Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Dixon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
People in my life usually know me in one of three roles: the Illustrator, the Singer/Songwriter, or the Actress. I have been very lucky to be able to pursue art in almost every form it comes, and it started as most artists’ tales start – at a very early age.
I have been fascinated by art my entire life – from the time I was old enough to hold a crayon, I was drawing at every possible moment and I just added artistic hobbies from there. When my face wasn’t buried in a sketchbook, singing, writing, playing instruments and acting were my main creative outlets growing up.
I got involved in theater in middle school and found a home there for the next ten years. which is where my professional career started. I was a founding member of Fabrefaction Theatre Conservatory here in Atlanta and my love for theater ended up taking me to the Savannah College of Art and Design to study Performing Arts. Although as much as I loved acting, I couldn’t ignore the call of music any longer so I made the difficult decision to switch gears halfway through my degree program. Wanting to study music but not sure in what context, I was guided by my loves of learning and service, which led me to pursue Music Education at Shorter University. However, I quickly found that I was more passionate about individualized lessons than classroom teaching, so I recalibrated yet again and decided to give my last marketable skill a shot – illustration. My persistent exploration paid off, and 10 years after graduating high school, I received my undergraduate degree in Illustration with a concentration in Surface Design, which brings us to today. I am now a designer for the world’s largest gift packaging company, and on the weekends I teach lessons in singing, guitar, and piano while also writing music and performing with friends around the city. I definitely take a Jack-of-all-trades approach to life, which is exciting because it means I don’t have to confine my creative expression to just one outlet.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say it’s been a bumpy road to this point, for sure. As a young person trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do with your life, there’s a lot of pressure to sort everything out as quickly as possible and make a meaningful contribution. Just that pressure alone can be crushing. I have a lot of anxiety and struggled with an eating disorder for most of my college career, which was one of the reasons I ended up dropping out halfway through. Among other things, there was always a lot of financial struggle, a lot of redirection with school, a lot of moving around. I’m finally settled for the moment, which is very exciting and a huge relief, but it’s definitely been an uphill battle to get here.
If I were to share some advice with other women out there, especially the young ones, it would be: Be gentle with yourself. Life is hard enough as it is; don’t treat yourself in such a way as to add to the load. None of us really know what we’re doing, we’re all just figuring things out as each day comes, regardless of what it may look like on the outside. So be nice to yourself and be nice to those around you, too.
What should we know about Ampersyme? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At the moment, most of the work I do is illustration-related (although I am currently accepting new music students and will be recording my first EP in 2020!). My illustrations have most often been described as “sophisticated”, and that is always my goal as an illustrator. I want to create in someone a sense of peace and order when viewing my work. I think that’s why I enjoy making repeat patterns so much – the design process is logical and methodical, and you can play with scale and color palette to create different effects. Most of my illustration portfolio at the moment is Surface Design-based, so on my website you’ll see lots of pattern collections. I love to incorporate hand-lettering wherever I can. I think what sets my work apart is it’s chameleon-like quality of dipping a toe in lots of different art styles while being unified by the same basic motifs of bold contour lines and/or watercolor and mostly organic shapes. I hope to make a name for myself under a style somewhere in-between painterly and graphic.
Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
Growing up in a house where I was allowed and encouraged to draw and sing as much as I wanted was so incredibly important. I felt very safe as a kid to explore all the ideas I had knocking around in my head and was unanimously supported by extended family as well. There wasn’t a single birthday or Christmas for the first 18 years of my life when I wasn’t gifted some type of art supply or something music-related. I was very blessed to have a community of family and friends who supported my insatiable need to consume and create art however I could.
Also, you don’t have to pick just one thing to do with your life! 🙂 The world needs passionate people, and even if you have a lot of different passions I think you should give yourself permission to explore them!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ampersyme.com
- Email: amy@ampersyme.com (art inquiries) or amy.d.online@gmail.com (booking/music lessons inquiries)
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ampersyme or www.instagram.com/amydixonmusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ampersyme or www.facebook.com/amydixonmusic
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
