Meet Araceli Sanchez | Freelance artist

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

Hi Araceli, what makes you happy? Why?
As silly as it may sound, I’ve found that a lot of my happiness comes from art. Art can come in so many different forms like movies, animation, music, even video games and it has this power to affect people in different ways. Art just has to be an experience that makes you feel. I love watching new shows or movies with my family, feeling loud music through my chest at a concert, and being able to draw out all my thoughts or feelings that I may be having. It just reminds me that I’m alive.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve had a passion for art since I was a kid. I loved watching cartoons and admiring how the animation looked, pointing out little details and techniques that I noticed even from a young age. I knew that I wanted to make stories through art and animation when I got older. I think the hardest part of being an artist is putting yourself out there and getting recognition. Anybody can make art but doing it as a job that pays the bills is an entirely different story. Even so, I wouldn’t quit it for the world. I feel like what I really enjoy about my art is that I pour myself into everything I create- my style tells a story. Since I’m self taught, there’s little details of my art that you can pick out where I learned from someone else. Yet it is all still uniquely me. Whatever I draw leaves behind a piece of myself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My absolute favorite place to eat is at Honeyfish in Apple Valley. Whenever I want to treat myself, I always get a boba or a ramen bowl from there.If you’re looking to walk around and explore I also loved my visit to Calico Ghost Town. There’s old mines to tour through, cute shops, and even a railroad that you can ride on. It’s entirely pet friendly so you can bring the whole family. I also love visiting the Mall of Victorvalley just to look around and hang out with my friends, even if we don’t end up buying anything.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first supporter has always been my mom. She has been my beacon of light and number one fan throughout all of my life, always encouraging me to be myself unapologetically and I couldn’t have done this with out her. I also want to thank my sister Amerika for encouraging my art, my friends Alexis, Piper, Amber, and Phi for always looking out for me, and finally my darling fiance Kevin who helps me keep my head on straight. I love you all from the bottom of my heart and my life wouldn’t be the same without you guys.

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