Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Dove.
Emily, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
It sounds so cliché, but I’m one of those artists who picked up a pencil (or crayon) at a young age and never stopped drawing. I wish I could say I was visited by a wizard who granted me this magical artistic power, but that would be a blatant lie. Truly though, if it hadn’t been for the gentle encouragement of my parents and teachers to prevent me from feeling discouraged by the ‘starving artist’ career path most artistically-inclined children are warned about, who knows where I would be right now. I feel extremely lucky and grateful I was able to follow this path.
Much of my childhood was spent exploring the outdoors, which helped form my deep love for nature and conservation. I even toyed with the idea of becoming a marine biologist, but ultimately I decided I could let my passion for nature and animals inform my art (hence my many ocean-themed illustrations!). I received a BFA in Illustration and shortly after landed a job working as a designer for American Greetings, which taught me quite a bit about business and the illustration industry. After almost four years there, I took a chance and left my full-time job to dive headfirst into the world of freelance illustration, which is all at once scary and exciting and rewarding.
I have now been freelancing since 2011 and haven’t looked back.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’ve spent the last few years aiming to combine my environmentalist side with my artistic side by writing and illustrating picture books and working on my own side projects. I earned my naturalist certification so that I could become better informed and connected to the science community.
Given the current political climate, I feel an even greater responsibility to use my art as a way to educate and inspire others about environmental issues. It took a few years, but I’m finally working on projects that I strongly believe in. One of my recent favorite projects is an illustrated book coming out through Chronicle in 2019 called ‘Hello Honeybees’ which teaches kids about the lives of honeybees. It was exciting to be able to use what I’ve learned as a naturalist to create more accurate illustrations.
I also partnered up with my friend and colleague, Julia Kuo, to create an outlet for nature-themed artwork and storytelling called Meet us in the Woods. We were lucky enough to work for two weeks as artists-in-residence at Banff National Park, exploring and creating illustrated stories about the area. My hope is that we can continue to explore ways to combine our artistic talents to aid in conservation efforts.
I’m happy to say I’ve never felt better about my purpose as an illustrator as I do now.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
It’s tough to imagine what life as an illustrator was like before computers and internet! It’s a lot easier to share our work with the world, but it might be more difficult to stand out from the sea of artists online. I’m eternally grateful I don’t have to work traditionally, wait for the paint to dry, and then box up the originals to each client. Working digitally is wonderfully convenient but can also be a bit of a curse, because it means sitting in an office chair all day. There are pros and cons to everything.
Ultimately though, it’s so much easier not having to live in New York City or Los Angeles in order to make a career in illustration work. We can now work remotely from anywhere with an internet connection. The only downside is it’s very easy to become a hermit! Affordable co-working spaces, cafes, and studios can help create a sense of community for us lonely freelancers.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have several picture books out with more on the way. You can find or order my books at your local independent bookstore. Find a list of indie bookstores in your area at indiebound.org.
An edited list of my books are linked on the about page of my website, emilydove.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emilydove.com
- Email: emilydove.art@gmail.com
- Instagram: emilydove
- Facebook: emilydove144
- Twitter: emilydove144
- Other: https://dribbble.com/emilydove144
Image Credit:
All images copyright Emily Dove 2018
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
