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

Hi Soni, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Sadly I lost my job in 2020 during the pandemic. This sudden loss forced me to make some major changes. After many years of putting myself on the backburner I made the decision to finally launch my art career. I was always curious about digital illustration so I taught myself how to do it. After a few weeks I realized I loved it and I felt like this was my calling. I started to share my illustrations on social media. People started to ask if my art was for sale. Then I had a few of my illustrations go viral. All of this helped me to gain more followers and more exposure. I began working with brands and doing commissions. Very quickly I realized I could actually make this my full time job.

The hardest part for me was finding a balance between work and fun. Being a fulltime artist requires a lot of work that has nothing to do with actually drawing. Running the business side takes a lot of time and can be very draining. Social media can be very negative as well if you fall for it. It took me a while to find a healthy balance.
Sometimes I look back and wish I would have done this sooner but life had other plans for me during those moments. I am where I belong now.

Soni, 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 am an indigenous artist from Guanajuato Mexico currently living in San Diego California. I drew a little bit as a child and off and on as I got older. As an adult I went through a bad breakup that left me empty and lost. I picked up a paintbrush and started to paint in hopes of some form of connection. I wanted to find myself again and art was the answer for me. I tried to put my work in Art Galleries but I soon realized that it was extremely difficult. The whole experience was intimidating and overwhelming. This led me to start curating my own art shows. I wanted to create shows where artists would feel welcomed, inspired no matter the artistic level. I ended up curating many shows showcasing hundreds of artists. This led me to meeting my current partner who also had an artistic dream. He and I decided to open our own Art gallery in Barrio Logan. It quickly became a huge success. We hosted hundreds of exhibitions and worked with thousands of artists from all over the world. This success allowed us to create an art community in Barrio Logan that at the time was nonexistent. In our 6th year we were forced to close our doors due to gentrification. The landlord tripled our rent, basically kicking us out. We quickly rushed to find another location and begane the process of rebuilding. Right before we could officially open our doors he pandemic hit. The shutdowns forced us to close our door permanently. The Gallery was my everything. I had given it all of my time and energy and now I had to start over.

I knew in my heart that I had never really given my talent the attention it deserved. I always wanted to focus on my work and become a full time artist. I decided to teach myself digital illustration during the pandemic. Spending day after day on youtube learning digital illustration, marketing, money management and about social media. I started drawing and sharing my illustrations on social media. This led me to getting commission work and brand work. I quickly realized I could make this my career.

I have always been inspired by my culture, blm, lgbtq, mmiw2, and my ancestors to name a few. My work touches on things that I feel need more representation. I draw things that I wish I would have seen as a child.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to connect with people through my art. I get messages from people thanking me because my illustration made them feel seen.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I grew up as an “illegal immigrant” with the pressures of being successful. Achieving the American dream was always the goal so losing my job during the pandemic was very scary. I had worked so hard to get to where I was. Giving all my time and energy to this one thing. Having it taken away from me left me in the dark. I fell into a world of anxiety and depression. I had to really fight hard to pull myself out of that state. Pursuing a dream of mine gave me strength. Finding my passion saved me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://barriologan.wixsite.com/soniartist
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soni_artist