We were lucky to catch up with Nathania Guerra recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathania, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I had started sooner! When I was in university, towards my last year, lots of peers had started internships or getting small gigs here and there. I was so focused in school work and keeping up my grades that I thought working and studying was just an impossible thing to do. It wasn’t until the very end of my educational journey, that I started a job, not even in the graphic arts industry, but in aviation! I was a sales agent for an Ecuadorian airline, so I dealt with lots of people and angry customers with delayed flights. The pay was good and my mother practically forced me to give it a try, but also I mostly did it because I was terrified of working at an agency. They had the reputation for exploiting recent grads, never-ending days, plus really bad compensation. So I always thought, why do I want to put myself through that? Now I work for an advertising agency here in Florida (obviously different countries), but I’m happy about the work I do and that big shift in my career. I always keep thinking “I wished I had done this sooner”, and just get all those imposter syndrome thoughts out of my head.

Nathania, 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?

My name is Nathania and I’m a graphic designer specialized in branding, layouts, typography, and love to do lettering for fun! I was born and raised in Ecuador, which is where I got my degree and now I’ve been living in the US for almost seven years. I believe firmly my background allows me to be bold with colors, be curious with different materials and textures, and just lets me play and experiment while creating things with my hands. I’m really enjoying to create patterns these days, and I feel my most creative self when I get to incorporate anything I do by hand, into my design, wether it’s a website, a brand campaign or merch creation. I’ve noticed clients really appreciate the attention to detail and it also sets me apart from other designers, that I can make something unique to the project that feels right and fresh!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think most people that don’t work on a creative field, do not entirely understand the concept of “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. I know this is a cheesy, over-used phrase, but when you look at statistics, most people do not enjoy their jobs! This is the thing they do for 8+ hours a day, how can you not like it? It will slowly eat you inside if you’re not passionate about it. Till this day I got family members that do not understand what I do for a living, even though I’ve explained them a million times… and for sure will not take the time to understand why drawing something 10 times to get it right or picking the right typeface matters so much…there’s a huge sense of achievement when you use your creative skills to solve problems!

Most people will compare success with money. It is not entirely their fault, the world that we live in is guided by consumerism… The big house, the latest cell phone, the most-expensive shoes, you get the point. If you don’t have these things, then you’re not “making it”. Who gets to decide if you feel fulfilled or not? No one but yourself! It is you that will dictate what makes you happy and what makes your life feel like it has a purpose.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

SHOP LOCAL! Support your community businesses, support that hard-working mom & pop shop! I can’t tell you how meaningful is for a small business owner to feel the love and support from their communities and to know they’re been seen and heard. Share their stories on social media, help them thrive! I know shopping from huge companies like Amazon can be more convenient, but I’m pretty sure you get better personalized treatment from someone local.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.natguerra.com
• Instagram: letter.play