Got a Girl Crush On: Boss-ass Bitch, Lindsay Eyth
(interview & photos by Amanda Stosz)
How long have you been in design and how was the process of becoming a freelance boss lady?
Well now I feel old! I technically started doing design stuff in the late 90s, coding HTML sites for friends’ bands and my mom’s job, and laying out school publications in Pagemaker. But I got my BFA in design in ’04 and worked at a cute little design firm in Richmond, VA for a few years before I ran away to DC and started out on my own.
I would definitely recommend against starting your freelance journey in a new city with only a few connections, but it did help me learn to be brave and resilient. I find I’m my most creative and resourceful self when I put myself in precarious situations.
Who or what are some of your biggest inspirations that help keep you creative on a day to day basis or that influence you overall?
The Grand Canyon, Nicki Minaj, solitude, honest conversations with beloved friends. Rage, which is clarifying and energizing.
Who are some of your favorite lady creatives?
Well, Nicki, Rihanna, and Solange, and Beyoncé are visionaries I admire. So is Tavi Gevinson. I love the unblinking quality to Lindsay Bottos, Beck Levy of Astropress, and Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s work (they’re really all quite different from each other, but I think they share this trait which I love); Leah Haney and Katie Rose Pipkin are two women with amazing brains who also work out of the Museum of Human Achievement; I love Got A Girl Crush; I love Tuesday Bassen and I love collaborating with her; Marissa Paternoster makes stunning sounds and I love her drawings so much… Kaye Blegvad makes such wonderful things and I love her porn project, Marian Bantjes has always blown my mind, Jen Mussari motivates me, Lisa Congdon is a role model…
It’s incredibly hard to narrow it down, because there are just so many fiercely talented and brilliant women. I think this ties in with the “precarious situations” thing I said earlier. We’re so good at being creative because we often have to be, to survive on this planet which is pretty much one huge precarious situation for women.
What brought you to Austin?
I moved to Austin for love (with a dude) and stayed for love (with myself and the sun and the giant agave plants).
What are some pros/cons of being a freelance creative in Austin?
The biggest con of freelancing anywhere is cabin fever, in my experience. For me, getting a studio space outside my home has been a huge improvement. I’m blessed to have a studio at the Museum of Human Achievement, where I get to bear witness to a lot of people making a truly dizzying variety of things. It keeps me from getting too deep in my own head. That’s not specific to Austin, though — I think this is a fantastic city for being a freelance creative, or just a freak-ass of any kind. There are a lot of us, so no one is fazed by it.
What advice would you give to other established or aspiring creative bad ass boss gals?
It’s so different for everybody. I would generally encourage women who are making things to just go hard, and fight self-doubt tooth and nail. That’s what I would advise myself to do, ten years ago just as much as ten minutes ago. Also: keep good financial records and pay quarterly taxes. It sucks, but it is so much harder if you let your books become a mess before cleaning them up. Not that I would know anything about that.
Check Lindsay and her wares out THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 26TH FROM 11AM-6PM TABLING WITH US AT THE BROOKLYN ZINE FEST!