Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Miles Lockett.
Hi, Tyler Miles; we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been a passionate artist since childhood, drawing comics, heroes, and fantasy themes. Growing up in the 1980s-1990s, fantasy films, animation, and video games influenced me through my teen years. After high school, I attended Parsons School of Design in New York City and received my B.A. In Illustration. Living in New York City for 7 years opened my eyes to international world cultures, and I knew I wanted to travel. After living and working in Shanghai for one year on the video game “Alice: Madness Returns,” I became serious about world travel, and over the last 12 years, I have lived in over 14 countries, ranging from Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Vietnam, and Greece. I am currently enjoying living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and, with my business partner, setting up a Creative multimedia edutainment Studio to promote world culture literature, “Lockett Studio.”
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was fortunate to have parents who supported my artistic path, so I think the struggle for me over the years has been finding my work ethic, discipline, and time management to allow me to improve my craft to a point where it’s at a top-tier level. Making my art my priority has resulted in some personal sacrifices for time for fun and thriving social life. But even in my senior year of high school, I remember choosing to stay home on Friday nights to build up my portfolio for art school applications rather than be out partying with friends. So, I’ve always had a clear vision of my goal and mission to achieve excellence in my craft. There is always something to sacrifice. No matter which path we choose, knowing our priorities is an excellent way to see the path. My priority has always been creating mind-blowing art.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As the founder of “Lockett Studio,” our mission is to offer educational art content in an immersive and dynamic way that makes learning about world cultures fun and exciting. We are currently finishing up our first book, “Greek Gods and Heroes,” which will take the reader into the complex, epic, and sometimes tragic tales of the ancient Greeks. Our online app will create interactive art pieces with audio narration, allowing the gods and heroes to tell you their tales directly. My unique illustration style has been a slow, home-brew concocted over 35 years, with diverse influences such as golden age illustrators like Mary Blair and Kay Nielsen, the flat, graphic imagery of Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, to the vibrant color palettes of French Symbolist painter Odilon Redon. As a seasoned world traveler living abroad in 14 countries over the last 12 years, I have gained a unique worldview, which has had a monumental impact on my art. Traveling has kept my soul young and provided an endless fire for the furnace of inspiration.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my earliest art memories is with my dad, drawing happy faces with our toes in the sand at the beach or flipping over the children’s menu in a diner to draw dinosaurs with crayons on the back. Later, like many kids in the 80s, I was obsessed with the graphics and interactive characters of the Nintendo Entertainment System. My mom supported me for one year by taking me to the 1988 Nintendo Championships event in Austin, TX, where I was able to see and play new, never-before-seen games. But some of my best childhood memories are very simple and wholesome. Memories of me sitting up late on the weekends, all alone at my art desk, with some fantasy or sci-movie playing off to the side, and losing myself in the worlds and characters I was creating. Then, the following day, I would wake up, excited to look with fresh eyes at the image I had invested in the night before, and usually feeling some pride at what I had created. From a young age, I learned the value of investing time into my craft for a personal reward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tylermileslockett.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylermileslockett/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tylerlockett
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-miles-lockett-bbb530235/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tylermLockett
Image Credits
All artwork is copyright Tyler Miles Lockett
