Meet Sara De Los Santos | Illustrator & Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara De Los Santos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I want people to remember me as being kind. I feel as though the most important attribute one could have is kindness. Its not as easy as it seems, kindness means to give part of yourself to someone without judgment or needing a reason. I want to be the person that reminds others that there is kindness in this world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am currently working on my thesis, as I am an undergraduate senior studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I aim to create a game named “The Secret Ingredient”. It is a charming adventure video game where players embark on a delicious journey through their whimsical world to collect ingredients for delectable dishes. It is still very much in the working stage, but I am very excited to explore this further during the rest of my time at school.

Outside of my thesis, the art I create is for ones inner child. I aim to invoke the feeling of nostalgia and childlike wonder from the pieces I illustrate. I strongly believe that cuteness is extremely important for ones mental health, therefore I only wish to lift others up when they see my art. I am overcome with joy whenever my peers and others tell me how happy my art makes them. I am especially proud of my food illustrations and gifs that I create.

I was truly able to explore my artistic side once I got into college. I was not supported by my high school to pursue art. I was the only student in my AP art class and the only student to go to an art college in my class of 2021. It was hard to insist my colorful love for art in a place so grey. But I cannot express how happy I am that I did persist and now that’s what my day to day is full of. I learned that I cannot serve myself or the world by diming who I am, I serve myself and the world by being true to who I am.

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?
Baltimore has so much to offer, there are truly some hidden gems within this beautiful and culturally rich city. The best places to eat in my opinion would be Ekiben and KAJIKEN, if you’re right by MICA then On The Hill and Soup’s On is the way go! A trip to the The Walters or Baltimore Museum of Art are wonderful places to view local artists and art history. There are beautiful nature walks by John Hopkins campus as well as some dog parks scattered about! There’s some very nice vintage and local shops in Hampden with more amazing food and especially The Charmery, they have amazing ice cream. Lastly I would bring them to The Baltimore Farmer’s Market which is every Sunday morning, with even more fantastic food, fresh produce, local business tents and beautiful music.

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?
My outlook and approach to life is completely inspired by “The Egg Theory” which is a fictional short story written by Andy Weir. This theory explains what happens after we die.

I want to share one of my favorite quotes. “Every time you victimized someone…you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

I love how it connects the human experience, it humbles and lifts one up at the same time. It brings a beautiful balance to the complex but simple life we have as human beings. We are one, we share one soul.

Here is a link to a beautifully animated version of the story, I love showing this version of the summary to my friends when they ask about it! https://youtu.be/h6fcK_fRYaI?si=3zNBzGLFNuRU2HLo

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