My Name Is: Alice Coles - #lakewoodnews

About me ...

I was born in England, but our family moved to American when I was nine years old, and we've lived here ever since.

I've been fascinated by art my whole life --; my nana, dad and mom are all interested in art as well. My mom had an art room, and I used to spend so much time there painting and drawing.

I went to Colorado State University and got my degree there in painting and graphic design. After college I took some time off and traveled around Europe, and decided I wanted to get another degree, and so I started at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) two years ago, studying 3D animation.

Life as a professional artist

I've worked as a professional artist for the past seven years. I did work for the Subeta virtual pet video game, part time as a graphic designer and as a freelance artist.

For people looking to get into art as career, there are two things you need --; networking and confidence. Networking can be a struggle for a lot of artists, but is really important. And if you're looking at jobs and one sounds interesting, go for it. Be bold and confident.

As an artist you have to be self-motivated, and learn to create, even when you're not inspired. It's about setting a routine, practicing and sticking to it.

The artist in residence program

I received an email about the artist in residence program at Lamar Station Crossing, and thought it sounded perfect for me. At the time I was commuting from Fort Collins to RMCAD, and I've served as a resident assistant at CSU before, so I've always been interested in programming and doing stuff with the community. I went through the application process, and was selected for the program.

I moved in on May 7, and am starting to settle in. Everyone who lives at Lamar Station is so friendly.

As an artist in residence, I have to do community arts programming, which I'm excited about, because I do arts teaching on my YouTube channel. I firmly believe drawing doesn't require talent --; it takes hard work and practice. I've got programs planned at community events and my studio at Lamar Station.

Meeting the community

I'm really excited to get involved with the community and open up the artistic opportunities. I want to get the community excited about art.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/My-Name-Is-Alice-Coles,216674