31:05

  Andrea Caceres

  But it's you have to, like, really be careful with it because it can get like a lot.

  00:37:31:17 - 00:37:49:22

  Fabiola Lara

  Yes, that sounds like yeah, I think the way it works is people get really attached to you, right? And they're like, Oh, now we're best friends. Even though I just know you're from the stream. And then they're like, Oh, I should be able to DM you whenever. But that's happening at times. Thousands of people are watching your streams and it becomes unruly.

  00:37:50:00 - 00:38:17:01

  Fabiola Lara

  Another thing I want to talk to you about and that is I know you've done a lot of illustration work, like we said, but you have a picture book coming out, your first picture book, we don't often have children's book illustrators on the show, so I want to talk to you about this whole process. Can you tell us give us a little look at what it's like to work on a book, because a lot of people that's their dream, as I'm sure it was for you.

  00:38:17:11 - 00:38:37:22

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah. So definitely my dream as you can kind of see there, I just own children's books. All of this. There's like three more books filled out children's books. So I am a huge fan of children's books. That's what I for a moment. And I still think it is is what I think it will be. What I want to do in the future of the most besides do a lot of design work right now.

  00:38:38:02 - 00:39:04:19

  Andrea Caceres

  And I want to eventually just dedicate to those children's books. But so I wanted to do the children's books. I need to know how it works. And you have two options. When you want those children's books, you either go normal publishing, you know, editorial style or Google self-publishing so they know how to do, I guess. Sorry. I guess the first question will be like, do I want to be shows illustrator or do I want to be a children's book writer and illustrator?

  00:39:05:02 - 00:39:25:12

  Andrea Caceres

  So that will be your first question. And then I wanted to do both. So I mean, my first book is also illustrator book, but I'm also open to do other books if we chose since the first one, it was going to be my also illustrator book. Then I needed to pick Do I Want to Go taught like the classic publishing side, or do I want to go self-publish?

  00:39:26:10 - 00:39:49:16

  Andrea Caceres

  And I decided I wanted to go for the regular way. So just the classic publishing way. And that means there is different steps. The first you have to have a dummy, then you have to with that dummy applies to get an agent, then you get an agent and then your agent sells the book to a publishing house. And then is when you start working with your publishing house.

  00:39:50:00 - 00:40:12:23

  Andrea Caceres

  And that whole process, I would say I talk to my agent the first time and 2019 I signed with her in like May or June of 2020, sold my book on August of 2020, or sign my contract, something like that. And then my books coming out three years after. So a long, long way to go. And a book that, you know, I'm very fast.

  00:40:12:23 - 00:40:35:13

  Andrea Caceres

  I always do. So it's like they will say, like, here the change, I'm like, It's done. And they're like, okay, in six months I will let you know the next step. And you're like, you know, waiting for that email this six months and you get it. But I just think it's interesting the way that I find my agent or the site to go for like classic publishing because it was for another illustrator and writer.

  00:40:35:16 - 00:40:52:08

  Andrea Caceres

  I am a huge fan of Illustrator called Joan Klausen, and I went to his book signing one of his book signings in The Strand in New York City, and I met him, whatever. He signed my book and he was like, What are you guys doing here to me and my husband? You don't even have kids. Like, why are you in a children's book signing?

  00:40:52:17 - 00:40:57:15

  Andrea Caceres

  And I'm like, Oh, we're both artists. I want to do books. And he gave me that email of his agent.

  00:40:58:00 - 00:41:00:24

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow, that's generous, right? That's that's pretty generous.

  00:41:01:04 - 00:41:13:04

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah. He's the absolute best. I don't know him. I just know him that time. But I think is important. It was important for me to meet him. He gave me the email. His agent. His agent rejected me, but gave me the email of my agent.

  00:41:13:11 - 00:41:19:05

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow. So cutthroat, right? Like nobody here. You know that? That's crazy.

  00:41:19:15 - 00:41:42:18

  Andrea Caceres

  It's the same agency. But he's like, I'm in California. I'm not interested. But see, maybe this too. I think that your sale on whatever fits with them. And I did apply to the system of my agent who rejected me too. But then my agent sold me on Twitter and realized that her assistant rejected me. And then she was like, I want to have a meeting with you.

