Meet Paolo Encarnacion | Illustrator and Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paolo Encarnacion and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paolo, how do you think about risk?

Risk-taking is very new to me. I grew up in a Filipino household, where things always had to be done a certain way, and we were raised to be thankful that we have what we have and to not ask for more. This came hand-in-hand with keeping our heads down when seeing or hearing wrongdoing in our environment and not attracting any attention to ourselves. This was especially the case because I was on a visitor visa when my family brought me from the Philippines. In short, I was part of the population that benefited from 2011’s DREAM Act. For the longest time, I was unable to live a life. I felt like a prisoner until I received my first government-issued ID in 2013. I didn’t start driving until my late 20s, and I couldn’t pursue a career until then- I only worked in places that were a family connection.

It was instilled in me not to put myself out there; I remember an instance when I was up for review at work and wanted to ask for a pay raise, but my mom did everything she could to talk me down. I ultimately ignored her and got a raise. I didn’t think she was looking out for my best interest in this instance, through no fault of her own; she simply gave me advice based on her fears.

Taking this step to start my business by putting my artwork and myself out there for the world to see has been so out of my comfort zone that I doubted myself until I saw the results of the first event. I still see many things as a risk, but now, I believe I should not let it cloud my judgment. I couldn’t forgive myself if I let my doubts stop me from making what could be the best move of my career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

As a child, I loved Garfield and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I still do, but I used to too. I constantly spent my free time drawing the Turtles, but Garfield was where I derived a lot of my art style from until I started evolving it into my own. In middle school and high school, I spent a lot of time creating my own characters and making comics on whatever spare printer paper I could get my hands on. I took art classes whenever I could, except in high school. It was recommended not to take those electives and to focus on a second language because that would get me into college easier.

When I took Graphic Design as a major at Cal Poly Pomona, I realized skipping out on those art classes for Spanish classes was a big mistake because I may have been missing some fundamentals. A handful of friends and I thought Graphic Design would lead to Computer Animation, but we were disappointed to learn it didn’t. At that point, I had already fallen in love with graphic design.

Currently, I work as a graphic designer because I enjoy the challenge and creativity it brings. It goes double for my small business because the work I put into it is more personal and brings out more of myself. I just wouldn’t be me if I couldn’t be creative daily.

As someone who loved to draw, I just used it as an outlet; I never really thought about art as a way to make money because I wanted to separate something I do to relax from work. This was before I started becoming friends with people who would table at comic book conventions and encourage me to do the same because they saw my talent. It took a long time for me to leave my fears and doubts behind when it came to starting my business, but my wife and friends played a huge part in encouraging me to start. I didn’t want to make trendy art of whatever was popular. I wanted to make art that I feel connected to, and that’s what I’ve done. It’s been my greatest achievement out of this whole process.

Officially, my business started when I had an Artists’ Alley table at this year’s Wondercon in Anaheim, CA, which is a comic book convention. I sold my artwork on stickers, art prints, tote bags, and shirts. I knew my artwork wasn’t the usual fare you would typically find at comic book conventions like fan art of Disney, Marvel, DC, and different anime, but it was way more niche. I am fascinated with Cryptids, creatures that have been claimed to exist but have yet to be proven to exist; Sasquatch, Nessie, and Mothman are a few examples. I didn’t expect to have much success, but it turns out there were enough fans of Cryptids to justify keeping the momentum going.

I try to be very inclusive with everything I do and welcome anyone and everyone. Being an immigrant, this is especially important to me. My interest in Cryptids is universal since every culture has a few. I am connected to my love of humanity by exploring these creatures in my art and hearing about people’s experiences with them.

On the creating side of things, when I print and create, I use sustainably sourced or recycled materials. My prints and stickers are in eco-plastic bags, for instance. I’m not starting my business intending to squeeze pennies from a sale by buying cheap materials and plastics. My costs are more than the artists next to me, but my heart is fuller because of this decision.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Some of my favorite places are a few hours’ drive from here. Joshua Tree comes to mind. It is impressive even to drive through, but there are numerous spots where you stop and take in the scenery and some designated camping areas where you can stargaze and see how many stars we don’t see from the city.

There’s also East Jesus in Slab City, near the Salton Sea. East Jesus is an outdoor art gallery in the middle of the desert with some of the wildest art you’ll see. It is all amazing, from a car covered in beer bottles to a 15 ft high wall of CRT televisions with painted messages on the screen. It makes for a great day trip, but unfortunately, East Jesus has been hit by some terrible weather and needs significant repairs.

Spots to eat–I would take them to the Attic on Broadway (Long Beach) and Cielito Lindo (in Olivera Street).

The Queen Mary has a sort of secret speakeasy that is really chill with a live pianist. The drinks are strong, and the atmosphere is perfect.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people who have been a massive influence in my story–my friends who started selling their art before me, Teresa Baxter from Fair Trade Collective in Long Beach for believing in me…but the biggest shout-out goes to my wife, Amber for being there for me when I didn’t believe in myself and for when I didn’t have the drive to do anything with my art. She made starting my small business a reality with her encouragement and experience doing similar work (trade shows and selling collectibles).

Website: https://paoworks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paoworks/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolo-encarnacion-b11994a3/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/paoworks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paoworks/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paoworks

Other: Etsy – https://www.etsy.com/shop/paoworks/ Threadless – https://paoworks.threadless.com

Image Credits
Paolo Encarnacion / PaoWorks