Meet Dennis Connors

We were lucky to catch up with Dennis Connors recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dennis , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is inevitable. Social media has changed the entire landscape, and for most people now, it’s something that has always been around instead of something that people came to discover. It used to have novelty, but there was a switch somewhere that made comparison and inadequacy permeate through the mind. As an artist I feel it on a multitude of levels, and there are a number of ways to come through as a stronger artist, and ultimately a stronger person.
Understand that there are people who are artistically better than you. People who have achieved things that you desperately want to achieve and at an age where it seems almost impossible. Everyone is on their own journey. What that person is doing with their work and time is written for them, and it won’t be written that way for you. It’s important to recognize the success of others and celebrate them while trying to learn what you can from their experiences. If anything it’s an act to celebrate because that means that your success might be just around the corner. With that newfound information and you can approach your next task with a fresh pair of eyes.
Hone your skill set and do things that make you happy. Follower count numbers and likes don’t dictate your success. Even if it seems to control everything, those platforms are tools to connect with other artists and facilitate connections that will make you and those around you stronger. People wish they could do what you do, and you have a gift if you wake up everyday and create.
Pull from those who inspire you and use their knowledge to take a fresh spin on an idea. Copy if you have to. Ultimately you’ll be doing it differently from them, as your hand is not their hand. More often than not it will start as a study exercise, and evolve into something that you had no idea could happen.
Imposter Syndrome is inevitable. You will feel it and I will feel it too, But we can control the levels and use our tools and knowledge to overcome and be better. Some days it will be daunting and overwhelming. On those days don’t force it. Or do. Try it. If it doesn’t work let it breathe. You’ll get to where you want to go and be who you wanna be with the right mindset. I’ll be there too.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Dennis Connors and I am an artist and illustrator based out of Seattle, WA. Art has always been a constant in my life. It started with shows on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon in the late nineties and only grew from there. As a kid I wanted to grow up and work on those shows that I loved so dearly. I spent the next few years studying character design for television and feature animation and self teaching myself the principles of design. After a drawer of sketchbooks got filled up I came across a copy of The New Yorker and I had another epiphany. The work in that magazine blew my mind and I shifted towards the pursuit of editorial illustration, I crave to be the solution to visual problems and to show a level of creativity that can’t be found anywhere else. With the backbone of character design still very much in tact, I use those skills and the new found understanding of others to further my pursuit and am actively chasing my first publication in print. In addition to the pursuit of print, I also would love to be a designer for advertising and being an instrument in how companies bring their ideas to life.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Patience is a huge thing. You gotta be comfortable with things not going your way most of the time. Making something is tough! Your mind has one idea of how it’s gonna turn out, and the goal is to train your hand to talk to your brain. An artist can never have a complete grip on this, but developing some level of control is imperative, and that’s all about patience.
The bravery to try new things is also key in my practice. New mediums. New approaches. Hold that pencil in your left hand (or your right for all my lefties out there). It’s all gonna play a part into the bigger picture, and you might find something you never knew was possible by experimenting. My style that I gravitate towards came from a total accident— I used a Procreate brush that I never had before, and it formed the basis of my entire image. Try new things!!
Final thing is to study the work you wish you could make. Find out why that thing makes you so excited and articulate that shit. Write it out. Trace it. Smell it. Be it. You’ll learn so much from those studies and you’ll add more tools to your tool box, and with that you can take someone else’s work and turn it on its head. You could be on the precipice of a brand new idea and it all comes from living in worlds you admire, They do it too. We all do. But the articulation is key. Be active with the work.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I feel like more often than not this is a world that I inhabit. There always seems to be something that’s coming up or something that I feel like I should probably be doing. It’s human nature sure. You feel as if there’s always more to be done. There’s elements of truth to this, but this is a dangerous voice to follow. You’ll end up working yourself into a frenzy and won’t give yourself the time to decompress and enjoy other things. The work is gonna get done. You’ll be where you wanna be, but the time management element is so important. I wish someone was around a while ago to give me this advice because I would fall into major levels of burnout and get overwhelmed with all the things that I was asking of myself. Which in turn put a halt to all work and then nothing would get done.
Simplest thing that I’ve found is to set timers. Give yourself that hour and a half to treat yourself after you overcome a huge hurdle. Or anything at all really. Rewarding yourself and creating a balance is just so insanely important to the overall movement of your goal. It’s not gonna get done in a day. Or a week. Or whatever your timeline looks like if you’re not more forgiving with yourself. This is something I’m just now getting the hang of and I’ve been drawing for the last ten years. And to those who’re looking to get into this full time, it’s tough! You are your own boss on a lot of things and it’s up to you to set your schedules and manage your time. Find out when your favorite times to make are and capitalize on those moments.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dennispconnors.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennispconnors3/
• Twitter: https://x.com/dennispc31

Image Credits

Title image photo credit to Anne Barthman