Becoming a person who likes to draw

I had the honor of spending this Wednesday morning with illustration students at Syracuse University.

I didn’t study art in college, but I relate to starting a career in an industry full of uncertainty. As my journalism degree collects dust in a box in the garage, my career thrives only because I kept writing and drawing.

Here are some slides from my talk:

When you’re not inspired:

Sometimes inspiration comes AFTER putting pencil to paper. Many of my favorite sketches are from moments when I wasn’t trying to create a beautiful image.

Disconnecting art from self

I worried so much about people judging me based on the art I was producing, resulting in a spiral of self doubt and compulsive editing. Distancing myself from digital drawing forced me to find ways of working that felt true to me.

I think this is model Trixie Divine modeling in Emma Carlisle’s session

Some days, it’s nice to remember this:

In the video

I do a practice run of my presentation. Thank you to Ginnie Hsu for inviting me and students who listened and asked excellent questions!

I welcome your questions and thoughts in the comments!