We were lucky to catch up with Tyler Lamph recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tyler, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I mean, I’ve always loved drawing. I’ve drawn monsters, dinosaurs, & comic book characters since I was a kid. But I never knew you could have a career drawing what you loved. I thought you had to work for a major company like Disney or Marvel, drawing what your employers told you to draw, so, after graduating high school, I went to college on an art scholarship. I wasn’t sure where it would go, but I was told it was what you needed to do, so that’s what I did, & after a semester, I dropped out. I wasn’t being taught what I wanted to learn, & you can only redraw pumpkins in pastel so many times in your life before you want to run into oncoming traffic.
So, I left college & met with a professional artist to ask his opinion on my art & where I could potentially go. This artist essentially told me there wasn’t an audience for my type of artwork & that most artists can’t make a living & have to settle for being an art teacher. Being an art teacher isn’t a bad thing, but it didn’t interest me in the slightest, & if there wasn’t an audience, what was the point? So, I stopped taking art classes & bounced around from college to college, taking random generals & hoping to find something I would enjoy doing “for the rest of my life.” It wasn’t until my 4th run at college that I realized college students would take time out of their night just to come hang at my apartment & watch me draw. They could be doing anything else, but instead they chose to spend their nights sitting on kitchen counters & tables, hanging out, & watching my doodle weird monsters for hours. This got me thinking: What if there is an audience for my art?
After this, I decided to drop out of college for good & go full-on at pursuing a career as an artist.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m just a 33 year old lost boy. All I want to do is stay a kid forever. I don’t care about being rich. As long as my bills are paid, I can buy my dogs all the toys they ever dreamed of, & if I can play/create all the time, then I’m a happy camper.
The coolest thing about being a full-time artist is being an actual magician. You can create infinite worlds, & pull anything you could possibly dream of out of your imagination, & put it into the real world for others to see. Then, after you’ve materialized your imagination, you get to share it with the world! I’ve always felt that if you’re creating something you love, there’s a chance someone out there is going to love it too.
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?
This is hard to narrow down to just three, but the first & most important thing I would suggest if you want to be an artist is to start by setting aside one day a week where you draw no matter what. Your friends are having a party? Nope, time to draw. A hot girl asks you out? Nope, time to draw. You’re offered a million dollars not to draw? Take the million dollars because you’re not an idiot, & draw next week.
Second, don’t worry about everything being perfect to start. Most artists feel the need for everything to be perfect before they start, but the reality is that nothing will be perfect UNTIL you start. Get off your cute little bubble butt & start making things happen. Everything will fall into place as needed.
Third, start posting online. Post everywhere you can get your hands on. Social media has given artists an outlet that they’ve never had in the history of artists. You now have the ability to reach people around the ENTIRE world from your couch. Why are you procrastinating?
Also, never boost a post on social media unless you just have money to burn. Rookie mistake. You’re welcome.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Everything. They’ve supported me since I was little. Always making sure I had something I could use to draw when I wanted to draw. Taking me to the library & letting me print off comic book covers for hours since we didn’t have a printer or the internet at the time. Driving me to the airport & picking me up when I traveled for art shows. Letting me turn rooms in their house into art studios so I’d have a space to continually draw without having to pack things up every night. I could go on & on. I’m very fortunate to have parents who supported my decisions, whether they were what they thought was right or not.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tylerlamph.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/tlamph
- Facebook: facebook.com/tyler.lamph.art
- Youtube: youtube.com/tylerlamph
- Other: tiktok.com/@tylerlamph
