We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lily Furniss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lily, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
It was a struggle at first! Initially, my viewpoint was that people stereotyped artists as these grand personalities who are so confident in their work and that they came off as pretentious and egotistical. In response to that, I tried so hard to be as modest and “self-aware” as I could with a touch of self-deprecating humor.
Little did I realize at the time that this way of thinking about myself was harming my confidence and self-image, and was preventing me from taking bigger risks and opportunities because I did not think I was deserving of them. I was afraid of putting myself out there and felt like I could not be my authentic self to most people.
I did not feel like myself after the pandemic started, but finally asking for help was one of the biggest steps I took. Therapy and my new focus on mental health changed my life. It clicked when my therapist told me I needed to be kinder to myself, which, of course, I thought I was already doing! She was right though, and we came up with a plan on how I was going to improve my confidence and self-esteem.
It’s a process that you have to keep working on! I made changes like meditation, practicing positive self-talk with affirmations, going outside more and exercising, reaching out to my loved ones more, visiting my primary care provider to come up with a mental health plan, and saying sorry less. I started applying to more jobs, even if I felt like I didn’t possess ALL of the qualifications.
I love the “new me” now. I feel more extroverted, energized, and more confident than I’ve felt in my life. It only took one decision to choose myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I started as a fine artist with extremely detailed charcoal and graphite drawings and portraiture. During the pandemic, I lost my art studio and only had a small desk space to do my work. A lot of my friends loved using apps like Procreate to make digital art that felt so light and fun.
When I got my first iPad I fell IN LOVE with drawing digitally. It felt so intuitive, you could make edits so easily, and the colors stayed so vibrant. While I loved my educational experience when I got both my BFA and MFA, I often felt so stuck trying to always justify and intellectualize all of my artistic decisions. Somehow, drawing on my tablet takes the pressure off, and I feel like I rarely get artists block these days.
My current artwork is inspired by Watership Down, the novel, psychedelic color palettes, apocalyptic landscapes, and my love of horror movies and manga. When I make my work, I also draw from my experience of being a woman and the feeling of constantly feeling watched and sexualized even when you don’t want to be. I use the rabbits, a prey animal, in my work to symbolize these feelings.
You’ll also notice a lot of different abstract textures in my work as well. This is the part of the drawing where I feel like I can turn my mind off and just “scribble” in a sense. Scribbling feels very meditating and relaxing, and is very necessary when my work takes a dark turn.
For my job, I’m currently a freelance designer and illustrator. My favorite projects are making flyers and posters for musicians since they let me unleash my creativity and make wacky, fun decisions. I also have many people seeking me out for drawing lessons, and I love nurturing peoples’ passion for art.
I’m always trying to improve myself now. I LOVE Coursera because it’s a more affordable way to pick up skills instead of going back to a degree program. I’m currently in the Google Digital Marketing + E-commerce certificate program, and I’ve learned so much! There’s so much overlapping between creativity and marketing, and I’m hoping to take my expertise to a more commercial setting soon.
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?
I am eternally grateful to have a strong foundational skill in drawing that I continued to have the discipline to practice. Drawing is one of those mediums that I feel overlaps with other ways of art making. Making a movie? You sketch out the storyboard. Sculpture? A rendered drawing plans out your idea before you start building it. Once you master the skill of drawing, your art doesn’t have to be “boring” or realistic and technical. In fact, I think successful artists try to make the process fun such as adding humor, putting “easter eggs” into their works, or making studio time more “play”-oriented.
Be flexible when you’re starting your artist journey. Making art can be a lifetime passion, so it’s okay if you go through different stages. Most of my artist friends’ art looks pretty different now compared to the work they made in high school or college. Be open to trying new styles and new themes. Find art that you really love and know that it’s ok to re-appropriate some of those elements that you found intriguing into your own work. Also, be discerning! Coming across art you HATE can also help you determine where your priorities lie for your own work. Your curiosity also must be insatiable! Keep going to art exhibits and fairs or looking up new art online and checking out books at the library!
When I teach, kindness and having the ability to put yourself in your students’ shoes have also been instrumental. I want to be approachable and convey that I’m open to what they want to get out of the lesson. I want them to know that I’m flexible and really listening to them. Also I ask myself, are they having fun? What’s their budget like and how can I make lesson plans to meet those needs? What are ways I can still involve challenge without overwhelming them? I think some teachers try to roleplay as a stern authority figure which can intimidate students. Students then feel like they can’t ask questions or contribute if they feel like their voice is not important. bell hooks’ “Teaching to Transgress” is a book I constantly go back to as a teacher.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
The answer is ALWAYS YES!
I love collaborating with musicians especially, since I share their obsessions with music as well. The projects are always fun!
I also would love to take my skills to a more commercial level. Whether it’s designing for a non profit with a mission resonate I with or a marketing agency where each day is never boring because you’re constantly working with new brands and making something unique to each of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lilyfurniss.com
- Instagram: @lilyfurnissart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-furniss-mfa/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
