The Artists Reply Vol.1

THE MYTH OF THE STARVING ARTIST

Introduction p.1

LIFE AFTER ART SCHOOL

Karina p.5

WHOSE JOURNEY ARE YOU ON?

Personal Account p.11

for the love of god don ’ t do what i did professional artists share their stories the theory that you will only ever starve if you pursue the arts is outdated and simply not true.

Rachel p.16

a zine for those that dare to pursue a career in the visual arts

by elana guillory

introduction: the myth of the starving artist

life after art school: karina eckmeier

artist tips: pricing your work

whose journey are you on?

life after art school: Rachel Hurt

inspiration: psychedelia

TLDR: your decision to be an ARTIST is VALID

am definitely manifesting that this senior project becomes a real thing. Through this zine, I want to offer advice, encouragement and support to those who are in my shoes as a young artist going through college with self doubt, confusion, and endless uncertainty. Oh, what a joy it would be to offer someone all of the things that I wish I had. If you’re an artist picking this zine up, I hope are encouraged. YOUR DECISION TO BE AN ARTIST IS VALID AND NOT UP TO ANYONE ELSE. If you’re picking this up and you’re not an artist, I hope you learn a thing or two. Everything, with the exception of the first article, was written by me (thanks Symiah for that first article, you’re a G). Anyways, thank you for deciding to spend time with my work. Enjoy!

-Elana Guillory

pic of me where i worked on this zine a lot! i was actually working on my project during my senior photo shoot. you gotta do what you gotta do ig

what is the starving artist stereotype, and WHERE THE

HELL DOES IT COME FROM?

BY SYMIAH DORSEY

hroughout the years, society has become accustomed to a certain narrative about artists, a narrative that suggests they are struggling to get by.

Students who desire to pursue a career in the arts often face pressure to acquire an undergraduate degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer or Math). STEM is typically perceived as the more stable pathway, whereas art and design are often viewed as impractical and unsustainable.

The link between creativity and suffering has existed for centuries, and society often associates creatives with the notorious myth of the “starving artist.”

A “starving artist” is defined as an artist who sacrifices material well-being in order to focus on their artwork. Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters of all time, is considered the epitome of a starving artist. But where did the myth of the starving artist come from anyway?

In 1847, French novelist

and poet Henri Murger published Scènes de la vie de bohème (Scenes from the Life of Bohemia), a collection of stories that playfully romanticized poverty.

The book continued to grow in recognition following Murger’s death, being adapted into the opera La Bohème and later adapted into films. Murger’s Scènes brought the concept of the “starving artist” into the public’s understanding

of a creative life.

Even in the 21st century, the “starving artist” stereotype is still well-preserved and alive. To this day, the stereotype is often used to imply artists make no money, or that if they choose to pursue their passions and interests, they will be broke.

The myth of the “starving artist” has proven to be a powerful one. It is often the reason parents discourage their children from studying art or pursuing an artistic career, and the reason many prospective artists leave their passions, talents and interests behind in favor of a less fulfilling, but more socially acceptable, career.

But what many people forget is that the myth of the “starving artist” is, at the end of the day, a myth. It is a story not fully representative of the artists before, during and after its time.

200 years before Murger was born, there was Michelangelo. The Renaissance artist also embraced the image of the “starving artist” himself, living frugally throughout his life.

Scènes de la vie de bohème (Scenes from the Life of Bohemia), is a collection of stories that playfully romanticized poverty by Henri Murger.

But he was, in fact, very wealthy.

During his life, Michelangelo accumulated a fortune worth approximately $47 million today, making him the richest artist of the Renaissance. Michelangelo was a skilled entrepreneur and a successful millionaire who did not starve to make his art.

Most modern artists are not as wealthy as Michelangelo, but many artists are not struggling to make ends meet either.

Entry-level graphic designers make an average salary of $57,201, and the average salary for an in-house illustrator is $65,020, which translates to $31.26 an hour.

Research indicates professions such as graphic designers, user experience (UX) designers and animators are amongst the most in-demand

is me :(

creative occupations in 2022. This is largely due to the fact that visual artists also play a key role in stimulating economic growth in today’s digital age.

