We recently connected with Grace Filbin and have shared our conversation below.

Grace, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Some part of me always knew that I wanted to pursue a creative path in life. Although I had assumed that one day I would wake up and magically know what career path I wanted to pursue, it didn’t happen that way. As I continued to be bored and frustrated by what was being taught in my academic courses, I found myself getting more and more excited by what I was learning in art class. Soon enough, the sketches that would normally be reserved for my art classes were spilling over into my notes for history, math and english. I couldn’t help myself from translating what was being lectured by my teachers into little doodles that filled up the margins in my notebook, sometimes obscuring my notes altogether. Doodling was the only thing that I could do for hours without feeling burnt out or overwhelmed. Oftentimes, the little sketches were the foundation for larger paintings or illustrations. Eventually, I realized that I could make the most of my need to draw over every piece of paper I got my hands on, and began to pursue art professionally.

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

I am an illustrator and designer studying at the University of Michigan. I have been making art since I could first hold a crayon, but even before that I was an admirer of the picture books that my parents would read to me at night. These beautiful and strange drawings would fuel my imagination and later inspire artwork of my own.

In my current practice, I try to focus on making the small and often insignificant parts of life into something magical and full of intrigue. I most often find myself drawing expressive, oftentimes silly portraits where the characters look shocked or confused about their existence in the 2D realm. These days I have been most fond of simply using a ballpoint pen to draw since it allows me to achieve a range of values like graphite but without the messiness. Experimenting with texture and pattern in ballpoint pen has improved the stylistic choices I make in my more elaborate illustrations.

I love working with clients since it allows me to collaborate with others and bring someone else’s vision into reality. Currently, I work as an editorial illustrator for the Michigan Daily. These pieces are usually created under a short time period, which can be stressful, but they also allow me to experiment with styles and subjects that I might not otherwise draw.

I am currently working on writing and illustrating my own children’s novel. The working title is “The Sleepytime Express” and focuses on a magical and surreal train ride that helps a young girl deal with her grief. So far, this has been the biggest project I have ever taken on, but I am so excited to transform this story into something real.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My main goal as an artist is to create intrigue and beauty in places where it is needed. This involves a lot of art-making done simply for the joy it gives me as well as making pieces that I think deserve to exist in this world. One phrase that I remind myself with often is “I choose to believe in the inherent goodness of mankind”. This mantra works as a gruelingly positive reminder to myself and others that humanity is good at its core even if it often seems like this is not the case. By choosing to believe in this statement, I am able to more clearly see myself as part of a bigger, interconnected picture that involves everyone else on this planet. These little reminders help me stay hopeful and motivated about my role in the world and the impact I have as an artist on others.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I personally find that the most rewarding part of being an artist is the ability to transform ideas into images. Whether trying to visualize a dream I had on paper or collaborating with a client to bring one of their ideas to life, it can be incredibly gratifying to go from an abstract thought into a fully realized illustration. Working with clients can be especially rewarding since they often think so differently than me. When trying to describe what they want the illustration to look like, I often have to translate what they are saying into something that can feasibly exist as a 2D design. This ideation stage allows the client to learn about the design process while also contributing their own feedback. It is always exciting to show a final product to a client, especially when the work is something that they helped come up with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gracefilbin.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefilbinart?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-filbin-0520341b1/