We’re looking forward to introducing you to Stephen Kissel. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Stephen , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Last year around this time, my wife and I actually bought a house in town — so it’s been really enjoyable working on that and finding random items here and there to make it more comfortable. It pretty quickly felt like ours with all the collections of toys, art, and other tchotchkes, but adding special things we love always just makes it feel more like OUR home.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure! My name is Stephen Kissel and I work as an illustrator, cartoonist, and educator here in Lynchburg, Virginia. A lot of my work tends to be on the more playful and fun side, maybe with a bit of weirdness thrown in. People seem to be pretty receptive to that and it usually feels more true to the sort of things I enjoy. So I’ve spent more time in recent years trying to focus on finding my voice and making work that I would really want to engage with. It’s led me to collaborate on a lot of fun projects locally and outside of our community, as well as teaching and connecting with all different age groups.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I think that when I was younger, I was way more carefree and had a really good sense of my own likes/dislikes/etc. Pretty early on, I knew what I wanted to do when I got older… either be a cartoonist or an animator. I started to feel more anxious and unsure of myself as I got toward middle and high school. Then for whatever reason, I did something many do, I let in that fear and rejection sensitivity which led me to kinda bury those things away. It wasn’t until early adulthood that I started to find my way back to those passions, and a bit later before I really started to feel like that kid again.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Oh man! Well, I feel like sort of already talk to my younger self in my head a lot. I think I would probably tell them to just not be afraid to really go for things. That could apply to all that future career stuff obviously, but certainly other aspects of life too.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I think I present myself in a way that’s pretty true to me. Though honestly, I’m probably more anxious and neurotic than I let on. Haha. But yeah, I generally feel like I’m more comfortable with who I am and hope that it shows.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
More the former than the latter, I think! I don’t really know what I was born to do necessarily, but I do have a better understanding of what I enjoy doing and focus on that. Beyond the art side of things, I didn’t have a plan to go into teaching. Yet, falling into that was a better fit than I expected and I enjoy it most of the time!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stephenkissel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenkissel
- Other: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenkissel.bsky.social
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