Meet Claire Lee | Illustrator & Designer

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

Hi Claire, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Something that I highly value in my life is keeping an open mind and embracing change.

Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with confidence in my work and finding who I am as both a person and an artist. For the longest time, I wanted to be a character designer. In high school, my sketchbook was filled with characters inspired by my favorite anime and comics. It wasn’t until I began taking art more seriously and explored the diverse career opportunities for illustrators that I started to question my goals. When I began attending ArtCenter, I couldn’t help but compare myself to my peers. I dealt with a strong sense of imposter syndrome and felt lost.

As I continued through my education, I gravitated towards many different areas within the Illustration department: Visual Development, Character Design, Children’s Book Illustration, Consumer Products. I wanted to pursue them all! I’ve always been experimental with my style and found that keeping an open mind has led me to be stronger and more versatile. By the time I graduated, I was able to feature a wide variety of work in my portfolio, including: background paintings, character lineups, consumer products of my own brand design, and a hand-bound children’s book. I’ve always wanted to be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to my work. I have developed so much as an illustrator and designer by always trying new things and being open to all opportunities that come my way. Though my goals have shifted quite a bit from when I first started pursuing art, I have a great appreciation for all that I’ve learned along the way.

I am still continuing on my journey of self-discovery as I now delve deeper into my career, and find comfort in how much I have changed over the years.

I feel that embracing change, allowing myself to make mistakes, and being open to all types of applications of my work has given me more opportunity to grow and develop.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Just last year, I graduated from ArtCenter with a BFA in Illustration. Today, I am an Illustrator and Designer primarily within the Consumer Products industry. I believe what sets me apart from others is my versatility and ability to adapt to various types of projects and assignments. I did my best to take advantage of my time in school to really explore and discover what I was good at, and found a great passion for combining illustration with graphic design.

My first creative professional experience was a Brand Development internship with NBCUniversal, where I was then hired as a Freelance Illustrator & Graphic Designer. This was a huge step in my career and provided me with an inside look at the consumer products industry. Despite my eagerness and excitement, this was an incredible challenge for me. Many of the projects I worked on had been completely foreign to me. I was intimidated by all the things I wasn’t familiar with, such as packaging, retail, and textile design. However, working in a fast-paced environment has disciplined me to absorb as much information as I can from those around me and always push myself to learn new things. Through this experience, I’ve learned to embrace the unknown and take on any opportunity that comes my way in order to expand my skillset.

The professional experience and skills that I’ve acquired have allowed me to develop and strengthen my own personal brand: Happy Hammies. Happy Hammies is a personal project I’ve been working on for the past year, combining my passion for illustration with my love for hamsters. My pet hamsters have had a huge impact on my artistic journey and are the inspiration for many of my projects. My goal is to take this brand a step further to become a successful small business with hamster-themed products, stationery, and art goods!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As someone who was born and raised in the Valley, I often went to the beach, took camping trips, and explored different parts of LA growing up. I’ve always loved visiting Chinatown and Little Tokyo, for both the food and the shopping!

These days, I really enjoy attending art shows and markets, watching live music, attending conventions, and indulging in Asian-inspired foods, snacks, and desserts! There are so many different activities to do in California, but ultimately, I personally believe that with the right people, anything can be fun and exciting!

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?
I’m incredibly grateful that there are so many people in my life who have supported and encouraged me throughout my journey. I truly couldn’t have gotten to where I am now without the love and guidance I have received from my friends and family. I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my mom. Naturally, she had some doubts and worries when I first told her I was going to pursue art as a career. But despite her concerns, she has never once discouraged me from pursuing my dreams and has always made an effort to celebrate every one of my accomplishments, whether big or small. When I first got into art school, she organized a surprise party for me with my whole family. She has always been proud of my work and hangs my old class assignments on her wall. And to this day, my mom will write me notes with words of encouragement and support. Moments like these are what have deeply supported me throughout my development as a professional artist, and I feel lucky to have her in my life.

Of course, there are many others in my life who have been extremely significant to my growth, including my dad, my brothers Steven and Jacob, and my best friend Dani. In their own ways, each of them has provided me with mentorship, guidance, love, and support. Looking back at how much I’ve grown, I know I couldn’t have done it without them. And as I continue to find my way, I feel blessed to still have them by my side.

Website: https://www.claireleeportfolio.com/

Instagram: @yellolem

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-lee-436576229/

Other: Etsy: https://lemonnlimeshop.etsy.com

Image Credits
Headshot: Dani Ayala