“Routine” is a word that designer and illustrator Angie Jerez prefers to keep out of her vocabulary. Born and 
raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Angie keeps it real when it comes to not becoming at home in her comfort zone. After moving to Atlanta in 2012, the Cabbagetown resident has wasted no time embracing the city the same way she learned to nurture her creative side from a young age.
After doing web design for digital agencies for several years, she’s recently shifted her focus to illustration and printmaking. But no matter which medium she delves into, Angie’s attention to detail blended with perfect tones of vibrancy and silliness shines through, allowing her to transform everyday objects into captivating pieces bursting with character. From rollicking roller derby skates soaring off the pages to larger-than-life foods and towering tree houses splashed across murals, Angie navigates each project as a new adventure.
Here, Angie chats with CommonCreativ about planting roots in a new city, stepping (and staying) out of the daily grind, and serves up advice for blossoming artists.
CommonCreativ: What sparked your interest in art?
Angie Jerez: I’ve always enjoyed drawing, but never thought I was talented. My mom saw my potential and guided me to embrace my creative side. I never stood out in high school, but I feel as though I did once I started graphic design in college. I had this feeling that I was doing something right so I figured it was the right thing for me. [After that,] I worked for digital agencies for several years, but recently, I lost interest in it — it was more about escalating positions than doing fun work, and it didn’t allow me to work on my personal projects. I wanted to start doing more of what I enjoy, so I switched from drawing in my free time from work to mainly drawing with a bit of work in between.
CC: What brought you to Atlanta?
AJ: Well, [my husband David and I] used to work together in the same digital agency that had offices in Bogotá and in Atlanta. He was transferred to Atlanta. We were happy about it, but we had low expectations about the city. When we moved we found it to be the right place at the right moment with the right people to start a new life with new challenges, like reorienting my career toward arts, improving my English and joining the Atlanta Rollergirls [roller derby] league.
CC: Describe your artistic style in one sentence.
AJ: Simple drawings with detailed linework reflecting memories and random silly ideas.
CC: As an artist, how do you effectively promote yourself?
AJ: I struggle to promote myself. I don’t like social media. I used to have my design portfolio, and getting new projects was more of a word-of-mouth thing. For me, it was really difficult to [decide to create] an Instagram account, but now that’s where I publish most of the things I do on a daily basis. It was the first step to deal with my confidence issues in sharing my work. I started doing pop-up shows, and I’m trying to be more involved in art events. I enjoy giving away stickers and drawings to friends or random people as a way to interact with them.
CC: Your work is engaging, diverse and often playful. Where do you find inspiration?
AJ: Gracias! It’s not easy to explain — sometimes I don’t even know where it comes from. When I moved to Atlanta one of the biggest challenges was to express myself. I’m a different person in English [than] I am in Spanish, so I use my art as a way to communicate things I like and who I am. Maybe I just want to tell things about myself. I find charm in random objects and things that we all usually ignore. Also, I often get nostalgic, and that inspires me.
CC: Tell me about transitioning from web design to illustration and printmaking.
AJ: I was in my comfort zone working on web design. Some of my biggest fears are monotony and routines, and the design work I was doing became routine. I felt it wasn’t a big challenge. I decided to switch from working in an office to working from home as a freelancer so I could have more time to work on my own personal projects. I started experimenting. I enjoyed it so much that a year ago I focused almost 100 percent on my drawings; to experiment with new mediums and techniques, to get back to pencil, and to try to find a solid style — still working on that. I started looking for opportunities to show my pieces, which was out of my comfort zone. It’s scary and frustrating, but exciting at the same time. In that process, I have met amazing people and learned a lot from them and also from my own mistakes. I still work as a designer, and I love it, and I try to mix my art with it.
Angie Jerez // Photo by Stephanie Zell
CC: What are some of your commissions and projects you’re most proud of creating?
AJ: The ones where I had to do something I’ve never done before. One of my first shows was at Paper Plane Gallery, and I submitted my piece “RJ45 Dream.” It was exciting to see people looking around and commenting on my piece. The Stacks [Lofts] mural in Cabbagetown was my first outdoor mural. It was a different experience, improvising with the sketch in real time.
It was fun to interact with people and to have artists painting right next to me. And one fun episode, not related to an actual project, was the day that I helped Kyle Brooks (blackcattips) paint a mural for Forward Warrior. Even though I was just helping him, it was a surreal experience to paint with someone I admire a lot. It was by the time I was switching to paint full-time and it pushed me to try and paint my own wall.
CC: What’s your creative process?
AJ: It depends on my mood. Usually, it flows better when I’m nostalgic. I want to capture a moment or a memory, so I start it a simple sketch. Sometimes it stays as a sketch, sometimes I start adding details to finish it as a piece depending on what materials I have handy. Now I’m working more with acrylic on wood or canvases I found on the curb.
CC: How does creating art help you stay connected to your Colombian roots?
AJ: Colombia is gorgeous! But my deepest connection is with Bogotá and is the inspiration for some of my drawings. Every time I visit I like to walk a lot near downtown. I keep finding new things and new inspiration even though I’ve already been there a thousand times. The art scene is big there and I would love to become more involved with it. I grew up in a very particular neighborhood where my mom currently lives. It’s close to downtown and is full of car repair and spare parts shops. I love the aesthetic of it. Most people wouldn’t like to live around there, it’s really noisy and chaotic, but it’s appealing to me.
CC: Do you have any advice for designers who are just starting out?
AJ: [Don’t] rely completely on digital tools. When I started back in the late ‘90s, not everything was done on a computer. We had [fewer] tools and we had to do more manual tasks, and that has its charm, as handmade pieces tend to have more imperfections and you learn to find the magic in them. It’s good to use your hands on the real things — digital has its magic as well, but real tools are incomparable for me.
CC: What do you think about Atlanta’s arts scene?
AJ: There’s always something happening in the city, which is amazing. I live in Cabbagetown, which is the perfect place to see all sorts of artistic expressions: From the murals of Wylie Street to stickers, small pieces, and street art. You can see this aesthetic in some Atlanta neighborhoods. Everyone can have an art expression and the city seems open to it. There are multiple types of galleries that welcome different types of artistic expressions and the scene seems to be growing every year.
CC: What can we look forward to seeing next from you?
AJ: I only like to talk about projects when they are already done! But I started working on two projects inspired in Bogotá. I keep on submitting pieces for shows. I want to get more walls to paint and to produce more drawings. I want to set up an online shop as well.
CC: What keeps you in Atlanta?
AJ: What keeps me in Atlanta is the feeling that I’m visiting. When that feeling is gone, you enter [into] a routine and nothing is as exciting as it was before. We will see!
See more of Angie’s work on her portfolio site and Instagram.
