Chicago's 29th Annual Latino Film Festival

I always find it important to look at animation from other countries, not just to see the contrasting styles and themes, but to also support animation as a universal art.  This year, I got to go to the Chicago Latino Film Festival near the end of its run, seeing an animated film from Argentina!  The Director, Maria Ramirez, was there in the theater, and I loved how she spoke in her native Spanish saying that she was very honored to show the political and social aspects of Buenos Aires in various stories depicted through animation.  One of them, dealing with a little boy and his artistic imagination chasing a pretty graffiti artist, became my favorite.  It's that simple story about chasing love... and then it becomes this inspirational piece of work about inspiring artistic freedom in a city that's claustrophobic and somewhat tight from conformity.

It's moments like these that inspire me to keep doing art. 

Which... by the way, is going very well!  I've sold a couple illustration pieces from my online store, and I'm glad that people have commented on my work and are supporting me.  I'm not about to drop everything and do this full-time (though that would be amazing!), but it's one of the things that's pushing me to get up every morning.

Back to Open Studio.

I'm extremely proud of this piece, particularly because I went with a friend of mine to do some drawing at the art studio I always went to last year, and decided to draw in loose India ink.  I sometimes have trouble telling myself that I have the ability to illustrate anything in front of me, and that my style isn't up to par with professionalism... but then I whip something up like this in an hour, and all my worries fade.

I've wondered what exactly I can do with a talent like this.  I played around with the idea of freelancing as a special events illustrator - someone who does illustrations for weddings/birthdays that look more heartfelt than the average photograph.  I don't know... it seems like photographers are dime-a-dozen now with the smartphones, but traditional artists are rare... especially the ones who draw things in an instant.

I think this could go somewhere.  =)

In other news, I submitted work for Autoptic Comic Expo in Minneapolis and the Nick Artist Program for the first time, and I have some artwork on display in Evanston!  I should be jumping for joy, but I guess it's always the worry that I won't make any profit that bugs me.  You know what?  Screw it.  I gotta stay positive because people admire my artwork so much as it is.

Also, my birthday happened! 

I'm officially at the final year of my 20s, which means I'm ready to tackle all the things in my bucket list... run another marathon, learn how to properly swim, have an illustration site, find a full-time job, publish a graphic novel, travel internationally... yikes!  So much to do!

But I'm in a very good place.  =)