  00:41:43:08 - 00:41:47:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow. So? So the head assisting are fired? No.

  00:41:47:22 - 00:42:11:20

  Andrea Caceres

  No, no, I. She got promoted to go. Promoted. She's now her own agent, so she's now her own agent. What time? But it's what I want to say with this is like going to classic publishing is a la finding an agent is a lot of rejection. I just, you know, they were the only agents I applied to. I applied to hundreds of agents, and the only one who got back to me was my agent.

  00:42:11:20 - 00:42:26:09

  Andrea Caceres

  Now, who is for America. And she's the absolute best. But I do think is interesting the path that took me there, because if I would have now gone to that book signing and he would have not told me the way work, I might have never done it right.

  00:42:26:19 - 00:42:30:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Because you you didn't have an understanding of how it worked prior to him.

  00:42:30:21 - 00:42:34:12

  Andrea Caceres

  Not really. Oh, like you reached over. Like, not really know that.

  00:42:34:12 - 00:42:42:21

  Fabiola Lara

  Well is very vague. When people talk about it, they're like, Yeah. Then you get an agent and you're like, Wait, but how do you go from not having an agent to getting the agent?

  00:42:42:21 - 00:43:10:11

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, Yeah. I mean, again, I applied to like hundreds of people and the way my agent saw me and I say to everybody who is writing books or want to get their stuff seen by editors and directors, I there's hashtags on Twitter that are like kid live or kid let's best illustrators and kids, whatever. And they do like certain events online where you were like food, your portfolio like three pieces or like a little short story or what you want to write.

  00:43:10:18 - 00:43:25:12

  Andrea Caceres

  And then if your agent or an editor likes it, that means you have to contact them. So it's like a holiday. So I posted it, my agent saw it, she liked it, and then she emailed me the next day. She was like, I saw you on Twitter. I know it rejected you, but I still want to meet with you.

  00:43:25:23 - 00:43:55:19

  Fabiola Lara

  Wow. I mean, okay. Yeah. For those who don't know, publishing is really attached to Twitter and I think sometimes illustrators forget about Twitter because it's not super focused on images. It's more about the words, but it's a really powerful for art directors and publishers. And I love that you're exposing this and reminding us because, you know, especially now with the way Twitter is, people forget that there's still huge you know, the right people are there.

  00:43:55:19 - 00:43:58:11

  Fabiola Lara

  And that's what matters, even if you don't have a huge following.

  00:43:58:14 - 00:44:15:08

  Andrea Caceres

  Oh, yeah, Twitter was my only platform that I mean, I still don't have any following. But what I was like, I don't have anybody calling me. I can really do whatever I want in this platform now, you know, like my editor, my agent, they would know that I was doing anything crazy. But now I'm like, Now's just work too, you know?

  00:44:15:18 - 00:44:18:18

  Andrea Caceres

  Now I can say whatever comes to my mind.

  00:44:18:21 - 00:44:27:22

  Fabiola Lara

  What do you send to an agent to try and get their attention? What were you emailing? Was it a portfolio? Was it an excerpt of your book idea? What is it?

  00:44:28:03 - 00:44:51:18

  Andrea Caceres

  So it depends on why you want to go back to the first question. If you want to be a children's book illustrator, not a writer, then yes, you will send a portfolio. It was a couple of pieces, a lot of illustrators and postcards. I mean, right now it's kind of hard because obviously everybody's working at home, but you will send you will send like your portfolio or your Instagram, just like this is where you can find my work, you know, whatever.

  00:44:51:18 - 00:45:13:09

  Andrea Caceres

  And if you want to be an outdoor illustrator, you will send a dummy. And a dummy is just a sketch. How the book does have to be fine. Art doesn't have to look nice. It can be just sketches. I don't really sketch, so mine usually look kind of like finally are kind of right because I hate sketching. So you send that with this story and then they will see and let you know.

  00:45:13:21 - 00:45:34:14

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it. Wow. So thank you so much for sharing so much about the publishing industry, because I know there's a lot of illustrators who want to do both, and it's kind of mysterious, it seems, until you're inside. Tell me a little bit more about your book. My Dog just Speaks Spanish, which is coming out on May 9th. How did you come up with the idea?

  00:45:34:14 - 00:45:35:05

  Fabiola Lara

  Tell me about it.

