We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Minnelli Lucy France a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Minnelli Lucy, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I first began as a scientific illustrator with a strong focus on painting botanical subjects before the long and intense path to specializing in orchids. The success that I have built up is due to having a very strong work ethic, maintaining my brand consistency, and keeping good client-work relationships.

Minnelli Lucy, 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?

Being a freelance artist and illustrator takes plenty of entrepreneurial drive, business skills, artistic skills, and marketing one’s brand well. It’s very difficult to start from scratch and build up your brand. I would honestly say that my experience has been extremely positive, and the hardest part has been to balance my artistic brain and my business brain simultaneously.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I often see artists getting hired because they got seen on a social media platform but not because if their specialty or expertise. I have been hired for work outside of my field at times in areas I have no experience in, and then I have seen artists that have no idea how to paint a plant correctly be hired for the type of work that I have been specializing in for years. People should take the time to notice the specialty and background of a particular artist they wish to hire. The project funding individual or the initiator of the project often leaves their office staff to do the hiring where a quick glance on social media is performed. The art world needs the masses to learn about artists having specialties and areas of concentration and learn how to hire one for the correct fitting project in lieu of a trendy glance on social media.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I view my success as an artist separately than I do my success as a brand and businesswoman. Artistic success is based on quality and business success on quantity.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.theorchidartist.com

Image Credits
Copr. Minnelli Lucy France