Meet Tara Sullivan | Artist & Designer

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

Hi Tara, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I think if you’re having fun or feeling creatively fulfilled by what you’re doing, keep doing it. Even though other artists might be more talented than me in certain areas and my reach is not growing as much as I’d like, I enjoy making art and I’m proud of my work, so I will keep doing it. At this point, I cannot support myself on illustration projects alone, so I still have a “day job,” but my goal is to slowly gather clients and customers until I can transition to working full-time as a freelance designer and illustrator. Gathering an audience as a small business or freelancer can be a slow, challenging process, but each small victory is something to celebrate. My advice is to try to balance what you want to make with what your target audience wants to buy, because it’s important to make marketable products, but if you sacrifice too much of your own goals and creative fulfillment to do it, you might lose some of the passion you have for your craft.

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.
I create digital art in a cartoon style, with lots of fun color palettes. I always incorporate my sense of humor in my pieces, and I love creating characters with personality and adding unexpected details. It’s not always easy to find motivation to make art, and I often find myself intimidated by the blank page, but I try not to put too much pressure on myself to create new things all the time and sometimes focus more on the business side (ordering products, social media, website updates, cold emails) when I’m feeling less inspired. The main lessons I’ve learned are to stay persistent and reach out to lots of agencies, stores, and potential clients, but to still go easy on myself and switch up what I’m working on so I don’t burn out.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite things about Atlanta is the street art, so I’d make sure to show my friend some cool murals. I sell some of my art at Homegrown Decatur, a cool shop full of stuff made by local artists, so I would definitely take them there, and maybe a gallery like ABV or Cat Eye Creative. I would take them to get coffee at Hodgepodge or PERC, and for food I would suggest Gu’s Dumplings, Grindhouse, or Salaryman.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have a great support network including my boyfriend and friends who hype me up when I post a new illustration or share news about a new product or a shop that wants to carry my products. But I’ll dedicate this shoutout to my sister Kaitlin, who is one of my biggest fans and customers! She frequently buys things from my website when I add a new product or if she needs to give someone a gift, and when I visit her I’m always surprised to see how many of my prints and stickers she has around her apartment.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/taragraphics

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarasullivanart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarasullivanx/

Other: Portfolio: https://tarasullivan.design/