Sometimes one decision can completely change the trajectory of your life! That’s what happened to Natalia Cardona Puerta when she decided to follow her dreams of being an illustrator and uproot her life in Colombia.In this episode, I chat with Colombian illustrator Natalia Cardona Puerta who creates colorful and playful illustrations inspired by her ‘90s upbringing, her love for the outdoors, and her innermost feelings.Natalia “never in a million years” expected to leave Colombia, but after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design she took a break and realized she wanted to reconnect with her creative voice. Eventually, her mom encouraged her to pursue a Master’s degree and it all happened very quickly from there. One thing lead to the next and she was on a one-way flight to Georgia to pursue a Master’s degree in Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design.Nowadays, Natalia is going through the permanent residency process here in the U.S. to be able to live and work here long term. The legal process has been slow and frustrating. She feels it slowed down her post-grad momentum but she is taking this time to ”plant a lot of seeds” that are sure to blossom in the future.Tune into this episode to hear Natalia and I talk about growing up in Bogota, why she decided to immigrate to the U.S., and how she developed her illustration style after graduating.Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform.EPISODE LINKS:Listener Survey: Take the survey to help me improve Season 2!Guest Links: Check out Natalia’s Instagram and Portfolio.Host Links: Check out Fabiola Lara on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Topics Covered:Living a sheltered life in turbulent Bogota in the early 90sRejecting a fine art career path for an undergraduate degree in Industrial DesignPursuing a Master’s in Illustration at SCAD after learning about the program a few week priorThe difficulties of being an artist in the US pursuing a Permanent Resident Card (greencard)The impacts of not being able to work in the US as an artistThe pros and cons of receiving an art school educationHer current creative routine after graduatingFinding a better work-life balance after graduationDeveloping her personal illustration style and tailoring her portfolioThe feeling of languishing during slow creative seasonsWorking with an illustration agent for editorial and publishing projectsCompleting a large-scale mural for a dream clientWorking with The Washington Post on an editorial illustration