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

Traci , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Sometimes yes, because it can feel like everyone else already has it figured out, or that I missed my chance. But for the most part, not really…I don’t think I was ready for this specific career until this point my life. I know who I am, I know exactly what I want in my career, and because it took me so long to figure it out, I’m very motivated to pursue those things.

Traci , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Traci Easterday, an illustrator and graphic designer pursuing a career in the entertainment arts.

I grew up in a tiny farming community in southern Idaho in the 80’s. When I wasn’t outside living that feral farm kid life (most often pretending to be Luke Skywalker on some wild adventure), I was inside consuming 80’s pop culture through shaky VHS recordings of popular movies, Saturday morning cartoons, and Nintendo. But there was nothing I loved more than Star Wars.

I’m told that I was first introduced to Star Wars at three years old, where it quickly became an all consuming obsession (my mom used to make me go outside and play before I could watch the movies again) and that love for the franchise continues to this day. Of course I identified with this farm kid who longed for a bigger life, and found himself swept up in incredible adventures, but it also deeply shaped my imagination…something I wouldn’t entirely recognize until years later.

Being a tiny farm community, there were little to no opportunities in the creative arts, and pursuing it as more than a hobby was something I didn’t even know was possible. I just knew I loved to draw and create. I spent hours drawing comic strip characters from the newspaper, or driving my family crazy by pausing Disney animated movies so I could draw a specific moment. The only jobs I knew as an artist were either comic artist or Disney animator, so as I headed towards the end of high school, I started to put drawing away in favor of other (more “realistic”) pursuits, and it took me around 20 years to come back to it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had 2 major career pivots in my adult life. The first happened when I was in my late 20’s and decided to go back to school to get my degree in graphic design. Then, after working as a designer and creative director for almost 15 years, I re-found my love of drawing in 2021. At first, it was just a hobby, but it very quickly turned into a passion, and after about 6 months of drawing 5-8 hours a day, I began to wonder how I could make it my career. I began to follow and interact with a lot of illustrators and was introduced to the world of entertainment arts, where I quickly found my sweet spot: the intersection of illustration, design, and pop culture.

I started taking note of the kinds of jobs these illustrators were getting, and put together a list of dream projects/jobs I wanted to pursue. I’ve spent the last 2 years honing my skills, finding my artistic voice, taking classes, and being mentored by an industry professional. At the end of 2023, I was hired for my first official illustration gig with a dream client/IP, and am still pinching myself that it happened (the pieces will hopefully drop sometime this fall). I didn’t know it was possible to love work this much, and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier in my career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There so many things for me, but a couple of the biggest:

1. Finding my “thing”. Creating art, whether it’s an illustrated movie poster, a pop culture portrait, or fine art of a moment from a movie/tv show I love…as corny as it may sound, it satisfies me deep in my soul. Even if I never found outward/career success, or no one would ever see another piece I created, I would still do it simply for the love of it. I didn’t know it was possible for me to have that. Additionally, as someone who has lived with depression for most of my life, art is my safe place, my coping mechanism, the place I go where my mind quiets and just focuses on what I’m creating. Lastly, it’s incredibly gratifying for my 16 year old daughter to see me find and pursue the thing I love, and know that they’ll find their thing too.

2. Being able to create and share something that speaks to other people. Yes, it might just look like fan art of a character, but I’ve found that people who love their fandoms always want more. I can provide them with something they deeply connect with, whether visually interpreting an emotion or motivation, or simply capturing the essence of a moment they loved. It’s been so gratifying to interact with people who genuinely love what I do, and to add some joy to their lives, even if it’s in a small way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tracieasterday.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traci.easterday/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/traci-easterday-84ab8317
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TraciEasterday