We were lucky to catch up with Aileen Martinez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aileen , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

November will be year 3 of me doing my art full time. It has not been an easy journey; income was hard to come by in the beginning. There were challenges as to having funds to purchase more materials to continue my work. I slowly saved funds from selling prints at art markets around town. Doing pop up markets continuously for a year straight helped me gain traction to get clients for my commissioned work.

Some of the milestones that could have been sped up would have to be have started this journey earlier. It was something that I wanted to start and the idea lingered on for years. Having the courage to start and share my work with the community earlier would sped things up. Learning how to network with local businesses at a younger age would have come in handy. Younger me was much to shy to have been able to do this. I do not regret this; I am where I am now and enjoying the present for what it is.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Aileen Martinez and I’m an artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. I started an Instagram account called Look See Draw back in 2019. The intention for this account was for me to have a place to share my work. I make drawings of my travels, and have an ongoing project of drawing Phoenix. I used to draw everything on location. I would visit areas around town, set up a small table and chair and draw for 8 or more hours on location. My process has changed; I still like to draw on location when possible, but work off of reference pictures for the most part.

My drawings start off with an ink pen, from which I add watercolor, alcohol marker, and gouache paint. The colors I use are bright, vivid and lively. I also work with the public and draw peoples homes, in addition to working with local business to illustrate their spaces.

I want people to understand that drawing is for everyone. You don’t have to have fancy supplies or years of training. Drawing is a learned skill and the more time you spend practicing, the more improvements you should see. I try to encourage others to try their hand at it. Many times, I see a hesitancy and hear “I haven’t drawn since I was a kid” or “I wish I could draw.” You can! Just takes time and practice. Sharing my work with others is a conduit that allows me to share my love for drawing with others and hopefully inspire others to try. So many benefits to drawing and painting!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is being able to do this full time. There is a lot of work that goes into what I do, and I am responsible for setting my schedule and managing my time. I make sure to include time to rest, recharge, and just enjoy the little things.. I do not take this for granted; there was a short time in life when I worked 2 jobs and did not have much time to myself. Having the liberty to focus on my drawings and travel here and there; this is what I’ve wanted for a long time. I am grateful and feel in awe of it all.

Another rewarding aspect is seeing people’s faces light up when they connect with my work. Being able to share this others brings me immense joy. I greatly enjoy doing art markets and love to see when other people get excited about what I do. I love sharing Phoenix history with others who may not be familiar with the backstory of some of the places I have drawn.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first started this, I had a rule that I HAD to draw everything I made on location of the subject. I had a small wooden chair (quite uncomfortable). The old thing did not even fold. I would carry that around town, along with a small foldable table, and a heavy backpack full of my art supplies. I would trek to the location and stay there for hours. Being in Phoenix, the heat will creep up on you. Temperatures in October can be harsh! One would think this not to be the case, but you will feel it. This was not sustainable for long term goals, but I kept it up for almost 2 solid years.

I admire younger me- I was relentless and had so many obstacles against me, but I kept going. There were times I only had $20 to buy supplies, but I always found a way. I would visit thrift stores and scrounge around there to see what could be found. I enjoyed what I did and kept going. I may no longer draw on location like I once did, but look back at those memories with love and care.

Contact Info:

• Website: Lookseedraw.com
• Instagram: Look.see.draw
• Facebook: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiwjfCX1pP-AhULI0QIHWJcAlcQFnoECAcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flookseedraw%2F&usg=AOvVaw22ia9Ht40CZO13Aa6SJ1tE
• Other: Tiktok- look.see.draw

Image Credits
Chris Loomis credit for photo wearing hot pink dress. ektorlousie