Grand Rapids host
Kaila Piepkow
Libby VanderPloeg talks about hitting the bumps in the road, taking unexpected twists and turns, and then recalibrating.
Every so often it’s a good idea to get out your compass and figure out where you are and remember where you were going. But you have to embrace the meander because the detours are what make your journey unique and what bring you to interesting conclusions.
About the speaker

Libby VanderPloeg is an artist, illustrator, and designer. She grew up in Michigan on the edge of the Great Lakes dunes in Grand Haven. Since then, she’s lived in Grand Rapids, Chicago, New York, and Stockholm, finding her way back to West Michigan in 2017.
Libby’s work comes out of a deep affinity for storytelling, music, letterforms, printed ephemera, and wildlife. Some of her clients include The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Design*Sponge, Netflix, Anthropologie, Food 52, Instagram, Tumblr, TED Talks, Harper Collins, Abrams, Penguin, Hardie Grant UK, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
For illustration work, she’s repped by the lovely and talented team at Snyder NY.
Favorite quotes from this talk See all
“Commitment is all about hitting the bumps in the road, taking unexpected twists and turns, and recalibrating. — Libby VanderPloeg
“Art can be truly functional, and it is essential. Art and music and dance can open minds and hearts and give people hope, foster a sense of community, and I love when it does that. — Libby VanderPloeg
“Every so often it’s a good idea to get out your compass and figure out where you are and remember where you were going. But you have to embrace the meander because the detours are what make your journey unique and what bring you to interesting conclusions. — Libby VanderPloeg
“So I started really working on illustration. I made opportunities for myself where there weren’t some. — Libby VanderPloeg
“I think I might always be afraid of commitment but I can say for certain that when I find something worth holding onto, I don’t let go. — Libby VanderPloeg
Photos from this talk See all

Hosted by West Elm
Date May 18, 2018
Partners
west elm
Ferris Coffee & Nut
Mighty in the Midwest
Atomic Object
CQL
AIGA West Michigan
The Image Shoppe
TEKsystems
Adrian Butler
Conduit
Leigh Ann Cobb Photography
Kairos Sans by Monotype