We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Talisa Almonte. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Talisa below.

Hi Talisa, thanks for joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

It’s been rewarding running Almonte Studio full time, but being a full time small business owner comes with it’s challenges. While I’m much happier than when I was working corporate, the financial instability in the early stages is always a challenge. What truly keeps me going is having the control over what my day, month and year will look like. I love being able to work with other small businesses and take on cool projects like when I had the opportunity to work with Star Wars and Disney+. I also recently got into doing murals and I’m really excited to see where that will take me next and to see my work in a larger scale. The main thing I’ve learned from being a full time artist and illustrator is to not be afraid to try different things and diversify where my income comes from. As much as I wish to only paint away my days, if I want to continue running my own business, I have to sometimes take on projects that I wouldn’t always do like a logo and branding or more graphic design type jobs. These are things that keeps the journey interesting though and I wouldn’t change a thing.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My background is rooted in design. At an early age my dad introduced me to the world of computers, graphics, painting and drawing, I wanted nothing but to be just like him. After moving from Dominican Republic at the age of four and as I got older, I started to get more into fashion design watching shows like Project Runway and was lucky to have been accepted into a magnet high school called Design and Architecture Senior High in Miami, FL where I grew up. It was there that I really got to polish my art abilities since it was the first time I had real training aside from the handful of short classes I had taken in middle school. I also got more involved in the world of fashion and decided that that was what I wanted to pursue. I then moved to New York City and graduated with a BFA in fashion design. I worked in the fashion industry for over 7 years with companies like Victoria Secret Pink and Gap. When the pandemic happened I was laid off and decided to pursue what had always been my first passion, art. I freelanced and worked remotely for a small fashion company while sharing my artwork on social media. Then my father passed away in February 2021 and because the last conversation I had with him, he mentioned he was happy that one of his kids followed in his footsteps and it really made me think about what I really wanted my life to look like. I decided to quit my remote job after getting the biggest project to date and established my business under the name Almonte Studio, in honor of my dad’s creative business “Almonte Estudio” and it felt like the best way to honor his memory.

Since establishing my business in March 2021, I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with brands like Star Wars, Disney+, Buzzballz, Wrappr and more. I think what sets me apart aside from being a minority in my field is that I always bring a positive energy to any client project. There’s enough stress and chaos in the world and I always want my clients, fans, customers etc to feel good vibes and a sense of joy with my work. I also love to work with bright colors and have been told that my bright aesthetic is what typically attracts people to my work. I’m also very good at interpreting people’s inspiration to deliver something better than they imagined it.

I’m most proud of my Star Wars project because I’m such a big fan and it was also the project that really gave me the boost of confidence I needed to take the leap of starting my business. I also recently started getting into mural work and I’m really excited for some upcoming projects in my local community. Aside from the awesomeness of doing a mural, it makes me extra happy knowing it supports the community that has supported me and my business.

To any future clients, followers, fans etc, you can always expect a positive attitude, bright colors, Latinx culture, nostalgia and retro vibes with Almonte Studio.

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

Persistence is key! I always tell this story to others because sometimes I think people don’t realize how important not giving up and following up can change everything. When I was first starting to freelance and share my work on instagram I had come across this subscription box service company called Women’s Collective Box. I loved their mission of using women owned brands and that they also worked with artists to design their box, postcards, stickers and illustrate the brands featured in the box seasonally. I fell in love with the idea of collaborating with them because it merged my love of packaging design with my love for illustration. I reached out to the brand via DM I want to say in late Spring of 2020 and at the time she had responded that they already had everything ticked and tied for that season but that she’d stay in touch. I reached back out again mid Summer but again they had already booked the artist who would be designing their Fall box. I think it was early to mid fall when I get a message from the owner saying that I’d be designing their Holiday box for 2020 and I was so incredibly happy! This was my very first commissioned collaboration with a known brand and it was really what put me on the map in social media since she had a very big following at the time. Imagine if I would have never had the guts to reach out or if I would have just taken her answer as a no and never continued to pursue the opportunity? I think about that from time to time and I’m grateful to have persisted in making that collaboration happen because not only did I get to design the Holiday 2020 box I also ended up designing their Spring 2021 because it did so well.

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

I don’t think this is necessarily a lesson but I think overall in the creative community, there tends to be a lot of gatekeeping. Even when I was in school, you’re in a competitive atmosphere where you’re made to feel like your peers are the ones who will take a job away from you and while I understand where this mindset comes from since in a way that is true to an extent, graduating at the same time and all looking for jobs etc, but to me that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t help someone out if I had the opportunity or knowledge to do so.

When I started out on my own to create this business which it’s only been 2 years, I reached out to a lot of people who were more established than me as illustrators or creatives in a similar business for any advice, suppliers etc. And I found that 9 times out of 10 people would just not respond or they’d give vague answers that weren’t helpful at all and I was a little taken back by this because I’m the type of person that will always share what I know or have learned in hopes that others will have a smoother journey than maybe I had.

Although I felt like I was taught to keep “my secret sauce” to myself, I’ve come to learn that the real secret sauce is just me. Who I am and what I do and how I approach projects or anything that I do is what sets me apart from others because there’s no one else out there like me. We are all unique and we all bring something different to the table. Even artists who have similar styles, it will still always be different. Whenever someone reaches out to me for advice I happily share what I’ve learned so far. I’m not an expert by any means but I’ve had great opportunities and have done research to find what I need in order to grow my business and I’m always happy to share those things with anyone who’s looking to start a creative business and be a full time artist. There is enough space for ALL of us to exist and no matter if we are using the same suppliers etc we will ALL grow and can grow TOGETHER. Community > Competition always.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.almontestudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almontestudio/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@almontestudio
• Other: Tip Me: https://ko-fi.com/almontestudio Support my upcoming mural project: https://www.earthandme.co/product/garden-mural-fundraiser-donation-supports-local-artist-almonte-studios/1301?cp=true&q=false&sa=true&sbp=false