Magazine Junkie interviews: illustrator Aimee Sicuro

I'm so excited to feature as my first interview the amanzingly talented Aimee Sicuro. Besides being a frequent contributor to Yoga Journal, Aimee's work has been featured in Oprah magazine, New York Times magazine, and many more. I have been fortunate to work with Aimee for a few years now, but besides work related stuff I've never had a chance to really talk to her. Until now. So please welcome Aimee as she shares what inspires her, her career, and her favorite thing on earth. Enjoy!

Tell me about your background. How did you become a full-time illustrator?  My BFA is in Illustration. After a somewhat comical journey in the greeting card industry as a seasonal line designer and Flash animator, I moved to New York. I landed at a design firm as a project manager/illustrator for a leg-wear brand called HUE. The talent there was incredible and it opened my eyes to typography, page layout, and many valuable technical skills that I needed to learn. So I started taking evening classes at the School of Visual Arts in the continuing ED graphic design program. The design skills I learned were very basic but helped me tremendously.  After three years of trying to juggle work, classes, and illustration projects, I decided to take a leap into full-time freelance and leave New York. It was a bit scary at first, but it turned out to be a great decision.

Who are some of your favorite (visual) artists? In terms of fine artists (the usual suspects): Paul Klee, Klimt, Ben Shahn, Max Beckman, Edward Hopper, Marc Chagall.

As for Illustrators: Maira Kalman, Juliette Borda, Vivenne Fletcher, Camilla Engman, Jon Klassen, and Kim Rosen, and many, many more.

Is there anything, besides being an illustrator/artist, you wish you could do?  If I could do anything else I would like to be a journalist, specifically an NPR radio host. I have a secret (or not so secret if you ask my husband) crush on Terry Gross, NPR's host for the program Fresh Air. She interviews some of the most talented artists, authors, musicians, directors and political leaders. Her style is just brilliant. She asks really interesting questions about the creative process and the personal journey each guest has traveled to achieve their goals. How other people navigate the world has always been fascinating to me. 

Where do you find inspiration?  Finding inspiration usually comes when I'm not looking for it. Ideas seem to flow when I'm in the park running, washing dishes, or taking a walk. If I force it, which usually consists of my inner voice yelling "be creative, think of a great idea NOW!!!", that's when I come up with a whole lot of nothing.

What is your favorite thing on earth?  Besides the fantastic people in my life, it would have to be good coffee and traveling to new places.

And last, what are some of your favorite magazines?  Communication Arts, Dwell, Real Simple (mostly for the pictures), and sadly, Domino.

To see more of Aimee's beautiful work go here.

Or visit her Etsy shop, where you can purchase prints of her work (which make excellent gifts). And, for the next 10 days (Jan. 15 to 25), all profits from her sales will be donated directly to the Red Cross relief efforts for Haiti. 

Thanks Aimee for being our first interview!

Comments

[charli]

Nice interview! Looks like you'll have great fun doing these.

You might want to make one correction. It's Maira Kalman (not Maria) in her favorite illustrators list.