PROFILE

Flat design, modernism, minimalism, typography, digital art, chiaroscuro, abstract expressionism, art therapy

Mental health, self-image, social anxiety, interpersonal communication, secular humanism, futurism, science fiction, fantasy, fandom, existentialism, anti-corporatism, New York City multiculturalism, live music, digital-analog synergy, processes-driven design, artist as messenger

Russian Constructivism, Swiss Modernism, Bauhaus, Art Deco, Material Design, modernist interior design, alternative fashion, comic art, Japanese manga, Mark Rothko, Piet Mondrian, Takashi Murakami, El Lissitzky, Wassily Kandinsky, Yoshitaka Amano, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha

Digital painting, vector drawing, calligraphy, ink, watercolor, charcoal, laser-cut acrylic, textiles, mixed media

When you grow up with a name that’s difficult for those around you to pronounce, maybe that does something to shape your personality.

You learn right from the start that you’re a little different. Quirky. Weird. All your life, people will pronounce your name wrong. They won’t get you. Sometimes, they won’t even attempt to get you. They’ll try to give you nicknames that are easier on the tongue. They’ll insist that you change yourself to conform to their homogenous expectations. They’ll give you nicknames that are not so nice. They’ll let you know that you don’t belong; you’re an outcast; you deserve to be scorned just for existing.

But who you are is who you are. You couldn’t change it if you tried. You’re proud of it. Now all you’ve got to do is learn to make a living from it.

So far, I’ve worked in the fields of entrepreneurship, technology, design, art, blogging, speaking, and content creation. Outside of that, I have the sort of hobbies that make your friends’ weekly Dungeons and Dragons night look downright mainstream.

And here I am today; a weirdo, geeky, misfit, wildly imaginative, malcontent creative vagabond named Leisl Schrader. It’s “LEESS” like the lease on your apartment (with an “s” sound, not a “z” sound), and “uhl” like in “full”. “SHRAY” that rhymes with “tray,” and “dur” like in “dirt.” 

Formerly, I was the kid who thought Pearl Paint was better than a candy store, and hoarded junk just to take it apart and glue it back together again in an entirely new way (all without adult supervision of course). I created my first Web site at age 12 on a public library computer, went home, found an image editing program, and off I was into my destiny of creating and sharing interesting-looking things with the world.

I graduated/earned/survived a BFA in Graphic Design from the School of Visual Arts, New York City, in 2007, back when "UI/UX Design" was just called "Web Design." Specialized in that for many years. Moved to Web development for many more years, until I realized I hated programming and remembered that I'm an artist. I quit it all to go freelance, manage a small studio team, and almost worked myself into the ground. So as to not literally die before my time in a bad artist cliche, I chose instead to became a different artist cliche, and concentrated my work around channeling my "issues" into visual works in a variety of media.