We were lucky to catch up with Nanaekow Stiles recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nanaekow , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I try my best to consume media that I love. Media like film, music, podcasts all aid in keeping me creatively hungry.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Right now I’ve been really into sketchbooks. I’ve been looking at some of my favorite artist’s sketches and being blown away by how intentional their sketches are. In a way I’ve been going back to my foundation and tweaking things to improve my skills in creating art. I hope to be a professional and use art as my income so it’s important that I master some form of design. Right now that form is anatomy and environments. This year I really want to take my art career to the next level. I want more business opportunities and I’m excited to see where that drive takes me. I also really want to work with musicians and collaborate with them in some way.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’d say drive or passion is the number one quality. You have to want it. But I also go through periods where I don’t want to make anything but I make it anyway because I know consistency is the key to success. That would be the second quality, consistency. The third quality I would have to say is patience. Little wins happen sporadically so if you want those wins immediately you’re going to quit. Doing what you enjoy without the burden of failure accelerates growth. I believe if you have drive, consistency, and patience you’ll enjoy the journey of your inevitable success.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I mentioned it previously but I want to work with musicians. I’m a bit of a music nerd and love listening and dissecting albums from my favorite musicians. To be able to collaborate with them like make an album cover, work with them on set design for live shows, help promote their work in an innovative way would be the dream.
Contact Info:
- Website: boyatplay.co
- Instagram: Boyatplay.co
