Finding Beauty In Ants, Adventure In Cheetos, and Humility In Jail — Yasmin Almo, Artist and Illustrator

This is an exciting one—Yasmin Almo is the first person I’m interviewing for the podcast, who isn't already a good friend.

Join Yasmin and me as we discuss how they learned humility in jail, the importance of honest and loving communication, and what makes ants so beautiful. They also share their secret for getting past self-criticism and releasing art into the world. If you’ve ever struggled to share your work, find inspiration, or build a loving community, this one's for you.

I wanted to bring on an illustrator or some other kind of visual artist, and came across Yasmin on the site of my modeling agency, WeSpeak. I was instantly captivated by their bold yet flirty design and illustration style. I reached out to our agent to connect me with Yasmin, without knowing much about them beyond their artwork. As I began to learn more about Yasmin to prepare for this interview, I became enamored with their work, philosophy, and style.

Yasmin is a queer Syrian and Armenian-American illustrator, designer, and outspoken advocate for individuality and self-expression through sexuality, art, and gender exploration. They grew up in a multicultural immigrant family—their father, a mathematician and linguist, and their mother, a pianist and art teacher. They credit this upbringing as hugely influential in their work.

Their art has been featured in countless exhibitions from New York City to Seattle, and their creative clients include 10 Summers Records, Future, Shabazz Palaces, Eileen Fisher, and Glamour Girl Magazine. They are also a model, collaborating with the likes of Calvin Klein, CHANGE, and ID Magazine. And in 2019, they were a cast member on MTV's Real World: Atlanta.