We recently connected with Camilla Wildman and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Camilla, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
What I love about being an artist is how all encompassing it is. While surely, there is a calculable number of hours I might paint, sketch, email, and network each week, it is only a piece of the puzzle. Outside of the time I spend painting, I tend to spend a lot of time just living. Listening to music from places I’ve never been, going on long meandering walks, meeting new and interesting people, staying up well past my bedtime talking to friends. There have been times in my life where I have felt guilty for “wasting time” when I could have been working. The truth is, all this “wasted time” is so incredibly important to the work I create. The strange people I meet become the strange characters I want to tell stories about, the winding streets I walk down and the big trees I walk under are places I study, and recreate in my paintings. I am grateful for my choices; I have the freedom to prioritize things in my life that are important to me, and in turn, use that in my work. I have spent a lot of time working “regular jobs,” the ones you clock in and out of, where the lines between work and play are clearly defined. In many ways, that structure and consistency are nice, but this is the path I have chosen, and I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m an illustrator from Nashville, Tennessee, currently finishing up my degree at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Like most artists, I have been drawn to creative pursuits for about as long as I can remember. As a child, it came in the form of drawing, painting, and writing stories. As an adult I do pretty much the same, but I have focused it into the field of children’s book illustration. Storytelling and sequential image making have always been innate to me, but the decision to write and draw specifically for children is a more recent decision.
Within my work, I like to mix themes of playfulness, peacefulness, exploration, and the natural world. Through the stories and accompanying paintings I create, I aim to urge children to revel in this time of their life, and play with their friends, create anything that comes to mind, and explore the world around them. I take inspiration from the greats, such as Beatrix Potter and Maurice Sendak, but I am interested in making modern stories for modern kids.
It is challenging to get back into the mind of a child after losing that perspective by growing up, but it is equally as rewarding when you do find that voice. Unfortunately, I think children tend to be a pretty underserved group of people. Media created for children sometimes has a tendency to be simplified and unchallenging. I aim to connect to each child, engaging their imagination, creativity, and openness. I feel books, music, and movies that are geared towards children should come from a place of respect, instead of a place of patronization. Children deserve good art, and I am excited to be able to create for them.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
In our modern day, we sometimes forget that art and storytelling existed long before money and the 9-5 style work week. A lot of artists feel overworked and burnt out, which is indicative not just of the immense expectations of creative jobs, but of the way our society values productivity over all else. Sometimes a piece of creative work needs time, or breathing room, to be the best it can be. We are all human! Taking the time to rest and take care of ourselves is the best way to avoid burnout.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Like many others, there are tenets of life I was taught as a child: sharing is caring, treat others the way you want to be treated, pick up after yourself. I believe as adults, we seem to have a lot of trouble abiding by our own principles. The current project I’m working on is a story following a group of kids who get sick of all the hubbub of the city, and decide to run away to live in the woods. The story follows their adventures outdoors, and ends with their parents coming out to find them. They all decide to spend the night camping, and save the emailing and work calls for tomorrow. Both the kids and their adults learn the importance of slowing down and taking the time to play, look at the stars, and share a meal with your neighbor. While my work is first and foremost created with kids in mind, I think we can all go back to the basics and work towards being kinder, healthier, and happier people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.camillawildman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camilla.wildman/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilla-wildman-9a9020282/