Aliyah Cantu
Artist Statement
Hello, my name is Aliyah Cantu. Art has been of interest to me since I was growing up. I’ve engaged the most with coloring, crafting, drawing, and painting. My mother and I would spend time together creating drawings and cutouts, pasting them on colored paper. As time passed, I dedicated my life to art throughout my school years. In high school, I would enter art contests, and my love for traditional art kept growing. It was something that I enjoyed, and I knew I had found my passion. At the time, digital art was not on my mind. I thought the whole technology thing wasn’t for me, so I stuck to what I knew best. My major was undecided in my freshman year of college, and by my sophomore year, I decided to try out graphic design. I was so new to the programs and how everything was made on a mobile device. I learned all these new programs, such as Adobe Illustrator, which became my favorite, and quickly began to get the hang of it. I enjoyed creating logos, posters, cards, and anything you can think of. No matter if my work was good or bad, I was proud of it because I made it with my own hands. Every semester, I would learn new skills and different techniques when working digitally. That’s the part that made me want to stay and keep going—the learning process.
My work is very important to me because it’s something that I learned about and developed a passion for. I never thought I’d be making digital art after high school, and I think everyone should give it a try once in their lifetime. When building up a style, I hope that someday it will inspire many people to create something beautiful and amazing that can be remembered forever. There are so many opportunities out there for graphic designers, especially since technology continues to advance and more programs are being pushed out there. When working on projects, I first plan out my sketches and research, transfer my work onto my laptop, and refine anything that needs work. It’s a long or short process that takes patience, but the whole experience is worth it. As a proud designer, I’m looking forward to my future and hope to continue experiencing the wonders of graphic design.
