XOXO

meet

drawnwell

by Lisa Troutman

I met Lisa through her husband, Jason, my previous director at Aveda. I'll never forget the day I discovered Lisa's talent. Jason was looking at a pair of shoes on screen, of course, I thought they were amazing and wanted to figure out where they were from so I could include them in my shoe collection. He shared that his then girlfriend, Lisa, drew them. "What!?!?? I couldn't believe my eyes. They looked so real. Despite my disappointment that they were not available for sale, I was amazed at her talent and new in my heart she wasn't using her talents they way they were meant to be used. I remember the struggles she experienced at first, when she ventured out on her own. However, it is exciting to see her grow her business and discover unique opportunities. I can only hope that my business will take flight as Lisa's has done over the last 4 years.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE YOUR DREAM?

My dream is to draw people and animals for a living.

I actually end up doing just that most of the time, though not in the way I thought I would. The illustrative work I generate for my clients is rarely for public consumption. That is, I often author storyboards and produce sketch art for multi-national corporations who want to envision a product, photo shoot or video before they recruit and invest in the talent required to bring those things to fruition. Photographers, stylists and C-suite executives use my work to influence their output, but the general public never sees our pieces side by side.

This turns out to be a good fit for me. I am one of those people who like to help shape things, be they products, events, experiences or something else. This illustrative niche is a different expression of that. Skills and strategies central to my product design education serve me well when I channel art directors’ visions for content and composition.

I had no choice but to pursue my dream. The universe sent a lot of specific but diverse signals on a very abbreviated timeline in mid 2009, about the importance of personal and professional integrity, family, good health, and leading a productive life that supports your convictions. Acknowledging these signals, however cosmic, and tiring of my incessant travel schedule emboldened me to leave my previous career as a design research manager at a Minneapolis design firm.

WHERE DOES YOUR DREAM COME TO LIFE?

I’m actively in the process of refreshing my space, and will send pictures upon completion. Drawn Well LLC is now in our third space since founding—all spaces thus far have been in the house I share with my husband, though I have considered and explored renting space offsite on at least two separate occasions.

My company moved into my husband’s and my half story second floor almost a year ago and I think we’ve finally found a good fit for the long haul. It really takes working in your creative space, and earning wisdom about your workflow and process to be able to optimize your creative space, let alone know where it should be. I look forward to sharing my improved space with Dorothy Jane’s readership in the New Year.

Having a dedicated space to pursue one’s dream makes all the difference. If you are considering pursuing your dream, I highly encourage you prioritize allocating a specific and dedicated space for your creativity to manifest in a physical way.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT AND EXCITING PART ABOUT PURSUING YOUR DREAM? 

At first, I struggled with the inevitable uncertainty that comes with any kind of freelance career. Accepting and embracing the unpredictable work volume and non-traditional hours characteristic of my illustration career brought me a lot of peace. In fact, pursuing my dream has led to an improved kind of work-life balance than was possible for me in my previous career.

The challenge I struggle with now is my lack of co-workers. I wrote a blogpost a while back about how I mitigate that, though it continues to be a constant struggle. I joined a collaborative workspace in downtown Minneapolis last year, but it wasn’t as useful to be as I hoped it might be. In fact, I barely used my membership since their hours are limited to regular business hours and their resources aren’t as high quality or available as the ones I have in my own studio.

The most exciting part about pursuing my dream is the impact my creative pieces—identity work in particular—can have on individuals and the companies to which they belong. I’d be remiss, though, if I didn’t mention that I get pretty jazzed about my unlimited earning power.

CAN YOU NAME THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU'VE LEARNED?

There are two:

Pursuing my dream is a lifestyle, immersive and constant.

It might sound obvious, but high self-esteem and a passion for my dream only go so far. I continue to practice being intentional and direct with my words, actions and appearance on a daily basis.

Pursuing my dream requires recruiting a tribe.

Dreams are not possible in a vacuum. My dream--as yours does, too--requires the inputs and support of others: as clients, as resources for creative critique, and as peers who may propel your reputation and reach, as sounding boards when you need advice.

If you are considering pursuing your dream, what kind of community can you join or create to help you make that reality? In the AIGA, I’ve found my participation on the Solopreneuers Committee to be particularly rewarding.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS SOMEONE SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE PURSUING THEIR OWN DREAM?

Can you afford it? That is, are you willing to monetize your dream for the benefit of yourself and others? Practice saying, “I’d be happy to produce a bid for the work you have in mind.” Being confident in the value my creative work brings my clients, and requesting compensation commensurate with that value, makes selling my skills and output the opposite of smarmy.

Do you have other options? The only sound investment for your time, energy and emotion is a dream that will cause you serious regret if you neglect to pursue it. If you’re not there yet (for any reason), be kind, gentle and accepting of your reservations, and figure out how to explore potential dreams in a lower pressure environment.

How comfortable are you with evolution and uncertainty? When I first started in this business, I was so worried that I didn’t have a definitive illustrative style, let alone business savvy. I’d never worked with an art director, and I didn’t know where in the creative ecosystem my work might land. Ultimately, though, the less I worried about that, and the more I just let it happen, the more definitive my style becomes, the more efficiently I collaborate with art directors, and the more clarity I have about where/how my work works best. Illustration is like fashion in that what looks fresh and sells right now won’t necessarily maintain those traits next year—the only guard against that is to only produce what comes naturally to you, and to interact with people in the way you would even if they weren’t paying you.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? HOW ARE YOU INSPIRED? 

Everything. My husband and I have a habit of hitting architectural salvage yards and vintage or antique shops on a regular basis to be generally inspired by yesteryear. I go to as many lectures and exhibits as I can. When we travel recreationally, we prioritize eating/shopping/exploring the best, most authentic and notable offerings in other regions. And I have a bit of a magazine habit. I’ve tried to hide it in my iPad, but some reads just you need to thumb through IRL. I read all the time and collect books physically and digitally. Finally, one of the best things about living in the twin cities is we go to a lot of live music, and I’m super inspired by the lighting and experience design that goes into even the most indie of shows these days.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE IN 5 WORDS? 

Proportionate, descriptive, logical, imperfect, human.

WHAT BUSINESS BOOKS/RESOURCES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE STARTING A CREATIVE BUSINESS OF THEIR OWN?

For the first three to six months after registering my LLC, I read a ton of books about creative business management and practicing as a professional illustrator. I lived off my savings and forced myself to adhere to a regular schedule and produce creative work everyday. I learned about historically significant illustrators, and how the profession has evolved since its inception in the somewhat early days of publishing. To this day, I try to enroll in at least one continuing education class at MCAD every semester. But here’s my list of must-reads:

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT PURSUING YOUR DREAM?

VISIT DRAWNWELL'S PORTFOLIO
http://drawnwell.com/portfolio/