07: Mexican Illustrator & YouTuber Paloma Cordova

Draws in Spanish | Conversations with Latinx Visual Artists and Designers

On this episode, I have a very vulnerable conversation with 21-yr-old Mexican illustrator and YouTuber Paloma Cordova. We get real about how broken the US immigration system is, the intricacies of race and Latinx identity, and how she broke into the illustration world through YouTube.

In the first half of this episode, we discuss how Paloma’s Mexican heritage impacts her work and she gets honest with me about the struggles of immigrating to the US. Paloma reveals that she’s an undocumented DREAMer in the US, how that impacts her life here and her relationship with her Mexican roots. We also bond over the intricacies of racial identity as light-skinned Latinx women and how it can be difficult to navigate racial terms while staying true to ourselves, our experience, and our culture.

In terms of her creative career, Paloma got her start in illustration by following her love for cute stationary and stickers. Her father (adorably) gifted her a Cricut machine as a way lifting her out from a depressive season, and she seized the opportunity by launching her online sticker shop in mid 2019. Once sticker sales started picking up in 2020, she realized — alongside her parents — that she could pursue art as a career.

Now, Paloma is studying Art History all while balancing a thriving YouTube channel, Patreon, and merch store. Her degree is helping her round out her influences and develop her style as she keeps exploring new mediums and evolving her digital work. Listen to this episode to hear more about Paloma’s complex immigration story, racial identity as a Mexican woman, and career as both an artist and content creator.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Guest Info

Check out Paloma’s latest work on Instagram, YouTube, Merch store, or website.

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Topics Covered:

1. Immigrating from Mexico at 1 year old
2. The struggles of living undocumented in the US
3. Dating within your nationality and immigration status
4. How to stay connected with your Mexican heritage
5. The divide between Mexican-Americans and Mexicans
6. How your immigration status impacts your everyday life
7. Discussing race within the Latinx community
8. Breaking down negative Mexican stereotypes
9. Exploring the difference between race, culture, and ethnicity
10. Finding a community of art youtubers such as Katnipp Illustration and Apple Cheeks
11. Getting started on YouTube by creating Studio Vlogs
12. Advice for launching a successful Patreon account
13. Establishing yourself as a Content Creator and Artist
14. Landing her first brand collaboration with Kinokuniya USA