INTERVIEW #166 AJ DUNCAN
Name: AJ Duncan
Occupation: Illustrator
Based in: Glasgow, Scotland
Website: https://ajdillustrates.squarespace.com/
Instagram: @ajd.illustrates
Hi! Welcome to A Sustainable Closet! Can you please tell us more about yourself?
I’m a Glasgow based illustrator who makes feminist illustrations centered around women in their everyday lives. A lot of my work features demonized versions of feminists, a satirical take on the exaggerated ways in which feminists are often villanized. My work conveys this idea through narrative scenes of the everyday activities of women and non-binary folk, simply hanging out at home or at the bar. I prioritize sustainability in my work, which is why all of my prints are printed on recycled paper, and all my packaging is either recyclable or compostable.
You're an amazing illustrator, how come you started illustrating?
Thank you! I’ve always drawn since I was wee, but first started illustrating digitally when I purchased my ipad during the UK lockdown throughout coronavirus. I was a university student at the time but spent all of my free time drawing anything and everything really.
Is there anything particular you want to say with your art?
My art celebrates womanhood, feminism and friendship. In particular, representation and diversity are very important to me. I aim to represent every kind of woman in my works, and strive to have people feel seen via my illustrations, particularly those with disabilities and body types which are often absent from a lot of the kind of visual arts that are out there.
What is your relationship with clothes and views on the fashion industry?
I try and shop second hand as much as possible, with the exception of things like underwear, socks etc. I think I find it a lot easier to spend more time finding good pieces as my work schedule is so flexible I’m able to pop into shops during the day and work at night. It’s definitely more work to find pieces that suit you and have been ethically sourced than to find them online where they’ve already been curated by a big brand.
I do love fashion, and it was an adjustment to learning how to shop from small ethical businesses and online but I actually find it so much more rewarding now when I find really unique pieces that I know no one has been harmed or exploited in the process of making.
Do you have any tips for people who would like to start their own business and become artists and maybe make a living out of it?
My best advice would be that no one knows what they’re doing either, and there is no simple formula for how to make a creative career work. Different things work for different people- you’ve just got to try out as many things as possible and see what works for you. I’d say a good place to start for creative people is sharing your work online and connecting with other people at a similar place in their career as you, exchanging things you’ve tried and haven’t.
Anything else you want to share?
You can find my work on my website here: https://ajdillustrates.squarespace.com/ on on my Etsy here: https://ajdillustrates.etsy.com.
