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

Hi Andres, thanks for joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?

I’ve been managing my own digital brand “ARELGI” since 2013. I made the choice to become fully in charge of my digital brand, content strategies, video production, and creative direction from the very beginning. My desire was to showcase not only my personality, or my professional skills as a Graphic Designer, but also my artistic vision as a Creative Leader in the most authentic way to inspire others like me.

As a Creative professional, it is substantial to take control of your own social media platforms, content, and your brand’s voice at all times. Although, it was challenging to craft my brand’s voice at first, I’m extremely grateful to say now that after a lot of adversity, the outcome has been very abundant thanks to consistency and hard-work, it has surpassed my expectations.

The first and most important step is to trust yourself in order for people to trust you. Remember that everything is reflected digitally, it is crucial to showcase your brand very transparently to your audience. The technical stuff comes second. If you are a business seeking assistance from a professional, try to fully communicate your creative brand’s voice and vision. Marketing agencies work best for scenarios like these, but freelance creators like me can also assist.

Throughout the years as an independent creator, I’ve come to the realization that quality is always better than quantity, one quality post can truly leverage your brand over a series of robotic posts with little to no substance. Digital alliances, aka collaborations are fantastic and extremely beneficial for both parties; my advice however, is to be wise as to whom you are associating with as this could be also a reflection of your brand’s voice. Remember, quality would always reign over quantity. Finding balance between exclusivity and being personable can be challenging but not impossible, you have to choose your battles.

As a business owner and creator myself, I would highly recommend other business owners to trust yourself and surround yourself with other people that have the same interests, vision, passion, and goals like you “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. – Proverbs 27:17

Andres, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Andrés Lopez, I’m a Graphic Designer with over six years of experience in Commercial Real Estate. My journey in this industry started back in 2017 as a Marketing Assistant for DH Realty Partners, a local brokerage where I got to revamp their existing brand identity with a fresher contemporary look. I was responsible for implementing new Digital Marketing strategies for our company such as their introduction to Social Media, which later resulted in an overall increase of sales. Two years after, I was promoted as their Marketing Director.

In 2020, my digital work caught the attention of a nationwide brokerage and I was offered a job position as a Graphic Designer. After careful analysis, I decided to embrace this opportunity and embark on a new journey alongside Northmarq San Antonio. I was responsible for the design of high-end offering memorandum books, digital assets, and upscale collateral material. Also, I had the opportunity to explore my creative skills in video production, motion graphics, content creation, and had the pleasure to produce social media content for multi-million dollar projects in Texas. One of the most memorable experiences of mine, was having the pleasure to create content for veterans in the industry such as Zar Haro and social media personality Bruce Petersen, aka “The Apartment Guy”. My expertise in Design and Digital Marketing gave our team a unique flare that successfully produced results to our clients during a fragile market state.

I graduated from Texas State University in 2018, I was introduced to the corporate world right after, but my passion for Social Media has never ceased, hence why my business efforts with these two magnificent employers. Throughout my professional career I’ve always created content on my personal social media platforms as a creative outlet to keep my artistic spirit alive and as a technique to decompress from this demanding industry. Ironically, my content is inspired by Commercial Real Estate and revolves around local city attractions, restaurants, and hidden gems, with the soul purpose to leverage our city market value.

In 2023, I decided to take a break from the corporate scene to fully explore and test my capabilities as an entrepreneur. It was a very difficult decision to make, very emotional and frightening too, but I came to the realization that life is temporary and it’s given to you to pursue your dreams, but most importantly do what makes your soul happy while inspiring others. I’m unsure what the future has for me, but I can assure you that in this very moment I feel at peace and very accomplished to call myself a full-time Content Creator and Business owner in this chapter of my life.

How did you build your audience on social media?

There is a market for everyone, you just have to seek for opportunities that could potentially be your future market. As a proud first generation, Mexican-American, and native Spanish speaker, it was extremely challenging for me to relate or keep updated with the American culture when I first moved to the states in 2005. This was mostly due because of the lack of Latino representation in mainstream media, however, when social media made its debut it seemed to be very inclusive and I quickly decided to embrace that missing gap in order to become a bridge between cultures.

At first, I started to create content targeting that specific gap and it’s demographics at a local level. This strategy was really successful, right after my digital work was presented to our community fully in Spanish for the first time, it became a substantial piece of content for others just like me. I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to build a network of over 70K followers across social media platforms and currently expanding nationwide and in Mexico.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative artist, is the ability to imagine the intangible and bring it to the tangible realm with pure creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.arelgi.net
• Instagram: @ARELGI
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndresArelgi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andresrlg
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@arelgi_/videos
• TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@arelgi