Lauren Spooner
Surrey, Canada
Based in Surrey, British Columbia, Lauren Spooner is an illustrator and graphic designer. A graduate of the Art Institute of Vancouver, she has worked as a designer and illustrator since 2009. Alongside her in‑house design role she pursues personal projects, recently illustrating “The Full Moon Yearbook” by Julie Peters and self‑publishing her poetry collection Reluctant Optimist.
Artist Interview
Q: Can you share how you first fell in love with making art? What drew you in and set you on this creative path?
A: It may be a bit cliche to say, but I've been interested in art since I was a child. My mom was always so supportive of my creative pursuits and I took every art class I was able to in school. There was always this need in me to be creative. Discovering that I could have a creative career through Graphic Design really set me on the path I'm on today, and being able to incorporate my illustration skills into my designs was really eye opening.
Q: When you're searching for fresh inspiration, where do you turn - be it a person, place, or piece of media? How do you transform that spark into something uniquely your own?
A: I look to nature, as well as books, galleries, and online sources. I find nature inspires me most, living on the Westcoast of Canada I am surrounded by beautiful landscapes, animals and plants. I take a lot of photos when I'm out in nature, or out in the city, you never know when you'll find something that sparks an idea. Usually I start with the tiniest spark of an idea, I'll see a painting, or a flower, or read a book, and then flesh out how I want it to look, whether it will be a series or a one-off piece. I'll bounce ideas off of friends and sometimes that turns into collaboration or mutual inspiration.
Q: In periods of self-doubt or creative block, what strategies or rituals help you rediscover inspiration and reignite your passion for making new work?