Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Skye Lam. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Skye , thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am CONSTANTLY going back and forth between whether or not it was the “right” choice to pursue art as a career. Creative burnout is so real and its a concept that doesn’t really enter your mindset until you’ve put yourself on this formal path of artistry like attending art school or working a job that involves a consistent flow of creation. On the other hand, I try to picture myself working an average 9 to 5 behind a cash register, itching to clock-out and run to get myself covered in ink, thinking I’m creating on borrowed time. Comparing it to the lifestyle I have now as a full-time illustration student where I’m drawing from 9 to 5; it drives me mad! I get tunnel vision thinking about how I’m expected to churn out artwork nonstop for the rest of my life, yet simultaneously my future in the art industry and providing for myself, is so up in the air. This uncertainty I’ve brought upon my self weighs me down the most, but I have to remind myself that these anxieties aren’t limited to being a creative (which is much easier said than done, of course). At the end of the day, I’m much happier having gone through the intense stress and insanity as an artist when I have a piece of work I’m proud of to show for it rather than living a life just as demanding but coming out empty handed.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Howdy-hey, y’all! I’m Skye, a food illustrator and professional fun-haver from Hong Kong and Houston, Texas. I was raised by a big and bold family that immersed me in embracing culture through food, but since I had a burnt thumb I took to appreciating food outside of the kitchen. I’ve always expressed myself best through visual arts, communicating with unconventional means and making it a point to tackle things from different standpoints. I also love to embrace and enhance the quirks of the mundane, breathing life into the smaller things through my craft. I illustrate, printmake, paper craft, cook, and I love trying new methods to share my joys with others. I’m here to show the world how I view things from my kaleidoscoped rose coloured glasses in the hopes of others finding their happiness through creativity as well. So if your eyes are bigger than your stomach, you’ve come to the right person for a feast for the eyes!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Experiencing creative burnout as an artist is when I’ve felt the most defeated and helpless. When creativity and free thinking is forced, art is no longer the escape we all crave and it becomes the greatest weight to bear. Less so nowadays are artists looked down upon in the context of professionalism, but the piercing stares of dismay from those who don’t value the arts is as painful as any esteemed critique. The miscommunication between the creative/non-creative worlds with phenomena such as burnout is my least favourite part about sharing my craft because truthfully I do care about what others think of me, wearing my heart on my sleeve. But in spite of that, I push myself to keep exercising creativity in all forms even when I think I’m out of ideas because I want non-creatives to feel how much we pour our heart and souls into the craft.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Somewhere along my journey, the idea that you could only pursue something you were naturally good at got drilled into my head. I don’t know where that came from, but it stuck with me through all of my education. When I excelled at something, I was proud, but when I didn’t understand something on the first try I would almost immediately renounce it. Convenience is a key factor of this mindset and that carried onto my art. With time constraints as well, I felt like I was bound to one form of expression or a certain media so creating digital illustrations became my go-to despite my passion for traditional & mixed media. I dug myself a hole and started to lose hope for making art, but again I pushed myself to try different methods and bring my energy to new forms of creation. I fell in love with gouache painting, printmaking techniques, and I continue to discover more enthusiasm towards picking up hobbies that may turn into my newest art form.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://skyelame.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyelame/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyelamillustration/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/skyelame