EXPERIENCE CFAC 2022 WINNERS ALONDRA PAREDES
Alondra Paredes | Visual Media 1st Place
Department of Design (Illustration)
Instagram: @alondra.creative
“I have been able to broaden my perspectives and develop a respect and admiration for a country and people I was not familiar with. It has put into perspective for me what is possible in my own life and what things truly matter.”
I received a Pell Grant from FAFSA which enabled me to go to this study abroad. In Ecuador, I was able to experiment with watercolor sketches as part of a "visual journal" I began creating. I was able to learn some Kichwa and speak with native speakers. Myeyes were opened to the incredibly interesting opportunities anthropology and linguistics provide as I was enabled to embrace a different way of life and reevaluate my own priorities.
As a result of going to Ecuador, I was put in a position that encouraged me to learn entrepreneurial skills in relation to my art such as photographing my art, digitally correcting it, and printing the artwork professionally. I was able to come to grasp InDesign and Photoshop in a way I never had before as I worked on marketing and developing a picture book of all of the artwork completed in my visual journal for Ecuador. I was able to open an online business to keep track of book and print orders from the study abroad and learn basic skills in SEO research and application. The most fun skill I learned was the creation of art with ink and watercolor. I usually only draw in digital medium, so this reignited my passion and enthusiasm for non-digital mediums.
As an artist, it is crucial that I am able to gain skills in real-time marketing and business so I can better support myself, sell my art, or better contribute to a company. It is also important that I have an understanding of multiple mediums to be a truly qualified artist. I truly believe I would never have learned what I had in that short amount of time if it had not been for my study abroad. It truly was a catalyst for me to buckle down and learn these skills to become a better practitioner in my field.
As a result of this, I have realized that it is totally possible to sell my own, original art. I have also realized that physical mediums are not actually dying out and being replaced by digital medium. There is a place for both. In the future, I have decided to continue to experiment with physical mediums so I can be proficient in both physical and digital medium, whereas before this study abroad, I was content to stay in my comfort zone of the digital art world. I also plan to make and sell my own art instead of my previous plan to work solely for a company or contractor. I plan on continuing to keep a visual journal. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." I stand as a witness today that that is absolutely true. I look forward to more travels, more cultures, more learning, and more painting
