Today we’d like to introduce you to La’keem Timothy.
Before we jump into specific questions, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Let’s see, the first time I remember drawing was when I was eight years old while riding in my mom’s green 2005 Nissan Altima. A magazine with the portrait of an actress on its front cover lay next to me while I was in the back seat. I couldn’t tell you why I decided to draw it but, something inside of me sparked and I just started drawing the portrait. Although the drawing wasn’t amazing, I decided to share it with my mother anyway. She instantly burst with excitement and called it a “masterpiece”. Ever since then, she has always pushed me towards art and later enrolled me in the arts program at Miami Arts Charter School. The school allowed me to blossom as an artist and gave me the confidence to step outside of my comfort zone. I learned so much about the arts and drew many pieces which further developed my skills. Today, I am studying architecture at the University of Florida and pursuing a potential career in design as well as a freelance illustrator.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Upon entering high school, I decided to leave Miami Arts Charter and ended up quitting art for nearly four years. As a creator, it can be extremely discouraging when your work isn’t receiving the recognition you believe it deserves. I remember one of my teachers criticizing my friends and I for bringing in our own projects to class. She wanted us to stay focused and not deviate away from the school curriculum. We just wanted to showcase our talents beyond the classroom but the rejection took a toll on me. Thereafter, I fell into what is commonly known as a creative block due to everything feeling so structured and boring. I simply lost my passion and I wanted to pursue other things. I wanted to try my hand at sports and decided to attend Miami Norland Senior High School. Making it to the NFL became my new goal once I began playing football. Despite the hard work and time I dedicated to the sport, the goal of making it to the big league just did not seem like it was going to pan out like I thought it would.
When I got to my senior year of high school, I tried to pummel through my creative block but, my skills were heavily diminished given that I had been out of practice for so long. Nevertheless, I didn’t give up and kept pushing. I registered for dual enrollment at Miami Dade College and began taking architecture courses to help revive my lost skills. My perseverance led me to study architecture at the University of Florida. Although that sounds great, my major has a few cons if we’re talking about my journey as a creator. Having to design and create 24/7 can be mentally exhausting. After spending long hours in my arch studio, I usually find myself struggling to create something just for me. This puts me in a weird state at times because I usually end up having to force myself to draw and create something. Despite this, I know that it’ll all be worth it in the end.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am an aspiring designer and illustrator. As an illustrator, I am working my way towards specializing in both photorealism and character design. When it comes to photorealism, I believe that it is the foundation of the rest of my abilities as a creator. The skills that I have developed from the “art” of photorealism has helped me enormously as a designer. Being able to effortlessly recreate human anatomy can help tremendously when it comes to setting up compositions and layouts because the human body is just one big composition. The focus and patience needed for photorealism also shouldn’t be taken for granted. As a designer, patience is extremely important. Whether it’s working with clients or through different iterations of a project, having the patience to work through disagreements and setbacks is crucial. I decided to pick up character design to feed my creativity. Although being a photorealist artist has its perks, I don’t believe it’s the best creative practice. With character design, I’m able to basically create my own world through the characters I put out. Photorealism is basically a recreation of reality while character design allows me to tap into the fictional world nested in my brain.
What I am most proud of as a creator and I believe sets me apart from others is the fact that I am versatile and adept in multiple fields of art and design. I believe that my skillset puts me in a position to be successful regardless of the field. Some will say that it’s better to be a master of one. However, I believe that specializing in multiple fields allows me to be “comfortable being uncomfortable”. To this day, I am finding more and more ways to enhance and add to my current skill set. It’s like a blessing and a curse because I am never satisfied with having my work and talent seem one-dimensional. I love the feeling of knowing that I can improve. Currently, I am attempting to learn UI design. User Interface Design focuses on maximizing usability and user experience. Not every designer can say that they’re an illustrator, and not every illustrator can say that they’re a designer. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to say that I am both and more.
Who else deserves credit – have you had mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, clients or teammates that have played a big role in your success or the success of the business? If so – who are they and what role did they play/how did they help.
My mom is responsible for where I am today and for where I will be in the future. It amazes me how resilient she is. Despite suffering from abusive relationships, she never seems to waver. She’s always determined and never lets poor circumstances affect her outlook on life. One of her biggest achievements is that she pursued both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree while raising two kids. I remember the days when she would drag my sister and I to her classes and have us sit on the floor next to her while she took her notes. I didn’t understand how powerful this was until I got to college myself. Today, at the age of 41, she started a non-profit organization called “Silent Cries”. The sole purpose of this organization is to offer resources to victims of domestic violence. Thinking of where my mom came from, and where she is today, provides me with an insane amount of motivation and confidence. She’s my biggest supporter and I will continue making her proud by refusing to stop achieving all that I am capable of and more.
Contact Info:
- Email: artbylakeem@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l_keem.arts/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/artby_lakeem/?hl=en - Other: https://dribbble.com/artby_lakeem
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