Rising Stars: Meet Lacy Soria

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lacy Soria. 

Hi Lacy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I wish I was one of those people who could say I grew up with a paintbrush in my hand and always knew I would be an artist, but it was actually the opposite. I’ve always had a lot of varied creative interests…I played multiple musical instruments, sing, and did theater too. I didn’t discover my passion for art until I was 14, in high school art class. From that point on, I felt I was in an ongoing game of tug-of-war with art and music. 

My freshman year of college, I was music theater major until I took a drawing class for fun and realized how much I missed art. Soon after, I changed my major to art, minored in design, and took my first internship. I grew up raised by my single mom, and we never had a lot of money. I never had the luxury of having a safety net so I could just focus on painting, so my first order of business was to make my own as a designer. 

After college, as I made a career for myself as a designer, my time to paint was precious, and it became a way to deal with the stress of working in corporate America, but I did take brief periods where I wouldn’t paint at all. I remember getting to a point where I had so much anxiety about my realistic paintings that I just couldn’t paint. One day I got really frustrated and pulled out a blank canvas and just started throwing paint at it…and it was exhilarating. I went totally abstract for a period – I loved how intuitive and freeing it was for me to paint in that way. Eventually, I missed realism and have begun taking on commissions for both, as well as doing more realistic public works. 

Today I’m a Lead UX Designer and am currently pursuing my MBA at Johns Hopkins University, taking on commissions and putting out new work in my spare time. At some point, I will step back from corporate life to become a full-time artist, but I’m still finding my true style – which I believe lies somewhere between realism and abstraction. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course not. When I graduated art school with a minor in graphic design, it took me years to find my way into UX – I took design roles that interested me or enhanced a skillset I was lacking in some way until I figured out what kind of work I was most passionate about. 

As an artist, I’ve struggled a lot to find my voice. I used to paint only realism, but I found myself riddled with anxiety and perfectionism. One day, I grabbed a blank canvas and just started throwing paint at it; and realized how satisfying it was to release myself from all the expectations of realism, and haven’t looked back since. I still take realistic commissions too, but I’ve found myself exploring the space in-between realism and abstraction. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an artist and UX designer. My UX work feeds the creative problem-solving part of me – I love that jolt of excitement you get from collaborating with other people to solve a complex problem. My art practice feeds into this because it’s where I experiment with new techniques and ideas. I like to paint before I start my workday because it gives me a creative boost – like an extra cup of coffee. 

As an artist, my practice is my happy place – I paint colorful, vibrant pieces that allow me to let loose and have fun. After art school, I went through a period where I took myself way too seriously and was too anxious to paint…luckily, I got over that period with the help of exploring abstraction. I’ve always been fascinated by color and texture, so you will find a lot of that in my work. When I travel – I’m constantly taking pictures of different textures on trees, the ground, buildings – you name it. 

My public works are most well-known. Balancing a full-time UX career and grad school can make it challenging to carve out time to paint, so I love doing smaller murals and temporary chalk art pieces that take a day to do. I love how the community interacts with my public works and talking to people who come by and say hello when I’m working. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lacysoriaart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacysoriaart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lacysoriaart

Image Credits
Ashray Dravidian