Illustrator Abbey Lossing grew up in the midwest with drawing as a favorite pastime and influence from a grandmother who was a portrait painter. By high school, she was starting to take drawing seriously, and that led to focused college studies in illustration. Always feeling drawn to the freelance way of life, she set herself up for success by first paving the road with two years of corporate “real job” work before setting out on her own. Here, she shares how she gained her professional footing.

Follow Abbey on Instagram and visit her website to see more of her work at http://www.abbeylossing.com.

Thanks to Adobe 99U Conference for connecting us for this interview.

What is your earliest memory?

Playing at the park with my grandmother

How do you feel about democratic design?

I think it’s great.

What’s the best advice that you’ve ever gotten?

"Move to a city" advice from illustrator Scott Bakal

How do you record your ideas?

I keep a sketchbook, but If I don't have it on me I'll write a note in my phone.

What’s your current favorite tool or material to work with?

Photoshop :)

What book is on your nightstand?

Calypso by David Sedaris (my favorite author)

Why is authenticity in design important?

Authenticity is important in any field/practice.

Favorite restaurant in your city?

Frankies Spuntino 457

What might we find on your desk right now?

My cat Willow

Who do you look up to and why?

Olimpia Zagnoli, Malika Farve and Anna Kovecses. Love their refined illustration style.

What’s your favorite project that you’ve done and why?

I love working on the NYT gifting campaigns. They're fun & festive and its been a great ongoing project.

What are the last five songs you listened to?

"California" by i said yes
"Where I'm Going" by The Wild Reeds
Television" by You Won't
"Liberated" by Leon Bridges
Come Down" by Anderson .Paak

Clever is produced by 2VDE Media. Thanks to Rich Stroffolino for editing this episode.
Music in this episode courtesy of El Ten Eleven—hear more on Bandcamp.
Shoutout to Jenny Rask for designing the Clever logo.

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