  00:45:35:22 - 00:45:57:07

  Andrea Caceres

  I can show it to you. I have a huge, huge on my mind. So it's so my dog just speaks Spanish and it is based on my dog, Toby, who moved to our states two years after I moved to in our state. So Toby was my dog and I'm from my options. I'm 70 when I move, obviously in all my kills.

  00:45:57:13 - 00:46:17:12

  Andrea Caceres

  You know, since the beginning of our conversation with all my cows, I couldn't bring Toby to right away. So he stay with my mom. But it I can't even explain you. How fast was it? The moment I sign up the lease for a pet friendly apartment for me and my husband by myself. The day I signed the lease, I was like, I'm bringing Toby right now.

  00:46:17:23 - 00:46:35:08

  Andrea Caceres

  So I pay a company to bring him here. Whatever. When he got here, I was already mainly speaking English over the day, so I was speaking English to him and he wasn't doing anything I asked him for. Oh, what is it? Yeah, I was like, What's going on here? And I'm like, Oh, because he doesn't speak English, That's so dumb.

  00:46:35:19 - 00:46:42:08

  Andrea Caceres

  So he's not bilingual, but he wasn't before, so he only spoke Spanish. And that's where they comes from.

  00:46:42:12 - 00:46:47:05

  Fabiola Lara

  And oh, my goodness, that's so adorable. That's, you.

  00:46:48:16 - 00:47:09:21

  Andrea Caceres

  Know, that's not Toby Toby's from the book. It's just not there. So this year. Oh, I love it. I the main character's name is Aurora, and then the dog Skull Manor promised, Oh, he's going to have his own book soon. But for now, he's just like, have cameos over there.

  00:47:10:08 - 00:47:14:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Perfect. So tell me about the book. Who who is the book perfect for?

  00:47:14:17 - 00:47:35:04

  Andrea Caceres

  Yes. So the book is for a toddler. So like for early readers, is my doctor speak Spanish? And it's about a girl who has a dog and through their walk she deaf all her like different tricks and commands and meet people and these people are surprised that love just speaks Spanish. And to him, new words and things like that.

  00:47:35:04 - 00:47:58:01

  Andrea Caceres

  And I described the book as a book about best immigration and best friend because Aurora doesn't really care than the another person speak English. You know, she's still her best friend even when she doesn't speak or understand English. And then he's always there for Aurora. So they're best friends and they are new in the city. And she is very happy about me with her dog.

  00:47:58:12 - 00:48:05:08

  Fabiola Lara

  Oh, my gosh, That is so cute. It makes me emotional. Is the book bilingual? I'm assuming it is because of the title.

  00:48:06:02 - 00:48:13:08

  Andrea Caceres

  Yes, he's bilingual and it is in both languages. So we have any personal espanol and we have my dog. You speak Spanish?

  00:48:13:09 - 00:48:19:14

  Fabiola Lara

  Oh, my gosh. And how does it feel to make a bilingual book here in the U.S.? How does it feel for you to be here now.

  00:48:19:23 - 00:48:39:16

  Andrea Caceres

  Is really exciting. I'll be honest. I still feel like fake like I cannot even believe this is Don. When I got it, I was like, I just have no work to see it. And, you know, next to all my other four books and like, looking like another book is such a dream come true and really, really, really excited about it.

  00:48:39:16 - 00:49:03:03

  Andrea Caceres

  I am also happy that exists in this moment where like immigration is such a big deal and there's so many so many Spanish speaking kids that lives here in New York City and there's so many immigrants coming in. And I feel like seemed el self and I, you know, and it's not just the dog to speak Spanish, but it's also obviously the mom to speak Spanish.

  00:49:03:03 - 00:49:31:02

  Andrea Caceres

  The dad does speak Spanish. And like the way that you move to a place and like I do my know better this I don't know if you were born here or came here in terribly early life, but like, you don't really have an accent, but I bet your parents do. And, you know, understanding the connection is like it doesn't you know, it doesn't really matter if they don't speak the language perfectly and like they're you know, they they are their own person and they have their own life and things to teach you, too.

  00:49:31:05 - 00:49:35:00

  Andrea Caceres

  I'm just excited to see I feel like kids reflect with that story.

