We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chelsea Blackwell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chelsea below.

Hi Chelsea , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

My lore starts with the very first painting I made as a Pre-Kindergartner with no formal instruction in art and barely a grasp on the totality of creativity as a whole. My teacher bestowed upon me high praise as she held the crude Crayola crayon house drawing that was little Astro’s magnum opus. From that point forward, I began to hoard paper and art tools well into adulthood, creating worlds, characters, comics, and concepts. I didn’t receive formal training in the arts until I reached college. And even then, I didn’t attend an art school.

I learned from books and observation, for the most part. My parents worked fulltime and it just wasn’t feasible to put me into any programs or formal training due to finances and scheduling. Plus, I was the only artsy person in the household. Tools were expensive and so were books so I had to improvise with what I had–which were pencils, printer paper, and saved up lunch money for quick trips to the art store. I would reference works from my favorite creatives–be they comic artists, mangaka, or illustrators on deviantArt. A trip to the library would be my time to amass whatever instructional material I’d need to achieve the style that I wanted–and I was quite obsessed with anime. When I wasn’t reading and being a sponge for all kinds of technical information, I would actually practice. I made comic books for friends and we would sometimes swap sketchbooks in order to draw narratives together!

I would say the YouTube and video classes that are widely available today would have been greatly helpful to younger me! It’s absolutely amazing what you can find on the Internet today as opposed to the 90s and early 2000s when it comes to creativity and the arts! I suppose back then, maybe having more focus on what I actually wanted to do long term would have helped me out a lot as far as portfolio, learning what my weaknesses are, and honing my strengths, but I’ve always been (and still am) curious of trying new things. My own curiosity, willingness to fail, and believing in myself regardless of the challenges have been pretty essential to getting where I am today.

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?

I am Astronym. I am a illustrator and comic artist with an affinity for bright colors, eccentric themes, and quirky characters. I love to create narratives within my works, be they illustration or comics! I find inspiration through film–I’m a HUGE cinephile–anime, video games, and the world around me. Building stories and worlds allows me to communicate my feelings, thoughts, ideas to my audience as well as create community around mutual interests. I get to be an alien and find all the other aliens hidden in the galaxy through my art!

I am most proud of the versatility I have as an artist! I have created not just comics and illustrations, but character designs, apparel, logos, graphic layouts, and plenty more! Having my works featured in Hot Topic has definitely been one of my favorite accomplishments to date. I’ve also worked on publications by Scholastic and Oni Press!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I would say the most rewarding aspect of what I do is inspiring possibility! I believe if someone can dream it, there is no end to what’s possible. I love when my audience responds to my work and ideas with a change of perspective, refreshed belief in themselves regardless of what society says, what age they are, the color of their skin, etc. And then they go on to try and see for themselves that sometimes the only thing holding them back is doubt.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best ways to support artists and creatives in this industry are to support local art shows and events by purchasing original pieces, talk about your favorite artists to your community in order to spread the word, and to take a moment to stop and appreciate the art around yourself. I believe that this world could stand to slow down and actually appreciate the art that they are viewing be it a painting or a binged television show. As we continue to consume, there is less time to digest what our minds are perceiving, and thus less appreciation for the work behind our favorite art forms. Artists not only deserve their flowers for being the architects for imagination, but are worthy of stable income and job security. Without the continuous and consistent support of the masses, these the bare minimum is treated as a luxury instead of a necessity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://astronym.art
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/astronym
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/astronymia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelbla/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/astronymia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Astronym_

Image Credits
Tasha Gorel