The Autonomous Creative

At only twenty-seven, our guest Shannon Wright has already had one helluva career.

Shannon’s work has been featured by outlets like NPR, The Nib, and the New York Times. She’s illustrated several successful children’s books, and her debut graphic novel, Twins, a collaboration with Varian Johnson, was released in 2020.

In this interview, Shannon breaks down how she got to where she is today, describing the different support systems and mentors that helped her along the way. She talks about her mission to pay it forward and be a guide for other young illustrators.

Shannon also describes the pressure she feels to brand herself and constantly produce content in order to stay relevant, a feeling many creatives can relate to. She explains how she learned to embrace all aspects of her personhood, and not focus solely on the work.

In a similar vein, Shannon opens up about being pigeonholed, particularly as a Black creator whose work frequently focuses on social justice issues, and the importance of saying no to work that doesn’t support her mental health or is at odds with her intuition.

More from the episode…

More from Shannon Wright

Shannon Wright is an illustrator and cartoonist based out of Richmond, Virginia. Some of her clients include The Guardian, TIME Magazine, The Nib, NY Times, Mother Jones, NPR, Google and Scholastic.  She’s illustrated several successful children’s books, and her debut graphic novel, Twins, a collaboration with Varian Johnson, was released in 2020.

She also teaches at her alma mater, VCU.

Connect with Shannon Wright

https://shannon-wright.com/

TWINS: https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/twins-9781338236132.html

https://twitter.com/shannondrewthis

https://www.instagram.com/shannondrewthis/

https://shannondrewthis.tumblr.com/

https://ko-fi.com/shannonwright

“Why not put your best stuff in front of the biggest room?”

On this episode, I’m joined by writer, marketer, teacher, and Creative Focus Workshop alumni, Sonia Simone.

Sonia goes into detail about her two major career pivots, including how she went from “fan-girl” to founding partner at Rainmaker Digital, formerly CopyBlogger Media. She describes the moment she realized she was “burnt to a crisp”, after years of stretching herself too thin, and her decision to focus on her own business, Remarkable Communication.

Sonia talks about her compassionate, human-centered approach to marketing, and her mission to help creative pros craft marketing content that doesn’t make them cringe. Plus, Sonia shares how she gained visibility for her personal work by embracing her geekiness (and being a little extra).

Sonia Simone was a founding partner of Copyblogger Media and is the owner of Remarkable Communication. She's a longtime veteran of social media, having started out in online community in 1989. She's worked for many years in marketing communication, both with startups and established corporate environments.

Sonia led the editorial direction on the Copyblogger blog, as well as developing the content and email strategies that supported the company's software and e-learning lines of business. She sold her interest in Copyblogger in 2019.

Today, Sonia helps content writers get more writing done at a higher quality standard with her new project, Creative Fierce. She also has a free report on becoming more productive, which you can grab at UnlockYourWords.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniasimone/

https://www.remarkable-communication.com

http://twitter.com/soniasimone

https://copyblogger.com/author/sonia-simone/

Katamari Damacy

In this episode, I’m joined by contemporary painter and printmaker Didier William. Didier’s incredible work explores the diasporan experience, as well as what it was like to grow up gay in a conservative Haitian community.

Over the past five years, Didier has had massive success in the contemporary art world. In this interview, we discuss his personal parameters for success, how he protects the sanctity of his creative work in the face of needing to make a living, and how he balances the ecosystem of his home and work life (especially since he and his husband welcomed a new baby!).

We also discuss the pressure that comes from belonging to an underrepresented community in the context of marketing and production. Plus, why it’s important to be mindful of “what the work can do, and what the work can’t do” when it comes to social activism.

Didier William is a painter/printmaker, originally from Port-au-Prince Haiti, whose epic collage/print/painting works, among many things, explore aspects of the Haitian diasporan experience, as well as attempting “to get closer to a truth that makes sense for black and brown people.”

I met Didier within weeks of arriving in Pennsylvania when we both began work at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He was the chair of the MFA program at the time and I was the chair of the new illustration program.

Didier earned his BFA in painting from The Maryland Institute College of Art, an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University, School of Art, and is currently Assistant Professor of Expanded Print at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Connect with Didier

instagram: @dueyart

http://didierwilliam.com

Links

Saidiya Hartman - “Lose Your Mother”

“You have to protect that time because no one's going to protect it for you, and no one's going to give it to you. Only you can give it to you.”