60.8% of digital marketers say visual assets are vital to successful marketing, and 80% of digital marketers say they use visual assets in social media marketing, according to a report from Finances Online.

Not only are creative jobs increasing in demand, but those who do take the plunge to become artists might even experience greater job satisfaction.

Artists and other creative professionals tend to rate their overall job satisfaction higher than those in “more mundane” fields, according to a study at the University of Zurich in Germany. ARTISTSREPLY 3

During his life, Michelangelo accumulated a fortune worth approximately $47 million today, making him the richest artist of the Renaissance. Michelangelo was a skilled entrepreneur and a successful millionaire who did not starve to make his art.

The bottom line is, solidifying a career in art and design in 2022 is just not as impractical as it’s often claimed to be.

Artists are debunking the myth of “starving artist,” moving into a world where making money and doing what you love does not have to be an ultimatum. The future for artists is promising.

Life After Art School

Q: What inspired you when you were beginning your art career?

Q: Where do you work, and what is your current position?

A: Since January this year, I’ve been working as the designer and project manager of Aperture, a not-for-profit foundation focusing on photography. We publish photo books and run a quarterly magazine. This year was our 70th anniversary.

Q: What did you study in college?

A: I studied photography and art at the University of Texas at Austin, received my BFA, with a focus in photography.

A: A lot of my work had to do with the landscape and collecting what I would encounter on walks and drives. When I discovered the form of a photo book, that’s when everything clicked for me. At my time at UT I joined a student organization called the CenterSpace Project, and I was a part of the founding members of this organization.

Q: What would you do in CenterSpace Project?

A: We curated shows in the gallery space at the Visual Arts Center, the gallery associated with the University of Texas. We did studio visits and gallery visits in Austin and would organize fundraisers to raise money to travel to Marfa. My time in Center Space was very meaningful and I realized that building a community and surrounding myself with art was something I really needed. I’ve made some deep connections and

I listened to a professional graphic designer, Karina Eckmeier, tell her story about how she got where she is today. Here ’ s what she had to say.

I said yes to everything, even if I felt like I couldn’t do it. I just f igured it out and learned a lot from this.

am still good friends with some of the people I met, some of them live in New York.

Q: What did you do after graduating college? Did you get a job immediately, or did you intern somewhere first?

A: After graduating, I stayed in Austin for a year and interned at the Visual Arts Center. I had the opportunity to work closely with the artist-in-residence. The VAC invited artists to spend time in the space and make a site-specific piece in the large gallery. I got to work with the sculptor, Alyson Shotz; helping with research and assisted in building her work. I also got the opportunity to work with the photographer Liz Hingley and assist her on portrait sittings and started getting into retouching. Being able to work with artists was really important for me. I still didn’t really know what I wanted to technically do, but I knew I wanted to work in the arts, and I knew I wanted to work with artists.

Q: How did your job search go after finishing your internship?

A: I was finishing up my internship and

“

I still didn’t really know what I technically wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to work in the arts, and I knew I wanted to work with artists.

pairs absurd objects photographed by Juliana Paciulli with absurd language from the 45th president. Presented at the 2018 Independent Art Book Fair including a panel with the artist about the process. Courtesy of Karina Eckmeier

work featuring virtuosic dancing, humor, gesture, and references to cinema. Performed in the round to an original live score. Courtesy of Karina Eckmeier

a lot of my cohort was deciding between moving to LA and New York and started leaning toward New York. I had never been to New York before. I had never even visited, but I knew I wanted to be in the arts and I wanted to go where I would have a lot of access.

I worked 5 jobs to save up for the move. I was working at a pre-k, a pizza shop, and really just trying to raise money so that I could have enough money to land on my feet when I got there. When I moved, I was immediately on the job-hunt. I was very nervous about getting a job, I started nannying because I had that experience in Austin, but continuously looked on NYFA which is a classified space to look for jobs in the arts, and I found an internship that was being offered for a photographer. I had no idea who the artist was. I just took the opportunity to apply. I started working with Gilles Peress, a photographer and a member of Magnum. He studied philosophy and political science in France. While in school he developed a distrust in words so turned to photography in his 20s. His work is documentary in nature, focusing on conflict but told from a personal perspective while thinking about the situation in relation to history.

