ARTIST PROFILE
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Hey guys! Thanks for stopping by and a big WELCOME to the new and improved 'CHRIS CONNOR CREATIVE' website!
If you haven't already guessed, I’m Chris and I’m a freelance Illustrator and budding Character Designer from the UK.
A little bit about me and my story. Like most kids, I started drawing at a very early age and LOVED it. I was very different from my two older brothers and so I would toddle off and draw whatever took my fancy. It was my little escape. I would copy the characters from my favourite cartoons as well as making up my own fantastical creatures and stories. I was a very creative child with a big imagination, but my interests and talents expanded across various outlets. As well as drawing, I was also very heavily into the performing arts. I come from a whole family in Entertainment so this was, of course, no surprise. When I was a teenager and the time came for me to start thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, as much as I loved to draw, I had no idea where I could go with it. Everyone would always say “You have to be dead before you get famous and make any money from art!”. And so, because I also loved performing just as much, I decided to go for… **Dramatically throws hands up to face in a Damsel in distress type of way**… “A LIFE ON THE STAGE!” and train professionally in Dance and Musical Theatre. Because of this, Art took a backseat for many years whilst I was going through my education and starting out my career.
That is until 2014, where I got badly injured from the show I was in at the time that ultimately resulted in me needing not one, but two knee surgeries, meaning I was out of action for the best part of a year! As you can imagine, I really struggled to stay positive and motivated as it was a very slow recovery. It was then that I decided to reunite with my trusty pencil and the rest is history.
To cut a very long story short, I decided that I would never again silence the need I had to draw. Ever since, I have continued to strive for a creatively fulfilling life. I continued to teach myself via other Artists online and eventually, from 2016, I was freelancing alongside my already existing stage career, doing my own artwork, selling prints on Etsy and commissioned pieces for clients across the world. I’ve travelled a lot for work over the last 11 years, so it’s allowed me to expand my clientele further than I could have ever imagined.
Moving forward, I am focusing on illustrating for children's books and character design whilst also continuing to work on commissions as well as Graphic Design. I've already been fortunate enough to create a set of characters for a new children's Youtube Channel 'Toddlepops' and am working (very slowly) on my first children's book! So keep your eyes peeled.
For those that may have been following me for a while now, you’ll notice I have gone through multiple “brand” names over the years, trying to find what represented me best. I am now at the point where I can say that the new name ‘Chris Connor Creative’ fully embodies me as a person and everything I do, whether that’s for work or just fun…plus, I love the alliteration!
If you've made it this far with my story, thank you so much for sticking with me. It certainly has been a journey already getting to this point today. But I am by no means anywhere near to where I want to be just yet. I am still taking the time for learning and mastering my skillset, but I have been so lucky to be able to continue to do that and still put my work out there. Once again, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy exploring the site!