On this episode, I’m joined by my long-time friend, novelist Myla Goldberg.

In 2000, Myla found breakout success with her best selling debut novel, Bee Season. Myla walks me through the novel’s journey — how it landed in the hands of a literary agent’s assistant and went on to become a major motion picture.

We also discuss the importance of self-discipline, which Myla has in spades. Where does it come from, and is it really necessary if you want to become a successful novelist?

Finally, Myla explains the difference between nurturing her readership and building a client list for her private writing workshops, and how she does both without using social media.

More from the episode...

More from our guest

Myla Goldberg is a bestselling novelist whose books have been named finalists for the National Book Critics’ Circle award, the Carnegie Medal, the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award, the NYPL Young Lions award, and the Barnes & Noble Discover award. She writes and teaches in Brooklyn. Myla is best known for her debut novel, Bee Season, a breakout success that was eventually adapted into a major Hollywood film starring Richard Gere. You may have also heard about: Feast Your Eyes, The False Friend, and Wickett’s Remedy.

Connect with Myla Goldberg

https://mylagoldberg.com/

https://twitter.com/mylagoldberg

https://www.instagram.com/myla_goldberg/?hl=en

Additional Links

“Song for Myla Goldberg” by The Decemberists

Creative Writing Bootcamp on Skillshare

On this episode of the Autonomous Creative, I’m joined by metalsmith, Victoria Lansford. Victoria specializes in old world metalsmithing techniques, like Russian Filigree and Eastern Repoussé, and passes these skills onto others through her many workshops and videos.

Victoria calls creative problem solving her ‘ultimate superpower’, and she’s hardly exaggerating. Whether she’s developing new ways to teach during a global pandemic, or redesigning her studio to be ergonomically friendly, Victoria has a knack for finding clever workarounds.

During our conversation, Victoria shares the source of her superpower, and how being adaptable has been the backbone of her career and creative practice. We also discuss the highs and lows of being multi-passionate, including how to manage Idea Debt when there’s just so much you want to do.

More from the episode...

• Victoria debunks the “impossible, improbable, ridiculous” career model she was taught in art school, and shares what worked for her instead.
• Victoria reveals how she turned 2020 into one of her most financially successful years, and why she’ll never return to in-person teaching.
• Victoria opens up about dealing with chronic pain in a physically demanding field. What steps has she taken to prioritize self-care?
• How did Victoria’s website help her land an incredible commission doing large-scale metalwork on a bespoke super yacht?
• “I moved past the sense of rejection and said ‘this is freedom’” — Why Victoria chooses to focus on making art she loves, and not only what sells.
• Why does Victoria hate the ‘J-word’?
• “Good metalsmiths are people, not who don't make mistakes, but who learn how to fix their mistakes.” — How creative problem solving became Victoria’s ultimate superpower.
• Victoria offers advice for aspiring metalsmiths: “Sometimes you just have to make a whole bunch of work that isn't amazing.”

Victoria Lansford is a sculptor, metalsmith, Russian filigree and Eastern repoussé and chasing expert, illuminator, and calligrapher (a veritable polymath). Her work ranges from small, precious jewelry pieces to a 5-foot by 7-foot copper relief on a bespoke super yacht. She created the metals program and served as head of the Metalsmithing Department at Spruill Center for the Arts, Atlanta, was an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Metalwerx, Inc. Through her sold out workshops, videos, books, articles, and apps, she has mentored other creatives around the world. Her newest major project is the ground breaking, animated ebook and print book Giving Voice.

https://victorialansford.com

https://victorialansford.com/workshops/

facebook.com/VictoriaLansford

instagram.com/victorialansfordartwork

https://twitter.com/vlansford

https://victorialansford.com/firing-my-boss/

https://userblogs.ganoksin.com/metalwerx/2018/06/28/arist-bio-victoria-lansford/

On this episode of The Autonomous Creative, I sit down for a super fun conversation with Ronald Wimberly. Ronald is best known for his graphic novel Prince of Cats, which is currently being developed as a film by Legendary Entertainment. His other works include a giant tabloid journal and art magazine on identity and visual culture, LAAB, Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, Black History In Its Own Words, and his critically acclaimed webcomic, Gratuitous Ninja (which is currently being Kickstarted and published by Beehive Books as a 600-page accordion-folded concertina!).

