I Want To Be An… Artist

Provided

Lisa Krannichfeld is an artist.

Hometown: Little Rock

My training: Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado

My job: Artist (self-employed)

Lisa has always loved to create things and decided to pursue a career in art during her senior year of college. She was a double major in biology and studio art, and after her first art exhibition, she knew this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

“Art is what always made me happiest as a young adult and still today,” she said. “I knew if I was stuck doing anything else, I wouldn't be as happy or fulfilled as I wanted to be.”

Lisa’s favorite aspect of creating art is making her own schedule and having the flexibility to travel and spend time with her family. As an independent artist, she’s able to travel for exhibitions and experience new cities as part of the job. She's also developed skills beyond being an artist. This profession requires Lisa to run her very own business, be a spokesperson, a bookkeeper and more.

If Lisa could do one thing differently, she would have taken a variety of different art classes during high school and college. “I was really obsessed with drawing and painting back then,” Lisa said. “I wish I would have explored other mediums such as printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography and digital art more in-depth.”

Lisa’s art is inspired by women, and the overall theme of her work is inspired by the female experience. Her multi-media figurative paintings are focused on depicting women in subversive and expressive ways.

“My main advice [for future creatives] is to develop a lot of different skill-sets in order to become an independent artist,” Lisa said. “It's not just about being great at your art, although that is the most important thing.”

I Want to be an ARTIST, Too!

► Education required: Many artists and professional creatives earn bachelor’s degrees, although innate and honed skills are the only things required.