Interview - Lillie Bernie
Artist - Lillie Bernie
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OCCI - How did your journey as an artist begin?
LILLIE - I started calling myself an artist about two years ago. I had a painting on my wall at home that I did for my A-Level Finals. People would continuously comment on it, my dad would request me to paint more, and one day my aunt told me she'd flat out pay for another.
I created it, put that on Instagram and my best friend asked me to make her one. It then became a pattern of sharing work and finding new clients via Instagram that liked my work. It gave me that confidence to paint in a paid fashion.
At this time I was a full time model finishing university, studying journalism. And during this time I figured out that I didn't want to be a Journalist. And I really believe there's a time and a place for everything, and making the transition to being an artist came at the right time for me. Everything fell into place.
OCCI - London based but you travel pretty extensively. Is travelling important to you?
LILLIE - I love travelling because I think it's so important to take yourself out of your comfort zone. Especially as an artist if you're stuck in the same place for too long it becomes uninspiring. For me I get my inspiration and energy off other people and experiencing new things. I was in London for about 3 months prior to this and really wanted to explore something different, a new place. And while I'm here I can model and paint, and regain my energy for September.
OCCI - Is September significant for you?
LILLIE - September for me like the New Year, kind of like the school year I guess. Summer you take your time to regain energy and let go of all your stressors and you go into September new.
OCCI - Where do you feel most comfortable creatively?
LILLIE - I like painting in my studio - there's a level of comfort with having all your equipment in the right place.
OCCI - What's a memorable piece of advice a mentor has given you?
LILLIE - I always think about successful entrepreneurs and how many of their stories involve struggling at the beginning, but being able to preserve through those hard times. No one who is successful got their easily.
OCCI - Your artwork has evolved in mediums and scale over the past year, what kind of projects do you have onto the horizon in 2020?
LILLIE - I want to keep developing my practice as an artist, using different materials and mediums to create textures. I am currently working on a show in London for this September!
OCCI - What's your most recently played song on a streaming service?
LILLIE - I always start painting to Khalid’s album
OCCI - You get to pick (1) super power - what would it be?
LILLIE - To be able to click my fingers and clean any type of paint… everything I own is covered in paint.
OCCI - What's on your bucket list of travel destinations
LILLIE - Japan
OCCI - What's a studio accessory you never start a session without?
LILLIE - Water
OCCI - The on the road lifestyle of an artist/model isn't always conducive to mental health. What's something you do that helps you stay grounded and focused?
LILLIE - I make sure to read books and listen to podcasts that remind me to stay focused on being positive and reaching my goals. It’s very easy to get distracted or disheartened when things don’t go how I would like, so I make sure to remove the negative energy that might be causing any issues.
