Growing up on Bainbridge, a small island outside of Seattle, Anna Pollock had always dreamed of becoming a musician.
Though she possessed no musical talent, that never stopped Pollock from getting involved with the music scene.
As an artist, Pollock said she never thought her love of music would further her musical dreams. However, working in a small bar named Treehouse changed the trajectory of her life forever.
Pollock was an artist through and through, but had to work as a bartender to make enough money for rent. As a bartender, she saw several bands perform each night for the Treehouse’s patrons.
One night, a band called the BlackFoot Gypsies was performing and had asked Pollock to design the poster to promote their show. The band loved her work so much that they offered her a spot in their van back to Lexington, Kentucky where she began as a freelance illustrator.
Now a full-time freelance illustrator, she seeks inspiration through music and nature.
“I feel very lucky to have found the artistic community that I’ve landed in, it’s a very inclusive community. So, anyone who wants to join should, anyone who wants to work, should,” Pollock said.
Pollock works closely with many local music artists such as Abby Hamiliton and the band, Born Cross Eyed, to bring the vision of their music alive through art.
She said the brainstorming process is the most time consuming and takes the most work. Pollock sits in nature or at her house to imagine the band’s image and how she should portray them through her artwork.
Pollock utilizes nature for her grandest inspirations. She said a day spent in nature creates a spark in her mind, even after the dullest of days. Living in Kentucky has only developed her love for the outdoors, she said she now has a quick access and escape from everyday society that she so desperately needs.
“I usually try and sit and talk with them (the band) and absorb as much as I can in order to accurately portray them the way they want to be portrayed in an artistic way,” Pollock said. “It’s how my mind digests them and then spits them back out.”
From there, Pollock gets to work on the band’s poster, giving herself anywhere from 12 to 27 hours to do so before sending it to the artist.
“(It takes) a lot of brainstorming. I have boards and boxes full of visual imagery that I’ve just like been inspired by throughout the years that I can go to and pull from,” Pollock said.
She said art is in everything she sees whether it’s her fashion, rooted within music or even within nature, but between the constant cycle of creation and struggling with mental health, Pollock said creative burnout is inevitable.
According to Pollock, art is very personal; she uses aspects of who she is in every piece but doing this can be draining on her mental health, as she is constantly putting herself out there for the world to see.
“For a lot of creative people, it’s (art) a part of you that you’re putting out there,” Pollock said. “If you’re putting so much of yourself out there all the time, it can be extremely draining. If you don’t take care of yourself … your creativity is ultimately gonna suffer for it.”
Creative burnout is a lot harder for Pollock during certain times of the year, such as the winter, when she may not be working as much or be able to enjoy nature, she said.
To escape the clutches of creative burnout, she relies on her group of friends, who she said support her endlessly, as well as the community of local artists who lift her out of her creative rut.
“This community is so supportive, so understanding, I have a really good group of girlfriends, which is the best part about moving down here,” Pollock said.
She said art is her life and sometimes to get out of the exhaustion, that’s all she needs to remember.
“I love it when I find true artists who just live their life — just for the sake of art,” Pollock said.
According to Pollock, art surrounds her life and her love for music is the fuel. This endless cycle moves her career forward every day.
Influences from the prominent artists of the ‘60s and ‘70s, such as the Grateful Dead have been a big inspiration to Pollock.
She took her love of music, talents for art and combined the two to create a successful career. She said this is her pride and joy and why she wakes up in the morning.
The artist community within Lexington shares many of her ideals and she said that is why she loves Kentucky so much.
“Everyone wants to work with everyone to uplift them and propel them forward, it’s something that’s really special that I’ve not seen anywhere else,” Pollock said
