Keeping Creative During A Crisis
We spoke to Amber Vittoria, the NYC-based illustrator, about what it’s like to create art during a global pandemic.
Illustration of Amber by Ally Hart
Being an artist of any kind is a difficult task right now, with galleries closing, brands shuttering their doors, and the artistic world being forced to operate solely in cyberspace. Artists around the world are struggling with now-questionable income and creativity. To find out more about being an artist in quarantine, I spoke with New York-based freelance illustrator, Amber Vittoria, over Skype to find out more about how her practice has been affected during the lockdown.
Hi Amber! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How exactly has the coronavirus impacted your work? Have you been able to work from home easily?
Right before New York City went into a quarantine, I was at Facebook doing a six-week artist in residence program, which was really lovely. Coming off of that, I had a few trips planned. This year and last year I’ve done a lot of collaborations with brands, like live events, for example. So whether it’s drawing in person or being there for a store launch, I like to go because I think those are really nice. Those paying gigs obviously all got cancelled and it took me a little while to register that that’s what I was relying on for income for the next few months.
Last week was definitely a bit of a struggle in terms of figuring out, okay, everyone’s kind of tightening the purse strings because you don’t know how long this is going to last. So last week I made a lot of sales. I’m selling small paintings on my social media platforms, and I also pivoted to reach out to more editorial publications, because editorial is still ongoing, even though they’re all working from home. Newspapers and magazines are still publishing whether digitally or print. This week I got quite a few editorial pieces, which I’m working through.
I also launched my collaboration with Happy Socks. It’s been good to find work in different spaces. It’s definitely slow, so I’ve started painting again, just to fill the extra time that I have.
As a freelancer, you often work from home anyways. Now that it’s the only option, how has working from home been?
I’ve definitely set up our home to be a comfortable working space. That adjustment wasn’t a very big one, just cause this is my kitchen table that I like to work from.
We [Amber and her partner] try to fill our home with things that we enjoy, including artwork we’ve collected, artwork of mine, and things we collect from trips we’ve taken. We try to make our home as inspiring as possible.
Amber’s work is available for purchase from her website
How about your productivity level? Has it changed since the quarantine started?
About the same actually, but I’ve noticed that although I’m very efficient with my time, the last couple of weeks I’ve been checking the news a lot more and getting distracted more easily. So I’m trying to be okay with things taking longer than initially planned, and allowing myself to work on pieces for longer than I naturally would.
Whilst you’ve been on lockdown, has your art changed at all? Are you venturing into escapism?
A lot of the work I’ve been making lately features more escapism than usual. I’ve been putting a lot of my figures into outdoor situations, and a lot of my pieces are about wishing on good luck charms, on dandelions. That’s something I hadn’t worked on up until the last week or two. It’s very interesting to see how my work is beginning to pivot in that way.
Why do you think people turn to art during a crisis?
Art can serve as a means of escapism, or as a means of education. The ability to use and consume art to help us cope through these trying times is incredible and important.
Out of these three images, which one is the most similar to your day-to-day quarantine look?
[Laughs] I'd say none. Because I've worked from home for so long, I've semi-trained myself to get dressed in the morning. It helps me get into the mindset of the day (both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic). My outfit today is Tibi [New York based fashion label] — their Easy Pull On Pants are comfortable, but not too close to my pajamas. It makes me feel like I have some semblance of normalcy, in a small way. I got them for $5 after coupons on ThredUp, and they make me so happy!
Are you doing anything right now to keep your mental health on track?
We’re very lucky that New York State offers a free hotline (Editor’s note: New York state’s Office of Mental Health Emotional Support Helpline can be reached at 1-844-863-9314 for free and confidential support) to call into mental health workers if we need it, which is great. Our state has recognized that this is going to take a huge toll on everyone’s mental health.
I’ve found that moving and exercising helps me. I feel that in America, people think of the only form of exercise as lifting crazy weights and working out until you’re dripping sweat, but that’s not true. Even if it’s going for a walk or doing a fun dance workout video, that kind of activity emotionally distracts me and gets me focused on moving, which always seems to help me feel better.
Which artist-favorites of yours should we be paying attention to right now?
There’s this artist, CB Hoyo, who I was fortunate enough to meet last year — we did a painting trade. He’s kind of pivoted to do these really funny and quirky quote cards. Those are always lovely to see. I also really like Loveis Wise, whose work is always really beautiful and involved, you could just get lost in the details of their pieces. Isabelle Feliu is someone I’ve always loved the work of, too, and I got to meet her this year. Her work is very nice, and it’s also very escapist. The truth is there’s so many but those three come to mind.
What advice do you have for art students (like myself) who are graduating in the midst of this pandemic?
Firstly, I am sending all of you love and support during these horrid times. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to make work or to be productive. It’s okay to be confused and not know what to do next. That’s how I'm feeling currently, and I've been out of college for almost a decade now. If you do have the energy, reach out to artists you love! We are all home and are likely to have the time to send a quick email to say hello. My email address is amber.vittoria@gmail.com and I love to chat with artists both in and out of school.
*** This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Amber’s artwork is available for purchase from her website and Society 6.
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