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"My dad would tell me, 'There are things out there that are different.' And I always wanted more." - Magdiel Lopez
When the guard wasn’t looking, Magdiel Lopez created a quick sketch. The young doodler and his family were locked up in a prison in Mexico simply for fleeing their home country.
On this particular day, Lopez and several others had gotten into a fight with some gang members. After enduring a barrage of blows from his fellow prisoners and the guards, Lopez sat in a cell doing what he always loved doing as a kid back in Cuba: doodling.
In an exclusive interview with Larry Gee for the Artist Uprising podcast, Lopez shares the harrowing details of his family’s flight from Cuba, and talks about the hard work and hustle that made him one of the most sought-after graphic designers in the industry.
Since arriving in the United States as a 15-year-old, Lopez has taught himself photography, Photoshop, and every other Adobe product under the sun. In fact, Lopez is now a creative partner with Adobe, and he leads the Dallas-based creative agency Belmont Creative.
His Instagram page is brimming with the eye-popping posters and graphics he has created for clients like Apple, Nike, Absolut Vodka, MTV, and Warner Brothers. But as Lopez tells Larry Gee, you shouldn’t judge anyone’s story by their social media feed.
“When you see someone you admire or look up to, you think, ‘I’m never gonna be all that,’” he says. “When you read highlights, everything sounds amazing, but behind that is a lot of work, a lot of disappointment. You can be great, too.”
Listen to the Artist Uprising podcast for this interview and many more with creatives from across the country. To follow Magdiel Lopez and his work check out his Instagram and website.