Life and Work with Logan Spector

Today we’d like to introduce you to Logan Spector.

Logan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Art has always been my biggest interest, starting as far back as I can remember. I’ve always been fairly business-minded and achievement-motivated as well, so the decision to go to a commercially-oriented art school was an easy one. I pursued illustration at SCAD, and I’ve worked successfully as a freelance illustrator during the last two years since graduation.

However, during the last year, I began to feel emotionally worn out from my professional work. I was spending so much of my time on illustration projects for corporate illustration posts, magazines, and newspapers, and small ad campaigns — all of which were exciting and challenging projects in different ways — but the life-span of the final piece was always short-lived. I knew my work was being scrolled or flipped past like most consumable imagery, and I realized that my work was becoming disposable. I knew I needed to make something that felt more tangible and personal, or I’d risk burnout in my professional life.

I took a few weeks to actively reflect, and I realized that the work I was most excited about creating and adding to my portfolio were the things I was drawing in my free time (duh), and the illustrations for my illustrated lingerie blog, Wishful Inking. So, I saved some money, hatched a plan, and began working on a decadent (and totally inappropriate) scarf design to print on silk and sell, full of the kind of lewd imagery that I love, which was sorely missing in my professional work. I had no idea if people would buy it (or if many people other than me still even wore vintage-style scarves), but I knew that at the very least, it was a project that I had to get out of my system. Flash forward to now, and a lot of people are buying them, and a second design is in-progress?! Hell, yes. If that’s not a great reason to do the projects you want and worry about making it profitable later, I don’t know what is.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I haven’t hit any hurdles that I couldn’t overcome, but oh boy… launching Logandria has been full of obstacles, large and small! I’ve had to research and teach myself so many new skills, but the funniest and most fraught problem that I’ve had to tackle so far has been the logistical problem of where to ship the first batch of scarves to. I’m living in Indonesia this year, and if I ship them here, I risk high taxes and exorbitant “fees” (uh, bribes), the package being lost or stolen, imprisonment for intent to distribute “pornography,” or… all of the above! Haha. (In the end, I decided the best option was to just pay a friend in the US to receive the package and fulfill online orders for me, even though Indonesian jail time for my gay scarves would make a pretty cool story.)

Anyways, all of that is really just to remind people that even when things look easy or glamorous online, there are always struggles happening behind the scenes. As you encounter problems with your own hustles, remember to take a deep breath, list out possible outcomes in your head and on paper, and come up with a solution and a few backup solutions just in case. And, when you yourself are the architect of hurdles in your way, remember to be kind and forgiving to yourself — mistakes are a great way to learn things.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My primary source of income is as a freelance illustrator, where my work is rather tame and professional, but my illustrated silk scarf business, Logandria, is slowly taking over… which I am incredibly happy about! I also run an illustrated lingerie blog as a hobby (which is mostly just an over-inflated excuse to draw even more pretty ladies in sumptuous lingerie and loungewear).

Personally, I’m most proud of my technical abilities with color, composition, and rich detail, as well as the modern homage I secretly pay to my favorite works of classical art, sculpture, objects, and textiles throughout history. However, within the online spaces that I share my work, I think I’m probably best known for my focus on femininity, sexuality, fantastical garments and settings, and most importantly, the imagery of women as icons and in positions of power. Luscious fantasy plays a big role in my work, but so does realism — so, almost all of my women are lovingly adorned with stretch marks, soft flesh, and body hair. These are all things that I personally find really sensual and beautiful, but I don’t often see these details in a lot of other lingerie-focused imagery, so it’s important to me that I include it in my work, and I’ve been really happy to learn that these details feel really important to the people that view my work, too.

I’m also pretty involved in the online lingerie community (err, fan club may be a better word), and I’ve enjoyed building online friendships based on mutual appreciation and interests with many kind and creative women in that industry. Plus, a lot of my work features lingerie by many of those designers. It feels like the overlap between the lingerie community and the illustration community is a pretty small one, so I feel honored that I get to bridge that gap and collaborate and trade with so many awesome people in both communities.

Right now, I’m working on an exciting collaboration with award-winning lingerie designer, Karolina Laskowska, themed on Greek mythology, witchcraft, and the goddess Hecate. She’s designed a truly luxurious collection of couture lingerie and corsetry, and I’m working on a silk scarf that features those designs. I can’t wait to see the scarf and lingerie worn together!

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
I may be wrong, but I think that achievement has way more to do with grit, passion, and perseverance, rather than pre-existing expertise or any inherent “talent” that success is often (and in my opinion, wrongly) attributed to. Learning is part of the process of all big things in life, and I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you want to do something, you should just buck up and do it, and learn as you go. And sure, it’s good to spend time planning and thinking before jumping into a project (especially if money is involved), but I’d also caution against too much planning. Don’t let planning become the enemy of doing, and don’t let perfection become the enemy of “hey, it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty fucking great.”

Another piece of advice I’d like to offer is a reminder to ask for help or advice when you need it. We all need help or guidance at some point or another, and there’s no shame in asking for it — and giving people in your circle the opportunity to feel valued, experienced, and helpful through sharing their expertise is a beautiful thing. And, as your own successes grow and you become more experienced in your field, remember to look behind you and offer help to people who are where you once were. Work hard, be kind, ask for help, and help others.

Pricing:

• Garden Party Silk Scarf – $180 with complimentary gift wrapping and shipping
• Professional work and commission pricing on request

Contact Info:

• Website: www.logandria.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/logandria
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/logandriashop
• Other: www.loganspector.com

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.