When I was accepted into the EA Creator Program I felt it was important to shift my focus from making comics to making game content and portraits.
Claire Vanessa Gray · In Her Own Words
In Conversation
Claire V Gray for Bold. Brilliant. Unstoppable.
Read the transcript
Claire Vanessa Gray: Speaker: Claire V Gray, Freelance ArtistClaire V Gray: I think the best advice I have to offer is don't take rejection or criticism too personally, if you're criticized, try to learn from it, but understand as part of learning and growing to accept criticism, and you can either choose to listen to it or ignore it.What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?Claire V Gray: What does being an influential woman mean to me? It means I hope to inspire people to create art and carve their own paths, be themselves. I hope to. Embolden people to put themselves out there, to forge friendships and connections by setting an example. I hope to. Help people gain the confidence. To be their best. And I do it through spreading joy, through creating art and talking to people and treating them like friends.What's one piece of advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?Claire V Gray: I think the best advice I have to offer is don't take rejection or criticism too personally, if you're criticized, try to learn from it, but understand as part of learning and growing to accept criticism, and you can either choose to listen to it or ignore it. But don't let it bring you down in your, uh, progress. Use it as a resource to. Move forward with.
Her Story
About Claire
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be an artist - I started drawing in kindergarten and never stopped. When my middle school teacher recommended I attend Booker High School, my parents listened to her advice and enrolled me there. That's where I took college credit art courses and started selling portraits. Portrait drawing turned out to be my special talent, something I innately seemed to know how to do without actually being taught the process. It became my big thing throughout life, the thing that got me special attention. I took jobs in retail along the way to learn business, and I went to college where I made it into PTK, though I didn't graduate because I ended up moving before I could complete my degree. In 2021, I finally went full-time as an artist and have stayed full-time ever since. My approach to art is deeply personal - I do a lot of networking online and socially, meeting people and earning their trust through building friendships, and those often end up being my clients. I find inspiration in people, in their stories and personalities, and I believe the best way to do a portrait is to really get to know someone on a personal level. That way, you capture not just the image, but who they are. I've turned all my hobbies into my profession, creating this custom job that's all about my passions, because that's a good way to self-motivate - if you're obsessed with certain hobbies, you'll be more than happy to work on them all the time.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Claire
01What do you attribute your success to?
Motivation to work hard on art and a strong passion for gaming. I always have a ton of ideas I want to turn into art or stories. I have a routine that shapes my daily life where I dedicate time to creative work regardless of whether I get paid for it. Long term hard work and putting my work online helped me find great opportunities in the gaming industry.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My dad, who recently passed away, was my role model as a self-employed businessman. He was, like me, very into working constantly and doing everything he can, coming up with inventive ideas to make money. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, so I really just watched him and learned from him and followed it. He taught me by example what it means to be self-employed and entrepreneurial.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never give up, be persistent. Don’t lose hope over rejection, keep trying to find opportunities and apply to them. Always make yourself known to people in the industry you are interested in and network, it could hugely pay off.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge for me is having the motivation to sell art rather than just gift it, because I tend to be a softy. I'm not super money motivated. But when I try, I succeed - I just don't always try. It's about balancing my generous nature with the business side of being an artist.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Having a strong work ethic and generosity are the values most important to me in both my work and personal life. These principles guide how I approach my art and how I interact with people.
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