Meet Alethea Perez | Artist & Animator

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

Hi Alethea, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The life of a creative is not linear and there are tons of ups and downs – and you have to be prepared to roll with the punches.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art mainly features portraits of different icons in pop culture and history, and I also create animations for Channel Frederator alongside my own cartoon creations. I’m most proud of my Loca y Su Abuela animation series that I made as a tribute to my Abuelita, who passed away three years ago. It tells stories of the shenanigans I grew up with, which I realized as I created these episodes for myself.

Despite how personal these stories were, other people got them and laughed along, or it reminded them of their grandparents. I reflect on that heavily and the validation that people will get it. It’s probably my proudest moment as a creative in my career, seeing others see themselves in my creations. I enjoy the commentary and the memories that are evoked by my animations. It wasn’t easy, but nothing in life really ever is. I’m proud of where I’m at in life creatively, it took a lot of trial and error. I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved along the way, even if there were a few side-steps and cha-cha dance moves to get there. I’m excited by the prospect of what’s to come and what’s coming around the corner as I climb the mountain.

How did I overcome challenges? Never taking no for an answer. Realizing you’re going to hear no alot and how you shouldn’t let it deter you but rather empower you to think outside the box, challenge your creations and get creative with your solutions to find ways around those challenges. I think the biggest lesson as a creative I’ve learned at the end of the day is acknowledging that the only thing getting in the way of you doing the things you want to do in life is you – and realizing you only grow in the discomfort really pushes and drives me creatively to keep striving for more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live by the beach, so there would be lots of drives off A1A and beach time- I’d probably take them to Primanti Bros on the beach off of Sunrise and A1A – their pizza is amazing, but they’re known for their french fries and coleslaw on their sandwiches and it gives you a taste of Pittsburgh without having to visit. That particular location is 24 hours and its always been my go-to for a late night snack and drive. We’d probably get drinks at the Pirate bar down off Las Olas, Visit the Bonnet house and followed up with a drive through the New River/Kinney Tunnel an underground water tunnel on our way to to Wilton Manors to visit my favorite grilled cheese sandwich spot New York Grilled Cheese for cheesy deliciousness. And then we’d make our way next door to To the Moon Marketplace, a candy store that is to die for that has every candy imaginable and grew up with. We’d get drinks at Funky Buddha and visit a few of the local breweries and bars in the area such as Invasive Species and lazer wolf. Followed by some drinking and arcade gaming at Glitch bar. And to sneak in some health and exercise, we’d walk the trails within Hugh Taylor Birch Park and finish off by walking across the street to dip our toes into the water at Fort Lauderdale Beach. We’d also sneak in a trip to Tate’s Comics, and go eat tacos at a few of my favorite taco places within Fort Lauderdale such as Allegria Tacos.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shout out the FIU (Florida International University) Art Dept – specifically three professors (Manny Torres, Jacek Kolasinski & Juan Maritnez). Manny and Jacek Kolasinski for allowing us to be as creative as possible in class and Juan Martinez for the beautiful advice he gave us back when we were taking our thesis class related to pursuing the things that bring you joy in life and if you have an opportunity to come back again, go for the money. I’d also like to shout out creatives such as 2mexOMD, 7octoberz and the heartful truth who allowed us to contribute to their art in the form of animations, graphics and believing in us.

Website: https://inkeateroriginals.com

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Image Credits
Inkeater