We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tony Lockhart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Pretty much any illustration work related to mental health has been the most meaningful to me. Using different styles they all have connected to others and provoked some of the best discussions I ever had with strangers on the internet.

I am personally a huge advocate for mental health and developed various illustrations to bring awareness year round and not just in May. Specifically the self isolation bubbles editorial illustration promoting the Scars Foundation has been very meaningful. I know I am guilty of this but I believe many of us sometimes think we are the only ones who are dealing with certain issues forgetting there are others who are going through it too or even better, made it through that same situation. Sometimes we need to burst our own bubble or a loved one may need to burst it for us so we can actually heal or we risk making ourselves sick or worse.

Skill wise, I even managed to push the creative by designing an augmented reality experience with the printed materials where the viewer can see the bubbles float up and down through their phone’s camera.

Overall, not a very talkative person but I have used these illustrations to say so much and connect with others globally without saying a word as a plus.

Tony, 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?

Funny enough my career started out with me being a rebel, I got into the industry by taking off to Los Angeles, California one semester as a sophomore in 2014 to see if I was really cut out for the industry. I remember arriving Sunday and sight seeing that first day and on that following Monday I had a goal with nothing but my printed portfolio and business cards with a list of agencies in the area. I knocked on all their doors introducing myself with an elevator pitch to whomever had time to speak with me and by the end of that Monday I had an offer that turned into a freelance gig and that is when I knew I was ready and started my freelance career.

Over time my specialties evolved, I started out with a niche in branding. I promoted my original brand as “Tony Lockhart Graphics” with the slogan “I give brands a face” referring to primarily having only clients that needed a logo for their business. I think what helped me grow in the beginning was my goal of creating timeless visuals, I wanted my clients to have a brand that was future proof and will not look dated in the next 5+ years and I still aim for that today.

Something I became very proud of is my adaptability and sticking to being future proof, for me the education never stopped despite me not being the best student in college. I dedicate each quarter of the year to laser focusing on a certain skill or learning a new program; currently Adobe Animate and next Dimension.

But overall I am proud of developing long lasting relationships with my clients the past few years and I like to think they feel the same based on the referrals I receive from them. Relationships are not valued enough in my opinion as I witnessed many others work with a client, get paid and never talk to them again unless the client initiates contact. My goal is to be an external partner as long as they are happy with it, as a bonus it leads to knowing their brand like it is my own which allows me to introduce more innovative solutions as I eventually will not spend a ton of time learning that brand down the road and can focus on pushing it creatively.

Although I still have a few branding clients I somehow evolved more into being illustration focus the past 3 years. After rebranding myself to CreativeSNARK which derived from these snarky illustrated stickers I used to create for passive income & humor I fell in love with illustration all over again since I was a kid, I admittedly enjoy the illustration side more as it brings back those nostalgic moments of drawing my own comic book series as a kid in class to escape reality.

Client wise I often illustrate for editorial purposes or concept art. Illustrating concept art gives me the power to create my own worlds and as a plus since it is conceptual work I can sneak in tons of personal easter eggs. I even developed a new inspiration as I have been able to illustrate moods, life moments and thoughts (positive & negative) others relate to which connects me with viewers as they connect with the work. Illustration became my choice of communication, it is my native tongue and it is almost like getting paid to go to therapy in a way.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Easy, Udemy and Youtube channels. As someone who does better being self taught they both did wonders for my skill growth. Kind of wish I was aware of it in high school or even my freshman year of college. I was too dependent on my professors’ teachings at first.

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

Being able to share knowledge through out the past years with other creatives whether it is helping them get started in freelance, teaching programs such as AfterEffects, creative techniques and aiding in their professional development through mentorship.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behance.net/lockharttony
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecreativesnark/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theCreativeSNARK
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonylockhart/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CreativeSnark
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTMslAW7eeqVSaYGG7wvdbw

Image Credits
Liz Kinser.