We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Whitney Miller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Whitney below.

Whitney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

It was a recent decision to make the leap from full-time employee to full-time artist, and while it’s been a significant adjustment I’ve enjoyed every second. All my life I wanted to work at an animation studio, it was my dream growing up, however, the reality of my experience was not what I expected to say the least. I was employed at an animation studio in the downtown St. Louis area for about a year before the burnout and negative atmosphere pushed me to transfer completely to freelance. I value my time and the lessons I learned working at a studio, I wouldn’t trade the skills or the friends I gained for the world, but it was time for a new challenge. My best friend and I made the decision to leave together. I’d never say never to work at a studio again, but I don’t think either of us regrets the move. Almost immediately, within the week of leaving my job work started pouring in. It was like the universe opened up to reward me for making the right choice. I don’t think there would have been any way for me to have sped up the process, however. All things have to happen in their own time and without the experience of a full-time position, I don’t think any of this would have happened, and I am so grateful. It’s been a slow build, working to make a living doing what I love, but it’s a labor of love I’m more than happy to do.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Whitney Miller. I am a multi-faceted artist with experience across an array of mediums, based currently in St. Louis Missouri. I work both traditionally and digitally specializing in illustration, animation, storyboarding, concept art, and character design, with flexibility in any medium. Due to years as a freelance muralist /sign artist, I am also skilled in linework and calligraphy. My work can be categorized by vivid shades of midsummer hues and a distinctive fantastical aesthetic with a deep understanding of colored pencils, acrylic paints, Copic markers, and human anatomy. My love for illustration and the art of folktales has proven to translate well into the realm of animation and continues to produce growth in all aspects of my creative practice.
I have been dabbling in the arts since before I could walk. Being an artist runs in my family, and with an art teacher for a mother, it was practically written in the stars. I grew up with a profound love for creating and began taking commissions in early high school. In college, I started working on chalk signs and murals with my best friend and fellow artist Madeline Schroeder which has since blossomed into an amazing business we now call Walkie Chalkie, which is one of my primary focuses now as a full-time artist.

Alongside Walkie Chalkie and my commissions, I have many other personal projects in development and am available for freelance work as well. Portraits, murals, graphic design, music videos, etc., whatever the project I am confident I can deliver quality content and service. And if for whatever reason a client is unhappy revisions are not an issue.

I believe that what sets me apart from all the other artists out there, aside from my style and ability to adapt creatively, is the attention to detail I bring not just to the work I create, but the relationships I make. I strive to always spread positivity everywhere I go and I feel that adds a bit of sunshine into otherwise boring onesided business relationships. At the end of the day, I want my clients to be happy, not just with my work, but with me.

Of all the projects I have worked on I would say the one I am most proud of so far is Walkie Chalkie. Not only is it the business I created with one of my best friends in the world but it is also the very first successful business endeavor I have ever made. When Madeline and I started Walkie Chalkie it was just a little side hustle to make extra money in college, now we have clients all over St. Louis. It is incredible how much it has grown over the past 6 years, and I cannot wait to see its continued growth and success in the future.

If there’s one thing I would want potential clients/followers/fans to know it is that there is no such thing as a creative project that is too big, too small, too weird, etc. If it inspires, it is worth doing. Whether you hire an artist like me or you channel your inner artist, do not waste potential. All creativity is worth expressing, do not limit yourself for the sake of others’ opinions. If it pleases you it is bound to bring that to others as well. If I had stifled myself and remained stagnant as I was I would not be the artist I am today and if I am an example of anything I want it to be unbridled creativity.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative for me has to be the freedom of being able to create almost anything I set my mind to. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, the sheer magnitude of ideas that I could bring into reality. I have experienced more than my fair share of artist’s block due to staring at a blank canvas with no idea where to start, but the satisfaction of looking at the finished product of an artwork I am proud of is so worth it.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

It’s pretty funny how Madeline, co-founder of Walkie Chalkie, and I met. We went to the same high school a year apart. She noticed me first, drawing in the library. She even complimented my work, but I was so lost in the sauce of what I was drawing that I completely ignored her and she thought I hated her till we had AP art together a year later. We clicked almost immediately and have been best friends ever since. We even went to the same college together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://millerwhitney2021.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyMillerArt
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-miller-04b825188/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Whindy_Whimsy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDNhUBni4UKNTakdou-ZJw
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/walkie__chalkie/ https://www.artstation.com/whitneymiller2021

Image Credits
Image 1) Walkie Chalkie – https://www.instagram.com/walkie__chalkie/ Image 2) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/ Image 3) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/ Image 4) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/ Image 5) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/ Image 6) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/ Image 7) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/ Image 8) (Myself) Whitney Miller – https://www.instagram.com/whitney_miller_art/