Aimara Rodriguez
Q What do you do?
“A large component of my role is managing relationships, driving strategic marketing efforts, and implementing processes that can help our team effort’s scale, as we introduce new partners and APIs into the ecosystem.”
I work on the Platform Partnerships team as the Ecosystem Partnerships Manager for Creative Cloud. At a high level, our team focuses on cultivating and unifying the Creative Cloud Platform through the development of various partnerships as well as driving adoption of the plugins and app integrations that our partners build. A large component of my role is managing relationships, driving strategic marketing efforts, and implementing processes that can help our team effort’s scale, as we introduce new partners and APIs into the ecosystem. I also help manage the Adobe Fund for Design, a $10 million fund aimed at supporting teams building products that will help shape the future of creativity and design.
It’s a wonderful mixture of challenge and fulfillment because I get to work at the intersection of all the things that I enjoy doing, while being immersed in certain areas that I’d like to learn more about, such as product management.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I’m gonna sound like a broken record, but getting your foot in the door is hard. The interesting thing is that I’ve been working in tech for almost seven years now, and I still feel out of place at times. And that isn’t anyone’s fault, it’s a cultural weight that first-generation kids deal with. I know I certainly carry that. Even beyond being first-generation, I think it’s an unspoken weight we all carry when we are the first to do something in our family. We’re essentially paving the way… and that can be exhausting, scary, and full of uncertainty. I’ve seen first-hand how hard it has been (and still is) for others to get their foot in the door.
Over three years ago, I had recently left a job that I was completely burnt out from. I was unemployed for six months, and while I planned my transition, I knew I was taking a gamble without having my next role lined up. But, I also knew that if I stayed in that old environment, it would not have helped me. I’m conscious that not everyone has the privilege to just quit a job without knowing what comes next, but thankfully I did. I spent months and months applying to jobs (the traditional route) and heard no after no. I’ve been very active in communities like Techqueria and Latinas In Tech for years, and during that time of my career transition, I was constantly checking out their job board. Someone had posted a job and I reached out asking to learn more and if they could connect me to the hiring manager. I was connected to my now manager and was able to interview. I interviewed for a role slightly different than the one I’m now in and ended up not being the right fit. Luckily, the team was growing at that point and there was a need for my skill set for a similar (but not quite identical role), which is the one I’m now in.
It’s so funny how things can work out when you have someone who’s willing to take a bet on you. I’m pretty grateful to my now manager for taking that chance. I never thought I’d be at Adobe at this point in my career. The only reason I mention that is because, honestly, I’m not sure if I’d be in the role that I’m in now if I would have gone the traditional route of applying. And that’s not being self-deprecating or criticizing the company I work for, it points to a larger institutional issue that exists when it comes to helping communities of color be more successful in moving into better opportunities to advance our careers and our lives. I’m over-generalizing here, but our parents (very rarely) spoke to us about finances, writing ATS friendly resumes, or skill development courses growing up. The primary reason for that is because it was never spoken about to them. How can you pass something on that you aren’t even aware that should be passed on? If we are navigating learning all of these things for the first time at the same time as we’re also entering adulthood, it perpetuates the idea that we’re not equipped or experienced enough. When the reality is that it’s extremely hard to get your foot in the door. That's why advocating for diverse talent pools will always be important and necessary. I'm grateful I get to work for a company that truly values and sees that, but there's always more work to be done.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I’ve learned to embrace the things that I used to feel the need to hide. I’ve had an unconventional path breaking into tech and have always struggled with imposter syndrome. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how important it is to just take a step back and recognize that I have the ability to bring a different perspective to the table. In order to do that, I need to be able to trust myself enough to speak my mind. It isn’t always easy, and I certainly still struggle with bouts of doubt, but standing out requires you to embrace your individuality, not hide it.
I've found that my past experience of working with startups plus being a woman of color working in tech has helped shape how I work. It has informed the types of questions I ask and my approach to problem solving. I believe it’s incredibly important to have various perspectives and voices in the room equally contributing to how things can be done.
Q What are you working on right now?
Without saying too much, I’m pretty stoked about a few product initiatives we’re working on this year. To be more specific, Adobe has been working on modernizing in-app extensibility over the past few years. In 2018, we launched Adobe XD, Adobe’s UI/UX design tool, powered by Creative Cloud’s new Unified Extensibility Platform (UXP for short). For context, UXP is a shared technology stack that provides a unified, modern JavaScript execution environment. Since the launch of UXP in Adobe XD, we’ve grown into a thriving ecosystem of more than 300+ publicly available plugins. Last year, we introduced UXP-powered Photoshop plugins. That launch was a significant update to the Photoshop ecosystem and unlocked the opportunity for third-party developers to build a more common experience across XD and Photoshop. Looking ahead, we hope to bring UXP to the existing suite of flagship Creative Cloud products. In the immediate short-term, we continue to invest in growing the Photoshop ecosystem and furthering our third-party extensibility journey.
Outside of work, the things that get me excited are: health and wellness, entrepreneurship, building generational wealth, and music. 2020 (as a whole) really pushed me to reevaluate the things that are most important to me and to recognize that as much as I enjoy my work, it isn't the end all be all. I can always get a new job, or move to a new place, but taking care of my mind and soul is the most important thing I can work on.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Haha. Well, emails are necessary when it comes to the work I do. But, context switching from emails to doing deep work all of the time can be tiring so I wouldn’t mind having someone to help with that.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I’d tell myself to “chill the fuck out.”
When you’re young and have just moved to a big city, there’s a mixture of being ambitious and naive. There’s an upside to that because you work to learn more about yourself and to prove your worth. But, perpetuating the narrative of proving your worth to others instead of realizing your own worth can be detrimental. In my case, it led to a pretty severe case of burnout that took me a couple of years to fully recover from.
I spent years trying to be everything that I thought the people around me needed me to be. I also put a tremendous amount of unnecessary pressure on myself to always be “on.” I left no room for myself to decompress and instead of addressing it, I buried it internally. Now that I’m older, I've come to better understand what my parameters and non-negotiables are. Meaning, I’ve built a stronger sense of self and awareness of how much or how far I’m willing to push myself. More importantly, I realized that I am (and will always be) more than what I do.
I wouldn’t change a single thing about my journey because it has allowed me to learn what I now know. But, my whole approach to work has completely shifted. I’m much more calm, which allows me to problem solve more effectively. Also, the fact that I now work with an awesome group of people who truly value the well-being of the team has been a game-changer.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I love mountaineering and rock climbing. I admire athletes like Alex Honnold, Emily Harrington, Tommy Caldwell, Sasha Digiulian, the list goes on. I remember back in 2017 when Alex Honnold free soloed El Cap. That was such a monumental moment not just for the climbing community, but the community of sports. Being able to hear about his experience and see his meticulous approach to climbing would be incredible.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
We are looking to work with interesting brands with bold creative visions.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
We love building long-term relationships with our clients. Plus, a sense of humor is also always ideal!
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
The top two things that help me stay creative (and sane) are physical activity and quality time.
I proactively do soul check-ins with myself and ask “how is my soul doing?”
I do this because it helps me stay self-aware about replenishing the mental energy I’m exerting day-to-day. When I’m consistently prioritizing physical activity and quality time (with myself and those closest to me), that’s when I feel I’m happiest and able to be my most creative.
Also, being able to have other avenues to channel my energy into helps expand my creativity. Whether that’s speaking at events, mentoring emerging talent, filming content for me and my brother’s new fitness venture (Function Wellness), or planning a new adventure to new places, that all helps me be the best version of myself.
This member profile was originally published in February 2020, Updated July 2021.