I recently sat down with Anthony at Once Over Coffee, a nice little coffee shop on South 1st Street, which he frequents pretty often. We talked about how and what we do creatively as well as our thoughts on the art scene and the LGBTQ community here in Austin. I wanted Anthony to be the first for UNICO because I believe him to be a true creative. Following each other on Instagram for a few months, I saw a glimpse of the work he does and the people he interacted with. I soon came to find out that he and I worked as interns for the same museum and lived in the same city. From then on, I knew I had to know who he was.
Anthony Flores is a 20 year old creative living in Austin Texas. He graduated from St. Edward’s this past May and has already made an impact within the art community as an art director and photographer for local independent magazines he’s collaborated with.
As we sat in the back of this nice, little, coffee shop, our first topic was the LGBTQ community and his thoughts on how we are doing progressively. He believes that the community has had its share of good and bad moments. On one side society is so accepting and willing to understand and on the other we have the media portraying all of our misfortunes. It’s a never ending cycle of progress and falling back.
“.... let people do whatever they want as long as it’s not hurting anyone. Everyone deserves to be happy.”
Progress is too soon to tell, with recent events such as the Orlando shootings, it all seems like a confused mess. But through time, he believes, we will keep progressing but with different forces getting in the way.
Photo taken by me.
Besides his hopes for the LGBTQ community, Anthony also aspires great things for himself as a creative. Having worked for different art groups here in town, some which include, ANON Magazine, MUD Magazine, Chiquita Magazine, and Human Influence, he’s managed to establish himself as an active member in the art scene as a creative director. One of his most rewarding moments was creating and establishing Cabra Magazine at St. Edward’s University. As the creative director, he and his team, began something great with the help of social media.
“Helping establish what this magazine would look like since its “birth” was probably one of the coolest things ever.”
Since his graduation, Anthony is still at work on getting his name out there. Being involved provides him with the opportunities to do what he loves, which are networking with the right people and helping others creatively in return.
“It’s always great to see your work put out into the world as an actual printed project that many others enjoy.”
Photo taken by me
He hopes on attending grad school in New York City as well as working for a few bigger named magazines in the near future.
If you'd like to see more of Anthony's work, make sure to check him out on instagram @af.tx. And make sure to like, comment, and share this blog post!
UNICO is an LGBTQ online journal focusing on the lives of various people who are making a difference within the community as individuals. Creatives, activists, entrepreneurs, artists, or anyone who is active within their passions are welcome to join the conversation. We recognize sexuality identity as a vast spectrum and respect everyone's identity and likes. For further questions, concerns, or inquiries contact us at unicojournal@gmail.com.
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