We recently connected with Maeve Norton and have shared our conversation below.
Maeve, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Confidence and self-esteem seem to be a universal struggle among all artists. What typically starts as a hobby or passion can (hopefully!) lead itself to a career, and along the way we have to advocate for ourselves, promote our work and prove every day why we are the best person for the job. In today’s world of constant comparison online this can really take a toll on our sweet little creative souls.
What I try to remind artists, and myself, is this simple thought. No one else can draw a tree the way that you draw a tree. No one else in the past, present or future will ever live in your mind and take your experiences and funnel them through your pen or brush to create a tree the way you see a tree. When you look at it through that lens, it becomes clear that no one can do what you do and that simple notion should hopefully instill some confidence in your craft.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
By day I work as an Art Director for Scholastic where my focus is middle grade and young adult novels. My job is creating the book from cover to cover; working with lots of talented designers, illustrators and photographers to create the best cover possible for the book while also being responsible for the design of the interior of the book.
By night, I work as a freelance illustrator where I draw those covers for other Art Directors. My focus is still in middle grade and young adult though I have begun to venture into adult novels which I love! I also dabble in map making and other promotional design work.
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?
- It may seem a bit backwards, but I feel one of the most important qualities you can work on is conversation. A lot of the art world boils down to who you know or who you’ve made a connection with. If there is an artist or designer you admire, buy them a cup of coffee and ask how they got where they are! Most likely, they will remember sharing that conversation with you and think of you for any future opportunities. And really, who doesn’t love to talk about art.
- I’ve found growth to be an extremely important skill. Not only growth within your art, which should be a given, but learning to grow with the times when it comes to technology and output. Take the time to try and learn the new tech and see how it may help improve your practice, you don’t want to get left behind.
- Make yourself a master of knowledge in the area that you want to work in. If you want to break into publishing, you should be in bookstores making yourself familiar with what is selling and who is making it. If you want to be the world’s greatest painter, then you should be at those gallery openings. To break into any industry, you need a complete understanding of it.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The one challenge I am constantly facing is to try and challenge trends. In publishing, we work a year ahead of publication so what may be popular in the design world when I’m working on a cover could be old news by the time the book comes out. I always try to push myself so I am creating something outside of trends, or something that could potentially set a new tone. This is of course easier said than done, but I’ve found that looking for inspiration in unconventional places helps. Instead of staring at 100 covers, I may go to a musical or a museum to get the creative juices flowing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maevenorton.com
- Instagram: @maevenn
