We recently connected with Öykü Yüksel and have shared our conversation below.
Öykü, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
Even though I always have a passion and desire to create, I often feel inadequate when it comes to taking action. Watching artists I admire, discovering new materials, and going through emotional challenges keep my creativity alive. Every time, it feels as if the language I speak is not enough to express what I want to say, pushing me to find a new way to communicate.
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?
Last year, one of my closest friends and I started publishing a zine called *Ask Your Mom*. It has been a process where we addressed common struggles and realized that, as people in our twenties trying to grow, we were not alone.
The main theme of *Ask Your Mom* is about how we learn things on our own—things our families never taught us—shaping our lives through our experiences.
This zine follows a collective approach, with each issue featuring a new question on the cover, answered by a different group of illustrators. Each contributor visually expresses their own response to the question of that issue.
What I love most about *Ask Your Mom* is how deeply it connects with its readers. Seeing the zine in random places, finding its pages on people’s walls, and talking to those who attend our events bring me so much joy.
Plus, since it’s small, it easily fits into a pocket or a bag, making it fun to collect!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Communicating, embracing being an amateur, and creating with intention.
The solutions to things I’ve been trying to develop and procrastinated on have always turned out to be easier than I expected. I think a good piece of advice for me would be to ease the pressure and realize that things can fall into place along the way.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Ask Your Mom is a collaborative mini zine. Each issue features works from a different group of illustrators, and we leave printed copies in random places, making the audience engagement more dynamic.
If you’d like to be part of the zine, you can email us at **askyourmommag@gmail.com** or send us a message on Instagram (@askyourmommag)!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @askyourmommag @yukseloyku
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
