Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy McDonald.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m currently a BFA student at the University of Illinois at Chicago studying photography. I was born and raised on the North Side of Chicago and now live in the Oak Park area. I started seriously studying photography when I was 14 at an after-school program in River North called Marwen.
Marwen is a non-profit organization that provides free arts education to Chicago youth that isn’t able to afford similar classes elsewhere. Through Marwen I realized that I had a true passion for the arts and especially for a photo.
At the time, I was a student at Lane Tech High School where I was on an arts-based track allowing me to take additional classes in visual media. During my senior year, I was honored to participate in the All-City Senior Portfolio Exhibition and received a gold medal at the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
I credit these artistic accomplishments to the amazing art teachers that I had both at Lane Tech and at Marwen. In the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to show work at galleries in the Pilsen neighborhood, which was exciting as I began venturing into more identity-based work.
I also had the opportunity to study in Florence, Italy for several months which was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had, and I’m thrilled to be returning to Italy this summer for more study. I’m also excited to be entering my final year at UIC working on my thesis and beginning my third year as an assistant teaching artist at Marwen.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As a college student, every now and then I tend to lose my motivation or overthink my ideas to a point where they aren’t working anymore. Luckily I’m surrounded by really supportive friends and family who help me get back on the right track.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I don’t have a company. I am a college student. Aside from that, in my artistic practice, I specialize in photography, mainly 35mm analog, and have a tendency to photograph people in my own age range however my style is always evolving.
I think something that sets me apart from others, especially on social media, is that gaining likes and followers isn’t a number one priority for me. I like to show off images that I’m proud of and I hope that people will enjoy them, but I also like to have fun and show off my sense of humor.
What were you like growing up?
I was raised by a single parent. I grew up living with my mom, and I spent most of my time with her, her sister, and their mom. So, I spent a lot of time with really funny adults. If I had to choose how I would describe myself based on that, I’d say I had great comedic timing. In a way, I think it made me grow up faster than some of my peers.
I think I had to learn to be a little more independent from an earlier age. I remember having really clear ideas of the future that I wanted. I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to make money, I wanted to travel, and (because my family loves classic movies) I wanted my husband to look like an old Hollywood movie star.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lmcdonald27/
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