  00:49:35:00 - 00:49:56:23

  Fabiola Lara

  I cannot agree more. I feel like I was not born here, but I came here when I was a baby. So I learned English, you know, through ESL and also movies and just living here. But these stories were not common, especially in children's books. What were you working on while you were making this book? Were you just focused on the book?

  00:49:56:23 - 00:50:06:06

  Fabiola Lara

  Did you have a full time job? Did you have commissions? What was going on here? Because I know that's another curiosity for people is like finding that time to make a book.

  00:50:06:17 - 00:50:26:07

  Andrea Caceres

  So no, I was I'm always working. I have a full time job as an art director, so I work, I try to hold time and I have my own stuff all the time. So when I say not for the book, I think I was freelancing. So I just go to my job as a designer. I. J.Crew And that was fully with my store and to influence clients.

  00:50:26:21 - 00:50:48:02

  Andrea Caceres

  So I guess I had a little bit more freedom of the moment. But then then like a year into the process, I got this other job that I'm now that I lost and I am lucky that the job that I have give you a lot of freedom too. And I have a little time. I'm, you know, I lost my job, but I also have like time to do my own thing.

  00:50:48:12 - 00:51:09:19

  Andrea Caceres

  And they actually encourage you to do your own thing. That is not something that all companies have and I don't have a lot of time. I don't have fun. I mean, I do have fun, but it's like I, I'm very passionate about what I do. So I do take a little my time, very focused on and illustrating and creating new things.

  00:51:09:19 - 00:51:23:07

  Andrea Caceres

  And it's you know, I see it in other people. Like you have to balance your life and what you love and I do love to do what I do. So if that requires to for me to put like a lot of days in work, then I just do it.

  00:51:23:13 - 00:51:41:13

  Fabiola Lara

  Got it. I love that you're saying this because I think a lot of people think that maybe you don't have a full time job because you are so prolific on Instagram, you post so much, you're constantly putting out content. Then you also have this book. You have amazing lists of clients, but you still have this art director full time job that you love.

  00:51:41:13 - 00:51:59:07

  Fabiola Lara

  And I think that's great. And especially because you just don't see that a lot. You know, like the dream, quote unquote, is always to go freelance. And so people always think that that's what everyone is doing. Why do you like having a full time job and also doing your work, your creative work?

  00:51:59:08 - 00:52:18:09

  Andrea Caceres

  When I quit, it did grow. I wanted to go full freelance and I did it for like two years on year and a half, whatever, something like that. And I loved it. I love being freelance and I had a lot of I had a lot of clients and I can't even tell you about commission season in September to December.

  00:52:18:09 - 00:52:34:05

  Andrea Caceres

  I mean, I hired my own husband to help me. I was like, Do you have to? And my sister in law, they were all working for me. I was like, Everyone is getting paid because this is insane. The amount of people that want to commissions that year. But it's a lot of work and it's more work than you think it's going to be.

  00:52:34:13 - 00:52:56:15

  Andrea Caceres

  And it is exhausting. And although I loved it and I will probably eventually be back to it when I saw this job, Boston I had, this is one of the only companies I had in alert Mark and they saw it and I was like this kind of like the right fit. And at the moment I was moving my mom from British all out to Argentina, and I just kind of wanted to be a little more stable.

  00:52:56:22 - 00:53:21:09

  Andrea Caceres

  Although I was stable, I was like, I want to make sure I do have enough money, like secure. Yeah. Because like back home my mom had her own house, but in Argentina, she's renting and, you know, being able to always be there for anything she needs. That's what I mean. So I was like, I kind of want to have a job full time and see like, how it goes, having a job full time.

  00:53:21:09 - 00:53:25:19

  Andrea Caceres

  And if I feel comfortable with it and I do and I still have it and it's great.

  00:53:25:22 - 00:53:44:15

  Fabiola Lara

  So I just love that so much because it makes so much sense in that point in life. It made more sense to have a full time job and you didn't get just any full time job. You got a job that it's at BARC. It aligns perfectly with the kind of work that you like to do with your passions, and it's a creative job.

  00:53:44:15 - 00:54:01:21

  Fabiola Lara

  You're an art director there, so it's like kind of a no brainer. And I love just showing to people that you can go, you can have full time, then you can go freelance, then you can go back to full time in the future. You can also go back to freelance. It's like not so black and white. And I think.

