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Tending Creativity
By Marissu ElenaArts
Tending Creativity episodes
- 018 ✿ Going After What You Want ft. Illustrator Fabiola Lara
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 18: Going After What You Want ft. Illustrator Fabiola Lara
*Get a free sticker by leaving a written review on apple podcasts!! Screenshot your review and email it along with your mailing address, to [email protected] or DM us on Instagram*
For this episode I got to talk to illustrator, podcaster, and youtuber Fabiola Lara. Fabiola has created work for the Los Angeles Times, the Golden Globes, Instagram and more! She has a podcast called Draws in Spanish where she interviews notable Latinx visual artists. Fabiola has an incredibly tenacious spirit and I loved hearing about her journey as an artist and person!
In this episode we talk about:
-Fabiola introduces herself
-Fabiola’s relationship with creativity as a child
-Viewing art as a hobby, not as a potential career, growing up
-Entering college after high school
-Majoring in a science degree
-Missing art and figuring out a way to get to take art classes as a science major
-Considering medical illustration
-Realizing she didn’t want a career in the medical field
-Discovering she was interested in media, tech, and social media
-Switching her major to marketing/advertising
-Getting internships in media
-Interning for Tumblr and a post-grad job falling through
-Feeling stressed and pressure about getting a job after graduation
-Dealing with negative family criticism
-Starting to get illustration commissions while working full time
-Transitioning from working a corporate job to freelancing
-Quitting her job after being accepted into an illustration program in Barcelona
-Moving to Spain
-Falling into a housing scam, the start of the pandemic, and returning back to the United States
-Freelancing as a designer and illustrator at the beginning of her freelance career
-Her first kind of illustration commissions
-How her work and freelance jobs have changed
-The evolution of her illustration style
-Work for clients vs personal work and closing that gap
-Advocating for her work
-Going from digital tools to analog tools to hone in on her style
-Self doubt as an artist
-Boundaries between identity and work-life as an artist
-What Fabiola likes to do for fun-watching tv, TikTok
-Having moved to a new city during the pandemic and finding friends being difficult
Fabiola’s website
Fabiola’s podcast Draws In Spanish
Fabiola’s YouTube Channel
Fabiola’s Instagram
Fabiola’s TikTok
Remember to leave a written review on Apple podcasts to get a free sticker!!
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Tending Creativity Tik Tok
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
54 min - 017 ✿ Being Published by the LA Times & Fear of Being Honest in Your Art ✿ Solo Episode
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 17: Being Published by the LA Times & Fear of Being Honest in Your Art ✿ Solo Episode
For this episode I talk about my experience having a comic of mine published by the LA Times, fear and anxiety in creating honest artwork, and give some queer media recommendations. Happy Pride Month! :)
Topics discussed:
-Amazing news- my comic being published by the LA Times in the Latinx Files
-What my comic was about
-The process of going to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for my partner's visa interview
-The response to my comic
-Fear of judgement
-Fear of family judgement and general public judgement
-Socialization as a woman affecting my creative practice
-Trying to allow myself to be truthful in my art
-Not staying small or keeping the peace
-Queer media recommendations - 1 queer Latinx film and 1 queer Latinx book
Read my comic here!
Mosquita y Mari (2012)
Las Hociconas by Adelina Anthony
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Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
www.marissuelena.com
30 min - 016 ✿ Starting a Magazine and Proving Yourself Through Art ft. Jaclyn Arellano
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 16: Starting a Magazine and Proving Yourself Through Art ft. Jaclyn Arellano
For this episode I spoke with illustrator, graphic designer, and co-founder of Tasteless Studio magazine, Jaclyn Arellano about her experience at art school, curating a digital magazine, and creating artwork.
