We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tati T Pinckney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tati T thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In summer of 2022, a mutual friend of mine, Patrick Calvillo, reached out to me and ask if I wanted to present works in a solo exhibition at a local comedy theatre, Dynamic El Dorado. I was excited and hesitant— I had never seen a digital illustrator have an exhibit in a gallery.

This was my first experience creating a body of work with the intention to display it. At the time, I was primarily a freelance illustrator, providing stand alone works for clients. It was the perfect opportunity to make what I wanted, just because I could.

The exhibit was title “Just Peachy”, and featured illustrations of Atlanta comics I admired, and with the help of Patrick and Miguel (the owner), I was able to assemble a team of exceptional actors and comedians for an Improv showcase following the reception.

Everything was a hit! The turn out had me awestruck, and I sold so many prints, stickers, and originals! To this day, I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who took time out of their schedules to perform, see the show, and support local art. It’s an experience I will hold dearly forever.

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 come from a family of artists, seamstresses, musicians, and builders. Creating tangible work for the sake of its beauty is a value that has been instilled in me since I was a child. I’ve been so fortunate to have a family unit and friend-family that has always supported my drive to become a working artist.

All throughout high school and my undergraduate time at Georgia State, I’ve been freelancing and honing in my illustrative craft through artist studies, deep research, and socializing with other creatives.

My view of what makes me an artist has shifted from solely on the work I can produce, to the entire practice of creation. The process of seeing a project or idea from start to finish is the art, and holding this belief allows me to find fulfilment in every area of my life. To live as an artist has been a practice in the art of living.

If you would like to follow my visual artistic journey, you can find me on Instagram and Twitch, @tatitpinckney, and you can check out my music on SoundCloud under TATi. I’m based in Decatur and love to collaborate and meet new people, so feel free to reach out via email, which is linked in my social profiles.

Currently art/legal administration, illustration, and the arts in sciences is at the forefront of my practice.

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

I had to unlearn that my value was directly tied to my ability to make something, and make a lot of it.

My mid-20s has been an exploration in the definition of myself; I held on very tightly to the belief that I am an illustrator, and my life will be centred around that. Unfortunately, I had to face consistent resistance— slow work months, artist block, depression— to realize that I was unnecessarily confining myself to that definition, which was an opposition to the values that I held. That all facets of life are meant to be explored, and that growth and inspiration come through discovery.

As an artist, it’s my responsibility to be open to change because change brings new ideas and new ideas brings new art. Dismissing other avenues of work that weren’t directly painting or designing was actually detrimental to my craft— my life.

Since I’ve accepted the expansive nature of my humanity, I’ve learned so much about things I never would’ve explored had I continued to force working in a traditionally artistic space. I’m constantly inspired by the life that I’ve built and the people around me who helped me do so.

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

Growth, change, and expansion through mindfulness and communal discourse are the most rewarding aspects of living a creative life.

I’m very mindful of how I am operating in the world, and I regularly challenge my beliefs, gather feedback from others, and hold a space for opinions that challenge my own. I love to think, and I find discourse to be an invaluable tool to my creative process.

Having critiques in undergrad really opened my mind to criticism as a tool. I enjoy hearing others opinions, because it provides new insights and highlights possibilities that I couldn’t have thought of on my own.

Just as in appreciating fine art, multiple people can hold opposing views, but that doesn’t negate the view of others, nor is it regularly definitive. Listening to, understanding, and accepting that differing opinions exist alongside my own our skills that I’ve built through my artistic practice. I find applying these tools expands my biased views of a situation, body of work, or method.

It’s incredibly rewarding to think new thoughts, which sounds so plain, but it really does help me be better than I was before, and that’s always the goal: to perpetuate self-development through my craft.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tatiyannapinckney.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatitpinckney
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatitpinckney
• Other: Www.twitch.tv/tatitpinckney