Q: What kind of work did you do for Gilles?

A: I started as an intern and then was offered a job as the Digital Production Manager. Gilles process is unique because he produces everything in house: high-res wet mount scans, large format digital prints, and he has a darkroom in his basement. I was scanning negatives, making large prints, book dummies, and working on layouts with Gilles. When I was offered the job as Digital Production manager I had intense imposter syndrome and felt like I definitely couldn’t do it, but I stuck with it and figured things out as I went along.

Q: What got you into doing graphic design work?

A: My interest in photo books is what led me to design. One notable project I worked on was Whatever You Say, Say Nothing. This massive project organizes a decade of work documenting the Troubles in the North of Ireland in the 80’s. I worked in many facets of the project from organization, editing and production. On this project I worked on the design and was given the opportunity to work closely with him on the design of the companion volume, Annals of the North.

Print design for SEASON 20 of Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company. Each year the company distributes approximately 2,500 brochures to introduce the season and raise funds. Courtesy of Karina Eckmeier

Q: Did you do any other work during your job with Gilles, outside of his studio?

A: One of the first projects that I worked on as a freelancer in New York was Know Nonsense 2017. It’s an artist book in calendar form. I worked closely with a photographer, Juliana Paciulli on this work that paired photographs of Juliana’s collection of absurd objects with the absurd language of Donald Trump. I also started working with Kathy Dunn Hamrick, a dance company in Austin, designing posters, invitations and brochures. This was opportunity to really be as creative as I wanted, working in a two-dimensional form, from something that’s three dimensional. I wanted to build a succinct identity for the company through posters. I also had the opportunity to design for the Austin dance Festival.

Q: So how did things go after

COVID hit? How was your career impacted?

A: In 2020, my work with Gilles was coming to an end. The book was coming to completion. It was a really intimidating moment because I quit my job with Gilles and I didn’t know that COVID was coming, so I went to Yo who was a designer that worked for Gilles, and through some of the work I did with Gilles, I knew I wanted to work in her studio. I scheduled a meeting with her and felt really confident, but she couldn’t hire me. She didn’t have enough bandwidth at the time, and that was really devastating to me. It felt like a big loss, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be in a role where I was continuously learning about design.

Q: Did you get a lot of freelancing gigs? How?

A: I said yes to everything, even if I felt like maybe I couldn’t do it. I just figured it out and learned

a lot from this. I was doing retouching for various clients, including Yo and other galleries–also some architectural retouching which included hotels.

Q: So how did you get your job at Aperture?

A: Yolanda Cuomo emailed me to say recommended me for a job at Aperture. I submitted my application and got an interview. Even though I didn’t get a job with her two years beforehand, having that initial meeting led me to getting my foot in the door at Aperture.

Q: How did you feel when you first started your job at Aperture? Was it intimidating?

A: When I first started Aperture, I was so nervous. It was January this year, so Omicron was surging– I had my laptop Ubered to me and just started working on my computer and had never really worked with more than one photographer or a team of

three people, and now I’m in a space that has 36+ employees, and that was really intimidating for me.

Q: Your story is already helpful to hear about as it is, but do you have any advice you can offer for upcoming designers?

A: There’s a lot I could say. I had to kind of fight for myself because I didn’t study design, so when I would apply to jobs, there was always an element of doubt. So, I had to show up and prove myself. I would say, take new opportunities and build up your portfolio, and don’t be afraid to reach out to people and schedule meetings. My portfolio is a continuous work in progress, and I am always trying to work on it even during my job at Aperture. Continuous working, and don’t be afraid to ask someone for a meeting.

Take opportunities, build your portfolio, and don’t be afraid to reach out and schedule meetings.

Things to Remember

1. Do what feels right There is no single, perfect way to price your work. Ultimately it comes down to you and what you feel is right.

2. Separate yourself from your work Of course you’re attached to your work, but you shouldn’t let that get in the way of accepting client feedback. Try to think of your work as a product and service you are offering to your client rather than an extension of you.

3. Get a deposit Getting a deposit from your client before starting on their project can ensure that you have enough budget to cover the cost of supplies. It can also ensure that you get at least partially compensated if your client can’t, or doesn’t, pay you for your work.

