Stephanie Halligan is a cartoonist and the “art and soul” behind Arttoself.com, where she delivers a daily dose of doodles and notes of inspiration to her subscribers’ inboxes.
In this episode, Stephanie discusses:
-How Art to Self came to be and what it means to her.
-The importance of putting work in on a daily basis and giving yourself goals and deadlines for that.
-The notion of making work that you need to see, that will help you out on your daily grind, and how that will most likely resonate with others.
-Her six-year old mega-fan!
-How it’s not just her cartoons and notes that inspire people, but also the fact that she shows up every day to do it.
-Some of her daily resistances that hold her back from putting in the work.
-Understanding that creative blocks and self-doubt will always be there, so just recognizing its presence can help to diffuse it.
-“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield and how it helped to inspire her to create daily content via Art to Self.
-The importance of creating personal work as early in the day as possible, when the resistance isn’t as strong.
-Taking E-mail and social media apps off of her phone.
-Taking motivation from the perseverance of people like Jim Henson.
Stephanie’s Final Push will help you to realize that it’s okay if you have found yourself in an artistic break – all you have to do is start again today!
Quotes:
“Show up and create. On the days when fear is kicking your butt, show up and create. On days when you feel on top of the world, show up and create.”
“If I let fear, emotional doubt, and worry stop me from drawing, I probably would only draw ten days out of 365 every year. So it was important for me to be held accountable for that work.”
“It’s amazing how sometimes those lowest moments can produce the best art.”
“It’s okay if you’ve stopped. It’s okay if you’re not doing the thing that’s been bubbling up in you for so long that you know you should be doing or that you really want to do. It’s okay that you’re not there. But how about tomorrow?”
Links mentioned:
Stephanie’s Creative Confidence Guide
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
Connect with Stephanie:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
