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

Hi Annie, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
At some point in the last few years I made the conscious decision to stop worrying about making people cringe. For a long time I worried about posting too frequently about my art, being awkward on camera, coming across as delusional or embarrassing. Somewhere along the way I realized that it doesn’t matter. The people who like what I do and who I am can only find me if I put myself out there, and the people who aren’t into it are welcome to look away or cringe or unfollow- that’s their call. As a result of that change in mindset I’ve found myself part of a kind, supportive community that genuinely supports me, and that has made all the difference.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I generally say I’m an artist & arts educator, but the most honest answer would probably be that I’m a creative person with ADHD. My styles and mediums range from figurative oil painting to graphic linocuts to commercial illustration and design. I’ve often been told by people in the art industry that to be successful you must have a clear niche, but that’s never been how I operate. I don’t believe there is one right way to do almost anything, and I’m happy to have built a career for myself that is as silly and scattered as I am. One day my work is painting a custom nude portrait, the next I’m designing a brand identity for a startup, the next I’m teaching a color theory workshop over zoom. I think the biggest piece of advice I’d give is the opposite of what I was told- I think you should do it all! Follow your passions, try new things, give yourself permission to fail and to try again. If you never try, you never know.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is probably cliche, but without a doubt I have to give a shout out to my mother and sister. Every day of my entire existence I have known that those two women have my back, and that’s saying something because they are a force to be reckoned with.

Website: www.anniesieg.com

Instagram: @aksieg

Youtube: @anniemakesart

Other: TikTok: @Anniemakesart

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.