We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grant Cooley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Grant, 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.
Honestly, there is no way around the feeling of being an imposter than to just do the work. All, or most, of the insecurities drift away when you take any negative energy and focus it into doing your best work every time.
Earlier on in my career I would grow anxious at juried shows or exhibits wondering how my work would be received. Did it compare to my peers? Did I belong in the room? I would habitually mistake sales (or lack thereof) for the validation process and would inevitably ride the highs and lows of results that had nothing to do with the quality of the work.
Over the past few years, I have removed the sales component from the dialogue I have with the work. Now I seek to be present in each piece and to listen to the creative message my subconscious mind is trying to deliver through my mark-making. Once you quiet the anxiety monster with self-soothing words of affirmation and intent, you can get down to the business of bringing the real work to life.
Now this is not to say that every piece is a winner. Far from it! Some work is just exploration and intended to be a visceral presentation of a concept or a feeling. As long as I am present in the marks and deliver them with intent and focus, I can take comfort in the knowledge that I am in the work; that it is an honest reflection of who I am and what I am doing in that moment. If you make this your default mindset, your self-confidence becomes resolute in the knowledge that you are in the room because you belong there.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Making Marks is all a series of Push-ups. At least for me.
Making my own comics and role-playing games in middle school was Art Push ups. Doing my first paintings in high school were more Push-ups. Getting a graphic design degree: Push-ups. Opening a comic & games store was, you guessed it, Push-ups. The concept can be extended further because every major experience in life from break-ups to marriages to kids and travel, are experiential push-ups that train and sculpt your worldview so that your Marks have more Meaning.
I didn’t really have a coach for my creative workouts. I just kind of meandered from one experience to the next teaching myself how to draw and paint all the while building more callouses on my knuckles and strengthening my core. Kids came and marriage went and came again and the push-ups helped build my stamina. When I found my way to IX in 2009, I finally joined a community that inspired me to focus my efforts and to do more than just reinforce my ideology.
With the influence and support of creative people such as Bud Cook, Elliot Lang, Ken Walls, Manuel Roman, Jeremy Wilson, Dave Seeley and so many more of the kindest and most talented people I have ever met, I finally had coaches and teammates on this journey of creative fitness. They challenged me to dig deeper and go harder to find out why I was doing these Push-ups to begin with. Years later, after spending years doing conventions and publishing my own books and games, I realized that all of my efforts were to be here sharing these words with you.
As far as the work, I am in the business of making marks and telling stories. I work primarily in oils but frequently this will be over the creative strata of inks, acrylics, stencils and piles of graphite. I love to cultivate carefully bounded graphic choices over chaos and use multiple media and techniques in nearly every piece to manifest this tension. Nearly every image I create is for my ongoing world-building project, The Wylds of Enoch, and is accompanied by stacks of lore. The union of creative lines, both verse and visual, are the wellspring for my commitment and contentment with making marks…and doing push-ups.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the three most important qualities you can develop while pursuing a creative endeavor are to be consistent, kind and courageous. While those are certainly big words with hefty labels attached to them, what I mean is that you should be:
1.) Consistent. Do what you do and do it as a routine. Your skillsets and technique will grow with practice and the only way to practice effectively is to show up all the time. There is no substitute for constant, consistent output. None. The breakthroughs will happen in the middle of the routine and you need to be ready to strike.
2.) Kind. Be kind to yourself. Doing something creative with integrity is an honest and vulnerable experience. Don’t beat yourself up when you fail to meet your expectations. You’ll get there. There are no shortcuts when creating something important and unfortunately, your feelings are going to get scraped on the journey. Let the feelings inform the work so that you can let them go.
3.) Courageous. I hate to use this word, but I can’t think of another one. Be bold. Make strong choices and see them through no matter how successful. Take leaps in your work knowing it frequently will fall flat but that you have the resilience to get back on the board and do it again. If you approach your work with timidity, you will usually be afraid of the outcome. Don’t forget that making something creative is a gift you give yourself so relish it with abandon and gusto.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents found a way to make it work. My dad is a musician/teacher and my mom is an illustrator/inventor. My entire life I saw how much effort and perseverance went into being a professional artist. Even more so, I saw the pitfalls and cost such a life would demand. There aren’t any shortcuts to raising a family and pursuing your passion. It requires sacrifice and commitment that impacts the entire family. My parents navigated those waters with kindness, creativity and a level of resourcefulness that seems long forgotten in this world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.grantcooley.com
- Instagram: grantcooleystudios
- Facebook: grant.cooley.33