Types of Payment

1. Project-based This type of payment allows you to get paid a fixed price at the start of a projects. Project-based payment can be harder to sell to clients since hourly pay is used in most workplaces and seems to be cheaper. With a project-based price, you charge a fixed price for the initial estimated value of your work, factoring in your experience, estimated

working time, and how the work will be used (will the client continue to make money from your product after they receive it?). Many of these factors are hard to gauge as a first-time freelancer, so project-based may not be the best for your first commission.

2. Hourly This type of payment allows you to get paid a certain amount of cash per hour that you work. When determining your hourly wage, take your level of education, experience and your own cost of living into account. Hourly pay is ideal for projects that don’t require the purchasing of supplies. It can be problematic though if you are a fast worker or if you realize you did not set a high enough hourly price initially.

3. Retainer-based This form of payment allows you to work with a company for a set hourly rate and predetermined amount of time. The client pays you in advance, and you spend the next month putting in the hours they paid you for. These agreements usually last for months, and you can expect to receive a consistent income with it- just one benefit of a retainerbased payment. If you choose to enter a retainer-based agreement, make sure you enjoy your client enough to be working with them for a long time.

Handling Pushback

1. Be clear about your agreement from the start Too often, artists sell themselves short by charging too little at the start of a project. Eventually, they realize they should have charged more. Be clear with your client and yourself about how much money you deserve for your work.

2. Leave room for adjustment while negotiating If it’s likely that a price you set for a project will fluctuate, or if you’re not yet sure how much it will cost, offer a price range to a client rather than a total overall cost. Instead of changing prices with your client, you can follow up with them when you figure out how much time and energy this project requires.

3. Your price is final If a client tries to bargain with you on prices, let them know that your price is final. If budget is an issue for them, offer reducing aspects of the final product to lower the overall price.

DON’T CHARGE LESS THAN YOU DESERVE

AFTER TALKING TO FELLOW ARTISTS AND READING WAY TOO MANY ARTICLES, I’COMPILED A LIST OF WHAT I THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN SELLING YOUR SOUL TO CAPITALISM MAKING ART FOR SOMEONE.

(or at least TRY not to)

s a college freshman, I was constantly bombarded with the same dilemma: which major will I choose? My gut told me to major in art, but the pressure to do anything BUT be an artist did not take long to sink in.

During my last year of high school, I became extremely close with a lot of smart, scientific, mathematically-inclined people. I became a member of my school’s science club and attended every meeting with my friends. I can’t say I felt great when the end of high school came near and we all began discussing our futures.

“I want to major in nuclear engineering,” one friend said. “I want to major in mechanical engineering.” “I’m going to major in nursing.” “I want to be an accountant.” “I am going to be a computer science major.” Not to mention at this time my sister received a scholarship to study neuropsychology at Tulane (and now she is in medical school, you go girl!). The pressure for me to major in STEM was on.

One night, we held a science club Christmas party during our senior semester. When parents showed up to pick up their kids later that night, they stayed and socialized a bit.

Parents went around the room asking each soon-to-be graduate what they planned to major in for their upcoming freshman year in college. I said “I think I want to be an art major,” and immediately, the room fell silent.

“That sounds nice, but what are you going to do with that?” one parent asked. “Have you talked to your parents about it?” “As a concerned parent, you have to think realistically. How will you afford to take care of yourself?”

“Art is just a hobby.” I sat there and played it off like I was just uncertain, like I was making a joke.

I began questioning myself even more. Maybe they were right. What job will I get, and how will I make money? How will I avoid becoming the “starving artist” stereotype everyone warned me of? In a group full of STEM friends, there I was: someone who made art all her life, and knew deep down she wanted and needed to be an artist, but she decided to run from her authentic self.

Upon entering my first year at Southeastern, I was conflicted. I know I am an artist, but maybe I don’t need to make it my career in order to be happy, right? So, I chose psychology as my major instead. I took my general education courses and basic psychology courses from Fall of 2019 to Fall of 2020. I was not happy, and I can barely remember most of that semester. COVID had taken over our day-to-day lives. I was isolated at home, and I was miserable. I suffered from an untraceable case of fibromyalgia (now we know it was caused by stress).

