Finding Confidence and Growth Through Art: Isabelle Laureta, Catapult Artist for November 2018

“Art is able to go straight to a person’s very core—a place other channels simply cannot reach.”

As part of our Catapult Artist program, Nicole Caputo, Catapult’s art director, sits with November’s #CatapultArtist for a conversation on art, creativity, and the artist’s life.

Every month, we collaborate with a Catapult Artist—whether emerging or established, always intelligent and talented—to create beautiful and thought-provoking artwork for the magazine.

To see Isabelle Laureta’s artwork is to experience a sense of lightness. Her use of watercolors is elegant, deft, and compassionate. In her first collaborations with Catapult, Isabelle’s paint gave a visual anchor to a short story by Anna Vangala Jones, and enhanced the mood in an essay by Cinelle Barnes. Her vision and earnest hard work made her a great choice to be our Catapult Artist for November.

Prior to working with Catapult, Isabelle was a regular contributor to BuzzFeed’s Philippines edition (where she worked with our managing editor for the magazine Matt Ortile), both creating art and writing. Born in the Philippines, she’s currently pursuing graduate study in Sydney. You can find more of her work on her Instagram @iplaureta.

Nicole Caputo: What does your illustration process look like, from how you arrive at your ideas, the stages in between and executing the finished piece?

Isabelle Laureta: I always step out of the artist’s perspective first and read the piece from a reader’s point of view. Whenever I do this, I get a clearer and unbiased vision of what the essay really is talking about—what emotions, scenes, key messages, and sentences stood out for me. I take the reader’s perspective and always trust what I come up with in this initial process because if these were what stood out for me, then these are also what would most likely stand out for the regular reader, and there’s gonna be a higher chance for the audience to connect the illustration with the piece.

I take mental notes and worry about what I can come up with later on when I get down to sketch my ideas. It doesn’t always work out the way I want to though! My knee-jerk reaction to anything is pretty much, “how can I create an artistic spin into this?” And it doesn’t turn off at will just like that. Whenever I get too overwhelmed, I ask friends and loved ones to read the essay for me and tell me what they think. I pretty much base my ideas and sketches on these (and my) genuine reactions.

What are your favorite tools to work with? What is your favorite medium?

Watercolors will always have a special place in my heart because they’re the first medium I gravitated towards and used when I first started this whole art thing six years ago. I have a few acrylics on canvases and I really enjoy that medium too, because the process and the paint itself is very different from watercolor. I’m very comfortable using watercolors, but painting on canvas just gives me the break I need whenever it feels like it’s too much. I also dabble in graphic design and have been obsessing over digital painting and comics lately, so I’m planning to get a proper drawing tablet and see where that takes me.

Do you have any thoughts about the importance of the role/responsibility of the illustrator/artist/designer in today’s turbulent times? What do you feel your responsibility is?

There is so much power in art. Music can motivate us; movies can inspire us; books can take us to another world; and illustrations can make us understand certain concepts better. I have never doubted art’s potential to send a meaningful message and create change because art touches so many emotions. It’s able to go straight to a person’s very core—a place other channels simply cannot reach. Art in activism isn’t even a new concept, it’s been happening for ages.

I like to look at all art using the eyes of a loving mother, you know? Everything is beautiful and interesting and fascinating—even the ones I don’t understand or aren’t that visually stimulating for my taste—because I know what goes into making art and it’s not easy. But I believe it was a superhero who once said, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and that’s a terrifying fact. With so many artists emerging and almost non-existent regulations on what you can and can’t put out there, it’s a sad thing to admit that art can be hurtful too, especially in the kind of social media culture we live in today. A responsible artist acknowledges the enormity of this influence and takes precautions accordingly.

This year, I have been trying to actively incorporate purpose into my art. I have just finished finalizing drafts for a little project that I have which is picture books for children. Its themes center around divisive issues like as racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination. I think discriminatory behaviors are so deeply ingrained in our generation and culture because most of us grew up in an environment that perpetuates it. I have high hopes in making a change by creating an opportunity for children to be raised to have different values when it comes to empathy and acceptance, and carry these as they grow up.

Did you always want to become an illustrator or was there a different path you took that lead you to here and if so, what did that path look like?

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making art. When I was younger, my brother and I would create makeshift comics out of old notebooks. I’d watch art shows for kids and try to recreate what they’d done. I’ve always loved art and drawing, but I haven’t really pursued becoming an illustrator because I’ve always seen it as a volatile field. I took up development communication in college where I learned more about graphic design, among other things. After college, I started drawing and painting again as a hobby and that’s when I really took it seriously. I learned on my own through tutorials I found on the internet and by practicing almost everyday.

How do you go about sharing your work and receiving commissions?

I have been very lucky to have met people who constantly support me and give me opportunities that would help me put my works out there. I get very anxious sharing my works on my own because I still have so much to learn and it gives me a lot of insecurities. I have learned recently though that one of the first steps I can take is to simply talk honestly about my works and myself as an artist.

I recently moved to Sydney from the Philippines to study and have been meeting a lot of new people. It still makes me uncomfortable to introduce myself as an “artist” because I feel like a fraud, but that’s what I try to do when people ask me who I am. It’s scary and it makes me feel vulnerable, but it’s what I’ve got to do if I want to improve and grow and eventually become satisfied with myself enough not to cringe anymore whenever I answer people who ask what I do. •

This interview has been edited for clarity.