We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Silva recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

It’s hard to say whether or not I would change the timeline of when I started my creative career. I studied graphic design and fine art in college, but immediately after graduating in 2010 I started a full-time job in radio. (Long story, but radio would continue to be another love of mine for many years to come). Though art was not my full-time job then, I did continue to pursue it on the side. It did not, however become much of a priority until several years down the road with the birth of my son in 2019, when I left my full-time job in radio to work from home and be a full-time mom. That was when the fire was lit under me. I had been getting more and more restless my last few years in radio to return to my creative calling. It’s ironic that the period of my life where I now had the least amount of time, busy as I was with a new baby, was when I decided to get serious about launching my creative business. I often ask myself, why didn’t I get serious about my creative career when I was young, single, and before kids? I had so much more time then! But something happens when your extra time becomes less…in my case when I became a mom. You learn to use your time more wisely and you realize just how much you CAN get done in a day. So would I change things, looking back now? I’m not sure I’d change much. Though I may not have gotten serious about my creative career in my carefree 20s, there were a lot of other lessons I learned then and an entirely different career I pursued and loved that all led to forming me into the person I am today.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Art has always been a part of who I am. As a child, I remember my answer to the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question was always the same. I wanted to be an artist. When I started thinking about college it became clear that no one expected you to make a living from fine art. That’s when I was introduced to the idea of pursuing graphic design as a major. I remember my first college visit when I sat in on a graphic design critique and my mind was blown by the design concepts that were being discussed and the world of possibilities to explore as a graphic artist. I spent the next four years pursuing a graphic design major with a painting minor. Partway through college I took a summer job as a board operator at a radio station and found a new love. I didn’t realize it then, but radio would be where I stayed for the next several years. I was so grateful to be able to have a flexible position where I not only did radio work, but also took the lead role as graphic designer for the station I worked for. All of this took place while my fine art career took sort of a back seat.

Fast forward to today, and I still consider myself a graphic designer as well as still take on several graphic design clients per year. The art side of my career has definitely moved more into the forefront though. My work as a graphic artist is all about creating custom work for my clients for whatever design need they have. As a fine artist/illustrator I also create a lot of one-of-a-kind custom work for clients in the form of watercolor portraits. I have a strong eye for detail, and take pride in creating work that not only is highly intricate, but that also shows the spark and personality of the person who’s likeness I’m capturing. While the majority of my work is created for other people in mind, it has been a journey trying to develop my own personal style. The past few years have been an exploration of what that means for me. What does my artistic style look like and sound like? I like to think that in some ways at least it is similar to the work I’ve done for others…highly detailed while drawing out a certain spark of personality.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think it’s a common pitfall in today’s mass-produced world of instant gratification where seemingly everything moves at Amazon speed, to forget that artists and creatives cannot (nor should we) compete on those levels. When anyone can go to their favorite home décor store and buy a canvas print to hang on their wall for X amount of dollars and then compare it to the price they would pay for their artist friend’s original creation, the difference can seem astounding. Do you want to best support artists and creatives? First, start by recognizing the value of our work. You may not think that art is a need like food or shelter but think about what the world would be like without it, and whether or not you’d like to live in that kind of world. Second, realize that there is so much more involved in the pricing of a work of art than just the physical materials involved in its creation. Third, when thinking about buying art for your home, or gifts to give during the holidays, shop local and shop with independent artists. Your purchase won’t mean much to the big corporations, but it will mean the world to your local small business and to the creative entrepreneur.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Every time someone purchases my work or I hear someone say what a piece means to them, it is such an honor! Seeing my work in print is so wonderful, but even more so when someone else likes it enough to purchase it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://andreasilva.design
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasilva.design
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreasilva.design
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AndreaSilvaDesign