We were lucky to catch up with Chandler Arthur recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chandler, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I came from a creative family! Many of my father’s siblings dabbled in art and had much experience in different mediums, so I was always a little curious about what they did. I always doodled as well so once I was offered art supplies, I started delving into drawing and painting. My parents were really supportive of my creative interests, and my father introduced me to other forms of creating, like SketchUp and CAD. When I got a little older, I had a family member pass off a bunch of art supplies, like Copic Markers, watercolors, and pre-printed copies of their fashion croquis, and from there, I just delved deeper into the practice and developing my own style. I learned just by getting curious about certain looks or poses or doing research by people-watching and saving photos from different websites for reference.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! I’m Chandler Arthur and was born and raised in New Jersey, but I’ve been in Chicago since 2012. I got into my practice how a lot of artists get into art: by seeing what others create. I was really inspired by museums and artists I learned about in school. That led to me doing my own research and finding out how people created and how one person expresses their personal feelings. I tried out a lot of different forms of art making by being an Illustrator came the most naturally to me and also made me feel the most expressive! I work mainly digital but I still have a great fondness for watercolor, graphic design, and fashion design. I’m really inspired by culture and everyone’s own personality and style, and that is what really informs my work. I want people to see my work and understand that each character or setting has its own way of showing up in the world.
I also focus a lot on making work celebrating women of color, as my education, mainly in fashion illustration, centered heavily on Eurocentric standards and proportions. I want to make sure that the work I’m creating centers beauty that I relate to and see myself in, and I hope that for everyone who views my work as well. I love the flow of creating vibrant and youthful characters that others can see themselves in or aspire to be. In addition to Illustration, I also make comics centered around universal lived experiences that I think are common with my demographic and beyond. When working with clients, I like to see the world through their perspective as much as possible as I feel that creates the best outcome. I want to know what you’re interested in and what’s inspiring to you because I’m essentially using my skill as an extension of someone’s mind, and I do my best to tap into that. Everyone thinks differently and I believe I owe it to myself to be exposed to as many perspectives as possible to be a well-rounded artist and friend.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think the best thing society can do to support artists is to understand the amount of time artists put into developing their style and skill set. I think that because art is fun and because my work specifically is really colorful and sassy it’s taken as just a hobby instead of a skillset I’ve spent years honing. It’s occasionally difficult to be an Illustrator or visual artist, especially if you’re not being exhibited in galleries or working in a corporate setting to have people take your craft seriously, and I think that leads to a lot of unsavory work experiences. I think the best way to support artists, especially if you’re working with them or commissioning them for work is to understand that it’s taken us years of endless hours to develop a muscle memory and specific style that we take very seriously. Even if it’s something that we do for fun, there’s a lot of trial and error, coping with imposter syndrome, and a myriad of other hurdles to get to where we are. If you like an artist, go to their shows, help support them in the best way you can, and spread their work where you feel it’ll be appreciated! It’s the best feeling knowing that something you put effort into is valued. It truly means the world.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing about being an artist is honestly just the relief that making art brings me. Even if what I’m making isn’t for anything, or even particularly good, it’s still an activity that calms my brain down a little bit. I think my favorite part about making art is that even when something doesn’t work out aesthetically, it still can still spark an idea later on. It’s equally an activity for stress relief and as it is practicing for future projects!
Contact Info:
- Website: chanarthur.com
- Instagram: @camieaux
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chan-arthur/
Image Credits
Images courtesy of Chandler Arthur