Meet Blakely Little | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Blakely Little and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Blakely, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland meant a lot of time on the water. There was nothing more happy to me than a boat ride down the river with my family. But, of course, you don’t realize how special something is until you might not have it? Well, as I was applying to colleges, College of Charleston was the only school near the coast. While visiting, I remember my dad and I mapping the distance from my potential dorm room to the Charleston harbor… 1 mile. Suddenly, it became apparent that all those days on the boat, the walks by the river, the swimming, the sailing, had a huge part in what made me feel at peace. It felt like home. It’s how I knew Charleston could be home too. I always come back to that love of being on the water in my artwork. For me, any day is made better on the water. My husband and I even included it in our marriage vows, a promise to live near the coast always.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Growing up, I was a very creative kid. Building, crafting, and decorating my room kept me busy! It wasn’t until high school where I honed in on my love of painting. Then, College of Charleston’s Arts Management program was the perfect segue for me to continue my studio practice, while learning the business side of the arts. In the beginning, I was working at a floral design company here in Charleston and painting at night and on the weekends. My easel was set up in our living room and my husband would watch movies and while I would paint. Slowly but surely, I began to sell my work and gain a following. After about a year, I felt like I could afford to go part time with it — then full time. It was more of a process, less of a leap of faith. One of the hardest parts was being an extrovert painting alone in our apartment all day. So, a few months in I landed a studio at Redux where some of my closest friends had studios and the painting (and chatting) began!
I am always collecting inspiration in my sketchbook for new collection ideas. There is nothing more inspiring to me than stepping off a plane in a country full of places I’ve never seen, people I’ve never met, and a whole lot of adventure ahead. Especially when somewhere new, I like to be acutely aware of my senses. What am I seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting? And how can I wrap all of those senses into a visual painting or drawing. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed by the inspiration, but I try to capture as many little pieces as I can in my sketchbook, and then go back to my studio to put all the pieces back together.

Right now, I am working on a collection of coastal UK paintings. We spent some time last summer in Cornwall, and I fell in love with the incredible coastline. These pieces will release March 16th at 10am est. I’m hosting a workshop in Greece (again!) and hoping to release some new products this year!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My most formative moment as an artist came from my season of studying abroad in Florence, Italy. My painting professor, Lorenzo, encouraged me to find my voice as an artist. He knew me well enough to critique my work and judge its authenticity based on my personality in the studio. My favorite thing he told me was, “Blakely, just play! When you overthink it, we lose you, but when you play, I see you in the painting.” He taught me to trust myself.

Website: blakelymade.com

Instagram: @blakelymade

Other: Tiktok: @blakelymade

Image Credits
Cameron Wilder