We recently connected with Ashley Cardenas and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
After several years and a Pandemic I not only survived – I’ve adapted to the new norms in my career as a Freelance Artist. From Amazon Warehouse worker that helped launch their latest building in Fort Myers to Full-time Freelancer wasn’t accomplished within a day nor a year. Unlike many who sheltered themselves from the Covid outbreak, I went to work to help my community get the supplies they need to their doorstep for 2 years. After a while I felt something was missing – my Art. Upon research and collaborations I’ve worked on a series of massive projects on Upwork! From no clients to now a steady stream of income & everyone wanting my services – it’s safe to say I can now work from home and do what I love most. Currently I’ve been invited by Iomob’s awesome CEO to attend a Launch event for the Mobsters MIA NFT collection I developed for them at CryptoWorldCon! Had I known of the digital marketplaces looking for creatives like myself I would have probably been at a higher level than where I am now. Given a few years I’ll topple the media giants (one can dream right?)
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For those learning about me, my name is Ashley Cardenas – AshlinKamachi is my Artist name on Instagram. I’m a Local Miami Artist who launched a small brand known as Pandasproductions where I post up my latest creations varying from 2D Tradition to Digital Art. My passion comes from an early age where Art was crucial for expressing myself. “Where words failed, Art was there” -my motto. As I got older I wanted to write and illustrate comics & was fascinated by the Saturday Cartoons on Tv. This lead me to study Animation and now years later get the opportunity to partner up with Clients to bring forth some awesome projects! Sometimes I get asked to troubleshoot and what sets me apart is my drive. My Clients all say the same 3 things about me in their Reviews, Fast- Reliable- and Passionate. My talents alone cannot guarantee success (there are others more talented than me bidding for these jobs) so I’ve learned to never limit myself & stay open to learning new ways to tackle a project. I’ve also just Launched my own Webcomic “Tigers Son” on Webtoon Canvas early this year, a passion project I hope to gain sponsorship from Netflix to make into an Anime. It is a dream in the making & my proudest achievement! For my newest readers, never give up on what you love even in the face of adversity. That’s my secret for success.
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
As the Lead Artist to several NFTs, it’s a new frontier for Digital Artists around the Globe. Unlike Traditional Galleries like Art Basel here in Sunny Miami Florida, NFT spaces help the Artists that Paint & Create Digitally leave their mark. A famous painting can go for a million dollars but a JPEG of an Ape was worth just that! My hope is that it doesn’t become too over-saturated and mainstream. Part of the charm of NFTs are the communities that back these projects. For instance, a current project Im working on will use the funds from the NFT sale to create a Comic Book / Animated Series. A lot of critics out there want to complain as they did when someone taped a banana to the wall at Art Basel that later sold for about $120k.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I had mentioned working for Amazon, I still do for the time being. Launching a new building is no easy feat & I dedicate this to all who are still over there making history. Upon getting promoted I was tasked with helping in Fort Myers (at the time I was searching for a home there and my position offered no relocation assistance/ mileage reimbursement). So when no home was available I had to journey 6 hours worth of commute daily (5 days a week) and endure 12-14 hours at the job site assisting anyway possible. I drove from the East coast of Florida to the West in the early hours of 12am to make it to my shift around 3:30am. I would make it home roughly by 6-7pm only to sleep a few hours and get back on the road. The Warehouse was massive and still under construction so training had to be done creatively – to the point I had to draw out the tasks the new employees would have to perform when our wifi was out one time. On average I trained about 1,500 employees in a span of 3 months. Everyone there knew me to be the light of the Morning & Day Sortation, a fun-loving Cuban who made thee best Cafesito in town. Even tired as I was, I never let it show and till this day many call me crazy for enduring the journey. What many don’t understand was my dedication to a company that perhaps will never know my name – eventually when my Animated Series get airtime on Amazon Prime Ill laugh about it with Bezos. Never burn bridges & work hard to accomplish the impossible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @pandasproductions
- Linkedin: https://www.Linkedin.com/in/ashlin-kamachi-914133175/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLZ_mTGJKkReOmPLcOpevog
- Other: Tiktok – @ashlinkamachi Upwork Freelancer – Ashley Cardenas