Life Finds a Way: Nostalgic Illustrations by Manuel Cetina
Published Aug 18, 2025
Mexican illustrator and art director Manuel Cetina is back with a new series that combines nostalgia, grit and a touch of humor. Life Finds a Way takes everyday relics from the past like DiscMans, rotary phones, old PlayStations, Coke cans and cigarette packs, and reimagines them as overgrown time capsules where plants burst through the cracks.
His signature style is all over these illustrations: bold outlines, halftone textures that give everything a worn, vintage feel, and little flashes of color that pull your eye straight in. There’s also a fun dose of cultural throwback sprinkled throughout, with retro stickers, smiley faces and nods to the messy energy of the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Check out more of Manuel Cetina’s work on his Instagram or revisit our previous feature on his darker series Hell Awaits.
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