  00:54:01:21 - 00:54:11:23

  Fabiola Lara

  Sometimes people think, Oh, if I go freelance, I can never go back to having a full time job. But that's not the reality. You can always go back and you can always go back to freelance. Like freelance is always there.

  00:54:12:21 - 00:54:22:21

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah. Hold you accountable. Like I'm going, so are you going to do more things so it's not like do? Definitely. Yeah, definitely. Don't it. The of like the stages that you are like.

  00:54:22:23 - 00:54:39:05

  Fabiola Lara

  I noticed that you really adopted using Instagram reels to make like animated work. Why did you decide to move in that direction? Because a lot of artist reels came up and they said No, never, never. And you were right in. So tell me about it.

  00:54:39:18 - 00:54:59:14

  Andrea Caceres

  I didn't where I write in, I hate them. I is really bad. Is really bad. I, I mean, I, it made it so much harder for illustrators to show their work. It doesn't like, it's like unfair, like we are. So it's like, so messed up, but it doesn't matter. You got to adapt. You got to keep being relevant.

  00:54:59:14 - 00:55:26:11

  Andrea Caceres

  I needed to keep being relevant and do have to figure out like what works for you. And I tried many things, you know, I tried recording myself. I don't really love recording myself before. I didn't even Boston. I make sure me that never even I was like, No, that's not what people is here. I do sometimes. Now it's like a funny joke that I think about 2010 and Tick Tock, I will do it if I think if it's what I do, but of showcasing my work itself, you have to try different formats.

  00:55:27:01 - 00:55:45:05

  Andrea Caceres

  Oh, like what? What it means. I feel like for illustrate just precisely like we don't do like realism or stuff like that is even harder because when you, you know when they do like I this is how often this you know, I finish and it's like a realistic portrait like then all the boys like love it but I'm like love it.

  00:55:45:05 - 00:55:45:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah.

  00:55:46:05 - 00:55:54:18

  Andrea Caceres

  You know, I'm like, this is our star. And like, this is what I did before. It's like, I don't know, I could do that. And I'm like, Yeah, but you don't do it.

  00:55:54:23 - 00:56:13:21

  Fabiola Lara

  You're calling out a really important point because I do feel that sometimes the the Instagram reels that go the go viral are like extreme realistic portraits or extreme crazy, really big paintings just, giant painting. I'm like, okay, well, what am I going to do? But you have found a way.

  00:56:13:24 - 00:56:33:23

  Andrea Caceres

  So you kind of have to like, try like what works for your style and like, what? Why is people clicking in? Like, why is people watching this like, a lot? There's like a classic TikTok on reel that I post every time I have a huge line of my of like, can you guess what this line is for? And nobody you know, like everyone is like clothes, whatever.

  00:56:33:23 - 00:56:52:16

  Andrea Caceres

  And it's like, no, it's it's for pet portraits, you know? And I'm like, oh, people want to know what a line is for. So you kind of have to like reading what people is clicking in and then transforming into your own content. And that's kind of how it works, definitely. It definitely goes better for me on real stand on TikTok.

  00:56:52:16 - 00:57:13:20

  Andrea Caceres

  And I feel that because I don't really love recording myself that much, I have a little bit harder there, there while on Instagram because my communities are already built, they kind of know what they're expecting and the format of me, what it was before a carousel do, I mean, like subtle stop motion animations and reels have gone really big.

  00:57:14:10 - 00:57:23:16

  Fabiola Lara

  Yes, I've noticed those those reels that seem they're animated reels, essentially, even though they're simple, they're animated reels. What are you using to create those?

  00:57:24:00 - 00:57:25:20

  Andrea Caceres

  Most of the time I just do it and procreate.

  00:57:26:03 - 00:57:47:03

  Fabiola Lara

  Nice. So anyone out there, there's no excuse. If you have procreate, you can be doing simple animations. So you've created murals, you've designed for clothing and products, you make comics, little animations, you have a picture book. What project could be next for you that you haven't already done? What's something that's like a dream?

