Interview with Lauren Carney — Discover Brisbane

We first met Lauren, four years ago, painting a mural at the old Black Milk HQ in Newstead. Whimsical. Vibrant. Fun. Disney Cartoon come true. There are many adjectives one could describe Lauren Carney’s art, (better known as @dizzylittledotty). But one thing is for certain. This Brisbane girl (now Tokyo girl) has ridiculous amounts of talent, and her art has a way of infecting you with happiness and joy. Here, she shares her story.

Who is the woman behind @dizzylittledotty, and what first inspired you to become an artist?

Hello, Hi! I am a full time freelance artist, now based in Tokyo (I was living in Brisvegas for a decade prior. My colourful designs have ended up on giant screens at Coachella, large-scale walls around Brisbane, hung in galleries, and printed in magazine publications. I’ve worked for Disney, Samsung, Showtime, Laika Entertainment and Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.

Art has always been something I’ve been alright at, I have no other measurable talent so I decided to commit to it until I die! Haha.

When did you decide to transition into becoming a full time artist and was it scary?

Oh man. There were tears. Initially I went full time artist when I wasn’t ready. Like I just hated the job I was in and was like ‘Ok I quit I’m gonna do art full time now bye’. But I hadn’t freelanced long enough to know about pricing jobs properly, so I was doing artwork that would take all week that I was charging $75 for. You know? So everything came to a head the first time round and I had to go find another job. It was possibly the most important learning lesson to date. Next time round I saved 10k as ‘insurance money’ so if I wasn’t paid for ages from clients I wasn’t stressed financially. I worked so hard eventually I became too busy to do my retail shifts because I had too much art work to do. So that’s when I pulled the pin and have been working for myself for 5 years.

What is some of your most proudest moments so far as an artist?

I was recently commissioned the equivalent to someone’s annual wage for my artwork. Six (maybe 7) years ago I was too poor to afford 2 minute noodles because I was sacrificing shifts to make art and ‘get myself out there’. I was the epitome of a starving artist. So I guess that gig to me was proof good things will come to those who work their butts off.

What do you love the most about your work or being an artist?

Freedom. I am my own Boss. I don’t have to take nonsense from anyone. I can work with clients as equals, and not be spoken down to or obligated into doing stuff I don't want to do. Hahah that’s something I always hated about working retail, and I said ‘I don't ever want to do this again for anyone’. Hahah.

Are there challenges and how do you overcome them?

I fluctuate between finding motivation and acknowledging when to take a time out. Some days I’m like ‘naaahhh I don’t wanna do that’ and it’s honestly so easy to be that way because you have no one to chastise you for slacking. But other times I’ll work so hard that I don’t know when to stop and it will eventually lead to creative burn out. Getting motivated – I make sure everything in my sight is spotless (can’t work if there is clutter) then I just have to remind myself ‘this will be here tomorrow and the day after if you don’t commit’. To prevent creative burnout from overworking – I leave my home on weekends, listen to audiobooks, go to the gym, remove myself from my environment and away from work. Having ‘off’ time and immersing yourself in something non-art related is essential to not suffocating yourself with what you love.

Tell us about your decision to move to Japan!

So I just felt super stale in my work. Being uninspired to draw is bad for business. I had the studio of my dreams, everything in my life was awesome but I just felt so uninspired + unmotivated. I’ve always felt so at home in Japan and it’s kind of like my imagination goes into hyper drive when I’m here. So I guess I just wanted a new adventure.

What is your dream project?

I’ve actually thought about this a lot lately. I would love to do something major for someone major. I went to Disneyland the other day and one of the rides was re-opened. An artist painted the entire space with this epic mural. It was crazy bright colours top to toe – full of detail. And props to match. The kind of work I’m satisfied with the most is the stuff that keeps me up at night wondering if I can pull it off. A massive mural for Disney. Designing something large scale for Hello kitty. Working on designs for Laika. The kind of jobs where I can work for my heroes I guess.

What is an integral part to your work?

Coffee, Gym (clears my head before design time), audiobooks (keeps me calm while drawing), and eating regularly. I know all of these things have literally nothing to do with art, but you gotta run your body like a well oiled machine in order for the brain to work.

Do you have some advice for any aspiring artists out there?

Apply for stuff –magazine spreads, grants, artist assistance programs, and competitions (I entered two when I finished uni and won both! One was for a booth for a national artist market where I made a tonne of creative friends and sold my wares, the other was for a comp where I won a grant to create a range of tees for my business) It wasn’t the prize that was important but the people I met from those opportunities. One of the judges on who picked my design was Eddie Zammit who has curated projects for Disney + Mr Men & Little Miss National Exhibitions and asked me to be a part of it. Collaborate with artists, go to exhibitions / launches / industry event nights, and make genuine friends (not connections). Ask your fave artist if you can intern with them (even if they’re not advertising). Start small. My work started with caricatures and logo design to international advertising campaigns, murals, Music Festival projections. Things will snowball after time. You just gotta work your lil buns off and eventually things will find a way of working out for you! Oh also, one extra piece of advice - Don’t compare yourself to other artists – It’s really destructive especially when you’re starting out. Those you look up to have started at the exact same spot you’re in now, and have worked really hard to get from A to B. They still have the same problems you probably face now, even though they’ve ‘made it’. Draw things that make you feel good, and don’t fixate on making the finished product perfect. If you stress about how your work will look in the end you’ll stop having a fun time in the process. Happy heart, means happy art.