Erin Robinson

S&H editor Ben Nussbaum spoke with Brooklyn-based artist Erin Robinson about the corporate world, digital art, and her evolution as an illustrator.

- Ben Nussbaum

You had high-pressure jobs in fashion, right?

Erin: Yeah, I did. I started off in women’s wear and then most of my career was in designing children’s clothing—newborn, infant, and toddler. And I also worked in television doing costume design.

How long have you been making art full-time?

About four years.

Is it something you were always pointing toward, or did you think you would spend your career in the corporate world?

When I was a little girl, I always said I wanted to be a fashion designer, a children’s book illustrator, or a veterinarian. Somehow two of those things I’ve done. Being me, I didn’t think I could make it as an illustrator. I remember a little girl I used to play with, she told me I couldn’t sit around and draw all day. That stuck with me for a while ... but clearly changed.

Of course when you’re in corporate, when you start moving up the ladder, the less creative it becomes. I just got to the point where I was like, “I think I’m done with this.” I took a sabbatical from my job and went and traveled ... just to sort of reset.