I took two basic drawing courses, which were the most amazing creative outlets for me. They were the only things

Self portrait was created during an Intermediate Drawing course as I struggled to find my identity.

Dissociation is a line drawing that reflects the overwhelm that accompanies anxiety.

I began questioning myself even more.

I was at a point where if I stopped drawing, I wouldn’t have a reason to get out of bed anymore.

I looked forward to. Even though my constant joint pain made drawing difficult, I was at a point where if I stopped drawing, I wouldn’t have a reason to get out of bed anymore.

One day during my Fall 2020 Intermediate drawing class with my drawing professor Ben Diller, I stayed after class to pick his brain about what he thought of me switching to art. Would he at least he assure me that I should be an artist when no one else would?

Although I don’t remember the exact conversation that took place, I remember leaving class that day feeling so encouraged to switch my major. Regardless of what would happen in the future. Regardless of what people thought. When I told Ben and the class I switched my major, they all congratulated me.

Two years later, I am now a senior graphic design student working on my senior project. I am the Social Media Coordinator for the Graphic Design Student Association. I served as Student

As one of my last print design projects at Southeastern, I created a logo and packaging for a concept luxury macaron company. The piece consists of packaging boxes and shopping bags.

Publications’ Graphic Designer in Fall of 2021 and as Yearbook Editor for the 2021-2022 yearbook, where I led the content-creation and design of the book. Not to brag, but I am proud of myself. I choose to be an artist because I can be nothing else. Nothing fulfills me the way art does. I’ve learned that my gut, my being, my soul, whatever you want to call it, will simply not allow me to be anything else.

So, to anyone who is conflicted between doing what they want to do and what other people want them to do, please remember that your authentic self will always win the battle, and that you can save yourself a lot of pain by tuning out the world and tuning in to your intuition. You can also make some pretty cool stuff in the meantime.

Ultimately, YOU have to decide which voice you will listen to: theirs, or yours.

to anyone who is conf licted between doing what they want to do and what other people want them to do, Please remember that your authentic self will always win the battle.

Life After Art School

graphic design as your major?

Q: What is your current job position, and what do your job duties mostly consist of?

A: Graphic designer for the university. Part of our duties are making recruitment materials for the university to go out to freshmen and transfer students. We make the outward communication for alumni, foundations, and the donors that work with campus. Outside of recruitment, we do choir posters, the Columbia artwork and any departmental postcards or brochures that go out.

Q: Did you choose

A: I actually started as a psychology major. I got three years into that and decided that I didn’t want to do that anymore. Trying to figure out where I wanted to go with my career, I realized that I’d been honing my traditional art skills my whole life- painting, drawing, all that stuff- that I could try and find a commercial way to use those skills, turn a hobby into a career. So on a whim I went to the art director at LSU after 3 years and I said “It’s the end of the spring semester, and we’re about to go into the summer, but I want to change majors now.” And he said, “Do you have examples of your work?” So I showed him drawings and paintings and he was like “Oh, you’ll be fine.”

Q: Did you notice any stark differences after switching majors, like in your mood or anything else?

A: I realized doing psychology

I sat down with a professional graphic designer, rachel hurt, to find out what life is like after graduating art school. here ’ s what she had to say.

I showed him my drawings and paintings and he was like ‘ Oh, you’ll be fine.

that I was starting to take some of that home with me, and it was just getting to be a lot. And a lot of psychology is writing. I’m a strong writer but my ADHD doesn’t work well with that. Whereas even though art class is three hours long, it’s three hours of being creative and using your hands. There’s more stimulation there and more ways for my brain to think and so my mood did improve drastically. Those projects were more fun than any essay could’ve been.

Q: How important do you think your college education is to your current career? Would you be able to do what you do now without having taken those classes?

A: Well, graphic design is a hard career to get into because you do have to have some type of innate art abilities. No one can teach you to be creative, but without taking graphic design classes I wouldn’t be nearly as capable as I am now. Graphic design is a hard skill set, not a soft one so if you’re not learning Photoshop and Illustrator and how typography works, you’re not going to prosper necessarily.

Q: Would you say it was difficult to find a job in the field after graduating college? How much time passed between your graduation and finding a stable, suffusive job in the field?

