When it came to her artistic journey, illustrator Aley Hanson took the scenic route. Admitting that she started drawing well before she could talk, she decided to study illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. After graduation, she worked at a screen printing shop in San Francisco. She then worked as a communication designer at a local food/tech startup, which was highly collaborative and design thinking oriented.
“It was fun, but adventure beckoned,” she told The Design Kids. And so, in 2016 she decided to quit her job so that she could hitchhike, volunteer and couch surf her way around the world. “I’ve forfeited the comfort of home to live on the road; learning the world, growing the tribe and being inspired as the great adventure unfolds,” wrote Hanson in her website.
Her bright, naive illustrations are all about positivity, feminine empowerment, and connection to the natural world – a happy celebration of shapes and colors. “It took me a while to arrive at illustration because I waited until I had something to say, which solo traveling in 22 countries has given me in spades,” she admits.
And judging by her playful Instagram page, she has finally arrived.
