Meet Emma Austin

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

Emma, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I love doing a myriad creative tasks, but nothing inspires me more creatively than surrounding myself with artistic peers and friends. Take the time to join open model sessions, talk deeply with artists who are better than you- and also vastly different than you! Nothing brings a creative spirit more alive than others who are also driven passionately by their creative endeavors. Also, read. Read everything you can get your hands on. Collect books for the sake of their opinions and insight even if you don’t necessarily agree with it. Glean knowledge and share it. Artist books, cookbooks, memoirs, fantasy, mystery, I read all of these books, and they spark creativity almost as much as the latter suggestion. Read, surround yourself with artists, and most importantly, do not put yourself down for the ability you have right now, and instead focus on the art that you will be able to make by putting in the work and practicing. You WILL get better.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Savannah College of Art and Design Alumni, but not from Savannah. I was proudly a part of the SCAD Atlanta campus. The energy of the campus, the student life, and the professor to student relationships in Atlanta are absolutely irreplicable, and if you ask me, incomparable to the Savannah Campus. It was because of the smaller class to professor ration in Atlanta that I was able to grow so deeply attached to illustration as a student and hone my skills. This eventually led to me getting the job I have now as a design associate at Mohawk Industries in Calhoun, Georgia.

Artistry and Illustration has run in my family for four generations on both sides of the family. My great-great grandmother was in the textiles industry in Dalton/Calhoun, Georgia (full circle moment, right?) back in the early to mid 1900s, my great grandmother was a sculptor and painter- she also dabbled in fashion design! My other grandparents met in music school. My grandfather was a cellist and my grandmother is a pianist. My mom, rather she would like to admit it or not, is very artistic in her interior designs, and also is an incredible watercolor artist. I would look up to the illustrations she would paint when I was young, and we have a few of them framed around our house. I have a cousin who studied graphic design, one who is a concert violinist, and one who studies in Alaska on local Tlingit culture, doing beautiful beadwork and artistically driven baking. Then there is me, a surface designer and illustrator working out of Atlanta, GA. I was born in Alaska, and I strongly believe my connection to the outdoors is tethered to these roots. My familial ties and love for nature are truly the drive behind my art. It is a beautiful thing!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Number 1: My connection to God. I find that a large part of my drive every day to get up and work comes from the call to steward what is around me. This is a biblical calling. I want to build a connection with those around me and steward those relationships through this calling by making art that sparks conversation about nature and beauty.

Number 2: Always be around. Even though I can be very outspoken, as many who are close to me know very well- I also love to observe everything going on around me and know what is going on. Be there for people, and listen to what they have to say. Make sure to listen to what is going on around you, and write down the important stuff.

Number 3: Do not be afraid to ask questions about your observations. There are probably people around you who are wondering the same things. Do not think that it will make you look stupid if you don’t know the answer or want to know an answer. Be bold and ask- it will open doors and strengthen your bonds with peers, professors, bosses, friends, you name it!

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Rest. We cannot get back up and work if we do not take the time to rest. As a Christian, I believe there is a call to rest- and beyond this being something important to the Christian, I think it is equally important to the Artist. Art block and overstimulation in the art world is a huge thing, so make sure to find things that help you to rest and decompress. For me I like to take Sundays off and talk to people, read books, and take naps. Lyrics from a song by a favorite band of mine say this: “But living busy isn’t giving you your worth, slowing down is fighting back, hiding in the quiet is a world of wisdom.” – Rest, by Half·Alive. Make sure to rest, no one is made to go go go. Find people who do not drain your battery and rest with them. This will give you the energy to take the next days in stride. Rinse and repeat.

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