Newsletter #4
Jungle adventures, mentorship, and new illustration work
Hello my curious friends,
Spring is around the corner, and I’m slowly emerging from my winter cocoon. These past few months have been a bit of a roller coaster (in the best possible way), and I feel like this year will bring some big transformations in my life. Let’s dive in!
First and foremost, you might have noticed the name of this Substack changed. It used to be called Azuravesta Creative and now it’s called The Biophile. This name is shorter, catchier, and hopefully a bit intriguing. It also aligns with my personal project, Biophile Media.
Biophile (noun):
one who feels a strong attraction or emotional attachment to the living world
Life Updates
Since we last spoke, I embarked on my first ever solo trip! I spent the entire month of November travelling around Peru, and wow, what an incredible country. I ate delicious seafood in Lima, trekked for 5 days through the mountains to Machu Picchu, immersed myself in Incan history around Cusco and the Sacred Valley, and studied mind-boggling bugs in the Amazon rainforest. How did this transpire? Let’s rewind to December 2024.
I was scrolling Instagram when I saw a post from an entomologist I followed. The post was about a unique volunteer opportunity in the Peruvian Amazon, to help study insects at Manu Biostation. I immediately jumped on it and filled out an application to volunteer for 2 weeks in November 2025. That’s how I found myself in the thick of the Amazon jungle one year later, heart full and head swimming with ideas. If you haven’t already seen it, I made a short recap reel about my experience at Manu.
You might be wondering, ok good for you Avesta, but how does that relate to medical illustration?
Volunteer science illustration skills: medical illustrators have a diverse skill set that can be applied across many different fields. Part of the reason I went to the biostation was to volunteer my talents as an artist, to help them with any science communication materials they might need.
Creative inspiration: it’s THE Amazon. One of the most biodiverse areas on land and the source of much of the world’s oxygen. Every day I would see species I hadn’t seen before, find new colour combinations, hear new sounds, smell unique scents. It is the mother load of creative inspiration. Need I say more?
Deeper connection to nature: as science communicators, illustrators, or enthusiasts, connection with nature should always be a top priority. It is what fuels us, what reminds us why we do what we do, what connects us to the work. When you are feeling burnt out or uncreative, how often has nature helped you find your way back? Even a simple walk outside clears the mind. An extended trip in a wild place like the Amazon does wonders for mental clarity.
The next exciting thing is—drumroll—I was selected as one of 12 women for a business mentorship opportunity called Women4Climate Toronto! This program is offered through the city of Toronto, and is designed for women founders who are working on developing innovative climate-related businesses and solutions. This marks a significant shift for me, as it shows that people outside my field recognize the potential value of my project, Biophile Media. I’ll receive 6 months of business, climate, and marketing mentorship, followed by a pitch competition where I’ll have the chance to get funding. Wish me luck!
Freelance Work
In early November, my illustration was published on the cover of Neuron. Featuring research from Dr. Aaron Batista and Patrick Marino at the University of Pittsburgh, this cover illustrates how the brain weaves together posture and volitional information to generate movement.
In January, I completed this “7 Dimensions of Water Wellness” graphic for ShowerThoughts, a circular blue beauty company.
In February, I completed this Nature cover for Dr. Matthew Smith and Dr. Benjamin Cowley at Carnegie Mellon. They developed a compact computer vision model that can predict neuron responses to visual stimuli. You can learn more about it in this press release, which I also illustrated the cover image for. While it wasn’t selected as the official cover, I enjoyed the process and it helped refined my workflow.
What I’m reading
In the past few months I finished reading some books about science fiction and Indigenous storytelling:
Your Utopia by Bora Chung – a collection of sci-fi short stories
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline – a fictional story where Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow and dreaming ability
Becoming Kin by Patty Krawec – a must-read if you live in North America, this story retells North American history from an Indigenous lens
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami – a unique and compelling sci-fi trilogy that borders on fantasy, would recommend if you are an avid science fiction reader
I have no books lined up to read next, so drop a comment if you have any book reccs!
Quote
I leave you with this quote taken from the novel, IQ84:
Our memory is made up of our individual memories and our collective memories. The two are intimately linked. And history is our collective memory. If our collective memory is taken from us—is rewritten—we lose the ability to sustain our true selves.
This quote can be linked to my desire to learn from and listen to Indigenous voices. Their stories have been systematically wiped from history, but that history is part of who we are. By learning from them, we can begin to reconcile our relationship with the colonized land we live on and the people who were displaced from this land.
Beautiful photos! Those beetles are just so adorable!