We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Liv Garber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Liv below.

Liv, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

My most meaningful project as of recent in addition to my freelance illustration work is a project I started called “Pen Pal Club.” A few years ago during lockdown I started to pen pal with friends and strangers to feel closer to my community in a time that felt incredibly isolated. After about a year of pen paling, I realized I had not only accumulated an audience but found an ever-growing community of people who longed for a regular dose of fun mail. In adulthood, rarely any mail you receive is good news-and the best boost of serotonin to cut through the drudgery of daily life is to guarantee finding a little gem among all of the bills and junk mail at the start of each month.

Once I figured out how to produce my mail and to gather my ever-expanding community via Patreon, I decided to make this project as inclusive and affordable as possible. For only $5 a month-pen pals will receive premium mail and original art printed with my risograph. It was important to create an environment that everyone could be a part of-and I figured the best way to do that was to create an art subscription club that costs way less than even a cup of coffee.

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’m Liv, I’m a painter, illustrator, printmaker, and devoted pen pal based out of Brooklyn. I have been an illustrator for many years, and have expanded my practice in the form of starting my own risograph studio and printing press as well as creating Pen Pal Club. All of my practices fit together in the sense that I can produce my own art, print it within my studio, and share it with my pen pals and broader community.

The best part about being a freelancer is the sheer breadth of opportunity I have experienced. Over the years I have had the privilege to collaborate with musicians, notable publications, packaging projects, clothing lines, and even cruise lines. Freelancing has taken me to such unexpected and diverse places within my work, and has shown me how my art can be applied to projects and universes beyond my wildest imagination.

As a freelancer, owner of a risograph studio, and creator of Pen Pal Club-it’s been amazing to cultivate a community through my art, to share it with such amazing people, and to help others create their work and cultivate their communities via my printmaking services.

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

There are so many rewarding aspects of being an artist. Firstly, it’s the privilege to be able to put full focus into understanding yourself and the world through a lens that is uniquely yours. Being an artist is such a beautiful way to distill and capture all of life’s intricacies in our own way-to be able to work on capturing beauty and how I understand the world as a job is such an incredible gift.

However, the true reward is to be able to share it with such an amazing community. I am so grateful to my pen pals and anyone who has ever supported my work in any capacity. There is nothing like the reward of being seen, being understood, and being able to share your life and work within a community.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best way to support artists is to be a part of an artist community. That could mean going out to shows to support local musicians, visiting your local art gallery or a pop up, or just being a part of an artist’s online community in any capacity. Supporting artists doesn’t always mean purchasing works for large sums of money-it can be in the little things-like shopping small and local during the holidays, commissioning work from someone you love, or just letting artists know if you appreciate their work!

Contact Info:

• Website: livgarber.com
• Instagram: @giantpenpal
• Other: Pen Pal Club Link: patreon.com/penpalclub TikTok: @giantpenpal