We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annie Thompson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annie below.
Alright, Annie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
While I have mostly been a self-taught artist in the several mediums in which I create, as it often goes, I had many influences throughout my life that laid the foundation for the skills have now. My mother Monica is an incredible photographer, I watched her growing up, and I feel I gained my eye for photos from her. My uncle Kirk was an amazing artist and told me at a very young age that I see the world through a unique lens and that it shows in my art. He encouraged me to paint, to work with clay, and gave me art supplies. My grandmother Mary taught me to embroider at a young age, and made costumes and let me help her. Many of those skills have resurfaced and been important in my cosplay journey. Aaron Quinn, my friend at Walnut Street Publishing, and my friend Jasmine who is an incredible poet, both were the reason I delved back into my poetry journey in the past couple of years by providing safe places to exchange our work and to learn from both of them. My dear friend Erin introduced me to the art of cosplay, and has encouraged my photography journey. I am constantly inspired by the artists around me, and while I may be “self taught,” I have learned from so many people, and I am sure will continue to do so. A goal I was just speaking to another artist about recently is my hope that I can be one of these learning stepping stones for other artists, at some point in my life. The community and connection that art creates is very important to me, and I’m so proud that I have been witness to so many artists who have shared their craft with me.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Annie, and I am an artist and writer in North West Georgia. I was originally from Cleveland, born in Chattanooga, but left at a young age to live around the world, and moved back to the area four years ago. I attended the University of Georgia for my bachelors of Animal Science and my Masters in Medical and Veterinary Entomology, and I LOVE insects and the natural world. I grew up camping, spending my time outdoors, and cherish the small and seemingly insignificant magic of nature. I have an incredible husband, and we have an adopted dog. As an artist I work with multiple mediums, including photography, painting, collage, poetry, prose, and cosplay. Since I have so many mediums I work on, I’ll address each at a time! I’ll start with painting – I love working with pen and water colors, and sometimes acrylic paints. Drawing freehand and the use of watercolor both force me to accept any mistakes and let go of perfectionism, which can sometimes paralyze my creative process. Painting is such a therapeutic tool that I wish more people used, even if they don’t consider themselves artistic! You can get a watercolor pallet at any store with craft supplies, a few brushes, and some paper, and you have what you need. I mostly create natural themed paintings – insects, animals, and flowers – calling attention to the small and often overlooked members of our world.
For as long as I have painted, I have written. Growing up with multiple moves to new places and new environments, my notebook was my constant. I felt this way about Narnia, and other imaginary places I read about over and over again, but at some point I decided I wanted to create my own. I was inspired by the books I voraciously read, and wrote stories on and off for years – starting in my early teens. I always wrote, but never finished stories, until a few of my friends started taking their own writing seriously and made me think I should learn how to finish a story. I read Save the Cat! by Blake Snider and focused on structure. I still have not finished the two novels I am currently working on, but I have grown so much and am working towards finishing one in the next year. My writing focuses on strong female leads in fantasy settings.
My other writing focus – poetry – has become a daily creative outlet, and it started with a seed planted by my friend Jasmine, who is an amazing poet. She read one of my poems in a Waffle House booth five years ago, and her encouragement that my words held meaning for her sparked a light that kept me writing more consistently. Upon meeting Aaron with Walnut Street Publishing here in Chattanooga, and trading poetry with him, his encouragement and the community I found at WSP has caused me to grow as a writer, and allowed me the opportunity to publish my poetry book Words of a Magpie with Walnut Street Publishing earlier this year.
The latest artistic medium I have learned to work with is collage. I love the way that it can be used to make old things new, and regularly thrift old books to use for collaging supplies. I love the up-cycled nature of this art form, and the challenge of taking what already exists and making something new. If readers have old magazines lying around, it is a great way to have some artistic fun and see what you can make. Some of my favorite collages I have made are small and simple.
