We had the good fortune of connecting with Lucie Van der Elst and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lucie, how do you think about risk?
That is such a wonderfully complex question! It feels a little weird to talk about risk-taking in these trying times, when uncertainty seems to lurk around every corner.

Defining risk means you also have to define failure, and define success.

Fear of taking risks means fear of failure. Does it also mean fear of success?
First you have to set goals. Then think about what failure would mean in relation to these goals. It means different things for different people.

If the goal is generating extra revenue for your family because your partner lost their job, there will be less tolerance for risk than let’s say, someone who wants to develop a wider audience but has a comfortable revenue.
The stakes are different.

Therefore, “Trusting your guts” may not for everyone. You must have a pretty realistic idea of what I call the failure/success spectrum. What if your project is successful but not as much as you had expected? What if it goes way beyond your wildest dreams? What if it’s a total bust, how do you recoup the expenses? What could go wrong? What is the absolute worst case scenario?

That being said, being too conservative means that you might pass on some life-altering moments. Risk, failure and success (and everything in-between) is shaping who you are. To me the biggest failure is to take no risk at all. Don’t sit on your butt like some people I know.

Sometimes, you just have to take a big leap of faith and just go see what’s on the other side.

I was raised to be very cautious and taught not to make waves, not to cause trouble. On the other hand, given my family history, I wouldn’t even be here if my great grandparents hadn’t taken huge risks, crossing borders in search of a safe place. I try to remember this each time I feel like I’m doubting my life choices. I am so grateful to be here, and even though I’m pretty careful in my day to day life, I also want to challenge myself in honor of my ancestors.

In 2016 it was my turn to move. I took a big « risk » and uprooted my whole life, leaving family and friends voluntarily to relocate to the United States.
I followed my heart and my guts, for the person I love but also for a city that fascinated me since I was a kid : Chicago.

This was a risk, since I did not know how I could make it there, as an artist. But because the job system is different and the scene is so vibrant in Chicago, I was lucky enough to find people who trusted me to work with them, almost on the fly. They didn’t know me, they just thought they’d give me a chance. In a way, they were the ones taking a risk!
Since I moved to the US, I got used to feeling slightly uncomfortable all the time, navigating a new system, another culture, another history, another language. And without even realizing it at first, I had to rewire my brain entirely.

Every conversation is a risk of me forgetting a word or pronouncing something wrong, or tell a joke that doesn’t land. But people are forgiving and very patient. It pushes me to embrace things I don’t know, start up conversations even if I feel uneasy about my accent, vocabulary and grammar, accept that it won’t be perfect and that’s ok.
Many people are doing this everyday, living a life full of challenges without being noticed, being taken for granted. I’m one of the lucky ones for whom having an accent is not discriminatory. I think about it every day.

That can be mentally draining at times but as years go by it has become a strength, and this state of mind got infused into my artwork.
I’m on a tightrope, oscillating between unease and self-acceptance.
When it comes to showing my work,
I need to accept to take the risk of it being imperfect, since the only perfect piece of art only exists…in our imagination!

As many people say, failure as part of the process, even if it stings a lot. Don’t be afraid to appear ridiculous or feeling judged. Apart from some nasty corners of the internet, most people do mind their own business, quite literally.
And if you faceplant a couple times, that’s ok too. Sometimes showing your portfolio to an art director feels like confessing your love to a crush. It might very well be non-reciprocal…but you move on!

Having a good sense of humor helps you deal with rejection, and helps you shape a different perspective for the next steps.

I stopped waiting/expecting for success- because countless times, I thought this would be “it”, when you are arriving and good things will follow, but things just got back to normal and it’s ok. I forgot where I read that, but we are all constantly arriving. The world is a big train station.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I graduated from a pretty fancy public art school in Paris (ENSAD), in product design and I guess it wasn’t exactly the “highway to success” as one might expect.For me at least. Mostly because I went on this trip to the United States in 2011, a few months after graduating. I traveled by train through the Rockies, from San Francisco to New York and met incredible people along the way, and the vibrant zine scene in Chicago inspired me to reconnect with illustration and drawing. Upon my return I started a magazine called SIC with my buddies Marie Aubry and Julien Croyal, and had a few exhibitions along with the magazine.
And while I was working in a bookstore by night at La Hune, by day I was redeveloping my style, working on some drawings, or preparing window displays in papercut.

