We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura Galli. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

For the longest time, I thought being an artist only meant working with galleries. It may sound silly now, but as a teen it was hard for me to imagine that all those book covers, games, and animated movies were created by professional artists.

I always loved drawing- I could barely hold a pencil when I started doodling!- yet, at the moment of graduation from an Artistic High School, I didn’t know things like digital tablets and freelance careers existed. My options after High School were either entering an Academy that seemed to offer no viable career paths other than restoring old artworks, or studying Interior Design and Architecture.

It was only after joining DeviantArt and reading articles and blogs from artists I admired that I realized: “There are positions in studios for artists, and freelance illustrators working from home. They are making a living out of their art, and their carefully honed skills”. And it was just some time later, receiving my first commissions, that I realized I could also pursue that career.

The exact moment when knew I wanted to pursue this career path escapes me. But the exact moment when I thought I wanted to be a professional artist, was when I delivered that first commission, and realized I could offer something to the world by creating something with my own hands.

Laura, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an Italian freelance illustrator living in Iceland, focusing on fantasy artwork for Tabletop Games and Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs), Book Covers and Card Games.

I pride myself on my love for composition and narrative, for characters, creatures and anthropomorphic creatures in colourful settings, or in dark pieces with splashes of saturated colours.

I started working on commissions after my first sessions of Magic and Dungeons and Dragons- the artworks and stories in these IPs were, and still are, absolutely inspiring. After drawing portraits of D&D characters for my clients, I eventually applied for small illustration work for TTRPGs and Kickstarters of Card Games- and have kept growing from there.

In my gallery you’ll find anything from a dark illustration with skeletons (a work in progress, actually, but it’ll be in my gallery son enough) to a warm piece with baby hydras and small critters. With such a range and with so many amazing artists and styles surrounding me, it’s hard to define and describe what my brand consists in- but I can, at the very least, describe how much care I put in telling stories in my work, and in portraying the characters’ true essence. If a client or viewer can feel the energy of a piece, or see through a character’s expression to understand their personality, that’s all I could ask for.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I love what I do, but it’s a job. And it’s not any easier than other jobs- it’s just as difficult, just in different ways.

I may not lift heavy things- but I can still injure my own arms, neck, and back, without proper exercise. I still get bad days, difficult assignments, stressful deadlines.
My self-worth is so stricly connected to my work- it’s not simply something I do, it’s something I create, an extension of me, my life experiences and vision. And sometimes, I (as all creatives) am so good at self-sabotaging and self-critiquing my own results. Striving to improve one’s own skills requires constant practise and studying.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Like many artists, the amount of discouraging words I heard from people within my family, friend circles, and school is astounding. It’s just unbelievable how much resistance one has to face and go through while pursuing this kind of career.

There are many issues within the creative world- from the need of protecting artists’ copyrights, to treasuring them as employees instead of indulging in massive lay-offs, to valuing their efforts recognising this skill goes beyond innate proficencies, and is instead nurtured over decades- but in this space and for now, I want to stress how important it is for any child, teen, adult, to receive support from others.

Acknowledging a journey might be difficult, while giving a word of encouragement and offering solutions to improve one’s skills, goes such a long way. If society as a whole recognized the value of artists and what they do- from clothing, to architecture, to games, to books, and so on- younger and older people taking up a pencil for the first time would be met with a much more welcoming and encouraging environment. But sometimes and for some people, it starts with something small that will make them understand how much their creativity matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lauragalli.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauragalliart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauragalliart
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraGalliArt