Meet Dani Gorin

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dani Gorin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dani, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.

Oddly enough, I think my ability to take risk has largely been shaped by my anxiety. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder during graduate school, but I’ve dealt with anxiety and panic attacks since childhood. Things that really shouldn’t make you scared–raising your hand in class, for example, used to make my hands shake and my heart pound in my chest. When banal things make you scared, the things you really care about are downright terrifying. Over time, I started to realize that, at least for me, anything I really wanted to do would make me deeply uncomfortable. These days, I’m really happy to have my anxiety much better controlled (thank you therapy and Zoloft!), but I’m also grateful for what anxiety has taught me. It’s taught me that it’s okay to be uncomfortable. It’s okay to be scared. Particularly if the discomfort or fear is related to trying something new or following an interest or passion.

Author and sociologist Martha Beck often talks about creativity and curiosity being an antidote for anxiety. There’s research to back this up, but I can also corroborate this with my lived experiences. When my curiosity is engaged or when I’m feeling inspired, I find that the anxiety, the worry, the doubt starts to fade into the background. I’ve had times in my life where I’ve been so excited about an idea, or to be frank, naïve about what a project entails, that it hasn’t occurred to me until after I’ve done it that perhaps I should have been really nervous about it.

When I was in high school, my grandpa asked me to paint a small mural on a building he owned in my hometown. I was intimidated by the idea of tackling a project of that scale, but I was also deeply excited by it. I got advice from my uncle, who had painted signs in his youth, and once the problem-solving part of my brain got involved, the anxiety started to ease. The project was figure-out-able, and I had enough enthusiasm for it to propel me forward.

So I really think that my ability to take risk has been shaped by practicing getting comfortable with discomfort, and following my own excitement and interests.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My name is Dani Gorin and I’m the artist behind Fox & Thistle Studio. My interest in painting wildlife and plants started as a hobby and then transitioned into a business in 2022, a few months after the birth of my first son. Before that, I’d been working as an adjunct writing instructor at a local university. Those first few months postpartum were deeply challenging, but they also awoke something creative in me. I started painting during my son’s naps and after he’d gone to bed. I signed up for farmer’s markets and other local events, launched my Etsy, and started looking into retail partnerships.

The interest of my art and my business is the natural world. I use watercolors to paint detailed portraits of flora and fauna. These days, I’m trying to bring my environmental interests and concerns more to the forefront of my business. I’m not just painting plants, I’m offering cards that will grow them. In essence, I’m trying to find ways to make my art “do” more.

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

I think the skills that have helped me the most have been: learning how to break large tasks into smaller pieces, being able to pivot, and knowing when to rest. I think these three skills are interconnected, and that the best way to develop them is through practice. When you find yourself daunted by a new project or doubting your ability to do something, that’s when you should probably step away. Take a rest. Take a break. Come back with fresh eyes and a nervous system that’s not on fire. See if you can tease out what your first step should be. Do that. Then the next step. And so on.

In terms of pivoting: If you find yourself continually hitting a wall or running into a dead-end, step away again. Come back from a new angle. Try to keep your grip soft and your mind open. (This is easier said than done.) In terms of rest: when you’re getting weary and burnt-out, a little voice inside will be telling you that you need to stop. That you need to lie down or be still or do nothing. Your to-do list will tell that you need to go harder and that you’re already behind and that resting right now is inefficient and lazy and the worst possible thing you could do. Do it anyway. You’ll feel better, and you may prevent yourself from the full burn-out that comes from pushing too hard for too long.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always looking for folks to partner or collaborate with. I particularly love working with people whose interests align with mine: wildlife rescues, environmental or ecological groups, florists, farms. I also really enjoy collaborating with other artists and local small businesses.

If someone is interested in collaborating, I’d love to hear from them! I’m easiest to reach at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FoxThistleStudio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox_and_thistle_studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoxandThistleStudio