Meet Randy Fernandez of Imaginary Astronaut in South Florida

Today we’d like to introduce you to Randy Fernandez.

Randy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I like to imagine my life, crumbling cookie made up of smaller cookie crumbs. I never planned ahead and reacted to each crumb as it came. Although it felt like things were crumbling in the worst possible way for a long time, I have been rewarded in the long run.

When I think about how I got to this point in my life, I find it difficult to point to a single reason. The many crumbs I’ve encountered that have advanced both my life and career included terrible challenges, joyful and carefree moments and everything in between.

I was always very skilled at making digital illustrations, photography, using Adobe Photoshop and sketching, but I always doubted my abilities. Despite having family members, teachers and friends tell me that I was talented, I never believed I had the potential to turn those abilities into a career. I always felt overshadowed by talented classmates and artists, so I was reluctant to pursue a career in graphic design and reached a point of stagnation.

That was when I encountered some of the worst crumbs in my life. Between 2011 and 2012, I lost two aunts, my sister, my father, my home and a few months later, my job. After so much loss, I really wanted to live my life and cast my insecurities and fears aside. I started taking college coursework and dove into working towards a career in graphic design. I took each crumb as it came, maintaining my focus on my career. During that time, many of the designers, illustrators, and artists that I had envied had become sidetracked and were working in retail. Now, here I am, a few semesters away from earning my Bachelors degrees from FIU while working as a Laboratory Technician at the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center and doing freelance graphic design jobs as a side hustle.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I faced many challenges, as mentioned before, I have lost a lot on my adventure but I still keep moving forward. I think the most tedious challenge is that I am still in school and only a few semesters away from getting my BA. I usually work 40 hours a week at my job, take two to three college courses per semester, do freelance graphic design work on the side, post side work on Instagram and submit it to T-shirt websites, take care of my house, my two puppies and support my partner. I’m lacking on sleep, but it is worth it knowing that my career is starting to blossom.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Imaginary Astronaut – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I specialize in creating illustrations for the following subjects: anthropomorphic characters, scientific illustration, insects, and sci-fi. I have several published scientific illustrations and have designed the anthropomorphic characters Manfred the mango and Coco for Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden. I am also building brands, logos and digital advertisements for small business in Homestead, FL.

There are many other illustrators and graphic designers out there, but I stand out because I am a nerd and like reviewing demographics data with Simply Analytics, Facebook’s insights, and pixel, etc. Reviewing the data available from these resources has not only assisted me in creating brands but wonderful relationships with clients who will highly recommend me. That’s probably my favorite part in this career, making new long-lasting friends.

Any predictions for the industry over the next few years?
At the moment, I have been establishing my brand’s presence and learning my target audience. My goal for this year is to create a passive income that would allow me to focus more on what I want to do: create book cover illustrations. I have been creating content for 2019 that would allow me to properly advertise my branding and engage with my audience. I can see myself running a graphic illustration firm targeted towards children’s books.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imaginaryastronaut.com/
• Phone: 7866506734
• Email: Eyeamastro@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imaginaryastronaut/
• Other: https://www.behance.net/

Image Credit:
Plushie used; Millie Tavarez owner of My Dearest Lion https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyDearestLion

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