Meet Fernanda Arias | Graphic Designer

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

Hi Fernanda, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I’ve learned that achieving a balance is not being able to do everything, for me is about learning to be at peace with doing less, when I need to. I think balance can mean different things to every person because the concept of work, family and self care is also changes for everyone in every stage of your life.
In the time we live in, what we do is never enough, there always seems to be someone who is doing things better, than us. So is hard to find our own idea of balance.

For me, understanding that life is always changing helps me create my own balance. Sometimes I don’t feel like being that involved in my work, so a try to create a setup that allows me to be less present. Sometimes I let myself get lost in a creative project, sometimes I just need to prioritize my financial wellbeing so I’ll put in more hours or take on a challenging project that pays better and I see both of those a form of self care. Most importantly I try not to be so hard on myself when I loose my balance, embracing the fall and pulling myself back up helps me see what I need next, more clearly.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being in a creative profession has taught me a lot about ego. I’ve found that it is very easy to create a persona, get lost in it and affirm your value in the amount of views or likes your project gets. There are so many brilliant designers that have left a legacy and have truly made a difference (as much of a difference as a graphic designer can make) And they’re the ones who – just like any other great artist- separate from this persona and become a just a channel for whatever they are creating.

Separating from the ego can take a lifetime, but in the process of doing so I’ve found that creativity can take on a different meaning. I think it’s important to create something just for the sake of creating it, and you can actually have fun doing it when you’re not worried about how It’s going to perform when you make it into a post and upload it to instagram. When you make things that are not meant to serve your own ego you can raise difficult questions and learn a lot about yourself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
You always know a city by its food so: For coffee: Jervis in la floresta
For brunch: Dough in la floresta or Q Bolón near La Carolina park
for exploring the city: old town Quito, churches and museums
for lunch: ciré capital
for an afternoon coffee at an instagramable spot: Fankor
for a great dinner: chulpi
and for a night cap- bahn-mi

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?
My sisters, I feel so lucky to be a witness to their lives, learn form them, and have them unconditionally by my side.

Website: http://fernanda-arias.com/

Instagram: @fer.ariasb

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernanda-arias-b5b50854/