I first met Ronald Wimberly in 2007, and shortly after we came together to work on my book, Trish Trash. We have had many long, in depth conversations over the years, and I can always count on them turning out hilarious, challenging, and never boring.

This one is no exception.

We explore some of Ronald’s most popular work and its influences, including other artists, cultures, and his personal identity. Ronald compares the many references in his work to sampling, and explains why he believes it leads to deeper, more engaging art.

We also discuss the discrepancies between the artist’s intent, and the audience’s interpretation. How much does it actually matter? Is it better, healthier even, to look away?

• Ronald breaks down some of the references in his graphic novel, Prince of Cats, which he describes as the B-side to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
• “One of the lessons about being an artist that I've learned over these years is you put stuff out, you mean things, sometimes it's inconsequential to what people get from it” — Why Ronald thinks focusing too heavily on how his work is perceived is unhealthy.
• Ronald reminiscences on New York in the 80’s, newsstands, and being introduced to the world of comics.
• We discuss the early influences on Ronald’s work, such as Japanese pop culture and Jordan Crane’s Non, and examine the value of tracing these influences.
• Ronald talks about meeting fellow comic, Evan Dorkin, author of Milk & Cheese, and the joke it took him ten years to understand.
• “You and the world that you live in has created this.” — How dominant culture and aesthetics feed into each other, from hex codes to Marvel movies.
• What does Ronald mean when he talks about “doing the least possible reproduction of pernicious ideas that are embedded in aesthetics”?
• “I always liked the collector cards from Marvel more than the comics...It’s an exploded world.” — How does building context enrich a work of art?
• Ronald explains the intention behind his tabloid newspaper, LAAB, and how it compares to work he’s done in the past.

More from Ronald Wimberly

Ronald Wimberly is a comic artist best known for Black History In Its Own Words and Prince of Cats, an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in NYC in the 80s, which he's now developing as a film with Legendary Entertainment. He's got several other major projects in the works as well, like his giant tabloid journal and art magazine on identity and visual culture, LAAB, plus more comics and more movies.

Guy is BUSY.

Ronald and I even collaborated once on a comic called "The Beautiful Ones", and he was my inspiration for a well-loved blog post about whether it's a "HELL YEAH" or no.

Connect with Ronald Wimberly

Twitter

Instagram

https://ronaldwimberly.com/

“Lighten Up”

“Being-in-the-Room Privilege: Elite Capture and Epistemic Deference” - Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

“Deep Fried Frenz” by MF DOOM

GRATUITOUS NINJA: A Stealth Epic by Ronald Wimberly - Kickstarter campaign

GratNin on WEBTOON

Beehive Books

LAAB Magazine - Digital edition via Beehive Books

Are you in a healthy relationship with your business? With your creative practice?

Or is it unrequited love?

On this episode of The Autonomous Creative, I talk to psychologist, author and business therapist, Nicole Lewis-Keeber.

As a business therapist, Nicole uses her eighteen years of experience as a clinical social worker to help small businesses owners and entrepreneurs break the cycles of abuse they’ve established in their working lives.

It’s not only about running a business — or doing the creative work! — you love, but setting it up to love you back.

We also discuss different types of trauma, how to identify them, and the importance of establishing boundaries in any healthy relationship. Plus, what causes money trauma and how can you get out from under it?

Finally, Nicole shares her refreshing perspective on the inner critic, which I previously wrote about in a blog post called, “How to Silence Your Inner Critic: Embrace it.”

For Nicole, the best way to handle the inner critic isn’t to “overcome,” “conquer,” or “master” it, but to approach it with compassion and patience. Maybe even let it sit in the backseat? It might have something important to tell you.

If you find this episode as valuable as I do, Nicole has a brand-new free resource you’ll want to check out: the Trauma & Entrepreneurship Connection Masterclass.

