With the help of New Balance, we\u2019ve prepared a dinner inspired by the creative reuse of Thanksgiving leftovers. While searching for the most artisanal angle to accompany the New Balance 993 MADE IN USA<\/a>, we found illustrator Carlos Alamandoz, known as Trazas<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ahead of the dinner, we wanted to learn more about him, his work\u2026 and tried not to ask too many questions about what he\u2019s preparing for us.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n How would you define your style? What visual or emotional elements are essential for a piece to feel \u201cvery Trazas\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A simple, kind, and universal style. Something very characteristic of my work is that it\u2019s easy, pleasant, and suitable for all audiences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If I had to highlight a key visual or emotional element, it would be the sense of movement in the characters and scenes I create.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n We\u2019re talking to you in the context of the event we\u2019re organizing with New Balance, inspired by Thanksgiving leftovers. In your own life, you\u2019ve also had \u201cleftovers\u201d from past stages: changes of direction, career shifts\u2026 How do you reuse that learning from a world that seems so different in your work today?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think the past teaches us far more than we realize. In my case, Trazas definitely wouldn\u2019t be what it is today if I hadn\u2019t worked in consulting, if I hadn\u2019t met certain people who inspired me, or if I hadn\u2019t studied the degree I studied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Likewise, I think that if I hadn\u2019t lived those first almost eight years of a less vocational career, I wouldn\u2019t appreciate my current work as much. Having worked on projects that didn\u2019t motivate me so much has made me value my day-to-day infinitely more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think that\u2019s key to how much I enjoy what I do now.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n You have a certain connection (at least academically) with the United States. Did you ever experience a Thanksgiving?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yes, absolutely. During my time studying at ICADE, I took part in a program with Georgetown University, and the truth is that American culture is very different from European culture. There are things I don\u2019t share or don\u2019t like as much, but if there\u2019s something I envy, it\u2019s how proud they are of their traditions, their flag, their country, and their roots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In that sense, it\u2019s amazing to see how they celebrate Thanksgiving every year and what it means to their society. It\u2019s a beautiful tradition, simply because it exists, because it\u2019s celebrated, and because of what it represents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In cooking, using leftovers is an almost intimate act\u2014something offered to the closest circle\u2014and at the same time, it\u2019s an exercise in creativity. Is there something similar in art? Do ideas and projects get \u201crecycled\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Well, you\u2019re not always operating at your creative peak, so revisiting past ideas is always positive as long as they add value.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Your work involves a lot of active participation and direct connection with others\u2014so much so that you take personal commissions that require conversation, something we\u2019ll also be doing during the event with New Balance. How did you realize you wanted to involve others in a creative process that many artists see as deeply personal?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It happened very naturally. I started creating prints and canvases based on my own interests. As a result, all those ideas, hobbies, or passions that I wasn\u2019t including in my work became commissions people asked me to do. The truth is, it\u2019s an incredibly special process. Not only because it\u2019s a way to summarize and capture everything learned in a piece, but also because you get to know people\u2019s lives. People open the door to their memories, and it\u2019s remarkable. It\u2019s a super interesting sociological exercise. There are patterns\u2014like the pandemic, the birth of a child, moving homes, changing jobs\u2014that all mark us, but seeing how each person reacts to those moments is a unique experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Welcoming those stories turns you into a sort of emotional archive. Does exposing yourself to people change you as an artist?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yes, that\u2019s exactly what I meant. It\u2019s like entering the intimate part of people\u2019s lives. Being able to summarize it, group it, represent it, and finally deliver it so they can keep it forever is an incredible feeling. Your artistic career started while you were balancing other jobs. How do you think that double life has influenced your perspective and the stories you tell in your work?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As I said earlier, in every way. Without my past in consulting, I wouldn\u2019t approach many decisions the way I do now. I don\u2019t think it helped me much artistically, but definitely in the business side. How has your creative approach evolved from your early commissions to the exhibitions and collaborations you do now?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It has evolved enormously\u2014both business-wise and artistically. In my latest exhibition in Seville, I incorporated new techniques, new colors, new formats\u2026 Though you\u2019ve been dedicated to art for some time, you don\u2019t come from a traditional academic background. Do you feel that has become an advantage when shaping your own visual language?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Maybe, yes\u2014because I don\u2019t have any artistic framework telling me what I should or shouldn\u2019t do. I\u2019ve followed my intuition, my memories, my interests, and my way of seeing life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As I\u2019ve said before, there are two constant sources of inspiration for me: the comics I read as a kid, which clearly influence my work; and the travels I took during those almost eight years working for others. I always carried a Moleskine and a Rotring pen with me, and it helped me gain fluency as I drew\u2014often depicting scenes with very little, which is still very visible in my work today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Your pieces seem built from simple, very recognizable elements. Is that apparent simplicity a conscious search? Is it easier to connect with the viewer without artifice?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Yes, it\u2019s something I\u2019ve always wanted to reflect in my work: that with very little, or through something very simple, a story can be understood. But I also believed it was especially important that it be universal\u2014something that could be understood here and in other cultures or countries. That\u2019s something I saw clearly this year with my work in Paris and Dubai.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What role do you think art plays in today\u2019s society, especially at a time when everything moves fast and is consumed quickly?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I think there\u2019s an urgent need to return to the artisanal, to well-made things, to reconnect with what\u2019s human and simple. I believe the desire to pause, breathe, and appreciate things made slowly, by hand, as they used to be done, is a trend that will only grow.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ruthcarpintero_Trazas-76-1160x1740.webp\")
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That way, I stayed true to my original collections while adapting to what people were drawn to. At first, it was about hobbies, and later it became life stories, memories from trips\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
I think this is what has made my work different: it\u2019s very personal and very emotional.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Captura-de-pantalla-2025-12-03-a-las-12.38.19-1160x1456.webp\")
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The ambition to always look for the next challenge, or to think in terms of medium- and long-term planning, is crucial to make any project credible, solid, and above all, sustainable over time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
But above all, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to work on unique pieces\u2014one-of-a-kind works that tell their own story beyond collecting static ideas, hobbies, or memories. Now the artwork itself starts telling you its<\/em> idea.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.footdistrict.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/TRAZA_4_5-1160x1450.webp\")
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The hyperstimulated society we live in has great advantages and offers incredibly valuable tools, but it has also affected us negatively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n