We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lucas Dreitlein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lucas, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Optimism has always been a key component in my life since I was young. I believe having an optimistic view on life is one of the most important qualities to have to ensure happiness. When I was in elementary school and throughout middle school, I had faced multiple challenges, obstacles, and changes in my life and family that the one thought that helped me continue working and studying was “Things will get better with time.” Being as young as I was, facing the changes resulting from my parents’ divorce, I would keep thinking about how much better everything will be as I keep moving forward. I would just keep thinking about how every day, everything is getting better in every way even if I do not see or feel it. As I got older things did get better! I started visiting my family more, I stayed in one town that I could call home, and I was able to make new friends I wouldn’t end up leaving because of financial issues. Now, I am studying Illustration in New York City! Which I never would have even imagined being possible when I was younger. Seeing how my life has only gotten better and more fulfilling has only led to me confidently knowing that life will always get better with time even if you don’t notice it at first.
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 currently am studying Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in NYC! My artwork mainly consists of digital paintings with a focus on Visual Development and Character Illustrations! I have always been a big fan of Video games, RPGS, anime, and comics such as, League of Legends, Junji Ito, and everything Studio Ghibli. I had started off with the plan to pursue Character Design with the goal to create diverse stories and characters that aren’t seen in most main stream media. It was always important to me as a kid to see people in shows, games, and stories that I could feel represented by and connect with. So, I instantly had felt the need to create these characters, but as I began studying more about Character Design and the art industry, I gravitated more towards the final illustration and concept art for these stories and characters. Seeing how a story full of so many emotions can be shown in just one image led me to pursue this path. I still love to design and write these characters and will always do Character Designs, but I can’t deny how much I love doing Splash Arts and Character Illustrations. You will always see me illustrating fantasy and dream-like atmospheres and characters because of how fascinated I am by folklore and mythical creatures. I find magical worlds filled with fairies, centaurs, and a bunch of other unimaginable creatures to be so interesting. It allows me to have such creative freedom with what life could be in this fantastical world. I am also one for comedic and fun stories, because it’s no fun to only look at something that is horrifying and dark, or beautiful but meaningless. One of my favorite magical characters I created was this little radish creature that would save what he thought was his family, but in reality was an old man’s radish farm. It was so fun to come up with such a silly and goofy concept and story, but I couldn’t help but giggle and smile while working on it. Thats why I have most fun creating these illustrations depicting these whimsical and magical stories because it makes me feel like I am experiencing their life and story.
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?
It is tough to pick just three qualities that most impacted my journey, especially with how one’s journey can constantly change. If I only had to pick three though, I would say Optimism, Adaptability, and Passion. With optimism, I can only recommended you to realize that as you work, study, create, or honestly do anything, you will only learn and get better. In the past I had times where I thought about how bad my drawings were or how I would just never get to the same level as my peers or inspirations. This thought process can really burn you out, and discourage you to an insane degree, but it is important to know that everyone is just at different parts of their journey. Some people have been studying art, painting, or any career since they were 10! So it only makes sense for them to be more knowledgable and skilled than someone who had just started one year ago. Everyone starts from somewhere and everyone has the ability to reach whatever goal they set themselves off to meet and remember that. I believe being adaptable isn’t always impactful on everyone’s journey, but it had definitely impacted mine. I had changed my goals, my dream career, and dream schools. so many times and it resulted in me having to change my mindset and learn multiple skills that I might use in only a few scenarios. You honestly will not know what crazy event or job that might hit you unexpectedly and it is always important to just be prepared to adapt to different work ethics, structures, and lifestyles. It is also best to try these different approaches out to see what is best for you! Having passion is important for any journey because why else would you be going on that journey? Obviously there is some sort of strong feeling or desire that you have to complete your journey. I personally had always questioned my passion for art, I had always thought that I maybe did not have enough passion to continue making art, but now I can’t see my self doing anything else. I want to ensure you that questioning this passion you have for whatever path or journey you are going on is normal, but know that as time goes on you will run into more experiences and learn more about yourself and what you like.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
The one person who has been most helpful in helping my overcome my challenges and essentially make me who I am now would have to be my older brother. When you first think of a relationship between two brothers I am sure it might seem full of aggressive teasing and a lot of rough-housing, but my relationship with my brother was almost never like that. I won’t say we never teased each other or gotten a little rough with each other when we were younger, but my brother had helped me so much in making sure that I pursued art and many of the things I love. He had also taught me how important doing what I love and to not be pressured by what other people want me to do. Seeing my brother never letting other people get to his head, or letting them discourage him from pursuing his dreams had helped me create a hard skin for myself when entering a very critical environment. If I had not been on those late night drives with my brother to McDonalds for a little treat, I am unsure if I would have overcame the fear I had of pursuing art after high school. Even after this, he continues to help me not get discouraged and supports me through many challenges I face now.
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