• How did Nicole recognize - and end - the ‘abusive relationship dynamic’ she had accidentally created with her business?
• Why are boundaries around time and money so important for our mental health?
• Nicole identifies what ‘big-T’ and ‘small-t’ trauma look like, and how they can lead to behavior patterns that negatively impact our work.
• The number one reason ‘changing your mindset’ doesn’t work when dealing with a trauma response: “The inner critic is going to call bullshit on it.”
• “You’re going to find a little bit of wisdom about something that needs to be healed.” — Why Nicole recommends recruiting your inner critic, rather than exiling it.
• The importance of recognizing unsupportive systems, in the past and present, and how they affect you: “You can stop gaslighting yourself.”
• What’s the relationship between money and trauma?
• Nicole breaks down the steps for creating an ‘emotional stability plan’ that can help make your work less triggering.

Nicole Lewis-Keeber is a business therapist and mindset coach who works with entrepreneurs to create and nurture healthy relationships with their businesses. She's a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters in Social Work and a rich experience of working as a therapist.

She's certified in Brené Brown’s The Daring Way™ and Dare To Lead™ methodologies. Her biggest, most important work is in combining therapeutic processes with business coaching to help entrepreneurs build emotionally sustainable, financially stable businesses.

https://nicole.lewis-keeber.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nicole.lewiskeeber/?hl=en

How to Love Your Business: Stop Recreating Trauma and Have a Businesss You Love- And That Loves You Back

Do No Harm Waitlist

Love Your Business Course

Trauma & Entrepreneurship Assessment

Julia DeWitt spent most of 2020 at a Zen Buddhist monastery and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work.

So...why is she on the Autonomous Creative?

Because for the prior eight years, she had an incredibly successful career in podcasting.

I met Julia in 2012, while she was l interning at “Snap Judgement,” and I was working on my book, Out on the Wire.

In this episode, Julia walks me through the last eight years, filling in the blanks on how she rocketed from intern to senior producer.

And most interestingly, why she decided to leave it all behind. Though Julia ultimately pivoted away from creative work, her quest to prioritize the work most meaningful to her is familiar.

We discuss the challenges of walking away from a career — and identity — you’ve invested so much energy in, and Julia explains why she considers her past work a necessary “honing.”

We also examine how outside forces influence art, whether it’s pressure from the market or feedback from editors and collaborators. When should you make compromises and when should stand your ground?

More from the episode...

• In the early days of her podcasting career, how did Julia go from an eager outsider to producer at one of the hottest podcasts? How did she find the courage to put herself out there and make connections?
• Julia shares some the conflicts arise when telling other people’s stories when producing stories for podcasts like "Snap Judgement."
• Julia tells the hilarious story behind her infamous anonymous phone chat story "The Superchat," and what it taught her about being clear with her personal boundaries that feeds into her relationships and work today.
• We discuss how external forces affect creative work. Are they innately problematic? How can you stay true to your vision while finding market success?
• After building a hugely success career, when and why did Julia realize her career in podcasting was no longer fulfilling?
• "I became interested in more parts of my life than my career." — How sobriety and Zen Buddhism prompted Julia’s massive career pivot.
• What is the underlying thread that connects Julia’s passion for storytelling with her new career path in social work?
• Julia looks back on her career in podcasting: "Those things are exactly what needed to happen so that I can understand this next career move.”
• We get real about the personal toll of career pivots, including how to cope when your identity is deeply rooted in past work.

Additional links:

The Superchat: https://podcasts.apple.com/is/podcast/the-superchat/id84389707?i=1000237939720

Rocky: https://www.npr.org/2015/09/18/441446074/rocky

Lefty Disco: https://www.thirdcoastfestival.org/feature/lefty-disco

Out on the Wire: https://jessicaabel.com/out-on-the-wire/

What does it actually take to find 1000 True Fans?

Seriously, where are they hiding?

Your work is amazing.

You’re constantly promoting on social media.

You already know that your creative business isn’t bringing in the kind of money you need...especially in a reasonable time frame.

So, why is that?

Finding a thousand people willing to spend $100 on your one-of-a-kind work should be easy. I mean, you probably have more followers than that on Instagram, or at least it’s easy to imagine finding them.

But for some reason, your creative business is barely paying the bills, let alone bringing in six-figures. Something isn’t adding up.

"Whatever you're doing now that isn't working...It isn't going to magically start working."

In this episode, Matt and I do a lot of debunking.

We get specific about the flaws in the popular 1000 True Fans theory. Where and why does this seemingly straightforward model break down?

We also unpack the false assumption that mass-marketing is the only way to build a sustainable business.

It’s not. It’s an exhausting, full-time job, and chances are, you already have one of those.

We explore the fallacy that social media is built to help us get the word out about our work. On the contrary, we look at how it’s constructed to take advantage of your free labor, and basically never let you out of its claws.

Finally, we explore what *does* work — not a one-size-fits-all model, but strategies designed to meet and respect your needs.]

Matt Madden is a cartoonist, teacher, and translator known for his playful experiments with comics form, a practice that led Ed Park of The New York Times to dub him, “the stuntman-philosopher of American comics.” His most recent graphic novel, Ex Libris, came out from Uncivilized Books to rave reviews at the end of 2021.

His best-known book is 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style, his comics adaptation of Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style. His other recent works include the comic books Drawn Onward and Bridge. He has been living in Philadelphia since 2016. Follow Matt on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

More from this episode...

- Jessica and Matt examine the obvious, and the hidden flaws in the 1000 True Fans theory.

- What are conversion rates and how can knowing yours help you set realistic marketing goals?

- Jessica breaks down the daunting math behind growing a large customer base.

- How to bend the math in your favor by raising your pricing and adjusting your offer.

- One reason independent creatives struggle with marketing: "Nobody’s talking about how much of a job it is.”

- “The job of the algorithm is to keep people on the platform...It's not to help you build your business.” — Why promoting your work on social media can feel frustrating and ineffective.

- What are some practical options for creating a sustainable business, without relying on mass-marketing or becoming an influencer?

- Why all the creative work you've done in the past still matters, even after making a pivot.

- Jessica announces the Incubator, her brand new coaching program designed to help creatives build a business around their needs.

Additional links:

1000 True Fans + One Elephant in the Room

“Social Media = Sharecropping?” by Regina Anaejionu

For more on the math behind why you're struggling to meet your income goals as a creative, check out the free Ground Truth training and stop working nights and weekends

https://twitter.com/mmaddencomics

https://www.facebook.com/mmaddencomics

https://instagram.com/mmaddencomics

https://mattmadden.com/

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/ex-libris-a-comic-by-matt-madden/

I’ve been thinking and talking a lot with creative people about how they make a living, how they struggle with money, and what they might do differently to bring in a reasonable income.

It comes up in virtually every coaching call.

I talk about it with friends.

I ask people rude questions about it on this podcast!

...and it’s a subject of conversation around the dinner table pretty often—my husband, Matt Madden, is ALSO a cartoonist, so yeah. We talk about it a lot!

So I invited Matt on the show today to talk about specifically what goes sideways when you try to lean on MORE — doing more, making more, working more — to fill the gap.

What’s the first thing that pops to mind when you’re paying bills, or contemplating a big household expense, or saying no to yet another fun outing with friends? Your brain goes, wow, I need to make more money!

If you’re like most creative people, it’s something like, “I need to find another income stream.” Get a gig, or another job, or more clients, or pitch a book, or post on social media and try to sell more, or...all of the above.

Sounds like a solid plan, basically. Any of those things could lead to some money.

But when all of them together don’t lead to enough money, it’s time to ask, why does all this activity lead to diminishing returns, and what can I do differently?

(I’ve also written a new blog post where I break down how income plateaus happen, and how to take a totally different approach to solving the income gap between “some money” and enough money...without just doing MORE. You can acccess it here: https://bit.ly/3fJpSNY)

Matt Madden is a cartoonist, teacher, and translator known for his playful experiments with comics form, a practice that led Ed Park of The New York Times to dub him, “the stuntman-philosopher of American comics.” His most recent graphic novel, Ex Libris, came out from Uncivilized Books to rave reviews at the end of 2021.

His best-known book is 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style, his comics adaptation of Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style. His other recent works include the comic books Drawn Onward and Bridge. He has been living in Philadelphia since 2016. Follow Matt on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

More from the episode...

https://twitter.com/mmaddencomics

https://www.facebook.com/mmaddencomics

https://instagram.com/mmaddencomics

https://mattmadden.com/

https://uncivilizedbooks.com/ex-libris-a-comic-by-matt-madden/