Meet Alison Auditore | Visual Artist & Illustrator

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

Hi Alison, how do you think about risk?
It’s interesting that “risk” so often seems to be associated with an undertone of danger. Even now, when I hear the word I think about extremes, like going all in in a poker game, or jumping out of a plane. But for me risk has become an important part of my career and my artistic journey. I can’t count how many times I’ve sang to myself, “Why not take a crazy chance?” I knew starting a business would be risky, I knew moving across the country would be risky, and I knew taking a step back from faster paced art work and investing a much larger bulk of my time and resources into one large project would be risky. At the turning point of each decision I weighed my options and moved forward because I knew I would rather have tried and failed than have not tried at all. An important part of that decision for me is that if I’ve failed, I’ve at least learned something, and that experience will help me move forward. Getting comfortable stepping into circumstances like these where I don’t have a guaranteed outcome has helped me grow as an artist and as a person.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Every person has that one anecdote, that one story that they think, “Wow I could write a book about that” or something to that effect. Those moments and feelings are what inspire my art. I’m very passionate about using them to create a visual narrative of the human experience. My process plays a huge part in that as well. Hand drawing these very fine details contributes to the intimacy of the subjects I’m working with. It has definitely been a challenging experience. Throughout my time obtaining my BFA and in the years that followed, I wrestled a lot with whether or not the work I’m making was important enough. I knew I loved it, but getting to a point where I felt confident sharing it and talking about it was it’s own process. Not to mention the non-creative lessons that needed to be learned, like pricing work, owning a business, and marketing myself! I’ve learned to trust myself and to slow down when I need to. A few extra hours of planning goes a long way. My work has always been inspired by commonalities among humans and as we move forward I have many more stories to tell with my work!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would absolutely start by taking them out to Sedona for a few beautiful hikes! While there we’d stop in at the Open Range Grill & Tavern for some great food and a view! We would also have to visit the Phoenix Art Museum and spend the day taking in all the amazing exhibits. While there, we’d stop by Pigtails for a few drinks. I’d take them bowling in Old Town Scottsdale and finish the trip near home in Downtown Chandler. We’d have to get some lunch at Charm Thai and stop in at each shop either for a drink or a souvenir.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to recognize my husband and best friend Michael Auditore! At every step of me endeavors he has encouraged, supported, and inspired me to aim high and believe in myself.

Website: alisonstillaround.com

Instagram: @stillaroundillustrations

Twitter: @stillaroundArt

Facebook: Still Around Illustrations

Youtube: Alison Auditore

Image Credits
Jasmine Payton