Today we’d like to introduce you to Coco Morton.
Coco, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been an introvert for as long as I can remember, so I spent a lot of time as a kid drawing, planning out my dream home, and visualizing all the ideas in my head. Fast forward twenty-something years and I’m still doing the same thing. In highschool I fell in love with graffiti and street art; Fafi and Miss Van were my biggest inspirations because of how they slayed internationally with their super-feminine characters. Talk about goals! Then I moved to Hawaii for college, where I was exposed to an entirely new culture of tattoos, music, and art. Life eventually brought me back to San Francisco: a mecca for all kinds of artists and all things tech. This is when I kind of dove into the art scene doing shows and events, freelancing as a graphic designer and illustrator and taking on any jobs I could get as a creative.
The creative culture was so strong and I loved doing group shows, collaborating with others, and having so many different opportunities available. Eventually, I started painting murals for homes, businesses and even did some in Hawaii and Japan. This part has been so fun because it’s something I’ve dreamt of doing forever. While I was loving my life and getting better at my craft, there was still something missing and I just couldn’t go forward in life without taking a chance on one more dream. I had always wanted to be an architect but was afraid of the commitment to school and a demanding career. I was so accustomed to having the freedom and taking trips whenever I wanted that I was scared to sacrifice it for even a few years.
I realized that it would be worse to live with regret than to give up a few years of my life to fulfill that dream. After five years of working full time and being out of school, I decided to move to sunny San Diego and apply to San Diego State for Interior Architecture. It’s been so satisfying to finally work on challenging projects and gain experience in a new field. Now I’m trying to figure out what’s next: what kind of projects do I want to do? What companies do I want to work with? What jobs have international opportunities? How can I possibly juggle all of the things I want to do? What I have come to accept is that I can’t just work in one discipline of art/design and that’s okay. Visual language in every capacity excites me and there’s no reason to stick to a single path. That being said, I am still freelancing, painting murals, expanding my portfolio, going to school full-time and attempting to get five hours of sleep each night.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest problem I faced was not knowing what I wanted to major in. I studied graphic design and UH Manoa, Visual Communications at FIDM, then finally Interior Architecture at San Diego State. In retrospect, I realize that it doesn’t really matter what you get your bachelor’s in because you can always continue your education with a Master’s if you need to. It feels like I wasted so much time now that I’m considering grad school, but in reality, I gained immeasurable real-world experience learning to make it on my own. Trying to run a business, keep track of expenses, orders, deadlines, supplies, clients, etc. is exhausting and makes school seem like a walk in the park. I’ve missed plenty of deadlines, been underprepared for events, taken financial hits, missed out on great opportunities, and disappointed myself constantly over the years, but each failure presents a chance to improve for the next time, which I have. I am still learning to manage things and not over-commit, but it can be hard when you’re so optimistic, thinking you can climb Everest in one day.
It was also really hard to give up a full-time job and a regular paycheck to go back to school. Goodbye monthly trips. Goodbye restaurant meals. Goodbye, new shoes. Hello, sleepless nights and paying tuition just to do work. All that sacrifice I knew was coming has been a little tough, but really not as bad as I anticipated. One last hurdle that I’m sure we’ve all encountered is impostor syndrome. There are days where I feel like a fraud: I don’t know how to draw or paint something properly. My designs look boring and basic. I hit creative blocks on the regular and it really gets me down. That’s when I have to tread slowly, look at the progress I’ve made. Remember that all creative work is a process and it really takes time to produce something good.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
I am currently freelancing as a designer, illustrator, and muralist. Most of my portfolio consists of female illustrations (an ode to Fafi and Miss Van) just because I love capturing that essence. I also try to add in some visual language from other cultures that I’m inspired by, whether it be mehndi’s, Polynesian tribal tattoos, or Japanese tattoos. I’m working on adding an interior design to my repertoire with the hopes of taking on some fun multi-disciplinary commercial projects in the future. I love walking into a space that oozes character, so my goal is to be able to deliver well-crafted brand experiences from artwork, graphics, social media content, to the design of the physical space of a business.
Typically I enjoy working with other women because it’s important to support each other’s growth. I also like working with local small businesses because I think that’s how you really build communities. So many of my friends are all female creatives and run their own small businesses. It’s inspiring to be around them their strong energies. When I get to work with a smaller business, it’s never a one time gig. You get to build a relationship and see them flourish, which is really exciting. I think this is one of the things that also sets me apart; I can get really invested into other people’s visions and just want to be of service in any way to help make that happen.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The first event (FAME San Jose) that looked like I actually knew what I was doing was such a feat. I had original art, packaged prints, some merch, business cards, and even some shoes I was selling on Bucketfeet. I had come a long way from my first art show with a few unframed drawings hanging on a wall; I was ecstatic! What was even better is that I had so much support from friends, family, and even strangers. It’s actually really weird for people to come and say, “are you the artist? I love all your work!” That makes me feel like all the work I’m putting in doesn’t go unnoticed.
I’m also really proud of the challenges I’ve taken on to keep learning and expanding my portfolio. It’s probably smarter to just be the best at one thing and make a living off of that, but I’m confident my approach will pay off later down the road.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hello-coco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hello.coco
Image Credit:
Ashley Kolodner (yellow background image)
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