Ocher

Pronouns: They/Them
Hometown: Lincroft, NJ
Residence: New Orleans
Medium(s): Paint, pencil, collage, digital art
Freelance designer. Celebrating BIPOC/LGBTQ+ bodies through the power of art.

Q&A

Tell us about your experience as an emerging artist? (exploring inspiration, technique, goals, and/or accomplishments, etc...)

Freelancing is still a very new path! I’ve found that it allows me to merge all of the various skills and career moves I’ve made in the past. I get to be creative - utilizing my “monkey mind”, pumping out ideas and visions, finding new ways to execute them - and I get to give my perfectionist side room to breathe by keeping myself organized and my clients hella informed about the process. I’ve collaborated on logos, websites, portraits, merch design and more - and I still get excited about every new project. Like, my fingers itch for my apple pencil as soon as someone mentions the idea!

What role has travel played in your journey?

Travel is essential to art and creativity. Seeing the world through new eyes means your work won’t go stale. I recently moved to New Orleans for a fresh start and can’t wait to dive into the local culture, learn how to incorporate these influences into my design. There’s an abundance of color here...the smell of jasmine and honeysuckle invades the senses like nature’s perfume, invoking all kinds of ancestral memories. The water here is alive. I love it! I can explore the world through my art.

You use different techniques in this collection. How does experimentation change how you work?

I never really thought I had a ‘style’, per say - but recently I’ve been developing a particular design identity that tends to show up in all of my work. Still - with each new project, like this one, there’s so much opportunity for experimentation. I learned gold gradient techniques, how to build texture, how to give an image the subtle hint of depth and dimension...I’m excited to find out just what I’m capable of with each new piece I create. It’s a way to battle any imposter syndrome thought patterns I may have, and to ensure consistency.

What was your key takeaway from collaborating with Travel ‘Jernē?

So much! Beyond exploring design and technique as a whole, I feel I reached a new level of collaboration and communication working with Lisa. It was our dedication to the collective vision, merging brand identity with cause and style, that made this project possible - that made it feel successful.

Do you have any projects you’re currently working on or have coming up?

It’s a surprise! I have a few design series in mind under the Alien Babes brand identity, but no concrete projects as yet. We’ll see what inspiration brings!