Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Libby Ozog. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Libby, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Art has always been an important part of my life. I always viewed it as a hobby and never realized that it was actually possible to make a living creating art because I had heard from so many people growing up that it’s nearly impossible to make money as an artist. In college I got a minor in art because I enjoyed it so much but my main course of study was in Environmental Science and Geoscience because it was interesting to me and I thought it was more practical than art. I really enjoyed those subjects but the first job I had right out of college did not suit me well. I was really nervous because I felt like I had lost my path in life. My sister, who works at a lip balm company, was aware of my painting ability and helped me to get an illustration job doing painted designs for packaging for the lip balm. It was so much fun and I made my first substantial amount of money creating art and I realized that I could actually make money as an artist. Right after that I decided to really focus on making art my career, put together a website and started painting and drawing as much as I could.

Libby, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

All my life I have had a passion for creating and now I am a professional fine artist and illustrator. I was greatly inspired to draw and paint by other family members who loved to paint and the support I have received has been so helpful in getting me to the point of creating art professionally. I love working with clients to bring their vision to life in paintings and drawings in illustrations for packaging, album covers, in books or in custom artwork that I create. Landscapes are a favorite of mine to create, whether in watercolor or acrylic paint, and I have greatly enjoyed painting scenes on site as well as imaginary landscapes using clients descriptions. Starting out my art business, I drew many custom graphite pet and people portraits which is something I still do today. It is so exciting to capture special moments in time and really incorporating the mood of the scene into my paintings and drawings.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being an artist who creates a lot of custom artwork, it is so touching to be able to create a piece that has so much emotional value to the client. It really is special to be trusted to truly capture a scene/person/pet that has special meaning to them. I get to dive in and really get personal with the artwork. It’s so interesting to see all of the different ideas people have for paintings/drawings and it’s so cool to be able to create what’s in their head. I also get to create my own designs and scenes for my personal artwork and it is incredibly exciting every time someone enjoys my vision.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think encouragement is a huge and simple way to support artists and creatives. It takes quite a bit of courage to face judgement of others and a little bit of praise can go a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: libbyozogart.com
• Instagram: @libbyozogart
• Facebook: @libbyozogart