Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cat Barrera. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cat, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

I’m a pretty big believer in things aligning in your life when they’re suppose to. For me that moment started January 2017. I had just finished college and saw on instagram that the Austin venue Mohawk was looking for design interns to make posters. This was huge since they had never had design interns before and this is one of Austins most beloved venues.

I had always wanted to be a poster designer and here was my opportunity right out of college. My skills were pretty terrible but I got complete creative freedom. I became more confident and honest with my art over time. What I didn’t expect is that it would speak to people. It started a domino effect where bands
would hunt me down to make their tour posters, merch, vinyl covers, and so on. This is how I still get most clients to this day, word of mouth.

Even to this day you can see some of my old posters plastered on the bathroom walls of Mohawk.

Cat, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Howdy! I’m a Austin based Illustrator who designs in the music industry.

I’m a daughter of Mexican immigrants so I spent a lot of my childhood traveling between the United States and Mexico. In Mexico there’s so much bursts of colors in the houses, blankets, the folk art, even the dishes. This has always stuck with me and is the reason I use so many bright colors in my work.

I was also a huge fan of cartoons and anime, I wanted to recreate what I saw on tv so this sparked my interest in drawing. As I grew I wanted to find a way to combine my art and love of music so I decided I would grow up to make show posters.

Over the years my clientele has expanded from bands to large companies like PBR. I’ve also been nominated twice (2023,2024) for best poster artist in the Austin Music Awards.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life by James Victore. This book taught me to own my weirdness and really put in the work. It’s got a lot of inspirational stuff in there.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Sticking with similar clients has really boosted my reputation. Since my focus is music in Austin I’ve become an expert in what bands or venues need. I know the sizes to make, I know the language, and I help guide clients who some times aren’t aware of the advertisement material they need to successfully market their show. I do this for each client so they keep coming back and there’s a trust built there because I understand them. Consistently delivering great results has made me the go-to person for a lot of bands and venues.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://catbarrera.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/catbarreraart