We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claudia Guajardo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Claudia , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Don’t be so eager to do more work than you signed up for if you’re not prepared to ask for a raise. You will get taken advantage of if you’re not careful, get burned out and grow bitter. Companies have a way of guilt-tripping employees into thinking they are not good enough to distract them from realizing their own worth. Everyone is great at something, but we’ve been trained to think working harder instead of smarter is the way to make a living. And if you’re stuck in a situation you’re not happy with, figure out a way to use that time to grow for yourself while getting paid and take the next step. That next step means passing up fear of rejection. I think a lot of companies are low key desperate and willing to take anyone who’s not afraid…that’s what happened to me. I don’t regret it. It’s just a way of getting your foot in the door.

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?

Since I was a kid, there were so many pivotal points that led me to believe my future involved creativity. But fast forward, I was encouraged by my drama club teacher to pursue theatre and costume, which then led to fashion. I graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art with a BFA in Fashion Design and decided I needed a break immediately. I needed time to think about where I belong. I was in such a hurry to create anything amazing that I always felt I never gave it my best and so naturally I worked with colors and materials that were loud- so they can do most of the work for me! And since I was mostly pulled towards neons, I was nicknamed “neon bomb” by one of my best friends and it stuck with me ever since. I knew right there and then the name would be important in my life, and I also knew by instinct that I had to let it grow and unfold naturally into whatever its meant to me. I spent a few years trying different creative outlets just to see what clicked, and they all brought me back to fashion. When I finally got tired of procrastinating, I decided to add “Designz” to NeonBomb just incase I felt like painting or making home decor instead of clothing. This new approach had me working different, and more importantly it had me finally getting organized and taking my time. Because now there was no rush trying to find where I fit in. Doing whatever I felt like made more sense and Neon Bomb Designz opened that door. It allows me to branch out and fill the spontaneous need to make art, design costume, stage wear, streetwear…whatever I want, when I want. And of course just like every typical artist, we fall off track constantly, so music was my answer to avoid procrastination and stay productive. Shitizen was formed and once again I was brought back to my first love- performance. It didn’t take long to realize the pattern I was living….loud, bright, in the spot light..it just made sense.

Art of any form demands serious attention and clocking in and clocking out type of WORK is the number one killer. I’m proud to say that no matter what comes my way, I keep screaming and creating, and plan to do so until the day I die because I want to see how my story ends. Anyone can do this, it just takes self-discipline. That discipline can be found in your core circle of influences- are they adding to your growth or are they detrimental?

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Hidden Messages in Water By Masaru Emoto taught me to be aware, sensitive, mindful and move swiftly. Who Moved My Cheese By Spencer Johnson taught me to just say fuck it, let’s go see what’s out there!

Both of these books share a simple and direct message that stay with you- awareness and movement. Natural human instinct.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Be picky, it’s okay. If you have a friend or you know of a small business that offers a service or product where you recognize the potential, but maybe don’t resonate with- you’re still a resource. Share that business with someone you think or know may be interested in. Even if they’re not, you still reached out and planted a seed in their mind and this business you mentioned will be the first that comes to mind when said product or service is sought after. When you help feed your community, you get to eat too. When you feed corporations- there’s a chance you could starve and be left out in the cold.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: neonbombdesignz
• Facebook: anytownshitizen

Image Credits
band photo by Adam Galanski