A: I graduated the semester of COVID so it was hard to find a job anywhere. I was unemployed from April to August so that’s not very long in the grand scheme of things. This was my first out-of-college job. There are a lot of graphic design jobs out in the world, you just have to look for them. Most of them are remote so you have to be okay with remote. Also, you need to look out of your comfort zone. Say

you live in Baton Rouge, you might need to go to New Orleans or Covington. Not everywhere is gonna have openings for you ‘cause Louisiana is such a small market. It’s not hard though if you do this thing: get internships the second you can. The second you even know what Photoshop is, get internships because people think graphic design is just one facet, but graphic design is like an umbrella of 40 other disciplines. You’re not gonna know what you wanna do when you graduate so you might as well try them all out while you’re still in school, and you’ll already have 4 years of experience by the time you graduate, so finding a job will not be hard.

Q: Was it ever difficult for you to balance your classes and your internships at the same time?

A: I was used to having 3 or 4 jobs at the same time, but I don’t recommend it. One internship and schooling is fine, you just have to work around your schedule. It’s gonna be easier working for an outside firm when you’re a senior because It’s

not that hard though as long as you do this thing: get internships the second you can.

Illustration exercise for a Psychology Today article, “Bypassing the Blood-Brain Barrier.” Courtesy of Rachel Hurt

A poster depicting the Avery Island Salt Mine that was part of a series created to represent areas of

you don’t need as many classes. Otherwise, you can find things on campus or around campus that also give you experience in that field and that doesn’t really mess with your schoolwork. It’s saying to your employer “These are my hours I need to focus on school, and these are the hours that I can use to work.” Don’t ever accept an unpaid internship, that’s my other piece of advice.

C: I’ve definitely felt overwhelmed while I was working a campus job and doing schoolwork at the same time. Not being employed now feels wrong.

C: Yeah, there is a balance. If you can’t do it all, don’t let yourself get the burnout. Just quit. Quit while you’re ahead. It’s okay. But don’t wait until you’re a senior to start getting those industry level jobs.

Q: So what did you do with your spare time while you were job-searching?

A: I did alot of applying. I did do more art than I had been doing and then just trying new hobbies. I learned how to

embroider, so more free time.

Q: How difficult was it to land the job you have now?

A: It isn’t hard to get a job in this career, you just gottaokay. I have a lot of friends that graduated with me. Some of them have a hard time and are like “Rachel, you always get so many jobs, you interview so well. How do you do it?” First off, if you think you’re not gonna get it, you’re not, but the worst they can tell you is no. If they tell you no, then they tell you no and you move on. If you’re scared that you’re not qualified enough, then you’re not. So, if you’re just starting in the career, or you’re just starting in school, just try. Put yourself out there. You’ll learn stuff. You’ll get job experience, if anything, you can put on a resume, and you’ll figure out what part of graphic design you want to do because not all of it’s for everyone. Putting yourself out there, not being scared of rejection, and then trying as many facets as you can- you’ll find a job perfectly fine.

Q: Did you ever find that your decision to pursue an artistic career received disapproval from others- friends,

Hurt designed a launch screen for a Mobile app concept, Crave, to help people decide on which food to eat. Hurt recommends art students try different facets of graphic design while in school. Courtesy of Rachel Hurt

Colorado Tourism Poster was created as an illustration exercise for Denver Tourism. Courtesy of Rachel Hurt

family? If so, how did you deal with it?

A: No. Graphic design, it’s seen as a professional career. Nothing wrong with being a potter or a painter because if I could make pottery all day I would, but because it is a technical computer skill and people don’t really understand it, they see it as mysterious and so they’re like “Yeah, do that! I don’t know what that is, sure! I see pretty advertisements, that’s what you do, right?” It did help, my parents were very creative people on their own. So yes, they would prefer me to go into a medical field, but seeing me do art stuff, especially a technical art degree, they were like “Yeah that’s great. I can’t do that, so great I’m glad you can!” And my friends were kind of the same way. I don’t think people should be as worried about the disapproval of that. Like yes, you’re gonna have one or two offhand “Why are you doing that?” But the rebuttal is, do you see every single billboard? Every single advertisement? Every single website? Every poster? Every logo? That’s all designers. People like

to discount the arts, but you consume art every single day. Why wouldn’t I have a job in that?

