The Artist as Project Manager: Orchestrating Envirographics
4 MIN READ | ALSO A PRESENTATION FROM REGIONAL ARTS NSW, WORK OF ART FORUM
When you picture a digital artist, you might envision someone alone in their studio, Apple Pencil in hand, lost in creative solitude. I want to challenge that perception.
As you’ve (hopefully) come to learn through trawling my site, I create digital artwork for installation as site specific envirographics in health care settings. I'm a believer that a digital artist working in this space, also needs to orchestrate both the artist and project manager roles respectfully.
Graphic: Reviewing plans, video unpacks and imagery.
Picture this: It's 10AM, and I’m not creating artwork – I’m reviewing program timelines and strategies.
My canvas? A complex calendar of deadlines and stakeholder meeting.
My palette? Zoom, email threads, and architectural plans.
On the regular, I wear multiple hats with the same precision I use to make a vector scalable for a 40m long corridor.
I’m scheduling meetings with clinical users, preparing engagement sessions with community user groups, and sending digital swatches to interior designers so they can match waiting room chair upholstery to the artwork.
Graphic: A sneak peek at a narrative overview, the view from a 70m high building, and what it looks like outside from Minta HQ.
In this hybrid role, communication becomes an art form itself. I must speak the language of architects, talk about technical substrates with fabricators, and present compelling narratives to steering committees.
As well as creating artwork; I’m creating understanding, building bridges between creative vision and practical execution for healing and hopeful environments.
And this is where the artistry truly shines – in the pursuit of transparency for artwork in such a highly visible space, and in environments where emotions are high, information must flow seamlessly between the multi disciplinary team for meaningful final outcomes.
Humble brag alert: And all this, from regional NSW.
Graphic: A look into devices and the spaces we work from.
The digital artist's studio has evolved into a project management hub where creativity meets logistics.
Where understanding that bringing artwork to life requires more than just creative vision – it demands leadership, organisation, the ability to orchestrate complexities of collaboration and much love from family to keep us going.
Graphic: A reference image, plans for artwork, and a snapshot the final result.
To summarise:
As well as creating artwork, I’m cognisant of tracking milestones, and ensuring my visual direction is meaningful, all while maintaining the delicate balance between artistic integrity, evidence and practical constraints.
My signature isn't on the final artwork – it's on every email, every timeline, and every stakeholder meeting.
When you see an envirographic, remember: behind that visual narrative lies a digital artist who chased elevations, woke up at 2am wondering whether they made that colour a global swatch, and pitched ideas with the same passion they poured into the artistic concept itself.
Email me if you’re keen to discuss.