Meet Tierney Milne | Artist, Designer + Art Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tierney Milne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tierney, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started my professional design, illustration and Art Direction career working for Lululemon full-time, not even dreaming that it would be realistic to start a business and work for myself as a freelance artist. After a year of juggling personal client work in the evenings, weekends and Holidays I realized I was busy enough with personal work and it would be worth it to take the leap. I had saved up through my 9 to 5 design job and lined up upcoming projects to allow myself to try it out and see how it went for 6 months. I’ve now been freelancing for 5 years full-time, and the projects only get larger and more challenging/fulfilling.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a Vancouver-based artist and muralist that loves to focus on interrupting people’s day with positivity, regardless of what medium I’m using. I earned my degree in Psychology (UBC) and Illustration and Design (CapilanoU) and combine both to arm myself with a keen interest in how simple shapes and colours affect our wellbeing. I get a thrill out of whimsically intentional compositions, bold palettes and vibrant patterns to bring my work to life and brighten peoples’ day. Whether through public murals, tactile installations, stop motion videos or 3D lettering, my main goal is to inject a sense of child-like wonder and create joy for viewers. It’s never been easy to pursue artwork, but artwork has always been something I’ve gotten joy from; It’s been a life-long process to see the value in my light-hearted pieces and appreciate the value that it can bring to people’s lives. I grew up thinking that artwork had to be “serious” to be taken seriously, and it’s been cathartic and freeing to see that there is strength is simplicity and creating breathing room through colour.

Select previous clients include Today at Apple, McDonalds Canada, NBA, Foot Locker, Lululemon, Facebook, UBC, Belgian Moon, Panago, Earls, Credit Unions of BC and more, with work in mural festivals in Vancouver, Winnipeg and San Diego.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am such a hermit-mode introvert as are most of my artist friends, but there are definitely a few spots in town that will tempt me out no matter what!

For food + vibes, The Eatery in Kitsilano/near UBC is incredibly chaotic and full of gem-toned eye candy and fun menu items. For views, I would take people to Beer Island near Olympic Village to wander around and sit by the water to watch the world pass by. For art and culture, I would likely avoid all of the typical down-town spots and take them on a wander through Mount Pleasant to check out Mural Festival murals before heading to an art opening at Slice of Life gallery.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I never would have been able to take the jump into the world of Mural artwork without the support of Drew Young, a local artist, muralist and Co-founder/Co-Curator of the Vancouver Mural Festival. Drew (Andrew) gave me a shot out-of-the-blue to create artwork for the mural festival, a challenge that seemed completely terrifying and daunting. Without his support and mentorship, I likely would have never tried or sustained my work with murals; These mural projects have taken me across the country, for dream clients I could have never imagined working for.

I try to continue passing along that knowledge and support and opportunities for learning when I meet local artists who are curious about trying their hand at murals but feel intimidated.

Website: www.tierneymilne.com

Instagram: @tierneymilne

Image Credits
Dylan Hamm