We were lucky to catch up with Abigail Swint recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Abigail thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I had always been interested in the arts, and loved creating stories and characters and bringing them to life on the page. I had been doing it for as long as I remembered. It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I came to the decisions to pursue it professionally, however. As a kid, I loved watching The Lord of the Rings movies with my dad, and we always liked to see the behind-the-scenes work that it took to bring Middle Earth to life. When I realized that all of the things I loved so much about the movies–the sets, props, designs, architecture, and creatures–were all hand drawn and created by two incredibly talented artists, John Howe and Alan Lee, something clicked. I knew then I wanted to do that, to spend my days creating worlds and building things on something as simple as a piece of paper. I fell in love with how artists could create life with just a few pencil lines or brush strokes. I realized art wasn’t just a hobby, I had a need to create, and there was a career for me that could do just that!

Abigail, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I, Abbie Swint, am an Illustrator, Writer, and Designer residing in Columbus, Ohio. I earned my BFA at Columbus College of Art & Design in May 2025, with a major in Illustration. During this time, I was exhibited in CHROMA and featured twice in the Spitball Anthology. With a love of literature and folklore, I blend both fantastical creations and historical design to create unique worlds, characters, and art. I use these influences to create a unique body of work consisting of illustrations, comics, game development, and merchandise! I love bringing both my clients’ and my own creations to life for people to enjoy and connect with. I find art and a universal human experience, and use it as my own way to connect with the world and with others.

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

I think the best thing society can do to support artists is to invest in their local art communities! Just in my town there’s so many art markets, comics events, and festivals to partake in! Engaging with those and discouraging the use of AI generated art is more important than ever currently. I believe art is a uniquely human experience, and there’s nothing more fulfilling to engage in that experience, whether as the artist or the viewer.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Perfectionism is the death of creativity! It’s been one of the biggest struggles I faced while in art school, and breaking that habit has been the one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve done! I think many young artists, whether starting out as a freshman in art school, or the early days of their career, struggle with wanting every piece to be a masterpiece. I myself felt that I needed to “prove” I deserved to be in art school by making every piece incredible, which led me to crash and burn very fast. It also led me to being overly safe in my artistic approach, never trying anything new, which is the opposite of the improvement I was supposed to be making. I realized that if I was going to crash and burn, I should at least do it from taking a leap of faith first! That mindset really helped me make vast improvements, not only in my art, but in my own work practices as well. At the end of the day, it’s not about making something “good”, its about making something, period.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: doodle.loodles
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-swint-512981210/