Can You Really Make Money With Graphic Design in 2026? w/Alyssa Aviles

What if the “starving artist” story was never true, just repeated so often it started to feel like fact?In this episode of Brainwashed To Be Broke, I sit down with Alyssa Aviles, designer, funnel strategist, Canva and ClickFunnels ambassador, to unpack the beliefs that shaped her early life and the moments that forced her to rewrite them. She grew up loving art, got told that creativity would leave her broke, rejected, and overworked, then watched that script start playing out in real life.She was denied from the graphic design program she wanted. Took a full-time design job for $35K with no benefits. Got piled with multiple roles, burned out hard, and hit the point where staying “safe” was costing too much.Then things shifted.What started as photography for fun turned into paid work. A failed freelancing season taught her what talent alone can’t fix. A mentor changed her trajectory. And the same creative path she was warned against eventually led her to working with major entrepreneurs, building funnels, leading creative strategy, and redefining what freedom actually looks like.This conversation is really about more than design.It is about the programming that tells creative people they have to choose between meaning and money. It is about identity, burnout, self-worth, trust, reinvention, and the courage to test what’s true for yourself instead of living by someone else’s fear.In this conversation, you’ll learn:how the “starving artist” belief quietly shapes money decisionswhy being overworked can feel normal when you were trained to settlewhat changed when Alyssa left a safe job with no clear path forwardwhy messaging matters more than pretty design when funnels stop convertinghow creatives can stay human and valuable in an AI-driven worldGuest: Alyssa Aviles👉 Connect with Lyss here:🔗 Facebook: Alyssa Aviles 🔗 Instagram: @thelovelylyss🔗 Website: thelovelylyss.com🔔 For everyone who is listening, if this stirred something in you, don’t ignore it. Share it with someone who needs it. Subscribe, leave a review, and remember: You weren’t born to follow the script. You were born to be free!