We were lucky to catch up with Lindsey White recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lindsey, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
From a young age, my parents were always very supportive of my creative endeavors. Growing up with a single mom, my mom was always my number one fan when it came to making art. My introduction to art came naturally in elementary school as I began with drawing my favorite cartoons and creating my own characters. My mom was always the person I turned to when I needed color suggestions, character ideas, or more hole punched paper for my big green drawing binder that I religiously carried with me. Her constructive criticism and unconditional creative support motivated me to lean into my whimsical, playful art style that remains prevalent today. My mother being a strong creative writer and my passion for drawing led us to dream about creating children’s books together. The concept of illustrating books excited me growing up. Little did I know being an illustrator would turn into what I’d be pursuing as a career.
Throughout the years, my family remains my main supporters, encouraging me to keep creating as I move forward with my education. My sister is always the first to share my art on social media and my dad is always excited to see what projects I’ve been working on. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a family that excepts the art world with open arms (despite not always understanding it).
Lindsey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Lindsey White and I’m currently studying to become an illustrator! I grew up in the Chicagoland area and recently graduated from community college with my Associates in Arts. This coming year I will be attending Illinois State University studying graphic design and visual communications. In 2021 I began working at a local non-profit art gallery as a gallery assistant which allowed me to immerse myself into the art world on a more professional level. Being surrounded by artists lit a fire beneath me and I began to develop my brand ‘Surrealindsm’. I shifted my focus to sharing my work which directly allowed me to expand my horizons. Sharing my work led to more gallery features, more art sales, and strengthened my passion for illustration.
I’ve been drawing since I was very young and have always gravitated towards the weird and the whimsical. Beginning as simple character designs, my work progress into my current illustrative style I adopted around the 6th grade. Taking AP art my senior year of high school allowed me to push myself creatively as I spent the school year assembling my portfolio. Creating ten portfolio pieces challenged my skill, process, and efficiency, but ultimately motivated me to keep creating. I feel as though my portfolio series of work helped me discover my identity while illuminating a career path I felt called to. This was a pivotal point in forming my artistic and individual identity. This challenge paid off, as I received a top score from the college board for my portfolio. This achievement was an honor for me, and I was excited to have created work that I could be proud of. From this point forward, it became clear to me that making art is what makes me the happiest. My AP art portfolio led to the epiphany that I was worried I would never have, it seemed like everyone around me knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives. My AP art class gave me the clarity and confidence to commit to higher education and work towards a creative career.
Through my growth as an artist I began experimenting with different mediums and ultimately fell in love with acrylic, oil, colored pencil, and more recently; ceramics. Exploring surrealism and illustrative themes with my artwork, children’s books, music, and movies have been a source of inspiration. I am excited to see where my creative journey takes me as I continue towards a career in the arts.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Personally I think one of the most rewarding aspect of being an artists comes from the growth that comes with practice. Creating art is a skill that you can always expand on. It is very thrilling to be passionate about something that continues to develop and change through the phases of life. Making art doesn’t ever have to be a stagnate hobby because there is always something new to try.
Another rewarding aspect is seeing your ideas turn into a piece of art that you can share! Other people indulging and engaging in your artwork elicits a feeling of excited that nothing else mirrors. It’s always a great feeling to be proud of something you’ve worked hard on. I have really enjoyed being able to share my art (in real life and online) while simultaneously fulfilling another artists’ needs to share. The art community is such a welcoming, prosperous space. One of the many perks of being an artist is to be involved in community of creatives that are inspiring and supportive.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think a common misconception that comes with being an artist is people not understanding your work. Sometimes people look at my work a and say “do you ever try realism?” or “is this painting supposed to be serious?”. These kinds of comments used to frustrate me, but I know understand them as a projection of traditional thinking. A lot of people (especially older generations) tend to think of “real” art as a photo realistic painting of a landscape, or a portrait in a naturalist style. The concept of “real art” is a ghost that has haunted creatives since the beginning of time. There is no such thing as “real art”. Art is subjective, it is not supposed to be cookie cutter. If all art was supposed to look a certain way, what would that mean for creativity as a whole?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.surrealindsm.com
- Instagram: @surrealindsm
- Facebook: surrealindsm
Image Credits
Lindsey White