Elijah Anderson

For our National Agriculture Day shirt, The Farmlink Project was lucky enough to work with NYC-based artist and illustrator Elijah Anderson. Elijah is extremely talented and has worked with companies like Saucony, Book Works, and Lite Year, among others. For more of Elijahs work, follow him on Instagram @spacehose. Also, be sure to check out his project @goodearth.nyc.

To learn more about his background and inspirations, Farmlinker Hannah Sherman caught up with Elijah for a brief Q&A:

Q: Hi Elijah ~ can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hi! My name is Elijah Anderson, and Im an artist and illustrator living in Brooklyn, NY.

Q: How did you get into illustration, and what has influenced your style?

I got into illustration mostly through being into graffiti and skateboarding growing up. Ive always enjoyed drawing though. Those two things really gave me a sense of what style meant (other writers, street artists, board graphics, etc.) and they taught me about things I did and didnt like about art. Graffiti especially taught me a lot about shape, color, and form, as I did not study visual arts in school. Lots of recent inspiration also comes from old advertisements and cartoons.

Q: How do you approach your artistic projects? What is your creative process?

It really depends on the project, but ultimately it comes down to a lot of doodling.  If necessary, I take time with a thought-out sketch, but I often get so caught up in doodling random things that ideas spring from that and eventually turn into a final piece.

Q: Can you tell us more about your fine art practice and what youve been exploring recently in the studio?

This tends to be quite different from the above, in which Im mostly referring to drawings/illustrations and commissions for such. My studio stuff is a little all over the place, although recently Ive been working on a series of quick black ink drawings that Ive been enjoying. I find it quite difficult to focus on one piece for a long time, which is frustrating at times and something I used to be better at. Im still enjoying all the possibilities of creating, though, and I want to try to not get stuck in a certain style or medium forever.

Q: You run the instagram page @goodearth.nyc. What is Good Earth and what are some important planetary values to follow?

Good Earth is a little project/brand that my girlfriend, Sophia Callahan (@sophiacallahan), and I started a few years ago! Its pretty much about Earth and how awesome it is . . . The Earth has never really needed us, but if were gonna give it anything we gotta give it our love! Its quite sad seeing what we have done to this place everyday, but I think really putting an effort into being conscious about our consumption and waste is such an easy way to make it a little better. Composting is a good first step!

Q: This shirt is dropping on National Ag Day to raise awareness for agriculture and The Farmlink Project. What does the Ag Day theme Food Brings Everybody to the Table mean to you?

I think this means that if everybody is given equal opportunity with the food that they eat, it could lead to equal opportunity elsewhere as well. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind . . . Everyone should have the right to both of those things!

Q: And lastly, an important question - what is your favorite vegetable?

Hard to decide! I think theres a part of each vegetable that I love equally (not huge on zucchini though). Tomatoes are great. We wouldnt have a lot of things if we didnt have tomatoes.