The last two of the mediums I work with are intertwined in my current creative journey, and they are photography and cosplay. Cosplay is “costume play”, which takes the act of costuming to another level as you wear it in public, act as a character, or showcase it. My introduction to this art form was a few years ago when my college room mate and friend Erin invited me to DragonCon for the first time. I was amazed at all of the incredible costumes I saw, and before long I was creating my own costumes and attending more events with Erin. We also took photos of each other in our cosplays, and this begun my infatuation with the ability to create essentially movie stills of whatever story we wanted to tell – we could dress as an elven court and dance in the woods, and photograph it (we did), we could gather mermaids and pirates, or a fairy court, and essentially act out our own storyline… somewhere along the way I started writing fantasy poetry and telling the “stories” of our original characters we dressed as and that we photographed. I most enjoy working with a portrait lens, and have also done many self portraits in cosplay. I have also discovered a skill in event coordinating and decorating – thrifting, making and arranging forest fairy tables, elven banquets, tea parties, and photoshoot sets. To create the costumes themselves I prefer to use thrifted, secondhand, or handmade pieces. My favorite cosplays I have made to date are a Tinkerbell dress that I sewed out of silk leaves up-cycled from a cemetery dumpster, a flower fairy that I sewed the skirt and handmade the wings for, and a velvet elven Arwen gown I handmade inspired by her description in the Lord of the Rings novels. Cosplay is for everyone and is a great form of self expression! It is also a combination of many skill sets, which makes it a fun challenge. Sewing, painting, foam work, makeup, wig or hair styling, jewelry making, and so much more can be learned through cosplay! It has also helped me with body positivity and confidence, and taught me to model! The performance art side of it is also very fun – I have volunteered at libraries and enjoy acting like the character at cons for kids. I even have a mermaid persona and I have learned underwater modeling. Even the simplest of cosplays can be so fun, and I try to tell anyone who thinks it looks interesting – you can buy a cosplay, make a cosplay, thrift a cosplay, it is all valid and so much fun! I convinced my dad, and my husband, who have started cosplaying with me! My dad and I even have a couple of duo cosplays and it is so special to get to share my art with family!
I will continue to learn and grow, but I’m so grateful to be creating art, collaborating and working with other amazing artists, and to have this opportunity to share some of my artistic story!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I have had to unlearn – and am still unlearning – the idea that being self taught, and my education being focused on science – prohibits me from referring to myself as an artist. I am an entomologist by training, and I have a non-artistic office job as my full-time position. It has taken me some time to confidently say, “Hi! I’m Annie, and I’m an artist!” I can be two things at once! And I need to keep reminding myself of that. It’s very liberating to give my art and my artistic side full recognition and it’s been mostly thanks to family and friends that I have felt the confidence to really step into that identity. We grow up being asked “do you want to be a scientist OR an artist? A nurse OR an athlete?” I think it’s natural that some of us take time to find space for both!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
By far, my favorite part about being an artist and writer is the connections it creates with other people. When someone mentions a particular poem of mine that meant something to them, or they expound on how it made them feel, we are acknowledging a shared experience and it creates a connection. I think that’s just so beautiful. I also love the opportunity being a creative affords me when people mention they “wish they could cosplay” or “wish they could paint” and I get to offer the challenge – why don’t you? I like encouraging people who don’t consider themselves to be creatives to delve into the creative, because it so important that as adults we find play and creativity in whatever forms we can. I sometimes say something similar about a facet of art, and luckily I have amazing creatives around me who ask me the same, and I have had some wonderful creative experiences from trying something new! The connections that I have made because of my creative journey are incredibly rewarding. Just thinking about it makes me emotional!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @mothprincess.art, @annierichthompson.art
Image Credits
Photo of me with my camera – Taken by Danielle Hogue Photo of fairies at tea party – Models Julia Richardson and Jessica Ruby, taken by me, Annie Rich Thompson Elven banquet in woods – Models Erin JB White, Danielle Hogue, Meagan Jones, and Catherine Ballew, Taken by me Annie Rich Thompson My elven gown with book – Photographed by Erin JB White Photo in field – Model Rachel Fant, photographed by me Annie Rich Thompson Profile Photo – photographed by Maddie McIntosh
