We were lucky to catch up with Emily Tolipova recently and have shared our conversation below.
Emily , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Resiliency to me, is something that has taken practice over the years to hone. One moment in particular that stands out to me, that really made me come to terms with how strong I am, was having my son.
He came out not with a whisper but a bang. A whole month and a half early. I had a complication with HELLP syndrome that left me with multiple organs failing, blood not clotting, the works. What followed was a prolonged NICU stay for him and months of working through PTSD after a traumatic birth experience for me. It’s not an experience I would wish on anyone.
It was with that moment though that really brought things into perspective for me. Life is short, and everything can change at the drop of the hat. During my maternity leave the following months I created the most work I have done to date, using painting to work through the complex emotions and ground myself as I processed what had happened to me.
That also began my first year of doing in person markets. I started taking parkour and hip hop classes. I got more and more outside of my comfort zone every single day. With each step I thought to myself “hey, if I can survive almost dying having my son, I can do this too”.
Since then I have had my work featured in everything from museums to galleries, and even art vending machines. I’ve spoked on podcasts, been on TV, have been featured in articles, and have taught workshops centering around my work.
We all have different struggles each day but it’s how we work through them that really shows how resilient we can be. Each time I look at my son I remember what we have been through together and know that if I can get through that, I can get through anything.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
First off, hello! My name is Emily Tolipova and I am the creator behind Where’d The Wild Things Go, a passion project turned business featuring endangered as well as local species in bright watercolors mixed with playful typography.
I have loved learning about the world around me from a young age, and that curiosity has continued into my adult years. It’s something that is a key component of the work I do as well. It is my belief that by painting the different animals/wildlife I can also help other people learn more about them.
I would say I am most known for my Austin Bird Bingo cards here in Austin. They feature 24 birds local to Austin/Travis county, are color coded based on migration patterns, have a QR code you can scan for more fun facts, plus you can make it reusable with the plastic sleeve on the outside! It’s art you can interact with!
That’s honestly my favorite thing, creating work that mixes play, education, and art. It brings people together in ways they might not have thought possible. I love seeing people’s faces light up when they see it and their jaws drop when I tell them about all the cool features I packed in there!
A good majority of my work follows this theme, whether it be postcards featuring endangered species with fun facts, posters showing endangered species in different states, and more! You can find my work in a couple places around town as well as on my site at www.wheredthewildthingsgo.com
Some fun things to look forward to this year are my expansion into Marble Falls with a booth at Y’all’s Gift Company, Austin Bird Bingo’s one year anniversary shenanigans, as well as some extra special new booth displays for the fall. Can’t wait to share more!
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?
Looking back, three qualities that were most impactful for me were curiosity, adaptability, and resiliency.
Curiosity helps you grow. The more I see and learn, the more I think of different ways I can combine different skills, materials, or experiences to create something new all together. This is something I make use of both in my business and personal life. I ask myself, what can I learn from this, how will this help me grow?
Adaptability has been key in being able to think on my feet, a good majority of time (almost always), things will not work out how you expect them to. Pivoting has led me to some of my most memorable moments.
Resiliency also works into this as well. It’s important that you don’t let the unexpected hurdles life throws at you break you. Even if it doesn’t turn out how you were expecting that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Something I would tell people early on in their journey is that nothing is ever going to be as perfect as we want it to be. Stop putting off trying something or taking that next step because it doesn’t feel like the time is right. It’s all about starting and taking those first initial steps to get the ball rolling.
I have tried all sorts of things, even if they didn’t necessarily relate to my career, they have led me to where I am today. I have had so many joyful experiences and memories because of it which has been absolutely amazing.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking for new folks to partner with, especially in the wildlife/conservation spaces! It’s become a bit of a dream to one day collaborate on projects with organizations such as state park divisions (looking at you Texas Parks and Wildlife!), zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and more. I am a sucker for green spaces and am always looking for ways to cultivate those relationships in new and exciting ways!
I recently completed a mentorship with Creature Conserve, a nonprofit that pairs artists and scientists and it had me creating on a whole new level. I felt challenged (in the best way possible) to push myself and my work to even greater heights. That was definitely an experience I want to pursue more of!
Interested in collaborating? Send me an email at wheredthewildthingsgo@gmail.com!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wheredthewildthingsgo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheredthewildthingsgo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheredthewildthingsgo
- Other: I am also on tiktok at https://www.tiktok.com/@wheredthewildthingsgo
Image Credits
Headshot & Bird Bingo Images courtesy of Emily Meyer @too.many.emilys
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
