Artist Statement / Aileen Herrera Ojeda / Funky, Colorful, and Playful

 Art has always been a part of me for as long as I can remember. Always interested in learning and working in new mediums and forms of art as I got older like oil paint, charcoal, watercolor, ceramics, printmaking and of course graphic design. While I can handle a variety of mediums, graphic design is the one that stuck with me because it gave me a freedom. I wasn't limited to what I could draw which was exciting, furthering my passion for it. I work in mainly Adobe programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and most recently After Effects. Often working in these platforms all at once. Although I work digitally, my works exists physically as posters, booklets, editorials, and packaging. Working digitally often feels one dimensional but getting to see my work as functioning items in the real world is super rewarding.

My work is heavily inspired by retro and punk themes, mainly from the 60’s up till the early 2000’s. As I am working on my messaging, I’ve started to become more inspired by the revolutions and protests that occurred during these time periods. Through my work, I love to explore diverse compositions as well as to play around with everything from photos, fonts, and colors. I would describe my work as being really funky, colorful and playful. Taking much inspiration from fellow graphic designer, Kel Lauren and even photographer/director Sophia Coppola. I take a lot of inspirations from already existing graphic design trends, movies, and music as well. Currently working on looking at more fine art artists and movements to inspire future works. As I am growing as a person and artist, my messaging is shifting from one that is pure aesthetics to one that centers around my identity as a Latina-American living in this currently reality of America. I want to mix my already established aesthetic with my newfound messaging. While still wanting to try new messaging within my works, I still would like to keep my more purely interest based works a big part of what I make. 

The process of creating for me is pretty simple. Usually when given a prompt I immediately have ideas of what the final will look like, it’s just a matter of getting it done. Although already having ideas, I love to look for new design elements, effects, or even other works in the medium I am working in. Sketching is something I do once in a while if I need to further visualize an idea before making it. 

With my work I hope for audiences to enjoy and find pleasure with my aesthetics and find understanding and empathy within the meaning of it as well. I wish for viewers to get the same playful feeling that I get when designing.