Conversations with Claire Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Davis.

Claire, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always had creativity running in my blood. My whole family is creative. Just like some people follow their family line into medicine or law, I followed mine into the studio. My parents used to work in the film industry, my twin sister is an animator, and my brother is a music producer. Being an artist is the natural path in my family.

That being said, everyone in my family has gone through all of the bullshit that those industries bring, but our love of the craft keeps us going. I just graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design in May, and honestly, navigating post-grad life in a creative industry is really hard. While my peers are studying for the bar or starting their first jobs at accounting firms, I’m doing freelance. I’m finding my balance in the ever-changing tide of the design industry while everyone else is wading in the calm waters of “conventional” careers. I’m lucky my circle of friends and family are creatives too, they welcome the struggle and we link our arms in the rising tide.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m sure I can speak for my all artists from all fields that it’s impossible to get a full-time job in the industry right now. I know people that have been working in illustration, animation, film, and music for decades that can’t get full-time work right now. Going into this field, we all knew it was going to be hard and unfair. We’re overworked, underpaid, underemployed, taken advantage of, stolen from, all of it. I’m not saying that to be bleak, I’m saying it to be real.

As artists, we’re bound by the same struggles, but also by the same love and passion. That feeling of swapping stories and ideas with fellow creatives is unlike anything else; it’s like being transported into an Enlightenment-era salon gathering where ideas, politics, art, literature, and film ebb and flow in the most instinctual, unpretentious expression possible. Maybe I’m just blessed to have smart and interesting friends. I am always learning from them, and our mutual senses of innate curiosity are always satiated amongst each other.

Despite these material struggles that come with creative industries, the spiritual fulfillment that comes with doing what I love and sharing that with my fellow creative, my fellow human, outweighs the struggles completely.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an illustrator born and raised in LA whose practice includes editorial and advertising illustration. What drives my work is the female experience, like my relationships with my friends, my mom, my sister, as well as the dichotomy between women’s beauty and the pain in pursuing it. I’m inspired by the spiritual role of women throughout history as oracles and storytellers, and the curiosity and wisdom instilled within us as a result. I’m also interested in the concept of creating art as a spiritual practice that feeds the soul and aligns the stars.

My style is defined by bold line art and shape language with bright, saturated color palettes. I’m influenced by the mythological imagery, compositions, and ornate border design of medieval illuminated manuscripts, but through a modern lens of feminist themes and the flair of a graphic style.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
From one young artist to another, the best thing for your art is to absorb what’s around you whole-heartedly, always engage all five of your senses. Every single moment, dig for something you can find meaning in. Stomp your shoes on the ground to feel the concrete beneath them, how do your feet and legs feel when you use them for what they were designed for? Breathe in the smell of fresh air outside, what does sunshine smell like, what does it remind you of? Dance in the mirror and sing in the shower – loudly and badly. It feels good right? Say your own name out loud to yourself, how does it feel materializing in your vocal cords and rolling off your tongue and escaping from behind your teeth? Remind yourself of the physicality of your existence, remind yourself that you’re alive. Read, read, read, listen, understand, talk about yourself.

The world can feel cold and sad and miserable and artificial. Move through life with the goal of enriching it through the pursuit of knowledge and experiences. Pour yourself completely into everything you decide to do. The art will flow naturally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://clairedavisillu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairedavisillu?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.clairedavisillu.com/category/all-products