Tending Creativity

028 ✿ Cultivating your Artistic Style as an Illustrator ft. Nicole Medina

In this episode I spoke with the amazing illustrator Nicole Medina.

Nicole is a Latina American illustrator based in Philly who creates rich, bold , and colorful illustrations. Some of her clients include Target, Big Cartel, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and so many more.

In this interview we talk about the artwork in her middle school days that inspired her to become an illustrator before she even knew illustration was a career path, her thoughts on traditional vs digital art, her creative process, her love for the horror genre and taking care of your body, especially your hands, as an artist. And much more!

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Best Believe, written by NoNieqa Ramos and illustrated by Nicole Medina

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027 ✿ Leaving the Fashion Industry to Become an Illustrator ft. Isabela Humphrey

For Today’s episode I got to speak with amazing illustrator and graphic designer Isabela Humphrey. Isabela received her degree in fashion design and worked in the fashion industry for a few years before deciding to pivot her career to graphic design and illustration. Past clients of hers include Google, Facebook, The Washington Post, Refinery29 and more.

Isabela and I talked all about her transition from fashion to illustration and what her experience as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer has been like since.

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Topics discussed:

-Isabela introduces herself.

-Isabela’s creative expression in childhood.

-Knowing she wanted to be a fashion designer at a young age.

-Growing up in North Carolina.

-Going to college for fashion design.

-The competitive culture of fashion design.

-Realizing she didn’t want to work in the fashion industry anymore.

-Starting a greeting card side business after college.

-Her first pop-up where no one bought anything.

-Teaching herself illustration and graphic design.

-Using Upwork to start freelancing.

-Quitting her fashion design job to pursue graphic design and illustration.

-Getting clients outside of Upwork.

-Experiencing rapid growth as a freelancer.

-Getting to the point of burnout.

-How Isabela organizes and prioritizes work and projects.

-Being a night owl.

-Unlearning being hard on yourself.

-Isabela’s inspirations-books, pinterest, home decor, and more.

-Digital vs traditional art.

-The convenience of creating digitally.

-Getting back into traditional illustration.

-Procreate VS Adobe Fresco.

-Isabela’s creative process.

-Creating work for Google, Facebook, and Adobe.

-Doing ceramics for fun.

-Forcing yourself to not monetize all your hobbies.

Isabela's Shop

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Episode 026 ✿ Dance, Sustainable Fashion, and Creating in Seasons  ft. Richelle Navales-Yau of Dancing Kind

Today’s episode is an interview with the amazing Richelle Navales-Yau of Dancing Kind. Richelle is the founder/owner of Dancing Kind which is Richelle's brand and shop where she sells curated vintage clothing as well as more recently, in-house designs that are designed by Richelle and are sustainably handmade in Los Angeles, CA with deadstock fabrics sourced here. Dancing Kind is also special because, as the name suggests, dance is a prominent theme within the shop-Richelle shares the clothing she finds and creates on social media often by dancing with them on, encouraging the idea that the clothing you wear should make you so happy you want to dance!

Richelle and I talked about her journey as a creative to where she is now with Dancing Kind. Richelle was originally a dancer, and she still dances but we talked about her experience in the dance world in her early 20s, to becoming a teacher and then to starting Dancing Kind and eventually creating her own in house line.

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Topics discussed:

-Richelle introduces herself and Dancing Kind

-Richelle’s creative outlets as a child

-How and when Richelle started dancing

-Stopping school to pursue her dance career

-Family concerns about Richelle pursuing dance

-Deciding to go back to school

-Becoming a special education teacher

-The competitive nature of dance

-The shift in her relationship with dance

-Discrimination in the dance world

-Richelle’s love of fashion and vintage

-Running a vintage Etsy shop in college

-How, when and why she started her vintage shop Dancing Kind (originally Happy Dance Vintage)

-Gaining confidence through Dancing Kind

-The predominate whiteness of the vintage community and being a woman of color in that space

-Working full time while also working on Dancing Kind

-Giving too much of her time to the shop in the beginning

-Working in “seasons”