Click here if you prefer to watch me sketch while listening to the episode
Topics discussed:
- Marissa and Jaclyn chat
- Jaclyn introduces herself
- Jaclyn’s experience with creativity and art as a child
- Being placed in art classes
- Being exposed to working artists young
- Proving to parents that art can be more than a hobby
- Jaclyn’s experience in a private elementary school
- Transitioning from private to public school
- Jaclyn’s college experience
- Changing her plans to go to a Cal State to an art school instead
- Feeling behind in her freshman year at art school
- Her expectations for art school
- Jaclyn’s art style and mediums before art school
- Refining her style
- Learning to slow down
- Starting to post her artwork online
- Jaclyn’s experience post-grad
- Her expectations and being crushed by the difficulties of post-grad
- Quitting her job to go freelance
- Comparing yourself to others
- Seeing her friends work freelance and being inspired
- Trying to self-discipline and get into a schedule
- Trying different things out
- Her magazine Tasteless Studio
- Starting Tasteless Studio with her friend
- How Tasteless Studio has evolved
- Their process for putting the magazine together
- Bouncing ideas around for freelancing
- Working part-time for an artist
- Traditional vs digital art
- Painting a dog portrait
- Where Jaclyn gains inspiration
- Using tumblr and twitter to follow artist and see vintage art
- Nostalgia in her work
- Historical costume commentary YouTube videos
- Sewing
- What Jaclyn likes to do for fun
- Playing Animal Crossing
- Advice she has for others
Jaclyn’s website: https://jaclynarellano.com/
Jaclyn’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaclyn06
Follow us on Instagram
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Host/Marissa's Tik Tok
Tending Creativity Tik Tok
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
www.marissuelena.com
54 min - 015 ✿ Creativity and Depression ✿ Solo Episode
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 15: Creativity and Depression, Solo Episode
For this episode I talk about my experience with depression and anxiety and how that has affected my creative expression.
Topics discussed:
- The “tortured artist” trope
- You don’t have to be sad to make great art
- My personal history with depression and anxiety
- The ebb and flow of depression
- Learning skills to deal with mental health disorders
- Anxiety developing as I’ve gotten older
- The importance of understanding my experience with mental health disorders
- Changing my mindset to be more compassionate to myself
- The importance of prioritizing wellness over productivity
- Patterns I recognize that affect my ability to make art when I’m experiencing depression
- Increased self doubt and self criticism when depressed
- Not letting myself pursue creative ideas
- Growing through attempting “bad” creative ideas
- Being harsh on myself and ideas or work
- Lack of motivation for creative work when depressed
- Motivation is not always needed to create
- Feeling a lack of care for things I usually care about
- Shifting the focus from worrying about being productive to wanting to heal
- Lack of stamina and focus for creative work when depressed
- Being frustrated when I’m unable to focus or work as hard as usual
- Trying to force myself to operate at a level I’m unable to
- Learning to accept a reduced ability to work on art or creative projects
- The conditioning to hyper-focus on productivity
- Unlinking my self-worth from my productivity and achievement
- Focusing on opportunities to care for myself
- Prioritizing well being and mental health over creativity
- Your mental health is more important than trying to always create or make art
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Tending Creativity Tik Tok
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
www.marissuelena.com
32 min - 014 ✿ Inner Work, Illustration, and Self-Acceptance ft. Allison Filice
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 14: Inner Work, Illustration, and Self-Acceptance ft. Allison Filice
For this episode I spoke with illustrator, designer, and podcaster Allison Filice about her experience as an illustrator and podcaster becoming a new mom, and the inner journey she experienced while transitioning to becoming an illustrator.
In this episode we talk about:
- Allison introduces herself
- Her expectations for motherhood and career before having a child
- Accepting the need to take a step back from work as a new mother
- Starting her podcast, The Friendly Unknown
- Her experience with depression at that time in her life
- Dealing with depression and recognizing it if you have experienced it before
- The importance with doing things for yourself and not for external validation
- Healing through following your inner voice
- The power of others’ stories
- Her experience working as an editorial freelance illustrator
- Lacking boundaries with work and time management
- Basing self-worth on career accomplishments
- Realizing her relationship with work needed to change
- Being on a hiatus from her podcast
- Letting herself just be and waiting until the right timing to start on her next project
- Her journey with self-development and inner-work
- Switching paths from being a designer to an illustrator
- The inner-work required on her path to becoming an illustrator
- The impact of the media your consume and how it shapes your perspective and reality
- Letting go of limiting beliefs
- Her process for creating podcast episodes
- Struggling with perfectionism
- Focusing on enjoying the process of creating and not just the end product
- Allison’s recent/current interests - depth psychology, reading, tarot, and pondering existence
- Allison’s podcast and book recommendations (links): The Creative Peptalk podcast, Don't Keep Your Day Job podcast ,This Jungian Life podcast, Contact (1985 novel) by Carl Sagan, The Heroine's Journey (1990 book) by Maureen Murdoch
- The timing of our encounters with ideas, media, and others’ stories and work
- The importance of being selective with books or media we consume
- Focusing on what you’re most passionate about and being truly yourself
Allison's Website
Allison's Podcast, The Friendly Unknown
Allison's Instagram
On Design podcast episode with Allison
Follow us on Instagram
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Host/Marissa's Tik Tok
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
www.marissuelena.com
57 min - 013 ✿ Quitting My 9-5 Job ✿ Solo Episode
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 13: Quitting My 9-5 Job ✿ Solo Episode
I'm back! After about 6 months since my last released episode I am back with a solo episode in which I talk about how I recently quit my 9-5 job in education and my plans for the podcast moving forward.
