Meet Andrew Muñoz: Artist, Designer, & Neon tube processor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Muñoz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, why did you pursue a creative career?
This might sound familiar, but I’ve always created things. I started drawing from a young age and was a bit of a daydreamer, and I kind of always felt like I was on a track to do something creative. A big moment for me came when I had a near-death experience and was hospitalized when I was 16. The experience was very jarring for me and uprooted a lot of what I previously thought I knew. I became very introspective and like a lot of lost teenagers, I discovered Existentialism. This idea of creating your life’s meaning was very inspiring and sort of seemed like creativity on a larger level. So while I’ve grown older and kind of tempered my initial excitement, creating things has remained as a defining characteristic of my life. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My personal artwork primarily stems from my emotions and is generally a means of processing life events. I also change styles a lot and I think that’s reflective of my changing moods and also how everything is always in motion. I also get bored easily so I work very quickly and paint over old paintings all the time. I’m lucky to have found supporters of particular bodies of work, and then there are the blessed few who seem to like mostly everything I do, so that’s awesome. As I said earlier, I think creativity is a hard business and I have lots of doubts and ruts like most everyone, but for some reason I don’t ever really quit. A lot of times I just make things even though there isn’t really anything in it for me. I just feel like I have to do it. I think I’m always learning and even when I think I finally understand something, it usually becomes readily apparent that I do not, so I just trust in the process of creating things. I’m not sure that creating always leads to something good, but its usually leads to something. A recent development has been apprenticing in a neon sign shop and that’s been great because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m just generally thirsty for new skills. It was really difficult at first, but I kept at it and eventually earned my place in the shop, so that’s something I’m proud of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really love Glen Emerald Park off Bouldercrest Rd. I used to drive right past it for years and never really thought much about it, but that changed during the pandemic. I discovered that it’s a really beautiful place and I’m so sorry I slept on it for years. Its now my go-to place for walking and blowing off steam. I used to enjoy going to Hi-Lo Press and partaking in film screenings, art openings, poetry readings, and other awesome stuff. I’m pretty quiet and not an extrovert by any means, but I always felt pretty welcome there and hope it can resurface once again. As far as local food goes, I love El Progreso aka Prison Tacos. I’m Mexican-American and just love the familiar food and vibe there. I also love riding the Marta train, I’ve always loved it.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, I want to highlight all the art teachers I’ve had over the years. They’ve all encouraged me in their different ways, whether it was by challenging me to my face or giving me space to explore. My high school art teacher, Ms. Sneed, was a particularly great supporter and someone who was around during a very weird yet formative time of my life. Then I went to SCAD-Atlanta and ran into so many great teachers that I couldn’t possibly name them all, but I would like to thank many of them for dealing with my stubborn behavior and occasionally coaxing out something great. Creativity is hard and sometimes it takes someone to roll up their sleeves and get in there with you, so I’m very thankful for these people.

Website: www.munozart.com
Instagram: @amoonyos
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-mu%C3%B1oz-1574a5182/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Moonyos

Image Credits
Andrew Muñoz