Q: You’ve already given some great advice, but what advice would you give to someone who is hesitant about pursuing a career in art?

A: I have a lot of friends that, like me, thought they needed to be in STEM and now they’re artists. You kind of make your way back to it if that’s what you want to do. I don’t agree with the saying that everyone uses, that if you like what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. I don’t agree with that because work is work and it feels like work. But, if you’re naturally inclined to do artistic things and you like to make things pretty and aesthetic, you like being technical or painting, feed your brain. If you’re going to be spending your whole life doing work, you gotta enjoy part of it. It’s gotta work for who you are as a person, so don’t try to fit yourself into a box that you’re not meant to fit in. If you’re inclined to do art, screw the

During her time at Louisiana State University, Hurt created a poster for the Fall 2018 Lecture Series held by LSU’s College of Art and Design. Courtesy of Rachel Hurt

Hurt created spreads for the Summer 2018 issue of Quad magazine for LSU’s College of Art and Design. Hurt is now a full time graphic designer for Southeastern Louisiana University. Courtesy of Rachel Hurt

naysayers. You can always find a job. Just start networking early. Even with the traditional art forms- if you’re going to every gallery opening, if you’re doing your own contests, inserting your stuff into the art world, talking to people, you’re making it much easier for yourself later on. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is saying. If you’re enjoying yourself and your brain is functioning the way it needs to right now, compared to writing an essay, go with that. You’ll figure it out along the way. You’re 20 years old, you’ll figure it out. You have time.

Also, don’t make yourself sick chasing a paycheck ‘cause sometimes it doesn’t work out. You’ll get the law degree or you’ll get the medical degree, and you still don’t get a job, and then you also don’t like your degree. So what’s the point? Do what you like. And if you have multiple talents and multiple interests, you can combine them. You might have to look a little harder for the different programs, but you don’t have to give up arts just to be professional. Art is very professional and very much needed.

As a design student, Hurt created the cover of Quad magazine, made for LSU’s College of Art and Design. Courtesy of Rachel Hurt

Hurt created spreads for the Summer 2018 issue of Quad magazine for LSU’s College of Art and Regarding gaining experience, Hurt urges students to put themselves out there. “You’ll learn stuff. Putting yourself out there, not being scared of rejection, and then trying as many facets as you can- you’ll find a job perfectly fine,” Hurt said. Courtesy of

YOU DON’T NEED TO GIVE UP THE ARTS JUST TO BE PROFESSIONAL. ART IS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND VERY MUCH NEEDED..

Like this pattern? You might enjoy the work created by artists

in the Psychedelic movement.

Movement:

Psychedelia

Time period: 1960’s-1970’s

Society during the movement:

Antiwar protests

Popularization of LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide or “acid”)

Vietnam War

Women’s Rights Movement

Characteristics:

Intense, contrasting colors

Kaleidoscopic imagery

Repetition of shapes and patterns

Warped letters

Melting effects

Inspired by:

Hallucinations

Art Nouveau

Famous artists:

Wes Wilson

Victor Moscoso

Karl Ferris

Bonnie Maclean

Although Bill Graham liked this poster, he told Wilson he couldn’t use it because the text was too difficult to read. Wilson replied that since it’s hard to read, people will look at it longer. In Psychedelic style, illegible text is used as a promising marketing method.

Wes Wilson, Otis Rush at the Fillmore (1967) 22x13.5 in, offset lithograph

This poster was created by the Spanish-American artist Victor Moscoso. Moscoso didn’t think this poster would be popular enough to run more than once, so copies that exist are extremely rare.

Victor Moscoso, The Chambers Brothers (1967) 20x13.75 in, offset lithograph

hank you for taking the time to read through this publication! I spent the last two semesters working on this thing, but it is really a culmination of experiences I’ve had throughout my entire life.

I am so excited to continue this project. Visit my prof ile on Issuu to check out the digital version of this zine and to stay up to date with my stuff! (My angrier

Cheers to doing what we love, and may we continue to follow our passions (or at least try to).

issuu.com/elanaguillory