Meet Lindsay Obermeyer

The world lost a gifted artist, fighter, and advocate this year.  Lindsay Obermeyer lost her battle with cancer on July 4th.  True to her spirit, she waited until the fireworks lit the way for her.  A prolific artist, Lindsay enabled the world to explore the microscopic reality that makes life through her work. 

Lindsay has exhibited her art at venues in the UK, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Sweden, Australia and Colombia as well as throughout the United States at galleries and museums including the Museum of Art and Design (NYC), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Milwaukee Museum of Art.  Her work has been featured in Newsweek,The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times among others. She currently resides in St. Louis, MO.

Q+A

What do you geek out about? 

I  love data visualization. I swoon for a good graph or map, plus all the tech textiles being invented, especially the “smart” clothing. Totally cool. Right now I’m geeking to tech startups as I have an idea I’m looking to launch and took part in the Google Start up camp last month. It was totally insane and eye opening.

What scares you?

 Last year I had a stroke, heart attack and cancer. The trifecta of scary. I made it but it totally freaks me out now when I see someone smoking or chowing down on cholesterol heavy food. I don’t want them to go through anything I have and yet they are throwing themselves in front of the train with such habits. I ate an organic vegetarian diet for years and still came down with it all. Lucky me, I won the crappy genetic lottery. The docs all say that I recovered as I had been trying to stay healthy earlier on in life. It takes all I’ve got to not lecture strangers but if you are my friend you will hear my lecture, just cause I love ya. But yes, if the dude next to me at the bus stop is smoking I have no trouble asking him to put it out. As soon as I tell him my story, he puts it out without snark.  

What’s the most outrageous thing you have ever done (that you can share)? 

I received my work visa to the UK, bought a plane ticket for that night and moved to London for the next 8 months. That was more than slightly mad, fortunately I had already moved out of my apartment and my super cool mom let me store it all in her basement.

If you had to change careers what would you want to do?

I’d own a coffee shop. I love coffee. I love coffee culture. I love to bake, so I would be making all the pastries and jams. And I like to make people happy.  Fun!  Who knows?!  I may still do it. If were starting over in college, I would have minored in graphic design and computer science, so I could transition smoothly full-time into a data visualization career.

What gets you through a rough day?  

It all depends on why I am down. If I am tired and been alone in the studio for days, I will walk up to my local coffee shop. I love the friendly hum of people there. If I am still and low energy, I head to the gym. Today I was still feeling stiff and cranky, so I stopped by my local pilates studio for a workout. I am becoming a gym nut. Who me? Yep, me.  If I’m really freaking down I crank the blues and dance in my pajamas while cooking or baking. My gam did the same only to Johny Cash.

Want more? Visit Lindsay’s website and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.