We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I often think about how I wished I had started my art career sooner than I did. In hindsight, I hadn’t realized that it was an option. I didn’t start my creative career until I was knee deep in diapers and midnight feedings with my first born. Looking back I have no idea how I even had the brain capacity to try anything new like that. I think that if I would have started sooner, maybe I would have been able to give myself a more structured start. I would have been able to study my craft and all the parts of business. But sometimes, diving in head first is just the way it happened, and I think there are benefits to that too. I do think I would have been further along in my career, had I started before I became a mom. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Lisa, 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?
I am an illustrator working primarily with surface pattern design (the patterns you see on different products.). I started my art career making family portraits and that part of my business became quite big for a time being. I was one of the first people on the market doing such a thing. With kids and family responsibilities I decided I didn’t want to do custom work, and be on the timelines of others so I took this step towards surface pattern design, about 8 years ago. I’m proud of my work because it brings a quirky and colorful vibe that I think is distinct to other patterns you see in the world. I love drawing on my ipad and playing around with different color variants and shapes, I think the love of my craft really shines through my creations. I am also really proud of some of the collaborations I have had in the past. I’ve been able to design paper towel patterns for Bounty Paper towels, journal designs that have been sold in stores such as Target, Barnes and Noble and World Market. I’ve been able to design for the BEST towel company in the world, Geometry. They are seriously the best kitchen towels you will ever use.
I want people to know that I work hard to keep creativity as a main part of my life, and I hope that they see my love of that through my designs.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Resiliency is something I’m very familiar with. There have been SO many times that I have wanted to quit, but what I’m most proud of, is that I didn’t. There were so many opportunities when my kids were very young, that it would have been easier to just put my creativity on hold and not try to balance motherhood on top of it. But I never did. I would hold a baby on my hip and open a journal on the counter just to sketch something out. I would get up from my bed after too little sleep for human function and still find time to create that day. It’s hard as a woman to still pursue something when your body, mind, and income are all telling you no. Giving up would have been the easier choice but I stuck with it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding part of my job is bringing a dopamine spark to the lives of others. To have someone look at something you created and feel an actual joy, is that best feeling. I also love to remind people that they can be creative and pursue anything that feels good creativity wise. Lifes to short not to pick up a paintbrush.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mylittlebuffalo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylittlebuffalo
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/mylittlebuffalo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-nelson-9a536b45/
