Carolyn Hawkins: Her playful experimentation

After our previous article centered around Melbourne-based artist Carolyn Hawkins, we reached out to her hoping to arrange an interview. This talk we had with Carolyn is the first of many we hope to have here at Lorem Ipsum as a new pillar for our site, giving creators a new outlet for them to express, connect and talk about their processes, their inspirations and their input on the industry and what they do. And we hope that after reading our Q&A with Carolyn, you become a fan of her and her work, just like us.

HER BACKGROUND

– When did you first start illustrating? You had a natural talent for it or did you have to practice to build your skillset?

Carolyn: I have always enjoyed drawing and using it as a way of communicating my inner world. I think that as a kid, drawing came to me more easily (I have memories of using bubble writing at every opportunity once I learnt how to do it in primary school), but I also spent a lot of time doing it. Like lots of kids, it wasn’t something I consciously tried to get good at. Instead it seemed to fulfill something inside me, and so I was attracted to it. It still fulfills that same feeling, of translating ideas into real tangible images, and the opportunity to experiment and be playful with unexpected results. Later on I went to art school to do printmaking, although that still didn’t involve heaps of formal drawing classes, and I probably wouldn’t say I’m a very technical drawer.

– What made you shift from music to illustration & design?

C: I still make music, and the two have always been entwined and developed alongside one another. I started doing illustration ‘projects’ because I was involved in music. In my earlier bands, I was the ‘arty’ one, so I would get lumped with doing posters, but I quickly realized I actually liked it and other people seemed to as well, so I’d put my hand up for more and more things like album art, merch, and music videos. It was a good way to experiment and play around with different ideas. Lately I’ve started thinking about the relationship between music and art, and the way that my visual work feeds into the music I make. I feel like I am better at coming up with songs when I have a strong visual concept or aesthetic idea for the project I’m working on. For the last few months I’ve felt in a bit of a musical rut, and I’ve started thinking that the way out might be to focus more on my art practice and visual experimentation, as a way of feeding the musical ideas. Maybe I’m wrong, but I do feel like there is a strong correlation between the two for me and it runs both ways.

HER PROCESS

– Music obviously plays an important role in both your life and your work. Do you feel inspired by music? Do you listen to music while working on your illustrations? Who’s on your playlist right now?

C: I guess I explored this a bit in the last question. But yeah, I do listen to music constantly when I work on stuff. I find that I often listen to instrumental or ambient stuff when I’m really trying to concentrate. My favorite albums right now for working are: Selbstportrait by Roedelius, Deluxe by Harmonia, and Heaps of Dorothy Ashby. For late night, Pure Guava by Ween always gets me into a strange headspace where good ideas seem to come easily. And of course any Bon Scott-era ACDC is always my go-to when I just need to shit done.

– Between working on fanzines, posters and album covers: let’s play ‘Fuck, Marry, Kill’ and please explain your choices.

C: Haha great question. I’d fuck fanzines – they’re fun for a for a short period, and then you move on to the next obsession. Posters are my first and forever love, so, marry. And kill, album covers – I just agonize over them, and by the end I want it to be over.

– How would you describe your work? What do you want others to take away from looking at one of your pieces?

C: I struggle with this because my work is all over the place. But I guess my guiding principles when making work are to be playful, tactile, and emphasize the feeling that my hand made it. I love being spontaneous in my work, and embracing ‘mistakes’ and wobbliness. In some of my more experimental work, like posters or other personal projects, I like creating a feeling of things holding on by a thread. I guess my work is anxious haha.

HER LIKES & DISLIKES

– We’re always eager to discover new artists at Lorem Ipsum, could you please recommend three contemporary artists that we and our audience should follow ASAP?

C: I have a tendency to live in the past: I’ve recently spent so much time looking up the quilts of Moki Cherry, the wall hangings of Norman Laliberté, and of course Sister Corita Kent is my all-time fave. But people that are currently living… I am constantly inspired by the work and creative processes of Olivia Gibb, Braulio Amado and Karl Nawrot.

– When you discover an artist that you like, do you share it with friends and colleagues or do you gatekeep it?

C: Always share. What’s the benefit of keeping it all to yourself?

– What’s a major turn off for you when it comes to art or design?

C: It’s probably an obvious answer, but just when someone has so closely mimicked another person’s work, or a design is so overtly trend-driven. But also, I’ve probably done both these things unknowingly at some point!

– Any upcoming projects for 2024? What do you want to embark on moving forward?

C: 2023 was a funny year – I kind of overloaded myself with art and non-art related things and I can’t really even remember the last time I worked on something for myself. 2024 will be about making more space for experimentation, and rediscovering my curiosity and excitement in the creative process. Who knows where I’ll end up.