We recently connected with Keith Alexander Lee and have shared our conversation below.

Keith Alexander, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I came into the illustration field later in my life. I start actively pursuing drawing after I graduated from my undergrad program. I started a draw blog while I was working at a bankruptcy firm. The blog started off as a personal blog to document my time with my wife. To my surprise, the blog began to gain some traction. I have been taking some classes to learn more about illustration. And Eventually I stumbled across Savannah College of Art and Design’s Opening Day. The day of the opening day, I decided that I will apply and pursue it. I was very fortunate to have been accepted to their masters program. I eventually left my job and pursued illustration full time. That was the biggest risk I have taken in my life. The uncertainty whether I could really make it as a professional, or would I be any good at what I do. Now that I have graduated, These doubts still remains. However, these doubts also serves as a form of motivation for me to keep striving for constant improvement in my craft.

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 Keith and I am currently working as a freelance conceptual illustrator. The markets I illustrate for are mainly editorial, advertising, and publishing.

I enjoy working as an illustrator because illustrators are visual problem solvers. We create to communicate ideas. A lot of times the articles, product or other things we illustrate for can carry a lot of information for the target audience to digest. It is important for us to create an image that helps the readers/audiences visually get a sense of what this information is about, while also create an interest with this image.

For me, I enjoy taking conventional things and putting a twist on them. and conceptual illustration allows me to do just that. If a person looked at my work and says “hey that’s an interesting perspective, I have never thought of that,” that would give me the greatest joy and satisfaction.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

There are a few major goals that serves as the driving force in my creative journey. The biggest goal for me will always be always striving for improvement. I know it is not really a goal per se and more so a mindset. But in a way it is my goal to maintain this mindset. I came into the drawing late in my life. For me to stand in the same field as other professional illustrator, I believe that hard work and the drive to be better is basic necessity. If I do not try my best to pursue this craft, not only will I be disrespecting my seniors and my peers in the field, but I will also be disrespecting myself.

Another goal I have is to be able to eventually give back to the illustration field. I have had the fortune to to have met some amazing professors who had tirelessly guide me and help me grow as an illustrator. I was also very fortunate to have met many amazing illustrators who were willing to take their time to talk to me, and share their insight. I am especially thankful to Craig Frazier, who has taken the time to work with my on some of my illustration and continued to give me advices to help me become a better illustrator. I hope to one day be good enough to pass on all that I have learnt to others who are starting out their creative journey like I am right now.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

This book is not so much on management or entrepreneurial thinking, but more on how to think creatively and how to approach creative processes. And this book has been a big influence on me when I was in my illustration masters program. It is the Illustrated Voice by Craig Frazier. This book goes into great details about how he approaches sketching ideas, and tackling different obstacles along the way of his creative process.

This was a particular important book that influenced my work. I came across this book when I at a point in my program where I was struggle to find and solidify my own illustration style. In it, Craig talks about illustrating is more than just drawing something beautiful, but it is the meaning that lies behind the drawing. Reading that along with seeing his illustration gave me direction on finding my own style. I would recommend this book to any illustrator/creative.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.keithleeillustration.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithleeillustration/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithleeillustration/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/keithleeillu
• Other: https://www.theispot.com/artist/klee https://foundartists.com/keith-lee/editorial-publishing https://altpick.com/keithleeillustration https://www.si-la.org/member-gallery/keith-alexander-lee

Image Credits
All Rights Reserved. All Images © by Keith Lee Illustration.