Rising Stars: Meet Esme O’Rourke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Esme O’Rourke.

Hi Esme, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Ever since I was really little I’ve always loved the arts. On top of being the only girl in my family with 4 brothers, I was the only one to ever pick up a paintbrush, play an instrument, sing in choir, and do theater. I was also involved in so many things growing up including softball, competitive hockey, piano, and violin. Even though I loved all of these things, nothing ever compared to my passion for drawing and making art.

It didn’t fully hit me until I was maybe a junior in high school that I could pursue art professionally. It made me so excited that it was possible to do my favorite thing in the whole world as my job. I didn’t know what specific creative path I wanted to go down, I still don’t actually, but all I knew was that as long as I was creating, I would be happy. Over the years, I have been doing various commissions for friends and people who reach out to me online including drawings, paintings, digital art, and tattoo designs.

I decided to continue my academics at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL where I will be a senior this year. I am double majoring in Graphic Design and studio art. I work in the Office of Student Life at Augustana College as a graphic designer, a video editing intern at Fresh Films, and a design intern at Moxie Sozo design firm in Boulder. I am mostly a self-taught artist, but if there is anyone to thank who helped me get to where I am today, it would be my incredibly encouraging and inspiring teachers, professors, and advisors.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I struggled throughout my art career, especially with comparing my abilities and successes to other young, talented artists online. I have to often remind myself that I am only 21 years old, I still have an entire career ahead of me, and that I still have so much to learn and so much to achieve in time.

I also struggled for years with a creative block as a result of constantly doing art for other people instead of myself. Whenever I feel like I am burning out or feel a creative block coming on, I try to sit down and create things just for me that I know I will love and have fun making.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One of the great things I think about being a younger artist is that I don’t have a specific style or signature medium of art that I am especially known for yet. When I first started taking art seriously, I was mainly doing a lot of realistic pencil drawings, but nowadays I do a lot of digital art and illustrations, oil and acrylic paintings, as well as graphite drawings. My favorite things to draw and paint are people, characters, and creatures.

I love being able to tell a story with a picture. Becoming a young adult has made me appreciate the importance of diving back into my inner child’s imagination and thinking up fun characters and fantastical things to create. Overall, I think my versatility sets me apart from other artists. I attract many different audiences because I have a lot of experience in different mediums and styles of art.

What’s next?
Right now, I am looking forward to starting my senior year at Augustana College and I am excited for everything I am going to create. As far as big projects go, I am planning on illustrating and publishing a children’s book with my good childhood friend.

This will be my Senior Inquiry project that will be put on display at the end of the year as well, so stay tuned for that! I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in May of 2024 and then the rest is honestly up in the air. Just like any other college student, by the time I graduate, I hope to find a job that allows me to be creative and continue my passion for art.

My dream would be to one day work as a full-time illustrator, animator, or storyteller, or have my own art business.

Until then, I am going to continue improving my craft and making art that I love!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://esmeorourkeart.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ezkindadraws?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/esme-o-rourke-66a163231