In celebration of our recently launched Women’s Empowerment Sticker Book, we are featuring the six talented female artists who contributed their gifts to make these stickers come alive. 

We sat down with artist April Moralba to find out the inspiration behind her designs and artwork. Find her contributions in the Women’s Empowerment Sticker Book or Sticker Pack (Version 3).

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into your art initially? 

A: Art has always been something that I’ve loved. I drew a lot when I was a kid, especially after finding anime and comics. I took as many art classes I could and it was always the highlight of my day. Before knowing what typography or graphic design was, I was obsessed with drawing letterforms and exploring their usage. I remember as a kid, tracing illuminated letters from the library or loving the way a comic book page came alive because of the drawn sound effects. It’s funny looking back at it in retrospect. I loved drawing as a kid but if someone told my younger self that I could actually have a job drawing letters every day, I would have laughed.

Image credit to Futures Past https://www.futurespast.co/

How has your art evolved over time and what steps do you take to continually improve your craft?

A: In terms of consistently improving creative work, I like to think of it as a muscle that needs to be exercised as opposed to a sudden strike of inspiration. If you’re going to create stuff for a living, you can’t really sit around and just wait for inspiration to happen. A few years ago, I started a 365 day project of making the time to draw and post something every day for a year. I learned pretty quickly that dedicating some time every day, even if it’s for five minutes, that you can keep that muscle pretty limber and ready to work when you need it to. For the longest time I thought as an artist, you needed to “find your voice” first before really finding success. My voice and art changes, evolves and reflects my own personal growth. 

I primarily work digitally, but sometimes it’s fun to pull out pens, pencils and tracing paper.  Shout out to my 215 people.

Where did you draw your inspiration from for your contributions to the Women’s Empowerment Sticker Book?

A: My inspiration for the Women’s Empowerment Sticker Book, (and let’s be honest, all the time) comes from my first feminist icons, Sailor Moon and other magical girl anime and mangas. It was my first look at young age that strong women can be smart AND silly, angry AND calm, playful AND serious. 

Designs by April Moralba in Women’s Empowerment Sticker Book and Sticker Pack (V3) 

How do you handle an art block or a creative rut?

A: Besides check in with my therapist? Haha this is a hard one to answer for me, for the last year or so I’ve been struggling with burn out, depression and anxiety that makes taking a shower hard let alone sitting down and getting creative. The only thing that works for me is knowing that if I take it one day at a time and keep showing up, even if it’s a just a little bit, then the muscle will be ready while my voice recovers.   

What keeps you motivated in life or what is your ‘Why?’ in life?

A: My why will always be the continuous conversation with 10 year old me. I will always show up to show her that it’s ok to be creative even when she’s pressured to be something else. I will always tell her she’s strong even when she’s scared and hiding. I will always show up to show her that creative people look like her, even when she feels out of place. Hopefully showing up for her will mean I’m showing up for other young brown creatives looking to see themselves out there.

What’s your advice for artists who are just starting out? 

A: Diversify your interests! A big part of the creative process is inspiration. If you’re first stepping out into your field, it’s really easy to only consume everything your field has to offer. It’s great to know what’s going on, keep up to date with trends and know what your colleagues are doing. But if that’s your only source of inspiration, then your work will probably reflect that. Go to photography museums, take a ceramics course, play with legos, read comic books and anything else that will get those creative juices flowing that are different from your everyday grind. 

What does Women’s Empowerment mean to you? 

A: Women’s Empowerment is walking along with ALL your sisters, lending support, celebrating their wins, listening to their struggles, fighting for each other and letting them know that they are not alone, while acknowledging and honoring our differences. It means boosting the voices of those unheard. It is inclusive to all womxn.

Where can we find more of your work? 

A: You can always find me at www.crashboomdesigns.com or @crashboomdesign on IG!  

You can find more in my shop here. http://www.crashboomdesigns.com