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

Lucy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

Before I started working full time as an artist, I spent most of my life working in the service & hospitality industry. I spent many years working at a small bed and breakfast that prioritized providing authentic customer service. We spent a lot of time connecting with our guests, talking to them and getting to know them on a personal level. We would only make recommendations for activities that we would do ourselves, listening to what our guests were wanting and recommend accordingly. Providing genuine customer service and creating personal connections is one of the most important things that I have taken from that line of work. It is so important for me now that I own and operate my own business to really connect with my customers, express how much I value their support and listen to the needs of my community.

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 am an artist based in Key West, Florida who creates hand cut paper artwork. I use a knife similar to a scalpel to cut my designs from solid sheets of paper, often times layering many pieces together. Although I have always enjoyed art as a hobby, I first learned about papercutting in 2018 in an introductory 2 hour class taught by a visiting artist. I had never seen the medium before and was immediately intrigued by the process of drawing and cutting out designs. Less than 2 years later, I jumped all in and started selling my artwork full time.

I love the process of hand drawing and hand cutting paper to create my work. Honestly, there is something so special about every original being hand made- no machines, no laser cutters, no digital mock ups. For me, there is magic in taking a blank sheet of paper, imagining it being cut away, and slowly slice by slice the image starts to emerge. I am constantly inspired by the environment around me, the colors of the coast and tropical foliage of the Florida Keys. My work is colorful, intricate, bright and happy. I find a lot of satisfaction in spreading joy and creating connection with my artwork.

Although I am based at the southernmost point of the United States, I send my artwork to collectors all over the country. I offer original hand cut paper artwork, fine art prints, quality notecards and more. I strive to make sure my work is available to all people, no matter their budget, which is why I offer prints and smaller items alongside originals.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am a successful small business owner largely in part to Emily Jeffords. Emily is an artist and educator who is breaking the stereotype of “the starving artist” by sharing practical, applicable resources that will make you a successful creative entrepreneur. She not only has a free podcast but offers a variety of educational resources that you can join to learn everything from editing photos to mastering SEO, growing your audience, avoiding burnout, building a website and more. Her educational resources are what you never learned in art school about actually running an art business. What Emily provides is absolute gold for any artist, no matter where they are in their career.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are two major aspects of being a creative that I find the most rewarding – the actual process of creating something from a blank piece of paper and sharing my work with the world.

In the words of Emily Jeffords, I truly “do it for the process”. I find joy, peace and excitement in the process of creating my work. My medium is slow, as I cut away designs from solid sheets of paper, meticulously removing piece by piece to unveil the image. Like many artists, I end up in a mediative state, with hours passing in what seems like minutes. This is the magic for me, the good good, the reason I love what I do.

The next, but equally as rewarding part, is sharing my work with the world. I love creating something that people can connect with, relate to and enjoy. Most of my work is colorful and intricate, eliciting a sense of joy, calm and happiness. It is amazing to share something that comes from inside me and have it be valued by others, loved and cherished. That connection with my customers is really the most inspiring part for me to continue creating & sharing my artwork.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lucyhawkart.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lucyhawkart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lucyhawkart
• Other: The gallery that I co-own is called Sacred Space. We carry artwork by local women who all live in the Florida Keys. www.sacredspacekeywest.com.

Image Credits
Photos by Lucy Hawk & Rebecca Schwab-Talpas