We recently connected with Dana SanMar and have shared our conversation below.

Dana , appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

A big part of the journey to success is to recognize your own definition of it. As kids and young adults, we are influenced by what our parents, friends, and media tell us is success. It has been more productive for me to focus energy on exploring what kind of things spark passion and motivation and follow that path. Being true to yourself will allow you to set goals based on what you love and want for yourself rather than following others’ or society’s expectations.

Dana , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Dana SanMar and I’m an Illustrator and Graphic Designer. I’m from Colombia and right now I’m based in Atlanta, GA. Arts and crafts have been very close to me from very little. I grew up seeing my mom sewing our clothes, doing embroidery, drawing, and creating new recipes, while my dad was very creative and handy. He could fix anything and figure things out even whit limited tools or resources. Both are retired educators, so they were my biggest influence to follow a creative career, and they nurtured my curiosity for constant learning, which pushed me to become an artist.

The main focus of my work right now is children’s illustration. My favorite projects to work on are book covers for fantasy middle-grade novels and picture books. I love to make art for kids because it is an opportunity to remember how exciting the world looks through children’s eyes. I also love visual storytelling, and to transmit complex ideas and feelings without words and just through images is something I always have found fascinating.

I also work on a couple of personal pieces for gallery shows during the year. While my personal work is not directed toward children, it is still heavily influenced by a child-like imagination. I love whimsical scenes, and I tried to capture that sense of wonder and magic that comes so naturally for kids.

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

When I graduated high school, I wanted to study fine arts. But being a successful fine artist in a country like Colombia is extremely difficult. I ended up studying Graphic Design instead, a career related to art that will offer more professional stability. After graduating and working for two years, I realized that as a graphic designer, I didn’t have much creative freedom, so I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Illustration.

Sadly, Colombia at the time didn’t have any master’s programs in Illustration. I had to focus on studying abroad, and the US seemed like a great option with amazing art schools, so I set that as my goal. There were two main obstacles. At the time, my knowledge of English was minimal, and neither I nor my family could finance my studying abroad.

Not wanting to give up my goal, I quit my job and joined a cultural exchange program to come to the US and live with an American family while babysitting their kids. This allowed me to be immersed in the language while saving as much as possible for my studies. It also gave me time to work on my illustration portfolio to apply to schools. After two years in the US, I returned home and kept working as a freelance Graphic Designer and saving for my degree. I finally applied to SCAD’s master’s in Illustration and was accepted with a scholarship. Thanks to financial aid and the help of my family and friends, I started the program in 2016, and in 2019, I graduated. Being an immigrant student wasn’t easy, but I’m very proud to have overcome the obstacles and reached my goal, and immensely grateful to all the people that supported my dream.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As an art student, I had to unlearn to take feedback from people with more experience too seriously. Dont get me wrong, it is essential to take criticism and learn from it, but it is also important to not take feedback as something you must follow 100%. I once had an art director from a well know publishing house tell me that my technique and style didn’t work for the children’s book market. Now working professionally, that is the market I’m on now, with the same style and technique I had when that art director reviewed my portfolio. So it is important to remember that Art is subjective. So learning to listen to feedback as a suggestion and not as a fact helped me to stay true to myself and my goals.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.danasanmar.com
• Instagram: @danasanmar
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-sanmar-07942321/
• Twitter: @danasanmar