Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Murphy.
Hi Carolyn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I think I have the classic artists childhood- the one with our big imaginations and where we draw on every surface we see. That certainly was me, I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. It always felt so natural to me, like it was something I was meant to be doing. But if I had to pinpoint a certain moment where it became a real possibility for my future, I was much older. For a long time, I didn’t think art could be anything of a career for me. I was always very shy and introverted, and I really despised showing my art to anyone. Drawing was so precious and dear to me that it manifested into this strange fear of showing it to anyone else. It was like the moment I shared it; it was not mine anymore. I had a wonderful art teacher throughout all four years of high school. She really helped instill in me new ideas about all it is that the word ‘artist’ encompasses. It was a beautiful process, learning how to let go of the things I create and allow them to take on new life in the people who receive it. After entering a few local contests and accepting that this is something that I am meant to be doing, I began to take the title of artist very seriously. I then decided to go pursue an education in the arts at SCAD, which brings us to now. I am entering my senior year and have been fortunate to have great work opportunities so far.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has certainly been anything but smooth for me! I think that is in the nature of pursuing anything in the arts. There is instability at every turn. This is an industry that is rapidly changing and adapting, which can be very hard to keep up with in the best of times. I have found the hardest part of being an illustrator is my own morale. This is a career where you are directly responsible for yourself. Having that freedom is wonderful, but it can also prove to make things very difficult. There is a lot of unknowns in illustration. You can put hours and hours of work into something only to then have to scratch the whole idea and begin again. There is financial uncertainty. There is loneliness in working alone. It can become very easy to fall into a routine of anxiety and doubt. This, of course, leads to poor execution of your work. The biggest challenge for me has been learning how to deal with these feelings and continue to produce good work no matter the circumstance. I have to remind myself that this is what I signed up for. I feel this was only because I am doing what I love, and I want to create to the best of my abilities. Going into illustration is the biggest dream come true for me, so I choose to remember the hard times will come to pass.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I do a mixture of both traditional and digital work. The majority of my illustration work is done digitally through different programs like photoshop and clip studio. I focus most on book illustrations, concept art, and character design. The traditional pieces I do typically involve portraiture. I do both graphite and gouache portraits of individuals, families, and animals. I really enjoy drawing hyper-realistic subjects because it sort of gives my mind a break from my digital art. Creating digitally is very intuitive but can become overwhelming very fast. Traditional art feels like going back to my childhood home. It is very secure and logical. I love the digital work I do just as much, for different reasons. Working digitally allows you to easily experiment which makes the process very enjoyable.
What do you think about luck?
Luck has a lot to do with many things in the modern day. With how social media works, things can change overnight. Social media is very important for artists to help extend our reach, but I don’t really like to hold onto the hope of waiting for luck to strike. I think as an artist, you have to continuously work to better yourself. Working and developing your skill, reaching out to potential clients, and maintaining good relationships are much more valuable to me. I think if you have the humility of knowing you can be better and the discipline to dedicate yourself to that improvement, your business has no choice but to flourish.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://giamurphyart.wixsite.com/gia-murphy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c3rolyn/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/gia-murphy-40aab027a
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/giamurphyart
