We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Owens a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The biggest risk that I’ve made in my career was to stop pursuing a conventional career and looking for corporate design jobs. When it comes to my passions I am resolute. If one door closes I find another door to open. If I am told “no,” I turn around and figure out a way to do it myself. I have had many roadblocks in my creative career, but I know that they have made me stronger and more creative in how I accomplish things. I have been rejected from college programs, jobs, agents, and competitions. Actually, all of my biggest accomplishments have come from my own networking on social media and word of mouth. This is how I have found events to work, clients to design for, and also how I’ve found children’s book illustration jobs. This definitely hasn’t been easy. Even though what I do is full time work, it is not my only job.I have had to keep part time jobs to help fund my pursuit of making art a full time career. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart! Starting a business and finding clients can be inconsistent and frustrating, but it is worth every effort.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Allison Owens and I was born and raised in Fort Worth, TX. I am a graduate of The University of Texas at Arlington where I majored in Visual Communication and minored in Advertising. Through this training I also have a background in graphic design, digital art, and children’s book illustration but I specialize in live guest portraits for events and weddings. These portraits are very similar to the idea of caricatures but with an emphasis on fashion rather than comedy. I use watercolor paints for my portraits but also for my other art work.
I have not always been an artist, however I have always been a creative. I grew up taking classical piano lessons and singing in the choir and continued up until my freshman year of college. For the majority of my life I thought my career would be in music. It wasn’t until the summer before I started high school that my path changed.
Every summer I would go visit my grandmother in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and this particular day we didn’t have any plans. I came across a drawing tutorial on instagram and decided to grab some Crayola colored pencils and try it out. I was shocked at how naturally it came to me and how much I enjoyed it. I kept looking up other tutorials to follow and by the end of my trip I had a whole mini portfolio. That created a snowball for me and I just kept creating. I kept testing out new mediums; watercolor, graphite pencils, pastels, acrylics, anything that I could get my hands on.
My sophomore year of highschool I decided to take a Graphic Design class as well as my first art class. Mr. Rudd introduced me to the world of digital art and design while Mrs. Pearce helped me sharpen my skills and techniques. I still hear Mrs. Pearce’s advice in the back of my mind when I work telling me to “work smarter, not harder” and that it’s okay to make mistakes because “it’s just art.”
From here I continued my fine art journey as well as my design career. I took those simple skills I learned in my beginner Graphic Design class and continued to learn and create. My first clients were my parents who generously gifted me an adobe membership to have access to all of the software. I would do odd jobs here and there such as designing t-shirts for my senior class, and I still take freelance clients to this day. Some of my current clients include, Angie Bellemare’s The Daily Grind Planner, RMK Events by Rachel, LeeThe4th, and so many more. I create custom illustrations, graphics, and logos. I also prep files for manufacturers, illustrate books, and contribute to the overall aesthetic and branding of my clients’ businesses.
Even though graphic design started my professional art career, it is only one part of what I do now. During the spring of 2023 I was approached by Rachel Kimball of RMK Events by Rachel to create invitations for a fantasy ball that she was putting together. During a meeting with her she brought up live guest illustration saying that she had been seeing it around and was wondering if I would be interested in doing it for her ball. I agreed and the rest is history. I now have created live art at a few different events with many more in the works around the country. Although my events to this point have mostly been fantasy balls, I am hoping to extend my live art to weddings and corporate events.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

When I talk to non-creatives they always struggle to understand why I do it. They understand that it’s fun, but struggle to understand how it could be any more than a hobby. They see the hours that I put in, sometimes in the middle of the night or after working a full shift at my part time job, and they see how risky it can be. Although it is risky when it comes to pay and security, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Yes, it can be difficult, but I enjoy the hustle. I honestly think that I would be bored without it. I truly enjoy the work and I am proud of what I have built. It’s a piece of me that I would never give up for a conventional paycheck. It’s so exciting because you have no idea where your business will go.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Every part of what I do is rewarding. I am free to work on my passions and I am able to build my business however I want to. It’s given me many opportunities as well. I’ve always dreamed of traveling for my artwork and now I can say that I have. I’ve also met many people and built many friendships through what I do. However, I think that the most rewarding aspect of what I do is that I am able to do what I love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allisonssketchbook.com
• Instagram: @allisonssketchbook
• Facebook: @allisonssketchbook
• Youtube: Allison’s Sketchbook
• Other: TikTok: @allisonssketchbook

Image Credits

Rachel Kimball