Freshly Laundered 019 / Alana Lyons
Designer and illustrator, Alana Lyons moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Austin, TX almost a year ago. We caught up with her to learn about how she’s liking ATX so far, and how she’s keeping busy now that she’s all settled in. Read on to learn more about Alana.
CB: How’s Austin treating you so far?
AL: Austin is an amazing city. I moved here with no prior visit or friends in town and after 9 months or so, I already have good folks to rely on, secret fishing spots, and way too many options for breakfast tacos. I can’t complain.
Growing up in the peach state of Georgia, I became accustomed to ‘yes m'am’s and 'how do you do’s but I have to say the Southern hospitality I’ve felt in Austin is as real as it gets. People are genuinely nice; more so than in any other Southern state I’ve visited, aka all of them.
I had grown used to taking long drives just to experience a decent hike or crucial view, but in less than 15 minutes I can find myself in a place like McKinney Falls or Longhorn Dam and still be inside the city. I know there are far more of these places that I haven’t even discovered yet.
Out of the three major cities I’ve lived in, Austin has been the first where I can clearly see constellations at night. It’s true that the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas.
CB: The greenbelts were always a favorite place for me to go and grab some inspiration when I lived there. Are you finding that the creative community there has welcomed you in? Any opportunities you’ve enjoyed there that wouldn’t have been possible back in the 'Burg?
AL: The creative community in Austin is an opportunity in itself. There are so many studios in the city and probably way more that I don’t know about. It’s almost unreal how close I live to studios that I followed during art school - something I did not experience while in Pittsburgh. And again, people are so fucking nice. Just recently I had lunch with Brad Woodard / Brave the Woods who is not only an amazing illustrator but also such a nice dude.
CB: That’s awesome! Brad had a shirt on our site over the summer - he’s such a great illustrator. How are you keeping yourself busy outside of work? Anything special you’re working on in your free time?
AL: During office hours, I work as a visual and interaction designer. So, after hours, I enjoy creating apps with friends to help myself improve at my day job, but I have also been taking on freelance projects that are primarily illustrative or print-based. These types of projects are refreshing and are sort of a mental break for me. Most recently, though, I’ve been doing a lot of weird collaborations with Colin Miller - including a shirt for Cotton Bureau that just got approved!
Oh, and I draw a lot of wolves.
CB: We’re stoked on the new design you and Colin came up with! Can’t wait to see it in the flesh. How does collaborating with someone change your work style?
AL: I think what I love about doing collaborations is that each person has to be malleable to the others’ styles. I’ve never experienced a colllab where each contributor puts together what currently exists and then the project is done. There’s always some sort of process of ensuring that whatever is incorporated is flexible towards each other so it doesn’t look like a weird mixture of completely separate directions. Oh, and I also like to use collaborations as an excuse to try new things. Always DTC (down to collab).
CB: If you could collaborate with anyone (living) in the world on something, who would it be and what would you like to collaborate on?
AL: If I could collaborate with anyone in the world it would be with Daniel Romano. I could imagine us covering 'Deep in The Heart of Texas’ by George Strait (with him on lead vocals and guitar, me as backup vocals and bass), pressing our single on splatter vinyl - maybe 100 copies and thats it, and designing the record sleeve together.
CB: Wow! That sounds amazing. Are you a singer or musician as well?
AL: Haha not really. I am attempting to learn bass though!
CB: Learning a new skill is great, even if it’s just going to be a hobby. Have you learned to play any songs yet?
AL: After two lessons, I have played 'All Too Well’ by Taylor Swift, 'Old White Lincoln’ by Gaslight Anthem, and 'Dammit’ by Blink 182. I am still a rookie.
CB: That’s pretty good after only two lessons! Thanks for chatting with us, Alana.
You can find Alana on twitter, dribbble, and tumblr, or check out her portfolio here. To request a reprint of her Wolves tee, sign up here. (Artist profile photo courtesy of Woven Magazine.)