We recently had the chance to connect with Eliamaria Madrid and have shared our conversation below.
Eliamaria, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
How diverse and compassionate they all are. Since I started out as an illustrator, for just a webcomic at the time, my customers (or community as I like to refer to them) has grown so much and I see so many walks of life represented. It makes me so happy that my art, stories, and creations can bring together so many people. I also am more involved with charity work as well, now being an Ambassador with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), and it’s so cool seeing the community all come together to fight for great causes. It’s such great energy to be surrounded by.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Eliamaria, Elia for short, and I am an illustrator and cartoonist that loves telling stories, visually. I started out drawing a webcomic back in 2009 and from then I just kept growing my skills, repertoire, and community. I personally like to take a fun and sometimes chaotic approach to it all with both my art and my business and try new things, try new shows and target demographics, while also keeping true to what I stand for. I’ve made so many fun pieces, books, and creations representing my culture, my fandoms, even my autoimmune disease, to make sure everyone out there knows they’re not alone and we can have fun no matter what. I hope to continue doing so with my platform online as well as my illustrative work making it out into the world
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The pandemic.
I’d experienced a lot interpersonally before the pandemic, but once it happened, I feel like a LOT of people’s masks came off (haha mask joke). It really helped me see some sad realities to some people I thought cared about me and humanity as a whole, turn out to only care about themselves. It brought so much disappointment.
However, in this disappointment and sadness (and with lots of time being stuck indoors as an immunocompromised person) I took big leaps and risks with my illustrative business, did a re-brand, started livestreaming, and ended up finding happiness in places and communities that I don’t know if I would have found had I not cut out so many selfish people in my life.
The takeaway, some people suck, but you don’t need to be around them no matter how close you think you are. There are better people with great souls who can help overpower all of that with you.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
That there’s always room to grow.
If I fail, I give myself time to sit in it and feel bad if I need to, but at the end of it, I need to take a moment to look back and se what I can learn from that and make it better. That goes with anything; skills, finalizing a piece, an art show, anything.
I feel like if I had just gone up, I wouldn’t have given myself so much time to reflect, change, refine, and just grow in very healthy ways. Plus it motivates me to work harder, which feels great when it all pays off.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Pop culture/established IPs sell better.
I think original ideas are fantastic and I want to help spread appreciation for anyone working to get one out there, whether it be in writing, illustrative, music, whatever.
Particularly in the comic scene, I see so many reboots, reprints, reimagination of the same titles over and over. I also see all those titles over-promoted with guests that have nothing to do with comics, just a face to a cinematic character. But, since “it sells” that’s what’s pushed more and more.
I want to see the rise in indie titles and more original ideas coming to flourish in the comic industry. It’s possible.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I truly hope that I leave behind a feeling of memorable happiness.
I love making people smile and laugh with my works, and I truly hope it follows longer than that quick moment. These days a lot can be daunting and stressful, and I hope in the short moment I have to grasp anyone with my work visually, it brings a tinge of warmth that can stay with them. I hope the stories I tell are memorable and can be passed down. I hope the moments I share on livestreams can bring laughter some people need. Good feelings is what I hope to leave behind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.spicedeliastrations.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicedeliastrations/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiced-eliastrations/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SpicedEliastrationsTV
- Other: https://www.spicedeliastrations.com/link-tower
Image Credits
Panel Photo from Texas Latino Comic Con
