We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Scott Van Orden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Scott below.
Scott, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you 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?
Eventually, one day is the most common response for me. In recent years I have made a conscious and consistent effort to make this a reality. With the support of my family, friends and associates, I am reminded that this is what I want to do. When I wake up I want to create. When I sleep I dream of alien landscapes and ‘Other Worlds’. I am extremely fortunate to have a support system in place. Opportunities like this interview allow me to express my passion to create. Currently, I’m working with an art collective, Rabotat Records. With the support from Alex and Nick, they built an umbrella of talented artists and musicians. I’m humbled to contribute my time and energy to them. They allow creative liberties through collaboration with said collective. A community of independent artists that support each other’s projects. That’s so amazing! I’m also working with the local scene of community art events, in the Pittsburgh, PA area. Networking with artists to establish events with local breweries and event coordinators. Swing by your local watering hole, grab a beer and enjoy some art work by the leading artists in the community. Several local pet charities are also involved with the events. Dog and cat rescues are strongly supported by all the contributing artists. Both of these incredible oppurtunities are still in their respected development stages, but I find comfort and creative power within them and honestly hope they continue to grow and inspire others. So, I feel that I am not to the point of earning a full-time living at creative work, but will continue to work at it and encourage others whenever possible.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My first memory of wanting to pursue a creative path, came from the support of my mother. She would give my cousin and I a blank piece of paper and crayons. We would proceed to create whatever she requested of us. Whether it was the Empire State Building (my version had King Kong climbing it, of course) or our favorite cartoon character, we would have drawing competitions. The most creative drawing would get a snack of choice from the kitchen and bragging rights, until the next competition. Mom always encouraged us both and told us how amazing the drawings were. We both embraced the family competition and each other. As time went on I entered art competitions through school and always entertained my friends with drawing of ‘Toilet creatures’. Toilet creatures are amphibious beings that would exist in the plumbing of old households. If you are lucky enough to see them, they would appear in the toilet bowl or a sink filled with water. Later in life, I discovered the horror movie and developed a taste for macabre. To this day, my business cards read: Story artist/Illustrator; Monsters and Aliens Specialist. Over the years I’ve done several commission pieces for clients of a particular taste. With a recent move to Pittsburgh, PA. , I have discovered a scene of monster loving individuals. Night markets and themed horror events are a community favorite in a lot of areas. It makes me feel right at home. The types of services and products I provide are usually of the alien and monster genres, but I’m always willing to provide someone with a creative project they envision, but don’t quite have the tools or skill level to create it themselves. Someone might have a fantastic idea for a tattoo or a particular illustration, they entrust me with that concept and I help them make it a reality. Bring it to life, so to speak. Like Frankenstein’s monster! Sometimes it’s hard to express, in words, the utter joy and accomplishment I feel in developing a concept. To be involved in any creative process is like cultivating the garden of your dreams. You plow the earth. Plant the seeds. Nourish it and watch it grow into something special. I also provide some of my process work through social media platforms in hopes of encouraging others to create. You Tube and Instagram are wonderful platforms to showcase little videos or pictures of projects. If you have an idea for a project, but just need a little more to make it happen, let me know. I would like to push the limits of my own imagination to make it happen. I feel accomplished and satisfied when I hear a simple, little phrase from clients, ‘That’s it! You nailed it!’ .
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
NTF stands for ‘Not For This artist.’ I could spend some time developing an argument for this craze, but I think that right now it exists as a knock off of sorts. Intellectual property rights and creative control mean a lot too creatives. I feel like this movement to own a digital version of ‘something’ is artificial at best. Does it exist, just to provide someone with other monetary means or maybe it’s a reflection of one’s self interest to ‘own’ ? There are a lot of questions and variables to discuss about NFTs, but right now i’m on the fence waiting to get a better grasp on what it might provide for someone. Tangible, physical art is something I have always gravitated toward, but art allows interpretation. This ‘craze’, could become a staple of a much larger idea in the future. I think time, relevance, and acceptance will play an important role in it’s development. It’s not something I would consider, until it develops its own history of criticisms.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
When I first started my coloring book journey, it began as a simple collection of my illustrations. As time went on, it evolved into an alien world series. The ‘Other Worlds’ book series will contain a total of six books. Right now I have successfully completed four in the story arc. People have a lot of stress in their lives. Leading university studies suggest that coloring in a coloring book helps relieve stress. If I can provide someone with that comfort, I have succeeded in my mission. The encouragement in the local art support scene suggests that I have. It is so gratifying to hear a testimonial from someone who has colored in my books and feels better about themselves. It’s my little version of paying it forward. I’m allowed to create pages of aliens in a book and make lives better! That’s pretty amazing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.svanodesign.com
- Instagram: @scottvanorden
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottvanorden
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svanodesign/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Scott_VanOrden
- Youtube: youtube.com/@Scott_svano_VanOrden
- Other: https://www.rabotatrecords.com/scott-van-orden
Image Credits
All images were created by Scott D. Van Orden