Design Matters with Debbie Millman Santiago Carrasquilla
Apr 6, 2026
Santiago Carrasquilla, Colombian-born director and founder of Art Camp, blends hand-drawn illustration, 3D animation, live action, and tech into emotionally driven work. He tells stories about a 35,000 cigarette-paper mural for Stefan Sagmeister, worldwide moves that shaped his resilience, breaking into Sagmeister & Walsh with handwritten animated GIFs, and ambitious, hands-on projects from stop-motion to music collaborations.
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Kenny's Home Taught Life Without Separation Between Art And Living
- At 17 Santiago moved to New York partly to be with Malia and met her father Kenny, whose home held works by Warhol, Haring, Basquiat and hand-painted marks across the walls.
- That household model — life inseparable from art — inspired Santiago's belief that creativity can be woven into everyday living.
Choosing Advertising As A Practical Bridge To Art
- Santiago felt pulled between wanting to be an artist and wanting a stable business life, which led him to study advertising as a pragmatic bridge into creative work.
- He saw advertising as a path combining creativity with making a living while keeping the door open to more artistic practice.
Send Handwritten GIFs Instead Of Plain Emails
- Do get creative with how you present your work — Santiago replaced plain emails with small handwritten GIF animations and immediately raised response rates.
- His animated notes were optimized for email size and turned near-zero replies into consistent interest.