We were lucky to catch up with Allison Lee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

After finally reaching one of my biggest professional goals and dreams as an artist, I unexpectedly found myself in a creative block afterwards. I had heard about writers dealing with writer’s block before but I wasn’t aware that visual artists can deal with a creative block as well.

When I was going through it in the beginning it felt scary and unknown to me. I was able to resolve it however by reconnecting with myself, setting new creative goals and bringing the ‘joy’ and ‘meaning’ back to my creative process. I am now less focused on potential outcomes and success and more focused on creating art that is meaningful to me and is aligned with my personal values.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have a background in the fine arts, fiber art and animation. I have been exhibiting my textile pieces and mixed-media drawings in galleries all over the United States.

I am most proud of one of my textile pieces being exhibited in the San Jose Museum Of Quilts & Textiles as having a piece in a museum has always been a personal goal of mine. After accomplishing this goal I documented my life as a visual artist for a Belgian Tv channel for a year as a video blogger. This was a really fun and exciting opportunity as well.

I take on commissioned work from time to time and I still have original pieces and prints for sale but am less focused on working with galleries. I have mostly been focused on personal work and illustrations as I am trying to transition into a career in illustration.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book : “Mind Magic” by Marta Hiatt has definitely impacted my life in general and has helped me be more confident and resilient as an artist overall. It has opened my eyes in regards to the power our mind holds in reaching our personal and creative goals.

A book that has helped me with time-management and optimizing creative productivity is : “From Chaos to productivity” by Jessie L Kwak. I would recommend it to any artist, writer and creative out there.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

After I was dealing with a creative block I took the time to reconnect with myself and to really pinpoint why being creative and making art is so important to me. I then discovered my core values which are : expression, impact, integrity, boldness and devotion. Whenever I start a new creative project I make sure to check if it is aligned with my personal values.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.allisonartlee.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/allisonartlee