Life & Work with Evelyn Leon of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Leon.

Hi Evelyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up I was surrounded by my parents’ culture and going to events. Being Oaxacan has been a strong part of my identity, and it hasn’t stopped. Over the years with my brother’s influence whenever he did art, I did it too as an outlet. With art classes in high school and outside, I slowly began growing interested in intersecting both art and my Oaxacan identity as well as other interests. The day I heard the leaked audio clip of former City Council President Nury Martinez and what she had said about many minority groups, including Oaxacans, was the day I wanted to say something more with my work and start embracing my culture even more. Throughout my years at ArtCenter, I’ve learned many things, but with guidance from professors, I’ve gained confidence and pride in where I come from and to speak about situations like with former City Council President Nury Martinez through my work.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never been a smooth road, but through experiences from peers or professors, I learned many things. Some things art wise were gaining confidence in my work and understanding the work I do and who it’s for. Some other things have been figuring out how to price things and the business side of the art world, but I’ve enjoyed learning along the way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Recently I’ve started focusing on more brand packaging, surface design, social commentary work. I’ve always enjoyed researching different things and making designs and illustrations. Making work about Oaxacan culture and creating representation that people can feel a part of was something I wanted as a kid and hope to do that for those now along with other creatives hopefully. Recently I worked on making an illustration book for kids with a friend who studies Linguistics, Chrysty Lopez, about the Mixtec language within Oaxaca. It was a first to me, but I hope to make edits and other variations for it in the future.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
It’s important to open up and talk to people! It was hard for me to be open and socialize in the beginning of ArtCenter, but I’ve become more comfortable and become a part of a community there. It helps out in the long run when networking and finding like-minded people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evelynleon.cargo.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.is.common/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-leon-4981a0389/

Image Credits
Illustration and Photo Credits are to Evelyn Leon