Check out Sydney Cisco’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Cisco.

Sydney, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Being an artist was never really a choice, it was just something I always gravitated toward. My mother is an artist and always gave us the opportunity to make crafts and explore what we could do with paint and other mediums… and I just never stopped. I used to bury my face in computer paper, writing and illustrating stories about dogs or Pokémon as a kid. It was always an effective and productive form of escapism for me. Now, I lose myself in an iPad, computer screen, watercolor, or whatever. The only difference now that I have grown up is that when people say “hey, draw me!” I can justifiably be paid for it.

Art carried me through a lot of pain and challenges. It is the one unwavering constant through my entire life that I can always go to when I need to cope. Inevitably, this addiction to creation is what has driven my career and my sense of self. I am grateful to be an artist.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
At heart, I am an illustrator. I love to create shapes and definitive lines. I have always done so with materials like ink, watercolor, pencils, etc. and I still do. However, a couple years ago when I invested in an iPad Pro + Apple Pencil and became obsessed with digital art. It totally changed the game for me, because it made digital design so much more accessible. It also helped me fuse together my illustrations and photography.

I love to draw over my photos, whether it is a powerful phrase paired with a model or simple white line contouring someone’s jawline… the addition always enriches the message of photo and makes them exciting. Most of my art and photography is people focused. Even if the piece is something simple like a headshot or a drawing of a couple holding their dog, my intention is to accurately communicate who the person is authentically, in an iconic way.

In my personal work, I try to bring an image to emote a feeling through the models posing, set design and styling. Usually I base this on a color scheme or crazy concept and go from there, like getting a pink backdrop, pink wig and pink ice cream… that is the recipe for a “big mood.” Bringing elements like this together and then being “weird” is simply fun! I think what I would want people to take from seeing my portrait/fashion photography is to see that energy and allow for the space to flourish and let women (and everybody) be themselves, be proud of their bodies no matter what and enjoy the creative freedom to express themselves.

For me, there is a distinction between art and design. One is not better than the other. Sometimes, a piece is simply a good design, like a doodle of a fox or a clean logo that effectively represents the company vibe. Not every piece of art needs to be deeply meaningful or heartfelt. Sometimes, it is just an aesthetically pleasing or accurate design or photo. When there is an emotion attached to it, that is art, which means it is entirely subjective. Art is nothing but perspective. I would say my perspective as an artist, as a person, always comes from a place of positivity and inclusion and I always set out to create something iconic and unique (not that it is always successful – but you have to try).

The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I grew up with the notion that I wouldn’t become a real artist because you can’t make any money, so go to college and get a real job! I did that, I went to college, I got a real job, but I never stopped doing art. Throughout high school and college, I took art classes for any elective I could, and kept my side hustle of commissions going through my time in school. My requests and art continued to grow, as I learned new facets of art, I learned new ways it could be applied by studying visual communication in college.

This is when I realized I could marry art into a separate career in marketing/public relations. For me, I think I am lucky in the way that I can drive my skills and passions into a tool for others as a freelancer. But freelancing is so much harder than it seems. I think it is wise to have a secondary income if you are trying to make money on art. I think it is also important to know when to commit and how to get to a point where it is wise to do so. I have spent some time off from having a “real job” because of some health issues, and took the time to invest in projects and focus on growth and I feel very fortunate for that opportunity. Everyone’s path looks different. Don’t rush into anything, be kind to yourself, know that if you work hard enough, you can make it work.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have a portfolio website:
sydneycisco.com

Instagram:
@sydneyanncisco

I sell prints off society6.com/sydneycisco. I also have created a femme art book with another photographer named Eunice Beck that can be found here:
sydneycisco.com

Contact Info:

• Website: sydneycisco.com
• Email: hello@sydneycisco.com
• Instagram: @sydneyanncisco

Image Credit:
Last photo in collaboration with Eunice Beck
Header Image in collaboration with K.S. Garner & Vade Mecum Beauty

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