Meet Aida Caro | Illustrator and Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aida Caro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aida, what do you want your legacy to be?

That’s a really good question! I think that I would be to being remembered as a person who helped open the doors for more female and young illustrators. If I can make the illustrator field more empathetic, open, secure, and equitable for all.

I also would love to be a reference for more artists and illustrators, seeing my work could inspire them and maybe encourage them to create their art and explore their creative side would be awesome for me.

I have been planning and realizing a couple of workshops in my city like an illustration club that’s open for all where we can have a nice afternoon having some drinks and drawing.
Something that brings me a lot of joy is seeing so many people together drawing just for the fun of it and seeing how new friendships are born because of this.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think that my artwork has always been a reflection of my persona, what I liked, what I think and feel, and what’s around me. I translate all of that in colors, a lot of pink, nature, and women portraits that somehow are like me or remind me of important female figures in my life, and how they connect to nature. Also, I tend to incorporate little details or how’s their life, and how they dress, like a glimpse of their personality with souvenirs. I think that my illustrations bring some daily life, peace, and comfort.

I’m really proud of how my work has evolved through the years, what I used to see as only a hobby has become my permanent job and source of income. I am proud of how my artwork has grown and all the new projects I’m working on. I’m excited about the future, to see how far my illustrations can take me, take my artwork to new places, use it on a different canvas, and explore and grow my creativity and my ability to create.

I have a major in Product and Industrial Design and after graduating I worked in several design studios and local brands as a designer, even so, illustration has always been a constant in my life and has been my first tool to incentive and communicate my creativity.
I realized that I didn’t want it to work for someone else and I wanted to start my brand, always assuming that will be with some type of product design related.
On my search I was still drawing and making illustrations in my sketchbook, so one day I decided to publish all my drawings on Instagram and that’s it, little by little work started to come.
To resume, illustration has always been there, and in my search for what road to take it was almost like an instinct to move my career to that area.

It’s been a rollercoaster, I’m really lucky and I recognize my privilege of having a strong net that holds me like my spouse and family. When covid started, my work was totally paused. But even then I count on my spouse to cover more of the house expenses so I can focus on new strategies or how to come up with new work and income.
The life of freelance has its highs and lows, but even then I think its important to make a quick pause, evaluate what you do and why you do it, and start with little steps again, renew your work, keep moving, be constant on your platforms and show that you are still here, working and creating.

well, even though illustration is one of my biggest passions, working on what you love sometimes is very consuming. Just because you want to be better, in illustration you can achieve that by practicing a lot, so it’s easy to lose all your time drawing all day.
my brain is tired and drained from working and drawing, the creativity locks are real and can consume all of the energy. There’s also a lot of mental and emotional exhaustion. It’s really important to take sometimes a step back and recharge.
Also try REALLY TRY, to not compare yourself to other artists and creatives, every one it’s different and we all work at our own pace.

I consider myself more like a private person but I’m looking and hoping that people can connect with my art, that’s all. when I see a little girl with one of my stickers on her water bottle that makes my day. I want to be part of their lives on those kinds of little things, I want my brand to be somehow part of your day on small things like your tote bag, that illustration you love so much you frame it, that mural you saw close to your home. My brand is little but has a lot of heart.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There’s so much to do in my city! Let’s start with the climate, that’s one of the best qualities, so you practically visit Guadalajara any time of the year and have amazing weather. My dad is from Argentina so every time he comes to visit me and my sisters we have an established itinerary of what to do, where to eat, etc. (hope you liked it!)
We start going with the basics, which means going to downtown Guadalajara where’s a lot of historic places and very traditional little stores, like the Cabañas museum. One of the more recognized places to go (even Bjork visited it haha) is San Juan De Dios, one of the biggest markets in the city. There you can find everything from special herbs and spellings from chamanes and witches, to Adidas and converse sneakers, it is a great place to go and grab some breakfast and also buy some souvenirs. While you are there I tend to take the macrobus, a public bus that crossed all over the city. We go down to the last stop that’s the Barranca de Huentitan, a public park next to the University of Architecture, Arts and Design (where I and my big sister studied) on that park you have a beautiful viewpoint of the Barranca and a lovely park to do some hiking.
Next, we try to visit all our favorite local restaurants, like Peko Peko where they cook exquisite spice ramen. We also love to go to little cafes in the Americana neighborhood, there are places like Biolento, Cafe Sinónimo, Espacio Abierto, and Cafe Correcto, all of the cafes, bars, and shops in that area have a hype vibe.
We go also to MAZ the Zapopan Art Museum where there are a lot of contemporary art expositions and just around the corner you can find Salon Candela, a really cool restaurant with cool music and special drinks,
And we also go with our bikes to the neighborhood Santa Tere, where there are also a lot of markets and shops where you can find everything.
Guadalajara is a big city with a lot to do that has a cafe for every taste, so it could take more of the week to know every little corner.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
sure! my spouse Arturo Gonzalez has always believed in me and my work. He is my fortress and one of the big reasons my brand has and is still growing.

Website: www.aidacaro.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidacaroilustra/

Linkedin: https://ar.linkedin.com/in/aida-caro-arambula

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aidacaroilustraciones