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

Lorry , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

As a recent college graduate, entering the real world as an illustrator was fairly daunting. Without the structure or routine of a classroom, I wasn’t sure where to begin in continuing my creative practice.

After the past few years of freelance illustration and drawing comics, I’ve learned a few tips that can instill more creative confidence and keep up a thriving creative mindset:

1. Take Your Time:
Don’t worry about the milestones. Don’t worry about any sort of timeline. If you need to take a break, take it. Nobody can be creative every single hour, so why expect yourself to.

2. Forget the big picture. The writer/artist Austin Kleon talks about focusing on each day and simply showing up to make the thing you want to make. If worrying about the future feels too daunting, then focus on what you can create in the moment.

3. What do you actually want to make? Tune out what others might say or what is trending on social media. What would you genuinely enjoy drawing? What would bring a smile to your face while you make it? If you want to build a presence with your artwork, then the time spent doing so should be something you look forward to!

4. Only Focus On You. It’s not a competition. Or I guess it could be if you really want to view it that way. But enjoy the creative journey and focus on building upon skills you’ve learned previously, not anybody else’s.

5. Find other creatives nearby. Or on Zoom. Really just find creative people wherever they reside with a decent Wi-Fi connection. Find local or virtual meet up groups to learn from one another and spend time with other creatives. For example, the St. Louis Bad Drawing Club has been an amazing virtual hang out for anyone of a marginalized gender to catch up and talk about how cute our pet cats are (we also draw, but the cats are a big part of it).

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 Lorry Jamison, non-binary cartoonist and illustrator based right out of St. Louis! I create colorful illustrations and comic books that tell vivid stories across all sorts of genres (but usually include an adorable cat somewhere). Whether it’s a personal story or cover artwork for a client’s project, I bring a bright enthusiasm and authentic perspective to whatever I create.

I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. After studying illustration and graphic design at Washington University in St. Louis, I set my sights on creating any artwork I could that would help me connect with others in and around St. Louis. There is such a vibrant arts community, and I’m very passionate about supporting it with my own voice.

Currently I am looking forward to bringing new prints, stickers, and bookmarks to the Cherokee Street Print Bazaar on Saturday, December 3rd. Creating so many pieces for this event has been a fantastic opportunity to showcase my creative voice and connect with fellow creatives. Check out the drawings in this interview, I’ll be selling them as prints during this event! I hope to meet you there, and please check out my social media for where along Cherokee Street I’ll be stationed!

I am always eager to work with individuals on commissioned paintings, illustrations for their writing projects, cover art for their other projects, or to bring their comic book ideas to life. I’m even about to start developing sketches for a friend’s D&D villain, so there’s no shortage of ways to work with an illustrator on developing your idea!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Focusing too much on the outcome of a process rather than the process itself often makes you miserable creatively. Worrying about how a piece will turn out distracts you from actually making and revising the piece, and it often really slows you down. It took some time to recognize that thought pattern and to reject it. Enjoy the creative process at any stage, and focus on keeping up the momentum, rather than how the final result looks. The time spent being overly critical on an illustration could have been spent making a new piece and learning from that! Unlearning perfectionism can take time, but it is so worthwhile in order to make artwork you feel truly passionate about.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Other creative people! Seriously, if there’s an artist you really admire on social media, don’t hesitate to email or message with any questions you have for them. They’ll most likely be happy to share any advice they have, with the worst case being they don’t see your message! Don’t be shy around other creatives, there’s always the chance to learn something new that completely transforms how you draw for the better!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lorryjamison.com
• Instagram: @lorryjamison
• Twitter: @lorryjamison
• Other: Please don’t hesitate to reach out! Making art should be a collaborative process, and I would love to get to know you and see how my art can help bring your vision to life. Especially during this pandemic, staying at home doesn’t mean you have to be isolated from your fellow creatives.