  00:57:47:13 - 00:58:14:05

  Andrea Caceres

  I am currently trying to brainstorming graphic novel, so not children's books or a graphic novel about my kidnaping, my friends while I was back home. So that's like on the work that I want to actually do it eventually. I don't know how many years it's going to take me, to be honest, but it does something that is a dream of mine to like put the story out there and in a graphic model and graphic novel, kind of.

  00:58:14:05 - 00:58:15:24

  Fabiola Lara

  Like and tell your story.

  00:58:16:05 - 00:58:31:16

  Andrea Caceres

  Tell my story. And then the other things that I would like to do. I mean, maybe just like other collaborations, but like bigger brands in terms of like clothing will be exciting for me. And but for now, I think.

  00:58:31:16 - 00:58:45:01

  Fabiola Lara

  Well, those are ambitious goals, and I know I would read that graphic novel whenever it drops, so I can't wait to see it. The last three quick questions. What is your favorite Venezuelan saying to say?

  00:58:45:01 - 00:58:45:24

  Andrea Caceres

  Well, I say no.

  00:58:46:17 - 00:58:47:15

  Fabiola Lara

  And what does that mean?

  00:58:48:24 - 00:59:06:21

  Andrea Caceres

  I think you will be like, go, go. The like I go. That goes back basically dies. Yeah, they go backwards, basically dies. So we kind of know what it means. Yeah. And I think, you know, like what it means is like don't look about of you know, like just look forward.

  00:59:06:22 - 00:59:11:15

  Fabiola Lara

  Go forward. Oh, I like it. And then what is your favorite Venezuelan food?

  00:59:11:15 - 00:59:18:17

  Andrea Caceres

  Empanadas. Venezuelan empanadas. Not like what I saying. Bananas not talking about y you guys know I'm talking about corn and bananas.

  00:59:19:03 - 00:59:21:06

  Fabiola Lara

  Okay, What kind of feeling?

  00:59:22:00 - 00:59:24:15

  Andrea Caceres

  I like a cardamom chiles electric bass.

  00:59:25:05 - 00:59:32:03

  Fabiola Lara

  Nice. Okay. And then what is the one thing about Venezuelan culture that you wish was here in the U.S.?

  00:59:32:10 - 00:59:35:24

  Andrea Caceres

  Yeah, I think how friendly Venezuelan people is. I think I missed out.

  00:59:36:10 - 00:59:51:12

  Fabiola Lara

  Yeah, And that's a common. That's a common one. Well, Andrea, that's all I have for you. Thank you for sharing your story, your time, your book, your knowledge with all of us. I can't thank you enough, and I can't wait to get your book.

  00:59:52:17 - 00:59:54:18

  Andrea Caceres

  Well, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

  00:59:55:02 - 00:59:56:23

  Fabiola Lara

  And you can preorder the book now, right?

  00:59:57:11 - 01:00:07:18

  Andrea Caceres

  Yes, You can preorder in basically any of the libraries. You go A and sewing and Amazon double and Target and Walmart or whatever you want to buy it. You can buy it.

  01:00:07:24 - 01:00:12:20

  Fabiola Lara

  So perfect. I'll leave it linked in the show notes so everyone can go check it out. Thank you. Once again.

  01:00:13:06 - 01:00:14:22

  Andrea Caceres

  But thank you. Thank you so much.

  01:00:15:10 - 01:00:41:12

  Fabiola Lara

  Okay, everyone. That's all I have for you today. Friends, I really hope you enjoyed my conversation with Venezuelan illustrator Andrea Caceres. Be sure to follow her work on Instagram at andrecaceresg. I'll leave it linked below and be sure to preorder her book. My Dog to Speak Spanish, available in English and Spanish on May 9th. Now before you go, remember to hit, subscribe or share this episode with a friend.

  01:00:41:19 - 01:01:04:14

  Fabiola Lara

  Those are two free things you can do to support the show. And if you want to listen to a personal podcast for me where I update you about my personal career or listen to extended episodes of the show, go ahead and check out the Patreon.com/drawsinspanish Lastly, remember to join the Discord. If you want to connect with other listeners, just go to DrawsinSpanish.com/Chat

  01:01:04:23 - 01:01:23:03

  Fabiola Lara

  We also host a weekly co-working session over on the Discord. So if you need a little help getting things done, come join our co-working sessions. They are such a fun chill time to get stuff done. All right. That's all I have for you at ‘hasta la proxima’!