Conversations with Ruby Silberman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruby Silberman.

Hi Ruby, 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 was born and raised in New York City. I’ve been drawing since I was really little, and always known that I wanted to be an artist, though I wasn’t certain what kind I would be. I went to Jewish day school until college, and I started doing art afterschool programs in middle school. In high school I was president of the art club, and at my first college (which was a liberal arts school) I was majoring in Studio Art. But I knew that I needed to get a more specialized degree and I dreamt of going to art school, so I transferred to SCAD. Studying illustration has been life changing and amazing. I’ve learned so much in my three years at SCAD, I’ve had incredible opportunities like studying abroad, participating in student showcases, having my work submitted to competitions, illustrating a children’s book, and more. I am graduating and so excited to see what the future holds for me as I return home to NYC and really get started with my career.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Just like anyone, I have had some difficult experiences. Fortunately, I have been able to learn and grow from them. At my first college, I unfortunately faced some antisemitism and harassment. I transferred schools not because of that but to receive a more specialized degree, but those experiences were really scary. My fear when I transferred was actually more around that the people who were harassing me would feel emboldened, and that the other Jewish students would continue to have problems. At SCAD, I’ve been fortunate to not experience anything like that. I did struggle a bit with adjusting to being so far from home, and also learning how to be an illustrator rather than a painter, because it’s a very different mentality than I was used to, but I’m very thankful that those were my biggest struggles academically.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an illustrator and I primarily specialize in illustration for publication – so that means mainly book covers and children’s books – and I also do some surface design, which is mostly pattern design. I also love making postcards, album covers, posters, and more. My style is very painterly, flowy, and colorful. I like working digitally and traditionally, and I want my work to always have that traditional, painted, textured feeling to it. I love depicting nature as much as I can, whether that’s landscapes or plants or animals or the sky, it’s a huge source of inspiration for me.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
There are many ways I think about success in my career. I want my work to inspire people, so if it does, then that is success. I want to create a lot of art and have lots of opportunities, so when I have work, that is success. And I want to be proud of my work, so when I am happy with a piece, that is success, too!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rubyleah.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubyleahart/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-silberman/