We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alex Eckman-Lawn a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I do now but it took a long time! I’ve been a working illustrator for over 15 years now but the first 10 involved a lot of help from friends and family, and a lot of skating by on very little. I think a lot of folks think you just jump in and if you’re good enough you get the jobs but it’s much more of a process, and sometimes you have to start all over if you want to shift your artistic focus. It’s a lot! building community, spending time getting to know other artists or galleries or band, etc, it all takes a lot of time. Artists just starting out should be prepared for that and also be kind to themselves if it isn’t already paying their bills! I know lots of incredibly talented artists who have a day job.
I’ve found that the big steps forward in my career tend to happen for me at points when I’m pushing myself and experimenting with my work. For example I found a new approach to how I make some of my collages by doing a self directed zine. I found the particular kind of cut paper process I currently use because I was trying to figure out a way to make an interesting hand cut collage version of what had previously been entirely digital work. This kind of self directed experimentation is so important to me and I think that’s usually when I see real growth in my work and career.
Honestly, most of what I know now vs when I was starting out is a few more technical tricks, and I try to always be ready for new opportunities. So much of this business is a combination of luck and timing, but also having your skills sharp enough to take that lucky chance when it comes around.
Alex, 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’ve wanted to be an illustrator since I was a little kid, before I even knew what the word meant. I grew up loving comics, videogames, cartoons, and all the art associated with them. I knew I wanted to make pictures but I wasn’t sure how that would happen. I was lucky enough to have the kind of supportive parents that both encouraged and nurtured that interest and that makes a huge difference. I went to art school to study illustration and I think that’s where I found my “voice” though it’s certainly evolved since then.
I am currently a full time collage artist/illustrator. I do a lot of comic covers, book covers, work for bands, some movie posters. I’m freelance and “self employed” so I take whatever comes my way! This can be really fun and also really stressful, haha!
These days I’m known for a layered cut paper style where I physically layer paper so there’s a sort of cavernous space. Some of my work is purely digital and just recreates this look and some of it is a photographed 3 dimensional paper sculpture.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
A looong while back a comic book that I illustrated was optioned for HBO, there was a pilot script, a pretty notable director attached, it was looking pretty promising! I remember the editors at the comic publisher would call me and my partner and say things like “get ready to be famous!” which I always felt was a little ridiculous but needless to say, the whole thing fell through, as these things often do. It was really tough to keep going at that time, I felt like my career was over, like this was my one shot and I missed it.
Of course this was not the case at all, it’s been years and I feel like I really found my niche SINCE then. Honestly I can’t imagine what my career might have looked like if that deal had gone through but most days I’m really grateful for the life I have now. I love my work and for the most part I get to make things that I feel proud of and connected to.
I honestly believe the secret to this business is just sticking it out through the hard times. That doesn’t mean being so stubborn that you wont take a job for extra cash if you need it, or refusing to compromise on the kind of work you do, but I find if you’re able to make it through the rough times, there’s usually another opportunity on the other end.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I’ve been really discouraged by certain groups really going all in on AI art. Not only does it take away artists livelihoods, it makes boring derivative art! This seems to go hand in hand with devesting from arts education as a whole. I think some folks see it as unnecessary or elitist and it’s true that art can feel daunting to get into, the truth is most artists I know have a much more working class outlook/lifestyle.
I think Supporting the creation of art and the people who create it is important to any society. This is one of the things that makes life great!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexeckmanlawn.com
- Instagram: @alexeckmanlawn
- Twitter: @alexeckmanlawn
