Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Johnston.
Hi Allison, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been interested in the process of creating. You might say it’s a necessity more than a choice — if I weren’t working as an illustrator, I might be a writer, a musician, a sculptor, a chef. I’ve always had this impulse to create, even as a small child. When I went off to college, I actually initially wanted to study musical theatre and performance, but after some soul-searching and a change of heart decided to change majors, transfer to another school (Rochester Institute of Technology in western New York), and got my degree in Graphic Design. There were things I loved about the field of design, but over the years working as a designer both in-house and for creative firms, I felt like something was missing. I started doing more freelance work and seeking out more creative projects which allowed me to put my drawing skills to use. One day it clicked that what I really wanted to be doing was drawing and painting, visually capturing the things I loved, and helping other people tell their stories through the use of illustration.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Probably my biggest obstacle has been myself. Fear of failure, fear of letting someone down, fear of “not knowing what I’m doing” definitely prevented me from taking the plunge into business ownership sooner and stopped me from fully taking myself seriously as an illustrator and artist. But if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that most of us are in the same boat and struggle with these fears. If you literally never experience self-doubt, never question your work, and feel totally confident in what you’re doing at all times, you’re probably either a) not challenging yourself enough b) living in denial/avoiding hard truths or c) not very good at what you do.
But you also have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe that you or your work is worthy of praise, that your work is worth something to others, that you deserve success, no one else will believe that either.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in digital illustration which feels handmade and has a sense of storytelling to it. I love drawing a wide variety of subject matter but excel at depicting the natural world (plants, animals, faces.) But over the last couple of years, I’ve also gotten more interested in painting watercolor house portraits which tend to be much more architectural, so I guess it’s true that variety is the spice of life.
One of my favorite projects to date was a series of spot illustrations for Rice University magazine because I got to combine all of my favorite subject matter into one — it’s not every day you get to illustrate a portrait, a pizza, a vintage typewriter, and a dreamy landscape of the Bavarian Alps!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I feel like there’s a lot of advice out there right now about the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself, doing the thing that scares you, and the end result is that you’ll somehow be a more “complete” human. As someone who is already a little impulsive, I think you really have to take a balanced approach to risk-taking. I absolutely believe in the power of doing something before you fully feel ready, but if you say “yes” to everything and are constantly diving into the deep end before learning how to swim, you’re going to feel like you’re drowning. Personally, I’m just not interested in having that much stress in my life. Oftentimes I think the answer is simply giving yourself the gift of time. If you find yourself wanting to take a particular risk or make a big change, give yourself space to mull it over before making the decision. And remember that there is no universal timeline. We are all at different stages of our lives and careers, and we are all moving at different speeds. There is no deadline!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fuzzygrapefruit.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fuzzygrapefruit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fuzzygrapefruit
Image Credits
David Tong / @GettaGo
