Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lizi Phoenix. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Lizi, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I love using art as a medium to connect people to a memory. This winter I had the pleasure of making this happen in a completely new way. I was commissioned to create the guest gifts for an intimate wedding in the Swiss Alps. We wanted the gifts to be functional and easy to pack, extremely meaningful, and to convey an appreciation for the journey guests had taken to be present. This type of personalized challenge is a thrill for me and I immediately got to work on the concept. Each guest ended up receiving a custom, hand-painted luggage tag. When pieced together, the painted tags displayed the iconic Alps exactly as seen from the window of the wedding venue. Individually, each tag is a miniature work of abstract art. Together, they tell an epic, snow capped love story. Travel makes up a huge part of the bride and groom’s lifestyle, so gifting luggage tags was also a sweet nod to the couple that made the guests chuckle. A map of where in the world the tags have ended up can be found on my website.
Lizi, 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?
Since the day I bypassed my Junior Kindergarten math test by submitting a crayon portrait of my cat Viktor, I knew I wanted to be an artist. Today, I mainly paint with watercolor and acrylic, and make pen line drawings and collages. I focus on creating work that pulls from multiple human senses to preserve a specific moment in time. Be it by perfecting the waxy twist of a Tootsie Roll wrapper, or catching the sun sparkle on the water in a way that immediately transports the viewer to August.
I also run my eponymous company, Lizi Phoenix. Here I take this nostalgia and relatability from my work and throw it in a mixing bowl with my client’s custom desires. I plop a dollop of technical skills developed at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and add a dash of my Entrepreneurship degree from Northeastern University. What I mean is, I work with individuals and businesses to create personalized 1 of 1 art to mark special occasions and memories. This art can be found on canvas, paper, sneakers, jackets, bags, plates, doors and pretty much anything else with a surface that can hold a little temporary moisture.
By now I’ve been fortunate enough to creatively collaborate with some brands I very much admire such as Poppi, 818 Tequila, Michael’s, California Olive Ranch, and Guess to name a few. My work can be found across the globe, from Los Angeles to Zürich, to Tokyo.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In classic 2020 struggling artist fashion, I was swiftly let go from my part-time restaurant job when the pandemic hit. While I’d always dreamed that the art I’d been creating outside the dinner shift would eventually become my full-time situation, I hadn’t planned for that to happen overnight and without the right measures in place. By ‘right measures’ I’m referring to you know… a savings, a strategy, a studio. I could go on.
That said, I suddenly had the free time to explore my creativity and try to make this thing actually work. In addition to developing my style, I knew I wanted to craft a ‘product’ that would add value to the lives of my fellow isolated and overwhelmed community. As the weeks drew by I noticed that many people were using the stay home order to refresh their space or move homes entirely. It was clear that people wanted to elevate their vibe without breaking the bank. Enter Lizi.
There was a gap in the market for authentic, affordable art that celebrated individuality. My community was a group of hard-working individuals who appreciated culture. They were looking to make small investments to improve their surroundings, but didn’t quite know how to scratch the surface of the notoriously intimidating art market. My new interactive series, The Abstracts, was born when I started to paint 1 of 1 colorful paintings in my newly-developed style for these people. The paintings pulled from clients’ individual aesthetics, their current home decor, and the feeling they wanted to curate there. I became a medium for my community to enter the art world, and to feel confident in their unique tastes.
The Abstracts became the product that bridged my journey into becoming a full-time artist. I had found something that brought huge joy both to my clients, and to my sanity as an aspiring artist. Since 2020 I have created and sold 81 full-size Abstracts, and countless minis. These pieces can be found in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, New York, Washington DC, Boston, Charlotte, Portland, and across the world in London, Hong Kong and Zürich.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
They say the greatest lessons are learned the hard way. Do they say that? Well, I say that. I had to unlearn the theory that spending more hours on something makes it more worthy. When I first started my business I thought that unless my piece took 20+ hours, it wasn’t worth anything. I would see a way to make my process quicker without compromising on quality and I would actively avoid it. I thought the long route would be my fast lane to success. All I was doing was giving myself extra work. Very silly.
What this genius plan of mine didn’t factor in was enough sleep, down time, other hobbies, or an enriched social life. I had constant migraines, and felt disconnected from my friends because I always felt too busy to spend time with them. I still say no to plenty now, but that’s just because I really enjoy reading a book next to my kitten, kettle boiling.
After five too many heavy burnouts I sat back and took a look at why things weren’t going my way. I had to stop thinking that simply working investment banker hours would get me to where I wanted to be. I started to pay attention to my own circadian rhythm and understand when the best times for me to work, sleep and play were. I discovered what kept me inspired, and what my unique position in the market was for my clients. I noticed the benefits that came when I did favors for my future self, and today I have a lot of respect for my ‘shortcuts’. Sure I have the odd very late night, but that’s no longer my norm. While I haven’t completely kicked the migraines yet, they have improved dramatically. I’m learning to soak up the goodness of my down time so that I’m recharged and ready to put in lots of hard work the next day.
Also, turns out many of the world’s greatest artists were the most prolific. Ever heard of Frida Kahlo?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.liziphoenix.com/
- Instagram: @liziphoenix
Image Credits
Madelene Lisella