We recently connected with Haley Vaughn and have shared our conversation below.
Haley, 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 don’t know that I have! But I do know how comforting it is to hear other people in the artistic community say the same thing, even people who have been working in the industry for years. I started drawing in 2020, and went back to school for illustration in 2022, so it is difficult at times to convince myself to ignore the imposter syndrome. Questioning yourself throughout the creation process often leads to a better result, but I think there is a point at which self-doubt becomes immobilizing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat at an easel or a desk and been so afraid to mess something up that I almost don’t even start. I’m slowly becoming okay with the fact that not everything I create has to be the best thing I’ve ever made and that every attempt is still a lesson learned.
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 Haley Vaughn, and I am a freelance artist and illustrator working out of Atlanta, GA. I love making whimsical little creatures with funny backstories! I find it exciting to see something in my head and transfer that image into something tangible. Some of my projects include commissions, murals, and (most recently) a fantasy book project coming out next year!
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 think the skills themselves are less important than a willingness to learn them. I started drawing (horribly, I may add) on an iPad in the middle of the pandemic. There were so many things I didn’t know, but recognizing that knowledge gap allowed me to ask better questions and find the right teachers. Being hungry for knowledge, open to feedback, and able to communicate clearly will take you farther than any specific skill set.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I could talk about books all day! Both art-related books and fiction (my latest free time read is TJ Klune’s Somewhere Beyond the Sea).
There are so many worth mentioning (“Art of” books like The Art and Flair of Mary Blair, industry magazines like Character Design Quarterly, picture books to aspire to like To The Other Side by Erika Meza, illustrated novels like The Sisters Grimm series illustrated by Peter Ferguson) but the most impactful for me was 3D Total Publishing’s book How to Be a Children’s Book Illustrator. It’s a book that can’t collect dust on my shelf because I’m constantly pulling it out to reference it time and again. 3D Total Publishing included so many amazing illustrators (Chris Chatterton, Ruth Hammond, Dapo Adeola, Cris Ramos) and the book takes you through every step of the illustrating process (from ideation all the way to marketing)!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.haleyvaughn.com
- Instagram: @haleyvaughnart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haleyvaughnart
Image Credits
Haley Vaughn
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