I love everything weird and wonderful. Everything that is beyond comprehension.
In school we were reading about Sigmund Freud’s concept of “inquiétante étrangeté” (a disquieting strangeness) – through my drawings I wanted to turn this idea around around and talk about “rassurante étrangeté” (a comforting strangeness) : something you don’t know with but attracted to. Out of this world, yet strangely familiar.

Because I didn’t study illustration in school, I have this feeling that it will never be quite fitting for mainstream media maybe a little too strange looking.  After a while (and a lot of trial and error) I’ve decided to really own it and make it into a strength. One of the greatest compliments I get from people is “Oh, we saw this and recognized you right away!

My resume goes in all kinds of directions but almost twelve (!) years after graduating, it only started making sense now.

What lessons have I learned? Hmmmm…
The first thing coming to mind is time management.
However long you estimate your project to take, always multiply this number by 3.5.
You think it’s going to take an hour? Thats the best case scenario. Always budget your time for the worst case scenario 🙂

If you work with other people, be reliable. Be on time. Not only for your clients but for your colleagues and teammates.

Be ridiculously honest, and know your reaction to pressure !!!! (Tight deadlines, big projects etc)
It’s a big taboo in the US but I think more people should be vulnerable when they can, and be honest about how they feel. If a situation makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to say it before it’s too late. Being honest is being reliable.

Be generous but not naïve. If you can, always go the extra mile on a project, but the moment you see the tiniest bit of someone taking advantage of your eagerness to please, back off, and set strong boundaries.

Lastly…don’t be a jerk. Don’t play solo. If there’s a truck to unload or something, if you have the physical ability to help, don’t hesitate.

Work towards building your community.

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.
Back in 2017 I made a map of Chicago for my friend Julien, who was visiting. I pointed at all the fun places, restaurants, dive bars, galleries and quirky shops I could think of! I still share it with friends when they come visit.
It’s actually amazing how much culture is free in Chicago . Sadly many outdoors festivals didn’t happen for the past couple of years during the pandemic but one of my favorite is the world music festival , featuring artists and instruments from all around the world. There’s of course the Blues festival where you can be sure to dance, be swept away and cry your heart out all in one day.
Lots of other free and interesting places include The Chicago Cultural Center with its incredible architecture and history ,The museum of Mexican art, the Design Museum of Chicago, the Smart Museum of Art…

And if you’re a maker and a thrifter, there’s everything you need at The Wasteshed to get started on an art project, if you need some specialty equipment you can go rent a tool at The Chicago Tool Library and be completely blown away by their catalogue.
And of course you can always come visit me at the Itty Bitty Mini m(art) and discover our showroom-miniature mall featuring countless items of
Eighties nostalgia, vintage electronics and all things mini!

If you come to Chicago on the third friday of the month, you will be right on time for the Bridgeport Art Center’s open studios. Make sure you go up to the fourth floor and check out Project Onward, a nonprofit art studio and gallery that supports Chicago visual artists living with mental and developmental disabilities. You can meet the artists and talk to them about their work and and their creative process. The dreamy landscapes by Louis DeMarco, Shandrewick Key’s delicate flying creatures (Kagoras) and the overall creativity of the studio are a sight to behold!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Of course my weird parents play a big role in this – they are both incredibly talented and underrated. Not only they make art as they breathe, but they are still, to this day, marveling at the world, through books, new languages and walks through the woods.

Whenever I talk to my dad on the phone, he is always excited to tell me about the found object artwork he is working on, or some tree phenomenon he has seen or read about.

My wonderful mom is always trying something new and of course she smashes it, be it inventing a recipe from scratch, etching,  electronic music, learning Finnish, or translating a whole biography just because she felt the urge to do it. When we talk on the phone, the conversation ranges from a piece of music that moved her to cat videos to climate change to the latest images from the James Webb telescope.

But I would also like to give a big shoutout to the community of zine makers in Chicago. Their dedication to independent publishing and storytelling in every way shape or form is a big inspiration.
I would also like to shout a big thank you to my boss Margie Criner from the Itty Bitty Mini (m)art, for having me onboard and allowing me to live my childhood dream and make miniatures all day, with my apron, my tweezers and a pair of +2 reading glasses!

Website: https://www.lucie-vanderelst.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucie.van.der.elst/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucie-van-der-elst-b3571223/

Image Credits
Maren Celest.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.