In this episode I talk about:
-What caused me to stop releasing podcast episodes
-Transitioning from a part time position to a full time position at my day job
-The difficulties and stress of working at a school during the pandemic
-Not having time or energy to work on creative projects after work
-Having to drop a ceramics class I was enrolled in
-Trying to get to the end of the year and holiday break
-Trying to figure out how to maximize my time and energy to work full time while pursuing creative side projects
-Dealing with health and mental health issues
-Starting therapy and medication
-Returning to work after the holiday break
-Deciding to quit
-My process of quitting and the privileges in doing so
-My plans for the future
-What I did right after quitting
-Reflecting on my time at this job and my decision to quit
-Feeling proud of myself and excited
-Being ok even if things don't work out how I want them to
-The Great Resignation and teacher/educator resignation
-The difficulties and stress of working in education during the pandemic
-Making sure I don't set unrealistic goals and expectations for myself
-Plans for this podcast
Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on Apple podcasts!
Follow us on Instagram
Host/Marissa's Instagram
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
Host/Marissa's Tik Tok
www.marissuelena.com
Recorded and published January, 2022
30 min - 012 | Going to Art School, Running an Etsy Shop, and Living Your Truth ft. Ela Hosp
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 12: Going to Art School, Running an Etsy Shop and Living Your Truth ft. Ela Hosp
For this episode I talked with artist Ela Hosp all about her experiences as an art student, running an Etsy shop and more.
In this episode we talk about:
-Ela introduces herself and her work - illustration, sculpture.
-Ela's relationship with art and creativity growing up and in high school.
-Ela's experience deciding to go to school for art.
-Ela's experience at Kansas City Art Institute and then leaving, taking breaks from college and transferring.
-Ela's experience starting with Etsy and deciding to focus on it after losing her other forms of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-The stress of having Etsy as her full-time source of income, and focusing on art for the purpose of selling.
-Ela's school work vs. personal work and Etsy work.
-Ela's creative process.
-The importance of sketching and sketchbooks.
-Being busy, overwhelmed and bedtime revenge procrastination.
-Ela's thoughts on life after graduating college.
-The importance of doing what feels right for you and not what you think others expect of you.
-Digital tools-iPads, Procreate and scanners.
-Using and creating with what you have.
-How Ela takes breaks from creating-cleaning and organizing, camping, thrifting, and doing nothing.
-The importance of being authentic to yourself.
Ela’s Etsy Shop
Ela’s Instagram
Ela’s YouTube Channel
Ela’s Portfolio
Full transcript of this interview: www.marissuelena.com/blog/tendingcreativity/episode12
Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review on Apple podcasts!
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Host/Marissa's Instagram
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
www.marissuelena.com
1 hr - 011 | Being an Embroidery Artist and the Importance of Rest ft. Sarah Jane (SalutingSoloMagpies)
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 11: Being an Embroidery Artist and the Importance of Rest ft. Sarah Jane (SalutingSoloMagpies)
For this episode I talk with embroidery artist Sarah Jane about her experiences and work as an embroidery artist. :)
In this episode we talk about:
- Sarah introduces herself.
- How Sarah started embroidery and her first pieces.
- Picking embroidery back up after a couple years away from it.
- Sarah's creative interests growing up.
- What Sarah thought of doing for work as a child.
- Quitting her retail job to explore creative work.
- Having family support to do and try what you want.
- Being unsure of what to do with your life.
- The different subject matter of Sarah's work and how it has evolved.
- Getting an ego boost from others' positive reaction to your work.
- The start of selling embroideries.
- Unique commissions.
- The perception of embroidery as an art form and devaluation of embroidery as just "women's work".
- "Crafts" vs "fine art".
- How Sarah makes work for her Etsy shop.
- Trying to figure out a work schedule, getting tasks done, etc.
- Rest and productivity, learning to allow yourself to rest.
- The impact of the pandemic on her working habits.
- Helpful Instagram graphics and accounts.
