J.A.W. Cooper is a talented artist who was born in England but was raised all over the globe in countries such as Ireland, Sweden and Kenya. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California where she creates her fine art and works as a freelance Art Director for Print/Motion/Advertising companies, a print designer for fashion companies, and an illustrator for advertising.
In this episode, J.A.W. Cooper discusses:
-Where she gets her inspiration for her unique style.
-Her upbringing traveling around the world.
-One of her earliest creative moments in which she learned about repetition in order to get better at drawing.
-Her advice for anyone who might be older and is afraid to start something new because they are afraid that they are going to be bad at it.
-How it is almost a gift to be dissatisfied with your work because it means that you are able to see where you can continue to grow.
-Fear and the balance of having enough of it to keep you sharp, but not too much to paralyze you.
-How the only thing you can really be proud of are the steps you take to improve your art from piece to piece.
-The idea of keeping a specific kind of “self-analysis” journal to get a better sense of your interests as an artist.
-How she balances “work-work” with her passion projects and personal art.
-The power in creating deadlines for her to complete her personal work in the form of solo shows and gallery shows.
-What art and creativity brings to her life.
-Her love for Alan Watts recordings and nature.
Cooper’s Final Push will inspire you to be okay with your dissatisfaction and to keep going down that endless grid!
Quotes:
“It’s okay to feel like your work isn’t living up to your expectations. It’s okay to feel the fear that you’re a big phony and everyone’s going to find out.”
“Dissatisfaction is a factor of you knowing that you have a greater potential and you’re just not quite reaching it.”
“For your whole career, you will feel forever dissatisfied and you kind of have to be grateful for it because the dissatisfaction drives you to continue to grow. The moment that you’re happy with your work is the moment that you stagnate and stop learning and pushing. So you almost never want to feel pleased and satisfied.”
“The main way that I get through fear is just to keep making work, and to keep challenging myself to make different work.”
“I didn’t imagine it would be so wonderful.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with J.A.W. Cooper:
Website / Blog / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
