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

Alright, Jacqueline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

Yes I have a wonderful agent – Adriana Dominguez at Aevitas Creative. I met Adriana at an SCBWI ( Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators ) conference in New York I think in 2016. I was lucky to receive a mentoship through the We Need Diverse Books organization and my mentor Carolyn Flores introduced me to many great people that weekend. Adriana and I began emails and conversations about my work, what types of stories I want to tell and what kind of work I’m interested in – and also what kind of work she in interested in fostering. Our visions, experiences and motivations were aligned and I had a very good feeling it would be a great fit! And happy to say that the relationship has been even better than I could have imagined.

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 educator based in Chicago. I do work in a variety of markets but most of my work is in Children’s Publishing. I have 5 published books out and many more in the pipeline. All of the books I have worked on uplift diverse stories, voices and faces. The children’s market is making up for lost time in publishing and marketing books with diverse characters and I’m happy to be a part of the movement to grow that representation in the industry itself and on the bookshelves. I believe all kids should be able to find characters that they relate to – not just in personality but in physical characteristics. Its validating and empowering to see someone in a book that looks like you. I was originally a high school art teacher – graduating in another tough economical time – 2008! So I got laid off after my first year and took the plunge into being a working artist. I fell in love with illustration, took an intensive course at Parsons in NYC and never looked back! Of course it took years from that point to this point where its my full time job, but the journey has been enlightening and liberating.

I’m most proud to finally have sold my first author / illustrator project last year. My debut as both author and illustrator is titled “Tios and Primos” and will publish in winter of 2025. Its a story close to my heart and my personal experience as a kid. It’s a story about family, identity, language and love! Can’t wait to be able to share that with the world.

I love to learn through drawing. Every project I work on is a chance to take a deep dive into something I wouldn’t have known or experienced otherwise and I just love that process. Researching the people, places and cultures that are present in the stories I get to illustrate is such a joy and I hope that my love for the process comes through my art. Its my hope that I can foster pride, empathy, and empowerment through my characters and books.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Well now there is such a wealth of ways to learn online – it’s incredible. From YouTube tutorials, to Skillshare, to Lynda, to Domestika. And organizations like SCBWI and WNDB that offer ways to learn and grow and break into the publishing industry. Illustration and publishing isn’t a career that requires a degree. But it does require a lot of determination, hard work, creative thinking. If you have these traits and you have the self-determination to teach yourself – you can succeed. I wish I had known about illustration itself earlier – and other jobs that you can have as a designer/creative. In college I just thought the 2 options would be a graphic designer for an advertising agency – or an art teacher. I didnt realize there was a whole big wide world of potential in between! And theres so many ways now to start learning and growing for free – so no reason not to try!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Well I was a bit nervous ( like the rest of the world ) at the beginning of the pandemic that illustration opportunities would vanish. I started to focus on diversifying my income and began to teach in the illustration department at Columbia College Chicago and dipped my toe into real estate. I was unsure of whether I wanted to go back to teaching in any capacity, but the experience has been wonderful! I’m still trying to find more ways to balance my income so that I can be more and more selective in the creative projects I take on. While I love to draw – its not something I want to do everyday so having a variety of things I focus on has brought me more appreciation and focus my illustration projects. As a self-employed artist I think finding ways to make it financially sustainable are really important because you don’t want the thing you love to do, turn into something that causes you a lot of stress in life. All to say I feel like I’m constantly thinking up a next pivot! To make it interesting, to create more opportunities for myself, to reach new people and take on totally new challenges. The 2008 “financial crisis” led me to illustration, the pandemic led me back to teaching and to real estate, we’ll see what the next batch of lemons will become!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jacquelinealcantara.com
• Instagram: @_jacqueline_alcantara
• Twitter: @_jacqueline_ill