Conversations with Aileen Villarreal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aileen Villarreal. 

Hi Aileen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi! My name is Aileen Villarreal and I am a first-generation college student who recently graduated from Arizona State University. My journey began here in Phoenix, Arizona where I was born and raised. I am a multimedia artist who is passionate about her roots and her community. When I was little, I knew that every kid likes to draw but for me, it was like my superpower. I remember how passionate I was from just drawing cartoon characters to entering and winning art competitions. I knew I wanted to pursue art as my career and thankfully I was able to succeed in doing that. I believe my journey through college is where I really began to mold myself into who I wanted to be as an artist and what I am really passionate about creating. Currently, I am working alongside Hawker Street Market, which is a local event I assist in organizing, and exploring more opportunities for my art career in freelance design hoping to expand my horizon even more.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, with every road I took there were bumps along the way. When I entered university life, I felt lost, scared, and I lacked self-confidence. It also came to the realization that there were not a lot of POC students who went through the art route. . . I felt alone. As a Latina first-gen, many would expect that I should go become a lawyer or a doctor but I really wanted to stick to what I was passionate about, that isn’t just a hobby but my dream. Many people looked down on me for majoring in art and would always ask me ”What are you going to do with that?” or “How are you going to survive in this society?”. There were so many things piling on me at once I began to rethink, “Do I really want to continue my art career?” Fortunately, I was blessed to have supportive parents and friends that I’ve made along the way. I really wanted to change and I knew I wanted to make a difference but how does one make a difference or inspire another? I learned to push myself and I was able to be involved with the amazing organizations called Pi Lambda Chi Latina Sorority, Inc and El Concilio. Through these organizations, I was able to share my creativity and help students who encountered the same obstacles as me. I have grown more confident in myself and my artistic abilities and I was able to see and hear and I was able to inspire others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
There are many different ways to describe what I do. As an artist, there are so many mediums to explore and to see what fits best for me. I majored in Digital Culture so within that major I was able to explore a variety of mediums most importantly digital art. I love creating animations and I just appreciate how I can really tell stories whether it is a passion project or just for marketing. The majority of my animations mostly focus on my culture and my community. I want the world to see what I have created and I hope to see that it was able to influence/inspire others.

As I talk about how I am passionate about animation, I also want to say I love coordinating events. I think when I help create and plan these events they are considered as if it is my own work of art. Just like an artwork piece you have to go through every little detail to make sure things correlate the way you want it to look. I am part of an amazing event production team called Hawker Street Market where we promote culture through food. Through this team, I met Cindy who opened so many opportunities for me such as creating my first mural to creating a very successful T-shirt design. I was able to grow even more than I was before. With Hawker Street Market, I also helped my community through creating events for small businesses and also raising donations. We are a really small team starting out but we hope to grow more in the future.

Contact Info:

• Email: aileenvdesigns@gmail.com
• Website: https://aileenvdesigns.myportfolio.com/work
• Instagram: aileenvdesigns

Image Credits
Sandra Ramirez