- Sarah's process for doing an embroidery.
- The materials Sarah uses and the low-cost investment of embroidery.
- Focusing on skill, passion, and your eye over materials and tools.
- Learning how to stitch.
- What Sarah does if an embroidery isn't going as planned.
- Dealing with and managing expectations and disappointment for our art.
- Physical impacts of doing embroidery.
- Pros and cons of selling on Etsy- visibility and fees.
- Sarah's other interests.
- Our love for cooking themed video games.
Sarah's Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SalutingSoloMagpies
Sarah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salutingsolomagpies
For transcript of this interview: www.marissuelena.com/blog/tendingcreativity/episode11
Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!
Follow us on Instagram
Host/Marissa's Instagram
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
www.marissuelena.com
56 min - 010 | Becoming a Fashion Designer, Sustainability and Work-Rest Balance ft. Tara Efobi
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 10: Becoming a Fashion Designer, Sustainability and Work-Rest Balance ft. Tara Efobi
For this episode I got to talk to designer and YouTuber Tara Efobi about her journey and design work.
In this episode we talk about:
- Tara talks about her interest in fashion and creative things as a child and throughout adolescence.
- Her experience in high school and being encouraged to pursue design.
- Fear of pursuing your interests.
- Tara's interest in film growing up and considering that as a career.
- Her experience starting a YouTube channel in high school.
- What YouTube was like when we were kids/in middle school (early 2000s).
- Tara's decision making process when it came to going to and choosing a college.
- Her college experience and the validity of different college experiences.
- Her experience studying abroad.
- Her experience preparing to graduate and post grad- internships, job searching, etc.
- Learning about and realizing her passion for sustainability.
- Looking for and choosing a fashion design internship.
- What it's like advocating for sustainability in a large company.
- Considering freelancing.
- How Tara forms her goals for herself.
- The design process and her creative process as a designer.
- Tara's experience working from home this past year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Coping with difficult times- goal setting, planning, getting outside.
- Her experience moving to Colorado and living in Colorado now.
- Doing YouTube and Instagram while working full time.
- What Tara does for fun just for herself - cooking, thrifting, relaxing.
- The importance of rest.
- Buying and missing out on pieces she designed when they get released.
Tara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taraefobi/
Tara's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BeautyJunkiessTaraE
Tara's Website: https://www.taraefobi.com/
View Full Transcript of the interview: https://www.marissuelena.com/blog/tendingcreativity/episode10
Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!
Follow us on Instagram
Host/Marissa's Instagram
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
1 hr 6 min - 009 | How to Deal, Examining Fear, Anxiety, and Growth Through Art ft. Grace Miceli
Welcome to the Tending Creativity Podcast!
Episode 9: How to Deal, Examining Fear, Anxiety, and Growth Through Art ft. Grace Miceli
For this episode I got to talk to artist Grace Miceli about her new book, How to Deal.
In this episode we talk about:
- Grace introduces herself, her work, and her book.
- When and how the book started.
- How/Why Grace made the decision to pursue creating a book.
- Working with a team to publish the book.
- Fear associated with doing/creating something for the first time.
- Working on the book during the covid-19 pandemic.
- Making artwork that fits into a larger project vs. standalone work.
- The process of creating work for the book-the art direction, organization, and planning.
- Online shopping and some of the comics in the book that talk about it.
- Grace's creative process for her artwork- lists, showing up consistently, inspiration, editing.
- Grace's artistic world and art style- how it has developed, how it allows her to create in a safe space but also expanding outside of her comfort zone creatively.
- The push and pull of staying in our comfort zone and getting out of it.
- The falsehood of control.
- The relationships and interpretations others have with Grace's artwork.
- Grace's dog Tony and his influence on her life and art.
- Animals in art and human experiences being represented through them.
- Grace's journey with self-help, mental/emotional health and communicating that through art.
- The never-ending nature of processing your feelings.
- Not using self-improvement/self-help against yourself.
- Grace's feelings and thoughts about the book being released soon.
Pre-order or Purchase How to Deal: https://gracemiceli.com/how-to-deal
Grace's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbabygirl/
Stuff and People Mentioned in the episode:
Feel It Out by Jordan Sondler
The Kindly Lion
Adam Kurtz
Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!
Follow us on Instagram
Host/Marissa's Instagram
Host/Marissa's Youtube Channel
1 hr 1 min
About Tending Creativity
From the publisher's feed
Podcast focused on creativity and life. Centering experiences of marginalized genders.