This week’s guest believes making money from art isn’t harder than any other career. In this episode, I chat with Cuban-Bahamian artist and author Reyna Noriega who’s worked with clients such as Apple, Old Navy, and The New Yorker. Reyna and I talk about the complexities of being Afro-Latina, why NFTs are dumb, and why she ultimately decided to leave teaching art to focus on being an artist.
Reyna initially tried to tread cautiously into freelancing by taking a creative director role at a startup, but quickly realized it wasn’t for her — so she jumped into freelancing earlier than expected. After just a few months, she was able to stabilize her income and move out of her parents’ house as a full-time artist. Now, she creates illustrations for brands, runs an online shop with the help of her mom, and writes her poems as a form of self-reflection.
In this episode, Reyna shares her journey to becoming a full-time artist, the growing pains of running an online shop, and how she’s now working on creating a legacy for herself and her family.
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Guest Info
Check out Reyna’s Instagram, Portfolio, and Shop!
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