We were lucky to catch up with Catalina Villegas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Catalina, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I would start by breaking this down into two parts.

From a macro point of view I would have probably skipped college altogether 20+ years ago. I went to a major public university in Miami where I majored in studio arts. Not to discredit the education given at that moment in time, but for a creative-minded individual like myself, I believe having access to creative classes would have been exponentially improved pairing those with more of what we call the “boring classes” like marketing, basic business, sales, and other skills that would have led me to understand how to market my art and myself as an artist. I went to college before the dawn of platforms like YouTube, which leads me to the second part of this concept.

I actually learned my art skills by doing, by watching other people, and by asking. I became my own resource and platforms that allow other creators to share their knowledge and expertise became absolutely vital in the learning process. This also meant that I did not have to go through formal institutions, private or public, and had a wide range of access to specific skill sets via online courses from people who I admired. This, and A LOT, of trial and error.

Had I had this opportunity back in my early 20’s I would have probably been able to better focus and expedite my beginnings as a professional artist.

I think having a good handle on skills like basic video editing, digital design programs, and social media are necessary and essential. I can also add on to the list writing, communication, general people skills and things such as marketing and sales. Also having the curiosity to see what is happening within the industry at any given moment, such as what is currently changing with the influx of AI.

Life happens so I think I will always have space to place the blame on external factors for not learning more. It’s really about self discipline and maybe setting aside that play time for later. We underestimate what short focused sessions, in a consistent time span, can do for our advancement as people and professionals.

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.

I am an illustrator and augmented reality artist. I love exploring the themes of botanicals and animals through lush and visually rich images. My inspiration comes from the country where I was born (Colombia) and the city where I was raised (Miami).

Towards the end of 2019 I discovered a platform called Spark AR, which is what is used to create filters for Instagram and Facebook. I began to see how some creators where incorporating AR filters into their work and was inspired and began to figure out a way of enhancing the visual experience of my illustrations with augmented reality.

It took a lot of trial and error since the platform was in its beta stage at the time and there were hardly any tutorials online. The type of effect that I wanted, basically bringing my layered illustration digital work to life, was nowhere to be seen. I’m really proud of that. I worked many many hours and was able to figure it out. I feel that I was able to create something very fresh and new.

I have had many other artists and creators reach out to me about this particular use of AR. I try my best to guide them in the right direction. It’s very inspiring to be in this creative loop where feedback goes both ways and connections are made just because of a piece of art.

I am currently working on finishing my 50 States AR Botanical Map project which entails a collection of big, lush, detailed botanical maps of every US State…with an AR component. I have posters available and these will also be incorporated in a very special public space installation next year at one of the terminals in Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

I also have other posters available with other types of imagery, not just the maps. Creating these new visual realms and seeing them come to life is a very magical experience to me!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Growth is definitely not linear. I just turned 43 and my life is NOTHING of what it was 2 or so years ago.

I recently got certified as a yoga instructor, which is what I do whenever I am not making visual art. I am slowly finding new ways of merging my art with my practice and I look forward to seeing where this will take me.

There will be moments when you feel that you took a million steps back but if you keep at it you will just realize that life gave you that space to internalize things that were necessary for you to better accept and handle the next phase.

I think that without all that I would not have been able to appreciate the richness of my life.

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

Being able to put something of beauty back out into the world. I fully believe and have experienced that our thoughts create our reality, so I have made it my mission to express as much beauty as I can through my art (whether it’s illustration, or my music, or my yoga) for others to enjoy if and when they please.

Contact Info:

• Website: catalinavillegas.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/cativillegas
• Twitter: x.com/cativillegas
• Youtube: youtube.com/@cativillegas
• Other: TikTok: tiktok.com/@cativillegasillustration