The Creative world of illustrator Amber Savage

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Amber Savage is an illustrator, artist, designer and blogger who creates work for the fashion industry.

She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with an AS degree in Fashion Design and from John Brown University with a B.Sc. degree in Organizational Management. While in college she interned for Helmut Lang, Dolce and Gabbana and Katherine Shackleford. After college, she worked as an Assistant Designer for the couture house Randi Rahm in New York City. After almost four years in the city Amber moved back to the south to live closer to family.

She worked for the marketing company, New Creature, for the next six years where she had the opportunity to work with larger companies and brands such as Wal-Mart, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Danskin Now, and Johnson & Johnson. She styled and produced many fashion shows for Wal-Mart and their suppliers between 2006 and 2009 including a show at the 2008 Wal-Mart Shareholders Meeting.

In 2008 she decided to venture out on her own and open The Studio, LLC. She now works as a freelance illustrator, artist and designer.

You can learn more about Amber on her website.

 I get the best creative ideas when I’m….
 I get the best creative ideas when I’m by myself and totally relaxed.  Usually first thing in the morning when I’m getting ready or at the end of the day right before bed.  I will usually jot them down in a journal or on my phone so I don’t forget them.

 

My favorite space to create looks like….
My favorite space to create is in my studio.  I have worked hard to keep it light and airy.  It is filled with natural light, which I love.  The walls are white and sparse and the other colors in the room are soft.  I have found that I just can’t work in a studio with too much visual stimulation going on.  

 

 My top 3 sources of creativity are…
First, I’m addicted to magazines and always have been.  They instantly “transport” me to other places which is very helpful since I work in a small southern town.  Magazines give me access to environments I don’t have access to right now.  Second, I love to get out with a sketch book or camera and just start drawing or photographing what speaks to me.  I think getting out of your studio and into the “real world” is very important for finding new ideas.  I would say my third source is travel.  My husband and I try to travel as much as we can.  It’s so refreshing to go somewhere new and I always come back to the studio with loads of ideas.  

 

 When I need a new idea I…..
 When I need a new idea I try to create the ugliest thing I can.  This was a trick I learned in college.  First you draw something really ugly and then you try to make it beautiful.  This technique seems to take the pressure off constantly trying to create something that is modern and beautiful.  Sometimes you just need to take the pressure off your brain and have fun with it.

 I know that a piece is finished when…
Ha! Chuck Close once said in an interview that his work is never complete.  He was noted to take a paintbrush to one of his paintings after it had been purchased and was hanging in a gallery.  I think as artists we can be very critical of our own work and depending on the day look at it in a whole new perspective.  I usually know a piece is finished when it conveys the emotion I am looking for.  If I’m struggling with a piece, sometimes I just have to give in to the due date and call it a day.  I have learned that the more imperfect a piece is the more beautiful and unique it becomes.  Perfect can be boring. 

 

When something isn’t working the way that I planned it to I…
When something isn’t working the way I planned it to I take a break.  I’ll take a walk to get some fresh air or get a snack.  Just getting away from the problem for a while and clearing your head can give you a clear perspective. 

 

 I create because…
I create because its fun!  I have always been a creative person.  When I was very young I was making paintings and designing fashion.  No one told me I should do it.  I did it because it was fun to make something beautiful and that is why I still do it today.  I also love the challenge of bringing something that is in my mind to life.  It’s so fulfilling to see something you’ve imagined become reality.  

 

 My work is about…
My work is about creating beauty for an audience.  I can appreciate really avant-garde art that represents just the artists emotions but I have found that, for me, I need an audience to appreciate what I am making.  I still create what I want to create but I need a consumer for me to really feel good about it.  I want people to see and purchase my art and for it to bring joy and beauty to their lives. 

Have you checked out my 3 favorite ways to keep a steady flow of ideas?