Author: Elizabeth C Shallenberger

When Andrea Campos graduated from Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in advertising, she had no idea she’d be returning 12 years later as the alumni speaker at the 2024 College of Media Convocation ceremony. 

But as an artist and creative entrepreneur whose recent career accomplishments include illustrating a New York Times-bestselling children’s book with celebrities Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez, Campos has realized life is full of happy surprises, especially if you dare to follow your dreams. 

“If you would have told me in 2012 that I was going to be standing up there (on stage at Convocation), I wouldn’t believe you. I didn’t have it on my radar,” Campos said. “I never would’ve imagined it. Maybe that’s something I’ll touch on in my speech—that we all need to dream bigger, because too often, we like to count ourselves out.”

Campos, who currently resides in Los Angeles, has managed to build a successful career around spreading happiness. 

“I like that I can be an island of joy or a little space of hope in an otherwise stressful world,” Campos said. 

Her bright, colorful, fun illustrations can be found in children’s books like Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure and printed on lunchboxes and other products for children and infants. 

Ironically, the happiness she exudes through her artwork emerged from a time when the entire world was experiencing sadness. 

In March of 2020, after nearly a decade of working as a marketing professional for companies like Gap Inc., Campos was planning to set off on a new path as a freelance photographer.  

“It really felt like it was now or never,” Campos said of her decision to switch careers. “My last day at my full-time job was March 8. And then, you know, days later the world shut down.”

With every photography project canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Campos was left wondering what to do next.

Thankfully, she had saved some money so she decided to concentrate on rebuilding her creative confidence and sought out ways to relieve stress during a chaotic time.

“I decided to focus on creative activities during quarantine, simple things that would bring me joy. You know, the kind of things we used to do as kids when we were sitting at home bored,” Campos said.

She started baking, going on photo walks, and drawing, a childhood hobby she’d neglected since her high school days.     

“As part of my at-home artist residency I started drawing again, and I began to notice that it not only made me feel good, but it also helped me process my emotions,” Campos said. “It’s kind of crazy to think that if it weren’t for the world coming to a halt due to the pandemic, I would have left these treasures buried deep inside of me.”

Campos used an iPad and the Procreate app, which essentially lets users sketch on digital paper, to create “playful, positive, joyful artwork.” 

She started an Instagram page called @dreasdoodles to share her illustrations with family and friends she couldn’t connect with in person. 

Campos said she didn’t realize it at the time, but her Instagram page, which she described as her “little pocket of the Internet where it’s always sunny,” was going to completely change her life.

Campos, who was never formally trained as an artist, gained thousands of followers over the next several months.

Eventually she started to get requests from brands and small business owners to create logos and other marketing materials. 

Almost one year to the day of the inception of @dreasdoodles, Campos received an email that would change her life forever. 

An art director at Macmillan Publishers reached out to ask if she’d be interested in illustrating a celebrity children’s book. 

“When I got that email, my jaw was on the floor,” Campos said.

Later, Campos learned she was one of two artists being considered for the book, which included a chicken named “Pollo” as the main character. 

“Even though I had zero experience, I thought to myself, ‘I am going to do everything in my power to draw the cutest, baddest little chicken the world has ever seen because I know this was meant for me,’” Campos said.

She submitted her designs in April and heard in June that she got the project. 

“It was months and months of me just shaking every time I opened my email. And when I finally got that email, I just started sobbing, like straight up ugly crying,” Campos said. 

Soon after, another email came inviting Campos to be a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Campos went on to do several more interviews with Fallon to help promote their book.

“That was one of those moments that was just so surreal and so special. The book launch for Con Pollo is one of those things I look back at whenever I’m having a bad day and say to myself, ‘I did that,’” Campos said.

After the whirlwind of illustrating a best-selling children’s book, Campos had to consider her next step and knew her advertising and marketing experience could help her build a sustainable art business.

“Sure, I’m not working on campaigns in the same way that I was before, while at agencies. But I am still very much in the business of telling stories through my work,” Campos said. “And that skill set undoubtedly took root right here at U of I.”

Campos said Jason P. Chambers, professor of advertising and associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion, made a big impact on her with his teaching style and the way he weaved history into the broader advertising campaigns. 

Steve Hall, senior lecturer in advertising, also stood out in her mind due to his leadership in extracurricular student activities, such as the American Advertising Federation and the National Student Advertising Competition. 

Campos was involved with AAF and, during her senior year, presented at the NSAC. She was awarded AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Student in 2012, which allowed her to travel to New York for networking opportunities. There, she was able to connect with someone at Energy BBDO, who offered Campos her first advertising job after graduation. 

Campos is grateful for her time at Illinois and was happy to return last fall after Hall invited her to speak to some of his advertising classes. 

These days, Campos is focusing on licensing her artwork, brand collaborations, and speaking engagements, presenting workshops at companies like Google, LinkedIn, and eBay about the power of creativity and the importance of giving yourself time to play. She also is working on writing and illustrating her own picture book.

“My biggest North Star with everything I do is being playful with a purpose and I’m trying to encourage that not only in kids but also in adults,” Campos said. “The last four years have taught me amazing things can happen if we just give ourselves the time to do something just for fun.”

As a first-generation Latina woman, part of her purpose is sharing the beautiful aspects of her Mexican heritage and culture.

When speaking to young children at schools, Campos sees firsthand how much representation matters.

“I’ve had little kids just so excited that someone who speaks Spanish is doing this,” she said. “That’s the stuff that I think will have an impact that I’ll never be able to measure and that’s what makes me so happy.”

Campos has a lot of advice to share. She encourages students to consider their priorities and to remember that growth isn’t always going to be linear.

“Your career doesn’t have to be a ladder. Chances are, it’s going to be a jungle gym,” Campos said. “It’s okay to change your mind and try different things—in fact, I think curiosity is one of the most valuable skills you can have.”