S02/E22 - Sophia Yeshi: Self-Taught, Underfunded & the First Artist on a UPS Box

She learned Photoshop at 12 on multiple 30-day trials. She got into five art schools and couldn't afford a single one. She moved to New York with no job, no safety net, and no plan B. And then her artwork went around the world on a UPS box.Sophia Yeshi is a New York-based illustrator whose bold, colourful, inclusive work has appeared in campaigns for Google, Spotify, Adobe, Instagram, and UPS. But this conversation is about the person behind all of it — the mixed-race kid from Baltimore who grew up too fast, taught herself everything, and built a career entirely on her own terms.What we cover:Growing up across multiple identities and being othered from birthTeaching herself Photoshop at 12 on repeated 30-day free trialsGetting into five art schools and not being able to afford any of themMoving to New York with no freelance safety net — and figuring it out anywayThe UPS box campaign that went around the worldWhy she's calling this year "rejection therapy"Advice for young illustrators in a shifting industryWhat she'd write in a letter to her eight-year-old selfConnect with Sophia Yeshi:Website: https://www.yeshidesigns.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiayeshi/Listen and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/captn-offscript/id1837469433Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7nJ5dKTP2dQN5OwICKjTY5More from Captn OffScript:Website: https://captnoffscript.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CAPTNOffScriptInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/captnoffscriptNewsletter: https://captn.myflodesk.com/newsletter