What advice would you give to an artist just starting their art career?

Stay curious. Be intensely curious. You must nourish your curiosity like a hungry bear that can only be satisfied with more knowledge. There is a wealth of advice available from experienced artists, and a simple Google search is a great tool to find answers to many problems. However, it may take a few searches. I've discovered everything from pricing my first commissions to the challenging process of connecting with art directors. Most of my success comes from what everyone calls hard work, which, to me, means: Researching solutions to art-related problems.Testing the solutions I find.Evaluating the results.Researching any remaining issues.Testing new solutions.Reviewing... (you get the idea).I've bookmarked all the articles and resources I found three years ago and revisit them every three months to ensure they're still helpful. When seeking advice, I always establish a connection or friendship before asking. It's not the first thing I inquire about. No one wants a helpless bird with closed eyes and an open mouth begging for food. Sure, you might get fed, but you're not in control of when your next meal arrives. Do the work. 

What do you want people to understand or take away from your creative work?

I don't have a specific intention for people to take away something from my work. My personal creations are like glimpses into my thoughts, a brief moment in my ongoing internal dialogue. Whatever people derive from my art is entirely up to them. As I mentioned earlier, there's nothing "new" that I'm uncovering with my artistic medium. It has already been expressed before. Therefore, perhaps the takeaways are less about my art and more about individuals receiving information in a different format, information that has already traveled the world countless times.

What exciting endeavors lie ahead for you? What can our community anticipate from your future ventures, and how can they support?

Most of my commercial collage work has significantly declined in the past year. It's a common cycle of ups and downs, especially in commercial projects. The reduced demand could be attributed to various factors like the overuse of collage, tighter budgets in editorial work, art directors creating their own artwork, and other influences. As mentioned earlier, I have started focusing on illustrating picture books for children. Drawing has always been a strength of mine, and about two years ago, I decided to seriously pursue it. Fortunately, my dedication has paid off in the short term, as I have been commissioned to illustrate several picture books in the coming year. Creating illustrations for books is a whole different ballgame compared to editorial work. However, I applied the same principles of curiosity and found a wealth of information on writing, illustrating, and publishing books, all available at little to no cost. If you're interested in seeing more of my personal work that I haven't shared on Instagram, you can visit my website at www.aaron-marin.com. Additionally, I have a newsletter called "What Color Is Beautiful" on the Pencilbooth platform. It's a low-pressure newsletter featuring a simple introduction (often a poem), four inspiring images, links to art videos, and music playlists, followed by a concluding piece (another poem or thought-provoking content).