Meet Allison Heistand-Phelps | Illustrative Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Heistand-Phelps and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
In a childhood memory, a psychologist gave me the Rorschach inkblot test and I was immediately fascinated that there was no “correct” way to describe something within each ambiguous inkblot–whatever I saw in it was valid, that it could evoke stories, thoughts, associations, emotions, even memories. Ever since then, I have fixated on the interplay of graphic design and art history, symbolism, and visual trends which have fueled me to continue to research and absorb the wisdom of each “visual language” (art/design styles), right down to the individual. I spent the last decade in service to the community as a trauma-informed art therapist and mental health professional, treating individuals with a wide spectrum of life experiences, identities, and each with their own visual language. One of my favorite parts of being an art therapist was creating empathy art for clients, art that communicated my empathy for my clients and their individual experiences.

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love researching art and graphic design history, different art mediums, and practicing art and illustrative design myself. Because of this, I find so much joy in helping individuals and brands make an emotional connection with their audience and communities through creative solutions, whether it be designing for events, advertising, uplifting a brand, etc. I am so excited to now amplify the power of each discipline and technique through their interplay in my freelance illustrative design business, Inkblottr (Allison Heistand-Phelps Illustrative Design LLC).

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art and illustrative design practice focuses on building an affirming and safe space for a wide spectrum of emotions and thoughts to take form through line, shape, color, and typography. It is led by a deep curiosity about the worlds and experiences around and within myself and others. I love research so much and it influences my work. I am inspired by symbolism, the beauty in each art form, archetypes, and psychology. I hope to get back into unconventional materials for my custom art and design soon at Inkblottr, my freelance illustrative design business.

I pivoted my career and started my BFA in Illustrative Design right before the pandemic. I was an art therapist and mental health professional for 10 years, and needed a chance to use even more of my untapped creativity to share with others. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it means the world to me to be able to be creative everyday.

I had my heart on a career of helping people through the arts so I got my start volunteering with the children at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence in Boulder and worked on my BA in Psychology & Visual Arts at Naropa University and later my MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, concentration in Art Therapy, there. I provided therapeutic and transformative art experiences to individuals with varying abilities to communicate verbally the impact of their experiences, from children with post-traumatic stress to adults with aphasia.

Providing art therapy and support to children with post-traumatic stress was powerful for me, and so I would create “empathy art”, the art of my perceived portal into their inner worlds. I’ve carried this practice into my current discipline– whether I’m illustrating song lyrics or using evocative design elements to tell complex and nuanced stories.

With the adults with aphasia art mentorship group, I learned how important visual language was to communicating with everyone and the beauty and need for accessibility. Communicating through art really is powerful, good design makes that possible. It’s exciting to have my door open (metaphorically/remotely) at Inkblottr to provide illustrative design and art services.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Queer-inclusive bar Blush & Blu on East Colfax, love the karaoke! Red Rocks to see upcoming concerts like Hozier and Janelle Monae–nothing like a natural amphitheater to listen to them! I also love to draw amongst the flowers at Denver Botanic Gardens–botany is very inspiring to me. We also must see Yvie Oddly at some point. She is so stunningly talented and teaches me so much about art!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this to the art and design educators out there who have supported me as I grew and transformed as an artist and illustrative designer finding and honing my creative voice and vision: Monica Urbanik (high school art teacher in Madison, Wisconsin) and Sue Hammond West (Naropa University) who encouraged me to uncover my artistic voice, and the three Graphic Design professors at RMCAD: Jay Hollick, Shelby Huckabay, & Jim Reiman) who run the AIGA group at RMCAD; for supporting and preparing me in my transformation from art therapist to confident illustrative designer.

Website: www.inkblottr.com

Instagram: inkblottr.design

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonhpdesign/

Image Credits
Allison Heistand-Phelps