Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Rosas.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been drawing and making things since I was a kid. My siblings were always super supportive of my creative spirit and really wanted to help my love of art grow, so they would take me to art galleries and museums and bought me art supplies.
My love of art led me to graduate with a Bachelor of Design degree in Illustration. After graduating, I ended up taking a two-year break from Illustration because of university burnout. During that time, I kept busy silk screening zines, making jewelry and other Etsy wares. But, for the most part, I was not interested in pursuing freelance editorial work like my profs had told us we should post-university.
After some time, I started getting antsy and took on a full-time Illustration gig with Thought Café, a motion graphic studio known for educational videos, most well known of them being Crash Course Youtube videos. My time there was hugely formative for me and really helped me hone my digital art-making skills. I became pro at the Adobe Creative Suite and started bringing home all that new knowledge to incorporate into my personal illustration and design projects.
Besides my work at the studio, I was concurrently working on posters, illustrations, and designs for friends and a few editorial clients. I gradually built up my roster of clients and really started to feel that the work I was doing when I got home from my 9-5 was more fulfilling. During this time, I also started painting public murals. From concept to production, I deeply enjoyed the process. I love designing art to be seen by everyday people and I love the idea that art can beautify public spaces. I had never worked on such large scale work before since all my previous work had been either small scale or digital.
At the time, it also became more important to me to show diverse and underrepresented communities in the work I was putting out. I wanted people to feel connected and represented in my work. By painting murals, I was really able to push that agenda, and it further cemented itself in all the other digital work I was doing as well. I started getting more clients who wanted my style specifically and were drawn to my diverse depictions of people.
Getting more freelance gigs eventually led me to leave Thought Café to venture off on my own freelance journey. In the time since I’ve worked with many international clients and had the opportunity to hone my style and creative vision. I’ve continued to work on murals in the process as well. The work is physical and satisfying. I love being able to get out my studio to work on location, in offices or on the street.
I also began to do stick and poke tattoos around this time. I learned the process a few years ago and having more time on my hands, I decided to do more. It’s more of a side hustle, but a really fun one. It gives me the opportunity to meet new people and be creative in a different way.
I finally feel confident in the creative vision I have put forward and my abilities as a creative designer and artist and am excited to continue to work with new and diverse clients worldwide.
Has it been a smooth road?
Challenges come up all the time. The road has definitely not been smooth. As I mentioned before, I took a pretty extended break from the illustration and design world after university due to creative burnout, and I truly thought I was not cut out for the industry. A lot of my struggles came from the insecurity of my abilities as an artist. But over the years, I’ve grown more confident in myself and found my way back to that world.
Freelance life is not the most stable, so now I just take it day by day. Sometimes I’m busy and working with lots of clients, and sometimes I’m not getting gigs for a while. I’ve learned to appreciate the downtime and use that time to work on more personal creative projects that may not be illustration based, like furniture making and podcasting.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My business is my creative practice. I consider myself a multi-disciplinary artist. I primarily do illustration and murals, but also dabble in tattooing and podcasting.
I’d say I offer a very distinct style of illustration. My style is bold, bright and colorful and I’m known for depicting powerful womxn and strive to showcase diversity. I’m most proud of the work I do that pushes underrepresented communities forward. As a Latinx womxn of color, I feel it’s important to showcase all walks of life in my work. I put out work that I hope is relatable for people.
As of the last year, I’ve also been doing stick and poke tattoos under the name Musa Rosa. This practice is still very new and exciting for me and I’ve been learning so much as I go. I learned how to do stick and pokes five years ago and only in the last year have I seriously been putting it into practice. My stick and poke style is simple black line work. It’s been a hugely satisfying experience. I believe in the ritual of tattoo work and work to make a connection with every person I mark. My experience getting tattoos over the years have always been marked by intimidating dudes in the biz and I really just wanted to create a space for everyone to feel comfortable and open to being vulnerable.
Finally, I host, produce and edit a podcast called Crush Cast, along with my friends Aaron and Blaire. We started the podcast based on a shared love of talking about the hilarious mess that is human attraction. We talk celebrity crushes, real-life crushes, raging hormones, and awkward stories (our own and guests.) The podcast has been an opportunity to get in touch with my inner child and reminds me all the time to not take myself too seriously.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I totally think LA is an amazing city for creative businesses. The beauty of the work I do is that it can take me anywhere and I can do it from anywhere. But it’s nice to have a home base where everyone is doing and making cool things. It creates a great community and LA has a thriving public art and design scene. I would definitely recommend it.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.vivian-rosas.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivianrosas
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