Meet Tori Davis | Fantasy Illustrator

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

Hi Tori, why did you pursue a creative career?
Most people assumed I would go into art, but at the beginning I never really cared or thought much about it. At the time I made art because I love it and for no other reason. It wasn’t until I started imagining myself in a job where I realized art was more than just a passion. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I realized I had to create for the rest of my life. Even if the job might not be the most inspiring thing ever, I knew I wouldn’t care. It’s just something I’m meant to do. And I know I’m lucky to be able to say that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from others? Well, currently it’s my freedom of being able to play with different mediums and subject matter. I don’t have a huge following which has its pros. The smaller spotlight means I have a lot of room to experiment without worrying about losing engagement or followers because I felt like doing something different. I know a lot of big-name artists who worry about doing anything different because of their massive following. Artist shouldn’t be restricted from experimenting because that’s how we discover things that could potentially better.

I’m most excited about my developing web comic. It’s been a lot slower process thanks to college classes, a part-time job, family life, and commissions. So having time to develop my personal projects has been rough. I’m stubborn though so I’ll get it done.

I give my best in my career. Not every fiber of me, because I need a life outside of work, but no one can give me grief as long as I do my best through hard work and time dedicated to developing my skills. It’s not easy. Often times I think “Wow, I suck. I should quit.” However, I find those things are just blockades, doubt, or excuses my brain gives me, so I politely ignore those thoughts. I guess that’s the lesson here. Fear of failure is what’s going to keep you back. But failure is such a strong word. Failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s how we learn. It’s how we realize “Oh I shouldn’t do that again.” Once you’ve trained you brain to have a healthy attitude towards failing you can turn it into a growth hormone. Use your failures as a steppingstone to get better and develop yourself. Don’t let your failures become you. Failure is a tool not a personality trait.

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?
I’m the kinda person who goes to places far away from people when I want to go somewhere fun. So, unfortunately I can’t recommend the city since I’m not experienced with all the places there. No, my favorite places all reside in the mountains. Golden to me just happens to be the pretty gateway to all those fun places. Meeker however is my favorite place to visit since it’s not a very well-known place by most people. It’s this town that’s closest to my favorite cabins, hiking, fishing, and scenery spots (also hunting for people who are into that).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Of course, my family gets the biggest praise to my efforts. There are so many potential artists who never get to develop because they are surrounded by an unsupportive family. My family was almost too supportive. I doubted myself a lot and they were always the first people to shoot that down.

“Stop saying you’re a potential artist. If you want to be an artist than be an artist.” Is something my dad would say often. That being said my family never sugar coated anything. They told me it wasn’t an easy career to get into, but my life has never been easy, so I wasn’t scared. Especially since despite the difficult career, my family only ever supported my dreams.

My friends get the close second shoutout. They’re too nice. They made me, the social outcast, feel like I have a place where I belong. And because so many of them are also creative in their own ways they give me so much amazing feedback, criticism, and inspiration that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

And lastly shoutout to the Navigators on the UCD campus. These guys took me under their wing without a thought and though they are not an artist group they gave me a safe place to practice and grow in my personal beliefs and I surely cannot say that about every group.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomboy_reflections/