Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Sanford.
Hi Adam, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am an illustrator, author and art educator based in North Georgia. As an illustrator, I have worked with actors, performers, conventions, photographers and media companies across the country and internationally. There are a lot of diverse things I do that are all connected under one big art umbrella!
I’ve created illustrations for books, websites, magazines, t-shirts, stickers, and any other products for which clients need images. My work has also been shown and sold in galleries and art auctions. Over the last couple years, I have illustrated quite a few children’s books!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think everything that is worth doing has some struggle involved. You really can’t achieve your goals without dealing with setbacks and failures, but that’s how you learn to handle yourself in situations that don’t go as planned. In my experience, it’s been a winding path to where I am now, but I have been blessed in my career to have always worked in creative roles: design, photography, videography, and now primarily illustration. When you work in these kinds of jobs, you deal with a lot of uncertainty and, especially in the early parts of the career, a lot of people that don’t understand what you are trying to achieve and aren’t always supportive. You have to be a bit fearless if you want to work in a creative industry and sometimes, the people around you try to help you cure that fearlessness with doses of concern and worry. “What are you going to do with that degree?” How will you make any money?” “Don’t you think you need to get a real job?” Most of the time, these are people that care about you but don’t know how to support you and are afraid for you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a freelance illustrator, I get to work on a lot of different things! I have worked for some big companies, small businesses, and even individuals to draw whatever they need! If you look at my work I think you can see my personal style, but when I work for clients I work in whatever style is required for the project, so I consider myself pretty versatile. I work digitally sometimes, traditionally other times, and sometimes I combine the two together. I love taking an idea and interpreting it visually, and I enjoy adding little touches here and there to really tell a story in an image.
I am most proud of my work as a children’s book illustrator. In the last two years, I have had the opportunity to work on some books with special meanings behind them. My own book, titled Samuel Shootingstar, was born out of tragedy, but it is full of color and vibrancy! The story is about Samuel, a shooting star, who is helping his new friend Luna find a new home in their galaxy after the destruction of her old one. I poured so much of myself into this book and illustrated it with my whimsy setting on high! The book was released by Jumpmaster Press in March 2022. It’s about feeling small in a big universe but incorporates themes of friendship, adventure, and hope. The other project, which just released in July 2022, is a book titled Tic & Twitch: A Story About Tourette Syndrome. Written by Melissa Mederos, this book helps explain Tourette’s Syndrome from a kid’s perspective. My late brother-in-law was a bearer of Tourette’s and dealt with the misconceptions that many people have about the condition. It meant so much to illustrate a project that will help children and families learn about what it really entails!
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have learned not to force anything! I have to do my part to ask for what I need and look for opportunities that are best for me, my career, and my family. However, anytime I have tried to force something to happen that wasn’t meant for me, I have found that I am miserable. This means I allow myself to be open to opportunities that are a great fit and work my tail off to do good work, but on the flip side, I have to let things go that don’t work out!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adamsanford.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamsanfordart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdamSanfordIllustration
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamSanfordArt
- Other: scbwi.adamsanford.com
Image Credits
Annie Harrow
