Alexis Lund

Alexis Lund is an artist and designer from Minneapolis, MN. She is currently attending the University of Minnesota to study graphic design.  Alexis has a strong passion and creativity for photo, video, design, and dance. We discovered her work on Instagram and reached out to hear more about what she creates. 

Q: Why do you make art?

I like to make art for other people. I have always loved giving personalized gifts or creating something for a client. If it makes other people feel happy, it makes me feel happy. I love the saying “art is for yourself, and design is for other people.” I pursue both of those things and I think they are both very important.

Q: How did you start making art?

As a child, I had always loved arts and crafts. My next-door neighbor and I would always get together and create stuff with whatever we could find around the house. I was really into coloring books or doodling on my worksheets at school. When I got into high school, I was introduced to photography and video, which has really expanded my passion.

Q: What elements inspires you and your work?

In my photography, surrealism, architecture, and the element of time really inspire my work. In video, movement and musicality play a huge role, which came from my love of dance. In my design work, I like to play around with color and geometry.

Q: What themes do you pursue?

In my personal artwork, I like to make unnatural things that make the mind surprised or think a little bit. I also think it’s very important for my work to be eye-catching. I want people to want to get closer after their first glance or double take what they are looking at. Some notice more things over time.

Q: What mediums do you enjoy working with most? Why?

I am truly a digital person because I think it is very time efficient and easier to work with. I would like to experiment with a combination of hands on stuff and digital in the future. I love the idea of using a scanner to bring physical art into digital.

Q: What is your most important tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?

My most important tool is my camera and the Adobe Suite. I could not create my stuff without Photoshop and Illustrator.

Q: What message do you try to communicate through your work?

I personally don’t have a lot of meaning with my work, its more about how “readable” it is to the viewer I’m portraying it to. Sometimes it is just to look good, and other times it is to get a point from A to B. If I had to choose one meaning that is always in the back of my mind, it’s to show life from a different perspective.

Q: How do you know when a work is finished?

I usually have a vision in my head before I create something. When that vision comes to life, that’s when I know it is finished.

Q: What do you like about your work?

I like that my work reflects my personality. I love to have a “style” that just seems like me. For clients, I try to do work that fits their style but also have elements in there that make it unique to me.

 Q: What's the first artwork you ever sold?

I did my first art show back in October 2017 and sold some prints. Before that, most of my work was from freelancing and school projects.

Q:  What's the last artwork you purchased for yourself?

I purchased a few notebooks with someone’s graphic art online. Having others work on the cover makes it special and sometimes sparks some of my own ideas.

 Q: What is your dream job if you could choose anything?

I absolutely love the job that I currently have: being able to do photo, video, and design work for a dance competition that I grew up going to. I also think it would be cool to be an art director or start my own company that helps brands other companies.

Q: Name three artists you are inspired by.

I am inspired by so many artists through many forms of art, it is too hard to narrow them down. I follow hundreds of artists on Instagram and Pinterest, I love to see what others can create and even take some inspiration from them.

Q: Why is living tobacco-free important to you?

I like to live tobacco free for my personal health and for the health of others around me. There are no positive benefits for having tobacco in my life.

 Follow her on Instagram and check out her website to stay updates on her latest works!