-Unlinking self-worth from productivity

-Art relying on our well-being

-When and how Richelle began production on her first in-house design - the Isabel dress

-The process of producing and releasing the Isabel dress

-The reaction to the Isabel dress exceeding Richelle’s expectations

-Newer Isabel dress fabrics

-Sourcing deadstock fabric

-Goals and future designs for Dancing Kind

-Going back to school for movement therapy

-What Richelle does for fun- alone time, being outside, eating good food

-The importance of alone time for introverts and extroverts

Dancing Kind website

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025 ✿ Healing Through Art and Creating Intentional Media ft. Jasdeep Kang (@jakariwing)

For today’s episode I had the opportunity to speak with the amazing, multi-talented artist, Jasdeep Kang. Jasdeep is a queer Punjabi American artist who works with film, photography, and music. They practice their art with the ”intention of cultivating joy, care and fantasy for the earth and underrepresented communities” (Jasdeep Kang). Past clients include Mitski, Snapchat, HBOmax, and Times Square Arts. We talked about creative burnout and how Jasdeep is working on prioritizing her wellness in her art practice, to language and creating new meanings as first generation Americans, the connection between her creative outlets and spirituality, and more.

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Topics discussed:

-Jasdeep introduces herself and what she does

-How Jasdeep started freelancing

-The power of media and being an intentional voice in media

-Experiencing creative burnout

-Approaching work and creativity differently

-Phiran Wali - a pivotal experimental film by Jasdeep

-All of the themes Jasdeep explored in that film - queerness, culture, language, connection to land, and more

-Language and creating new meanings as a first generation American

-The culture of burnout ingrained within the filmmaking industry

-Pivoting the way she works and what she offers

-Exploring what excites her

-The relationship between their creative practice and spiritual practice

-Having spiritual connections

-Harnessing our voices as healing

-Ancestral connections and connection to land

-The learning ground of dreams

-Ancestral work, intergenerational trauma and healing through art

-A special film camera Jasdeep has

-Moving to Brooklyn and exploring through photography

-Channeling spiritual connections with this camera

-The camera breaking and grieving it

-What Jasdeep does to prioritize her wellness

-Resources Jasdeep recommends:

-Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

-Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

-Affirmations for Artists video by Janelle Costa 

-What Jasdeep does for fun

Jasdeep's website: https://www.jasdeepkang.com/

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Episode 024 ✿ Oil Painting, Community, & Practicing Self-Compassion as an Artist ft. Emilia Cruz

For today’s episode I had the pleasure of talking to visual artist and painter, Emilia Cruz. Emilia’s work is incredible and magical. She is most known for her detailed oil paintings which explore the themes of her Mexican American culture, family, spirituality, and her experiences as a woman of color. Her work has been featured in many galleries, and you may have also seen it on the Netflix show Gentefied, which she created multiple artworks for. We talked about her childhood and how she was always creating from a young age, feeling lost as a young adult and eventually finding her path as an artist, her creative process for paintings and learning to be gentle on yourself as an artist and coping with feeling overwhelmed. 

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Topics discussed:

-Emilia introduces herself

-Emilia reflects on visiting Tijuana often growing up

-Her experience growing up and living in Simi Valley, CA

-Simi Valley being very conservative and having no arts scene

-Commuting from Simi Valley to Pasadena for school

-Being creative as a child

-Her love of miniatures

-Her aunt encouraging her to pursue the arts

-Feeling lost after high school going to community college

-Discovering artists on social media who she related to and feeling inspired

-Deciding to go to art school and her experience there

-Postponing her graduation until after the pandemic

-How and when she started painting

-Emilia’s creative process for painting

-Collecting references either intentionally or just through her daily life

-Knowing when a painting is done

-Learning to accept a slower pace of working

-Resisting the unhealthy, capitalistic work-ethic

-”Delusional girl era”

-Coping with feeling overwhelmed

-How Emilia started showing her work in art galleries

-Using Craigslist at the beginning to find places to display her art

-Building community through showing at art galleries

-Being shy as an artist and doing challenging things

-Emilia’s shop and Patreon

-What Emilia likes to do for fun- being with friends and family, dancing, going to arts events, etc.

