We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Russo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
I let the criticism fuel my fire. Rarely has there been impactful people who haven’t provoked the status quo. Shaking things up is all part of the process. I try to just let any hate bounce off me or transmute into motivation. That’s exactly what they don’t want. Never forget your vision and let yourself and aligned people be your North Star.
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?
Herbs for the Apocalypse is a women-crafted, botanically-infused indie graphic novel. It started out as a novel and later transformed into a passion project aimed at empowering people to form their own unique connection to plants. Then the concept took that inspiration and was steered towards a graphic novel format, inspired by the punk rock zine movement. I had never written anything fiction before and never done a graphic novel. The story was a nagging idea and became simultaneously my muse and problem child. I wanted an example of strong female characters that broke the standard narrative. And working with the illustrator Rokaya Taqi was a joy because she brought all the personalities and the world to life. The story just becomes more and more apt over time. Plants rock!
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?
Determination, idealism, deviance.
If you have an idea and it hasn’t been done or feels too far off, listen to your inner guide. Don’t look to others to validate what you understand as your vision and calling. Go forward and also take time to rest and regenerate.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
How to be a potentiator that is aligned with the world around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.herbsfortheapocalypse.com
- Instagram: @herbsforapocalypse
- Twitter: Herbsapocalypse
- Youtube: Can be found on the main website
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