STLSPEXWe are excited to welcome Amber Williams at STL-SPEx this year and to check out some of her work.
Tell us a little about yourselves; what makes you tick, and what makes your publications tick?
My name is Amber Williams. I was born and raised in St. Louis and am a recent graduate of Webster University. I studied animation and minored in art but my main focus currently is in illustration. Simply being able to express myself through colors and lines and sharing that with people with similar interests is what drives me to keep creating. To be honest, comics are completely new to me. I’ve read and enjoyed them but never really tried a hand at them until this past year. Learning about comics and creating them has opened my eyes up to a wonderful way of storytelling.
What drew you to creating, publishing, editing and presenting your projects?
I think it’s easy to say your friends or family or teachers are who got you to where you are today but I know a big factor is also myself. I’ve been creating art for so long and when the concept of sharing that art online became a thing it seemed second nature to want to create more and more. Seeing and reading other artist’s works is what ultimately inspired me to venture off into trying out these new things.
What do you think of the relationship between publishing (what you do) and reaching an audience of readers?
In my opinion, it feels like a very symbiotic relationship. When you find that niche where you enjoy creating art for a certain theme and then have others who enjoy that and encourage you to make more, that’s when it really feels like you’re doing something. It’s fun creating art, but it isn’t so fun when you can’t share it with people and without an audience we wouldn’t even have events like this.
Can you tell us about your creative, editorial, and collaborative process?
I’m pretty new to all of this but like any artist tons of planning and sketches, figuring out what works and doesn’t work – trial and error. And lots of coffee.
What would you have told your younger self about what you are doing? and What do you hope your older self might tell the you of today?
I would have told my younger self that you get so much better than where you are at now and you’re going to get to that point where you appreciate everything you draw. That making others proud of yourself is good, but being proud of your own work is better. And for my future self, I’d hope she say you’ve accomplished way more than you imagine and you’ll continue to do so.
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