Meet the Artist:

Interview with Audrey d'Erneville

Audrey d'Erneville, an Art Director and Illustrator based in Los Angeles, draws inspiration from her diverse cultural background, having grown up between Paris, Dakar, and Johannesburg. Her work uniquely combines illustration and graphic design, resulting in bold and colorful visuals that vividly tell stories.

Tell us about your creative work and career. What should we know?

I am a multi-hyphenated artist and art director. Currently, I work as the creative director for Proudly, the first brand developed specifically for black and brown babies. I am also a fine artist working across different mediums such as painting and digital art. Additionally, I am a serial creative entrepreneur working on various projects, including a fashion and lifestyle brand called "Chez Awa." I am passionate about creating work that represents my Senegalese culture, collaborating with other creatives and elevating African art.

How do you balance your personal life and your art practice?

The honest truth is, I do not have a great work/life balance (yet!). I am so passionate about what I do and so grateful to be doing my dream job every day that I will admit to being a bit of a workaholic. But that being said, I have learned the hard way through a few burnouts that being creative is a limited resource that needs to be taken care of and replenished. So, I try really hard to be more intentional about creating that balance every day and setting aside self-care days. For the past 3 years, I have also been splitting my time between LA and Dakar, and that has been a great way for me to create this balance. While I am in LA, I am in hustle mode, hunkered down in my home studio, and in Dakar, I am back with my family and friends and really get to slow down. Spending intentional time away from work is the best thing for me to get inspired and come back motivated.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting their art career?

Create the work for which you want to be hired, do not be afraid to share it and do not look for perfection. We are fortunate to live in an era where social media gives us access to millions of eyes daily. As an artist, it is important to put your work out in the world because you never know who is watching and what opportunities could arise from that. But most importantly, I would love for young artists to share more of their personal work. From experience, I know that this is the work that represents them the most, tells their story, and is usually the most unique because it has not been influenced by a brief or a client's feedback. Years ago, a client told me that my best work was on my Instagram rather than my website. That feedback was the thing that changed my art career and pushed me to create and share more authentically.

What do you want people to understand or take away from your creative work?

What I would love for young, creative women to take away from my practice is that they do not have to put themselves in a box or be afraid to venture out, expand, try new things, and follow their hearts and passions. During grad school, I had an entrepreneurship teacher tell me that I had to choose between being a graphic designer or an illustrator because "no one would want to hire a half designer/half illustrator." I have been fighting against that ever since. The funny thing is, I now think that is my superpower, and I have since worn so many hats as an animator, fashion designer, illustrator, and now a fine artist. I would never want to limit myself or my creative work and I would love to empower young creatives to do the same. I also want people to understand how powerful it is to look for inspiration within themselves, from their culture, childhood, or personal life, and create work around it. That is the secret to really creating work that connects with people and communities.

What exciting endeavors lie ahead for you? What can our community anticipate from your future ventures, and how can they support?

Truthfully, I have a new idea and project every single day, so there are unlimited exciting endeavors lying ahead of me, haha. One thing I am definitely looking forward to is more collaborations in the future, especially in fields that are a bit outside of my comfort zone. I'm excited about new product launches, art in outdoor spaces, and bigger creative projects overall. I am also thinking about ways to help young creatives navigate the industry and give advice to them, which is something I'm really passionate about. So hopefully, there will be more to come around that. Overall, I'd love to keep connecting with creatives and entrepreneurs. So, if anybody from the community wants to connect or work on something, please holla at me! :)