Meet Karen Leo

We were lucky to catch up with Karen Leo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Karen, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I haven’t! I know this is supposed to be a novel diagnosis in these times, but I think feeling like a phony is just a symptom of being relatively serious about what you do. Instead of overcoming, I try to embrace not-knowing. Not in a way makes complacency ok, but in a way that opens you up for learning and new experiences. You can use it a s a motivator. Doubt is something I think about a lot. Really a lot. It can be debilitating, but it can be a comfort not to have a clear path. The other tool I use it the imaginary permission slip. The kind you need for going on a field trip when you are in school, but mine are for making work that you don’t think has value, or nobody will get. Once on a residency I actually drafted up a copy and sent it to my mom for signing! It was a piece of its own I guess, but it helped me stop censoring myself for the time being. I don’t need the hard copies anymore, but I do invoke the spirit of a less emotional being telling me it’s ok to do the thing I do.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I make art in the form of videos, ceramic sculpture and drawings. The videos I make use a lot of stop motion animation, puppets or costumes, so I am pretty analogue in my approach. My work focuses on anthropomorphic characters who are perhaps a bit pathetic but have a healthy sense of humor. Most of the characters perform solo, reflect in monologues or act out some sort of personal ritual. I reference pop culture a lot, which can come off as ironic, but that is not my intent. I find there is something very poignant about being moved by something agreed upon by a large swath of the population, no matter how cheesy or simple it seems.
I am also an art and technology teacher at a public high school in New York City. I came to teaching by chance and found that I love it. It is a good compliment to my art career since making peculiar videos is not particularly lucrative…plus I enjoy the energy that working with students provides. It highlights what I love most about making things: the exploration, disbelief, discovery and generous spirit. We talk about how art is a record of human existence and how we interpret our world, not unlike science. And like science, not every endeavor needs to be a masterpiece or paradigm shifting idea for it to be a contribution to something greater than ourselves. This position is a pretty good (temporary) antidote to the imposter syndrome feeling too.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I am not an artist who feels mastery in any particular medium, but I will try a lot of things. Especially ones I find very intimidating. I may not have a great deal of success, but the experience will definitely change the way I operate.
Learning from friends and peers. They are wonderful sources of knowledge. I visit my colleagues classes to learn about woodworking or the Spanish Civil War. I originally learned video editing from a friend who was in film school. I take book recommendations and go see friends perform music or in theatrical productions. I listen to freeform radio to get inspired by people that love music, rather then getting suggestions from algorithms.
Making time for exercise. Learning a sport, dance classes or just picking things up and putting them down does wonders for clearing the brain. I get a lot of ideas when I am moving.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

There are a handful of books that I re-read somewhat regularly. Frankenstein is among them, and one that has most directly affected what I make and how I think. It is body horror, creation myth and feminist treatise. It is contains incredibly personal and visual language and keep the reader uneasy. It has spawned innumerable books, films, performances all that stick with us since the story Mary Shelley has written invites us all inside both the monster and creator. In a way it is about the doubt that I try to hold close, and a cautionary tale.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kleoville.com
• Instagram: @kleoville