https://emiliacruz.com/

Emilia's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cruzemilia/

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Episode 023 ✿ Expressing Queerness Through Comics and Growing Through Self-Doubt ft. Jett Allen (@jettdraws)

For this episode I had the pleasure of speaking to Jett Allen (they/he) who is a nonbinary/trans cartoonist, illustrator and writer. Jett’s work is incredible, thoughtful and funny and in many of his pieces he reflects on his experience as a nonbinary/trans person as well as films that have had an impact on him. Jett’s work has been published in the New Yorker, the LA Times, Into, the NYU Press and more! I got to talk to them about how and when they started making comics, dealing with feedback, criticism and self-doubt, expressing your queerness through your art, navigating family reactions, his process, and his current project which is a graphic memoir.

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Topics discussed:

-Jett introduces himself

-Jett’s experience with creativity as a child- doodling, creating stories with his sister, but not exactly being encouraged to be creative

-The connection between poetry and comics

-Being in and eventually quitting a PhD program for film

-Jett’s love for and relationship with film

-Deciding to start making comics and illustrating despite not feeling skilled to do so

-Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

-Black Hole by Charles Burnes

-The trans-ness of Black Hole

-Starting to create published work

-Jett’s first project Never Forget Femmes

-Balancing your goals and growth vs. your self-confidence and your value

-How your work if perceived is not your business, creating your art is your business

-Good criticism vs. bad criticism

-Good criticism opening up questions

-Bad criticism being vague and unthoughtful

-The fear of working on bigger or new projects

-Jett’s series Trans Classic Movies

-Jett’s creative process- starting with a question, writing, sketching, editing and then drawing

-The movie Big and transness

-River Butcher

-Jett’s current project- a graphic memoir

-Writing about your family and their reactions

-Call Me By My Name, Mom- Jett’s comic about their relationship with their mother

-Expressing queerness through art

-What Jett does for fun-relaxing, tarot, video games, etc.

-Having a comic bought by the Criterion Channel and getting to visit their offices

https://jettallen.com/

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Episode 022 ✿ Comics, Playwriting, and the Creative Path ft. Lily Rushing (goofwench)

For this episode I spoke with Lily Rushing (@goofwench) about her creative practice as a comic artist and more!

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Topics discussed:

-LIly introduces herself

-Joining theater as a child who didn’t talk much

-Creativity as a tool for communication

-Lily’s experience at a theater conservatory, studying playwriting in Chicago

-How Lily got into comics

-Beer’s Books

-Black is the Color by Julia Gfrörer 

-Going to the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo 

-Tara Booth

-Copying other artists’ style initially

-Lynda Barry

-Ernie Pooks Comeek by Lynda Barry

-Nancy by Ernie Bushmiller

-The Hernandez Brothers

-Vanessa Davis

-Quimby’s

-Her outlook on her career and school while she was a theater student

-Focusing on your art practice as your path instead of what it may get you

-Being a multi-disciplinary artist

-The connection between art and everything in Lily’s life

-The evolution of Lily’s style and voice

-Make Me a Woman and Spaniel Rage by Vanessa Davis

-Lisa Hanawalt

-Bianca Xuniz

-Six Chix

-Lily’s character Spikewench

-GutterBoys podcast episode with Jasper Jubenvill

-Switching from gouache to pen and ink

-Relinquishing control creatively

-Creating a lot of work

-Balancing her creative practice with her day job and personal life

-Being on unemployment during the pandemic and developing her style

-Lily’s process for creating comics

-Inking and coloring before choosing the words

-Lily’s experience selling prints, stickers, etc.

-Calico Critters and Sylvanian Drama on Tik Tok 

-Tik Tok and Instagram

-Lily’s dream projects and goals-beings syndicated, zines and more

-What Lily does for fun- “local behavior”, bike-riding, hanging out, etc.

Lily's instagram and TikTok

Lily's shop

Lily's Play "Desert Stories for Lost Girls" in Los Angeles Sept 28-Oct 16

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Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!

