We recently connected with Johnny Castillo and have shared our conversation below.

Johnny, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Art has always been a part of my life, but I wouldn’t necessarily say I knew I wanted to pursue this career right away.

A little bit of a back story into my life, I was born in Guatemala and migrated with my family to Los Angeles, California at the age of 5. I remember arriving in LA with my family and struggling to fit in due to the language and cultural barriers, but art allowed me to connect with others in a way I could not verbally. I was always the kid in class who was asked to draw something, whether that was Spongebob characters, Disney characters, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Dragonball Z. Art allowed me to slowly fit in despite the challenges. As I got older, my interests shifted from drawing characters to Graffiti. In some way or another, I allowed myself to engage with my creative side throughout my journey.

Johnny, 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?

So in High School, I met my very first art teacher, Ms. Aubrey. She guided me through my AP Studio Art class portfolio where I realized that art could potentially be more than a hobby. Shortly before graduating, I remember Ms. Aubrey asking me what my plans were after high school. I don’t remember how the entire conversation unfolded, but what I do remember is that she believed in me and my art so much that she talked me into applying to Otis College of Art and Design the day before the application was due. Shortly after, I was notified that I was accepted into the school and I will never forget how excited I felt at that moment. I will be forever thankful for Ms. Aubrey!

I remember going to the welcome orientation at Otis with my family, but also finding out that I would not be able to attend because of my legal status. Long story short, I got accepted into Otis but quickly found out that I could not afford it. I decided that community college would be the best option for me, but now that I think about it, I think my disappointing experience at Otis inadvertently influenced my decisions from there on out.

I began to question whether Art was a career I should pursue considering all of the sacrifices that my parents made to get us here and the limitations placed on me due to my legal status. At the same time, I had many people advise me against going to school for an Arts degree. This all led me to deviate from this path and explore different majors, drop out of majors, get tied into bad habits, and eventually drop out of school for a few years. During these years, I faced a lot of self-doubts, depression, and emotional breakdowns that I often kept to myself. I developed addictions as coping mechanisms and eventually hit what felt like rock bottom.

During these years, my older sister Dulce, who helped me out so much during this time, was offered acceptance into UC Berkeley. She asked me to move to Berkeley with her to keep her company, so I did knowing I had nothing going for me back home. This move allowed me to reflect upon my decisions and dig myself out of the addictions I had developed prior. I spent about 3 years in the Bay Area and selectively took art classes at Berkeley City College. I occasionally visited my family in LA during these 3 years. During one of my visits, I remember sharing an emotional conversation in the car with my mom as we drove to wherever we were headed. I remember telling my mom that I had no idea what I wanted to do, but that I missed making art like before. I don’t exactly remember how the conversation carried on, but I do remember her saying “Why don’t you just focus on your Art? You’ve always been good at it and you have been doing it for as long as I can remember.” I love my Mom so much for this conversation.

Returning to LA after 3 years and following up on the conversation I shared with my Mom, I went back to community college. I committed to pursuing Art, graduated with a BA in Studio Art in 2020, transferred to the School of Art at Cal State Long Beach, and graduated this past Fall 2023 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting. I managed to get through school with scholarships and the DACA program for undocumented students. Although these experiences were at times horrible, I am still very thankful I experienced it all.

Currently, I am working out of my studio located in downtown Los Angeles, teaching Drawing and Painting classes at Kline Academy of Fine Art in west LA, and selling and showing works in galleries and museums. I knew always wanted to do this, and it is very humbling to think about the journey that got me to where I am today.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As I mentioned previously, my Art has always been a way for me to process information or experiences, emotional in most cases. It is an amazing experience when my work in one way or another allows others to feel safe and heard. And as an educator, I find it very rewarding to share the knowledge that I have with my students in hopes that they can expand their visual language to help them process information that might otherwise be hard to talk about through words.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johnnycastilloart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.castl/