May 17, 2019Liz MaycoxLiz Maycox is an artist, illustrator and Fluevog fan based in New York City. Liz Maycox is an artist, illustrator and Fluevog fan based in New York City. She charmed our hearts with her FluevogCreative design featuring our Pin-Ups Miss July. Read on to find out more about her artistic origins and how she came across Fluevogs in the first place! Can you tell us a bit about your background as an artist? I was adopted from Peru as a baby and grew up in a family that had no artistic background. Despite that, they supported my journey even though they didn’t understand where I was going to go with it. My grandma and grandpa gave me my first ‘how to draw book’ and praised each scribble I made, no matter how unattractive it was. My Mom and Aunt (twins!) nurtured my dream of going to art school, and to this day continue to encourage me. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with a family that allowed me to grow toward the things I loved and in the ways that I wanted. I attended Savannah College of Art and Design and earned a degree in Illustration. Right after school, I moved to New York City. I can't imagine doing anything else that would satisfy me as much as a life of creating. How long have you been Fluevogin’ for? In 2012, I became friends with a coworker, we were both artists at a Trader Joe’s in New York. He wore only Fluevogs and I always thought he had really neat shoes. He was a fiction writer and one day, he gave me a ‘day-in-the-life’ vignette story about us running around Manhattan, having funny interactions with random people and places. In the last scene, we went to the Fluevog Store in Soho, where my character was gifted a pair of Bondgirl Boots. Years later, we started dating and we went to the Fluevog store (in real life) where I got my first pair of Fluevogs! I’ve been shopping there since. My first pair have been semi-retired into ‘work shoes’ because I can’t let them go--they are still so comfortable, now just adorned with lots of paint splatters. How did you hear about Fluevog Creative? After buying my first pair, I got acquainted with the website, imagining which shoes I would get next and stumbled onto the ad contest. It was a fun find because I was like, “I love Fluevogs and I’m an artist, I could do this!” I submitted 4 different times to the contest and was a finalist three out of the four times, so I was excited to win this time! I’m glad I kept trying. What was the inspiration behind your piece,“Summer Fling”? I was inspired by the lighthearted name of the shoe, the geometric shapes of its design, and the desire to produce something that feels hopeful and empowering as a response to this moment in time. I wanted to create a pattern that represented women of different ethnicities woven together in a shared prism of color. I started with that initial vision and it kind of evolved into what it became on its own. Tell us a bit about your creative process. First, I have a briefing (from a client or from my own ideas), then I research the subject matter and draw inspiration from patterns, colors and everyday experiences. If I have the time, I will put the project in the back of my mind for the day. Right before I fall asleep and as I’m waking up is when it seems a lot of subconscious ideas are shown to me. I then begin roughly drawing any and all ideas on paper. I refine one of these sketches, do a color sample, and then start the final piece. Something I am still learning to make peace with is the battle with my inner critic during the final work process. To be honest, my inner critic can at times be emotionally and mentally taxing. On the other hand, at moments, I am appreciative for that critic because it pushes me to refine and create new ways to make my work the best it can be. I’m working on growing beyond this and accept the process more freely, more often. Apart from art and design, what do you like to do for fun? I get obsessed with things. I get excited about maybe 3 subjects, ideas, or projects at a time, become a bit weirdly consumed with those things with an unbreakable focus for a certain amount of time, then one day wake up and realize I’ve moved on to the next thing. Some recent examples are: perfecting a mint lemonade recipe, doing people’s nails, anything copper metal, contemplating infinity and multiple dimensions, learning the piano again, painting my walls with specific bright colors, reiki and energy healing, Mourning Doves, remodeling my apartment style, Neanderthal DNA, nutrition, and building small pieces of functional furniture out of wood. I have an energy in me that keeps me awake at night, whether I’m working on a project until it’s finished, or just thinking about and researching an idea or subject. On a less neurotic note, I also love road trips, going to museums, visiting the twins, and adventuring through the fun city I live in. I think it’s important for me to stay curious, try new things and be willing to unlearn some things I think I know, and always be learning again. To see more of Liz's work, visit her website and Instagram!
