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

Baird, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I grew up in an artistic family. My Granddad on my Dad’s side was a artist as is my Uncle. My Uncles are all creative as well. I remember enjoying drawing as far back as 3 years of age. I have always been compelled to create. I think I knew I wanted to be a professional artist the first time someone appreciated my work and I realized I might be able to make a living from it.

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

I received a B.F.A with an emphasis in editorial illustration in 1993. After limping along for a while I went back to school and earned my second Bachelors degree, this time in Media Arts and Animation in 2001. I was hired by a publishing company right out of school to illustrate and animate folktales for children. There I honed my craft and learned a lot. I think I realized during that time period that my ideas were valid. I consider myself a problem solver and I think that the main reason is, I’m a good communicator and pride myself in that ability. I’m adaptable and find it gratifying to give a client multiple solutions to a problem and help them navigate to the one that fits their needs. I think one of the most exciting things I see in my work is that it’s constantly evolving. Despite meticulous technical preparation with sketches, layout, and palette choices before I commit to the actual illustration it inevitably becomes an intuitive process and the concept leads my work where it needs to go. Ultimately I consider myself a storyteller and I hope whoever views my work can follow and enjoy what I’m trying to communicate. It’s even better when the viewer takes my stories and make it their own.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m a bit of a people pleaser and when I was younger this flaw was a problem. I had a bad habit of giving clients far too many choices. I thought if I gave them several examples it would show them how hard I was working. I thought it would help me to narrow the art down to a stronger piece that the client would have played a part in creating. All this really did was confuse the client and cost me time and money. It took me years to figure that out, unfortunately.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2008 I was let go from the best job I’d ever had up to that point. Unfortunately they had to cut the art department so I was a casualty. It was a terrible time to lose my job as it was near Christmas. It was rough going for a while job-wise. I decided to try freelance illustration. It took some time and blood, sweat, and tears. I had a good run for a few years. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t lost my job. There’s always something around the corner. Mind-set is key.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bairdhoffmire.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/electricpaintbrush/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectricPaintBrush
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baird-hoffmire-50712712/