Potential Selves: An Interview with Artist Savvy D By Georgia Stewart

Jun 17, 2026by Milk Room Staff

Growing into adulthood often comes with the pressure to conform to “maturity” and grow out of childlike interests and tendencies. This comes with expectations to settle into a stable identity,

aesthetic, or lifestyle. Savvy D is actively resistant to this idea, and she expresses this through her work as a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist. Across painting, fashion design, ceramics, and custom Blythe dolls, Savvy creates characters that allow her to explore identity without permanently committing to it on herself. By taking a basic stock Blythe doll and transforming it into something else, Savvy has learned to view these dolls as spaces for experimentation.

Savvy D, Copper Baby, Pale Baby, Mint Baby, Lavender Baby

Savvy explained that in an oversaturated media environment, she frequently comes across trends and aesthetics that interest her, but not enough to fully commit to them herself. Instead, Savvy takes these ideas to a stock Blythe doll. Using these dolls to play with her identity allows Savvy to explore different versions of herself risk-free, and these dolls become containers for identities she is curious about.

Upon entering adulthood, Savvy described struggling with her identity and authenticity, as she felt pressure to leave her childlike interests behind. She shared an experience in which she threw out all her collectible plushies under external pressure, and later regretted the decision when she realized that toys and cartoons are just part of who she is, even in adulthood. Savvy’s custom Blythe dolls allow her to engage with this pressure while still remaining outside of it. The identity play allows her to test possibilities without fully declaring who she is.

Savvy D, Platinum Baby, Bleach Blonde Baby

While these Blythe dolls allow Savvy to experiment with identity without fully committing to it, the result is even more permanent than if she were to apply these ideas to her physical body. Savvy described these dolls and her work in other media as representations of ideas and interests of specific times in her life. A hairstyle, outfit, or makeup look is temporary on a human, and trends pass just as quickly. A doll, however, preserves that moment indefinitely, allowing Savvy’s Blythe dolls to function as an archive of what fascinated her at a particular moment. Each doll represents a potential self that never needed to be fully lived.

Savvy D, Looks Inspired by My Blythe

As a lifelong creative, Savvy mentioned that she has always had a profound interest in eyes. From sketching them on notebooks and her own arm in class to them now being the centerpiece of most of her artwork. While she was drawn to the Blythe dolls, in part, because of their large, unsettling eyes, the same idea appears throughout her work in paint and ceramics as well. The eyes in Savvy’s work rarely provide any emotional information, and instead, they seem vacant, exhausted, and difficult to interpret. Through this, the figures resist being fully understood, leaving the viewer negotiating between familiarity and discomfort. Savvy has always been interested in things that blend cute and creepy, connecting with her relationship with her own adulthood.

Savvy D, ttyl, 2025

More recently, Savvy has become fully comfortable with her childlike side, embracing her interests in toys, cartoons, dolls, and other childhood-related things. Her work does not reject adulthood in favor of childhood. Instead, it creates a space where the two can coexist, presenting itself as a negotiation between the cute and the unsettling. Savvy’s work embraces this contradiction rather than resolving it. The dolls and creatures that Savvy depicts occupy a space between innocence and unease, and this duality reflects her understanding of identity itself.

Savvy D, I’m Okay!, 2025

Savvy D’s artworks serve as a space for identity play and preservation. Her custom Blythe dolls offer a way to explore possibilities without committing to permanence, while also allowing for permanence without being fully involved. They serve as an archive, preserving aesthetics, interests, ideas, and potential selves. Savvy’s artwork resists the idea that adulthood requires a fixed identity. Instead, it celebrates experimentation, curiosity, and transformation. Rather than documenting who she is, Savvy’s characters allow her to preserve the many versions of herself that she has spent time imagining, leaving room for who she may become next.