S2 02: Argentinean Illustrator & Cartoonist Eugenia Viti

Draws in Spanish | Conversations with Latinx Visual Artists and Designers

In this episode, I chat with Argentinean illustrator, writer, and comic artist Eugenia Viti. Eugenia lives in Chicago with her husband and toddler, while working as an artist and a part-time HR rep. She's been published in The New Yorker and is the author of Be Pregnant: An Illustrated Companion for Moms-to-Be. I'm so excited for this conversation, so keep on listening to hear us talk about growing up with hard-to-pronounce Latina names, her complex family immigration story, and how she broke into the New Yorker comics scene.

EPISODE LINKS

- Watch this Episode on Youtube

- Support [Draws in Spanish] on Patreon

- Host: Follow Fabiola on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

- Guest: Follow Eugenia Viti on Instagram

- View Episode Transcript & Extended Notes

EPISODE NOTES

If you dread explaining how to pronounce your name to people, you’re going to feel right at home with this episode!

In this episode, I chat with Argentinean Illustrator and Cartoonist Eugenia Lazo. Off the bat, Eugenia and I bond over having tough-to-pronounce English names that are actually really normal and common in Spanish-speaking countries. To those with easily English-ified names, it may seem like a petty conversation, but your name really impacts your everyday identity and how you see yourself in the world.

Aside from discussing our “weird” names, we also chat about how she took her love for cartoons into a full-fledged creative career once she realized that her illustrations could be strengthened if she paired them with her writing. With a push from her creative friends, she was able to eventually get published in The New Yorker, one of the most prestigious publications for cartooning.

Nowadays, Eugenia has a part-time role in HR and regularly contributes to The New Yorker. Her work is witty, quirky, and a little out there but so fun and vulnerable.

Tune into this episode to hear Eugenia and I talk about growing up with hard-to-pronounce Latina names, her complex family immigration story, and how she broke into the New Yorker comics scene despite feeling unprepared.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or on your favorite podcast platform.