Illustrator and designer Libby VanderPloeg grew up wanting to be everything: a comedian, an actress, a fashion designer, a magazine editor, an author, and, of course, an artist and illustrator.
“I sometimes wish that I had figured out that I could be a professional illustrator a little sooner instead of stepping around the edges for so long, career-wise,” she admitted in an interview with The House That Lars Built. “But I’m really thankful for all of the design and professional skills I developed in my career leading up to running my illustration studio.”
Now, she channels her creative passion through her illustrations and gifs, that stem out of a deep affinity for storytelling, music, letterforms, printed ephemera, and wildlife. And with clients that include Netflix, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, on top of over 63k followers on Instagram, it’s clear she made the right career choice.
“When I starting thinking about what I really wanted my career to be, I told myself it needed to be something I wouldn’t want to retire from,” she explained. “I mean, I would love to be at a point where I can get super picky about the work I do, but I wouldn’t want to stop illustrating. Then again, I do have some large project-y things I’d like to add to my life down the line, but I’m not quite ready to share those schemes out loud yet!”
