Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Gore.
Hi Audrey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up along the coast of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—if I wasn’t spending my days playing at the beach, I was at home drawing, painting, or creating. At age three, my mother noticed that I was unusually creative. She and my father decided I was bound for the arts, and they, along with my many art teachers, encouraged me throughout my childhood.
It wasn’t until high school when I was accepted to study painting at The Academy for the Arts, Science & Technology, that my creative path was truly beginning. After graduation, I majored in Studio Arts in college. I was grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a summer semester abroad studying art, photography, and art history in Greece, the Greek Islands, and Turkey. This experience changed my world perspective, and I discovered a newfound passion for traveling. I graduated during the economic turmoil of 2008, and I intuitively knew that I needed to pivot. After that, I returned to college to further my education in Digital Arts. It was after I completed an internship with Warren Miller Entertainment in Boulder, Colorado, that upon my return home, I received my first role as a graphic designer with a local marketing agency. Some years later, I was promoted to Creative Director and remained in this position for many years. However, as exemplified in the television show Mad Men, burnout in the agency world is very real.
In 2019, I decided to start fresh with a new chapter in life, and I accepted a position as the Assistant Art Director for Dorothy Shain Fine Art to assist in navigating how to develop and launch a line of wall coverings and textiles as an extension of her brand, along with daily operations. This opportunity allowed me to take on client branding projects in my spare time. A year later, the Covid pandemic began, and I needed to pivot again. Despite the terrible state of the world, I welcomed the opportunity for introspection, seeing in it another way of being, another way of tending to my inner garden, another way of growing a new garden. I filled my time with creating. To spread joy, I began painting cards and shared them on Instagram. I made it clear to all that if anyone wanted a hand-painted card, I would send them one for free via snail mail. I felt compelled to fill a need for kindness and connection. Within a short time, I began receiving requests for art commissions, and my custom branding projects increased.
Each of these paths has led me to where I am at present. I am the Creative Director of my own business, working full-time as an artist and graphic designer. Recently, I moved into my first art studio in The Village of West Greenville, South Carolina—a dream that has finally become a reality. My work is now truly my passion. Knowing my artwork brings joy to others is such an incredible feeling. And when my clients share with me how much they love their new branding and how it’s helped their businesses—these are the things that continue to fuel my creative goals.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being creative is much like how it would feel if you were to imagine walking about in public naked. You put so much of your inner being on display for the world to judge, criticize, and decide if it is or isn’t good enough. This can be unnerving and even crippling. I’ve learned that there will never be a point where everyone loves my work, and that’s not a bad thing. What is aesthetically pleasing looks different from person to person. I will never forget reading a quote by Andy Warhol in high school that completely changed my mindset, “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide whether it’s good or bad, whether they love or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” To this day, I remind myself of this.
As I’ve mentioned, the economy was dismayed when I graduated, and the art world was greatly affected. I decided to leave the arts, as heartbreaking as that was, to focus on graphic design and marketing to provide myself with financial stability. I knew that businesses would need these services at that time more than ever. When Covid spread, life was uncertain for us all, and like so many others, I had been furloughed. It was my past experiences and life struggles that had already been preparing me for this moment.
During my agency years, I experienced many situations where men were given the upper hand; they would claim the ideas and work I had created as their own. The amount of overtime I put in weekly or how hard I continued to work didn’t matter; the glass ceiling remained. Eventually, I realized I wanted to be in business for myself. I knew my potential, which gave me the confidence to walk away and begin anew.
In 2022, just as my business was reaching a new peak, I was rushed to the hospital one morning due to severe arterial blood clotting in my left arm. A team of doctors informed me that I was likely going to die. When I didn’t, I was told to be prepared to have my arm amputated because it wouldn’t stop clotting after multiple surgeries. During this time, everything in your business falls to the wayside and is put on pause. It was the single most frightening event of my life. After 20 long days in the hospital, I returned home with my arm intact. Picking my business back up after this was incredibly difficult.
Certainly, we all experience bumps in the road. I believe that hidden within life’s difficulties is a doorway that can lead to personal transformation. Finding your way requires courage, curiosity, and flexibility to enter unknown territory, where the seed of change resides. When discovered and nurtured, this seed has the opportunity to grow and flourish, changing you forever.
These very bumps in the road have defined my strength and resilience. I now know that there is nothing I cannot accomplish or overcome. I have fully learned the art of taking life’s lemons and making lemonade. Ultimately, these experiences have helped shape me, and I am ever grateful to my husband, family, friends, and clients who lifted me up and supported me along the way.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I’m working as a graphic designer, my work differs greatly from when I am painting. When designing, I am creating something that visually represents my clients’ businesses/services/products, resonates with their target audience, and helps solve a problem for them. Most of my clients have been women who have left corporate America to pursue their dreams and want to make their mark in the world. I take so much pride in helping these individuals achieve their goals, and I cheer them on along the way because I can empathize with their life stories. As an artist, I am inspired by traveling, books, stylish interiors, and my appreciation for nature and all things French. My love of storytelling and artistic expression shapes my philosophy. I continually experiment with new media and try to push myself out of my comfort zone.
Notes of femininity paired with joyful color palettes and sensibilities are deeply rooted in my artistic style. I primarily work with mixed media and enjoy using watercolor, gouache, soft pastels, oil pastels, colored pencils, acrylics, and oils. I like switching things up and painting whatever is currently inspiring me. Many people in the arts will advise against this, but I believe it’s more important to stay true to who you are. I recall another quote by Andy Warhol: “Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” Warhol has been an enormous source of inspiration because he started as a graphic designer and worked in advertising before becoming one of the most transformative artists in modern history.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some changes you expect to see over the next five to ten years?
We will continue to see a rise in digital art creation. However, there will be a large push to return to the days of analog simultaneously. For instance, some generations are beginning to realize that technology isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. I hear more and more of my peers expressing their needs for a digital detox. As a society, we are being educated about why social media and being glued to our devices aren’t healthy for us mentally or physically. However, new and younger generations have been on digital devices from day one and don’t necessarily share this same sentiment.
I live for a hand-written note, the art of calligraphy, reading and holding a real book, etc. This is why I love creating art—it is authentic and tangible. It’s not perfect; you can see the human in the work. It’s similar to the difference between taking a digital photo and having it printed versus using film and developing it with chemistry in a darkroom. There’s a certain amount of unpredictability you cannot control—no two images will ever be exactly the same. Whereas, if the digital prints are not the same, it’s usually because there’s an issue with the printer’s inks. You don’t get the same experience and emotion from digital art.
Contact Info:
- Website: audreygore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreyannagore/
- Other: https://campbellcollective.co/collections/audrey-gore
Image Credits
Alyssa Layman, Emily Bolt, Laurey Glenn