Episode 021 ✿ Micro-Memoirs - Being a Writer & Installation Artist ft. India K (@heartbread)

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For this episode I talked with artist and writer India K, (@heartbread on instagram) about her "micro-memoirs". India creates installation art based on her writing on the themes of self-worth, vulnerability, and memory. She also has an online shop with items featuring her writing, in addition to having a day job. I got to speak to her all about how she began creating the work she does today and about her creative practice!

Topics discussed:

India's Website: http://www.india-k.com/

India's Shop: https://india-k.myshopify.com/

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Episode 020 ✿  Leaving the TV & Film Industry to Run a Slow Fashion Business ft. Ruby Wortis of Shop Rudie

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This episode is an interview with Ruby Wortis who is the creator/designer of Shop Rudie, an slow fashion clothing brand. Shop Rudie creates fun, colorful designs- most notably dresses. They're super fun and whimsical pieces, and the creator Ruby takes inspiration from the fashion history of counter culture and the “ intersection of political messaging and personal style". I got to talk to her about how she started Shop Rudie during the pandemic and eventually left her full time job as a producer in film and tv to run Shop Rudie, her process, a bit about fashion history and her influences. 

Topics discussed:

-Ruby introduces herself

-Ruby’s experience with creativity growing up- having punk rock parents, drawing, theatre, music and more

-Being grounded as a teenager and connecting with her creativity

-Her creative interests combining creativity and technicality, such as sewing

-How she started sewing during the pandemic

-Being interested in comedy, film, and tv in college and going to film school

-Working in the film and television industry

-The pandemic and its impact on Ruby’s career

-Realizing she wasn’t as interested in production anymore

-Being afraid to quit her full time job

-Actually quitting because she had to in order to continue Shop Rudie

-Her and her partner’s cars being stolen the same day she quit

-Her first day working for herself

-Realizing she needed a break

-The importance of rest and both our experiences with that

-The importance of a morning routine

-Artist dates as mentioned in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way

-Needing real/regular life experiences to inform your creative practice

-Methods of generating and keeping track of ideas

-Ruby’s passion for fashion history of counter culture and how it influences her work

-The history of checkerboard in the 70s and 80s

-Ruby’s history of ancestors during labor right’s movements, as communists, activists and rebels

-Ethical practices in her business

-Ancestral guidance

-Ruby’s creative process- creating patterns, choosing fabric, editing designs, marketing, etc.

-The frustrations and advantages of not having all the technical sewing/garment making skills

-Her Fall 2022 collection - the process of creating it and her inspirations

-What Ruby likes to do for fun- gardening, spending time with loved ones, and karaoke

https://shoprudie.com/

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Episode 019 ✿ Laser Cutting & Growth Through an Art Practice ft. Fatima Nieto

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For this episode I spoke to artist Fatima Nieto. Fatima is a laser cutting artist who is known for her awe-inspiring acrylic mirrors. Her work is bold, colorful, and shiny-pulling inspiration from her culture, childhood and things that spark joy (beanie babies, Homies figurines, ice-cream truck popsicles and more). We got to talk about her journey with this creative passion, how she has grown as a person and artist, and more!

Topics covered:

-Fatima introduces herself

-Being from El Paso, Texas

-Being a child actor

-Growing up in the valley in Los Angeles

-Going to college at Cal State Northridge and studying theatre

-Going to a makerspace for the first time

-Starting to use a laser cutting machine after being intimidated by it

-Being determined to laser cut acrylic mirror

-Creating her first acrylic mirror piece

-How creating literally reflected her inner self

-The financial plunge she took and the cost of her work

-How she started selling her work without intending to

-Healing herself through her art

-Opportunities to create on a larger scale with commissions

-Her inspirations - nostalgia and her Mexican culture

-Creating work with other materials-plexiglass, wood, steel, and more

-The intricacy of her work evolving

-Making stage set pieces for artists such as Cuco and Raveena

-The process of creating a laser cut artwork

-Being the only woman in her studio space

-What Fatima likes to do for fun

Fatima's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timakkuma

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