We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olivia Seone SternJohn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olivia Seone below.
Olivia Seone, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic stems from my love of drawing comics and animation. I’ve been creating visual stories for roughly 10 years now. Throughout this process I’ve grown a love for the experimentation process as much as seeing the finished projects. When I was still in school most of the time I would tell myself if I don’t finish my homework then I wouldn’t be able to draw when I grow up because I would be stuck repeating grades. The anxiety trigger is not something I recommend but I also put the same drive to turn in enough of my homework as I did my art so most of the time teachers would work with me. I was always grateful to work out accommodations with them, the experience of my teachers working with me to help me focus on having a career in my passion is why I decided to get an “Arts and Education” minor in college. Finding a way to bridge art and education is a method I believe genuinely benefits the public educational learning experience.
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?
I used to focus on independent creative projects, mainly prioritizing short animations and poster style illustrations. My style is definitely anime inspired with a focus on infusing afrocentric features and culture into my works. Since then I have become the creator of SotaGurls. An online, Minnesota based brand that focuses on the collision of Art, fashion, culture and education. Starting out as a blog for Minnesota girls, we are now evolving into a creative business mentorship where anyone can catch up on the latest tips and trends to help find success in starting or maintaining a business that aligns with their passions. While also providing resources for deeper dives into understanding certain trends or subjects too long for a single post. The name “Sota Gurls” is both a homage to the origin of the brand in Minne(sota) and the normalization of the vagueness around the word “girl” depending on her age. If you’re a “Gurl” it can feel relatable but not as “childish,” whether you’re 16 or 27. It’s for that nuanced age range for those who feel like they arent old enough to feel like they’re truly treated like an adult but are still burdened to carry a high level of responsibility in life.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My top three important qualities learned have been Awareness, Autonomy and Accountability. These are the lessons I taught myself through my experiences in time at college that have helped me protect my mental health, emotions and sense of safety in the workforce. Being aware keeps me aware of my sentiments regarding what’s going on in my community and within myself. Knowing what work I need to have done and by when. Making sure I have alarms, calendar schedules, and written planners to help me stay aware of when tasks need to get done or sent to someone for review within a certain date. Keeping my awareness helps me stay alert with what to expect in life and keep me safe.
Practicing autonomy by being able to stop and ask myself whether or not situations are serving me helps strengthen my sense of autonomy. If I feel like I’m outgrowing a space or don’t feel respected in a workspace, then that lets me know to take steps or walk away from the situation. I always make sure I have a position confirmed to transition into before saying anything to anyone at my current workplace. Being able to know when something is no longer serving me helps me to not feel trapped in life.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about accountability is that it does not need to look strict with either a prize or punishment if you can’t commit. It can be a learning experience where you teach yourself how to prioritize assignments, or create customized planners to not only stay on track with my workload in a way that works with my learning style but decorating it as well to be inviting for me to want to manage my work in the first place. Little things to destigmatize my fear around working on my assignments in adulthood was the most important for me to figure out since I developed so much stress around grades and homework as a kid. I am determined to not let those negative experiences prevent me from being able to maintain professionalism in the industry. I still struggle with accurately figuring out how long larger scale projects will take me but I am dedicated to becoming as good of a business woman as I am an artist. I am already a noticeably better open communicator on my workload and sentiments regarding realistic expectations for myself which I consider a win but I’m mostly excited to see how these skills will pay off later in my career.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am currently workshopping with 2 partners right now regarding the future look of SotaGurls. I met both of them in college and they were both people who I’ve grown to admire because of their kind personality and brutal honesty. While at the same time being incredibly creative and dedicated artists to their field. We each work with a different medium of art so we have an easier ability to incorporate all the different themes for SotaGurls to present the latest hot hits. Working with partners and artists that I’ve personally brought together gives me the confidence in being able to work on a team where we are all putting our best foot forward while also working on a schedule that works for everyone so we can balance our life schedules and work on the brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sotagurls.my.canva.site/#cover
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sotagurls/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-seone-stern-45b5081a7/
