We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily St. Marie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emily , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I love the question because it implies that we aren’t inherently creative or non-creative, rather creativity is something you can foster and nourish in yourself and your life. Staying in the creative flow isn’t always easy– I’ve gone through creatively dormant periods of my life, and they were always connected with a sad event or struggle that made me feel down and in turn, less creative.
Getting back into a creative flow was integral to feeling whole and joyful about my existence. But where to start? Do I stare at a blank piece of paper and hope an idea will creatively flow onto it? I would argue that setting myself up for maximum creativity happens long before my writing or art session starts.
The best way I’ve found to keep my creativity alive involves introducing novelty into my day. I do things like taking a different route to the library, reading a book on something I haven’t considered before, talking to a friend on social media about a new subject, or diving into historical archives on a subject I know little about.
Word of caution: It’s easy to get caught up in doom scrolling social media to stimulate this “novelty effect” on the brain, but the best way is still offline because it involves more or your senses.
My advice is to get out of your comfort zone for a moment or two a day. Put yourself in a novel situation like making a recipe you’ve never tried, or visiting an unfamiliar restaurant with an exotic menu, or go all out and take on a bigger project like learning a foreign language or trying out a new sport. I firmly believe that if you put yourself in a new situation, your brain will rise to the occasion. As the proverb says, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Just as daily or weekly weight training adds strength to muscle mass, doing something daily to challenge your brain and expose it to novel ideas will strengthen your creative mind.
Then when you sit down to write, make art, or record a new track, you will either have new material to draw from, or see your old material in a new way.
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?
Emily St. Marie Art (ESMA) is my art brand. I make art for both my own books, as well as for a variety of publishers. These include Wild Ink Publishing, Philosopher Poet Press, and Gallery Gal Gifts, and I also work directly with authors themselves to bring their ideas to life. I love the art that is created as a collaboration with someone else, it makes it something special that I could never have done alone. I don’t use AI, even as a tool. All my art starts with pencil sketches on paper, and then depending on what the project requires, I build from there.
My art is for both children and adults. As a child I was obsessed with Garth William’s illustrations in so many books I read, like “Little House on the Prairie” and “Charlotte’s Web.” I was mesmerized by how he imbued his pencil drawings with vivacity and detail that brought the past to life. His work directly inspired me to start illustrating historical scenes with my signature pen, ink & watercolor style. I insist on making everything as period-correct as possible and this involves a lot of research in addition to the art itself. I’m currently working on some New York Cooking Columns from 1922 (Gallery Gal Gifts) that involves some historical illustration as well as colorizing old art from that era. I love bringing the past to life, especially if it means adding color.
In these last few years I have done a lot of fantasy art. “The Magical Muse Library Volumes 1-2 ” (Wild Ink Publishing) each have 12 ink illustrations for middle grade audiences inspired by the Greek muses, and I am currently working on finishing the interior illustrations for Volume 3: Clio’s Curious Dash Through Time which has a historical fiction/sci fi theme. Last year I illustrated a children’s book called “Once Upon a Tower” by Haddessah Anne Brice, in which one of the characters is a friendly dragon who was very fun to design.
Perhaps one of my favorite projects I am currently working on a children’s book by a stand-up comedian, details to be released at a later date. What I can tell you about it right now is that the theme of the story is the power of laughter, and I’m very excited to add humorous touches to my illustrations for a children’s book.
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?
Great question! There are a lot of ways to answer it, I will go with qualities/traits that I think have helped me. I have three qualities that have underpin my creative progress. They are:
1. Curiosity
2. Stubbornness
3. Desire
1. Curiosity: “Curiosity killed the cat” is a phrase I heard often as a child. I hated that expression, because I could not stop being curious and I hated knowledge gatekeepers (as I then viewed adults). As an adult, I appreciate my curiosity even more than before, because I know how it drove me to find answers. And usually the journey of finding answers uncovered so much more than I could ever predict. I love indulging my curiosity.
2. Stubbornness: Stubbornness was also a trait that was viewed negatively when I was younger. But I use it now to work towards goals and keep working the problem. I don’t stop until I figure out the solution. I don’t know where my stubbornness comes from, so I don’t know how or if it can be developed in others, but I think if you want to achieve your goals you have to push yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to be stubborn when it comes to your goals.
3. Desire: Desire is the final trait that I must mention. I was raised by fundamentalist Christians and desire was viewed with suspicion. But I think desire comes from an honest place and what we desire should not be ignored or we face the consequences (misery). Yearning for things that I want is what got me here, living my dream of being an artist and author. I believe it’s important to pay attention to what you want in life. It’s your life, go for it.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I take a walk or drink a cup of coffee. I talk to a friend. I try to avoid stress eating.
Sometimes I like to pick up my sketcbook and draw something silly. My comic series entitled “Nature’s Conversations” is something I do for me, to de-stress. And then I found people liked it when I posted it online. It started with an inch worm in a top hat who starts a conversation with a flower. The whole premise is fun and lighthearted, based on the idea that if nature talks (or if they spoke in a way we could understand it) it might surprise us with some silly conversations.
Finally, my best advice for if you’re feeling overwhelmed is to find something funny online and laugh it out. Laughter changes your brain chemistry and makes you feel better immediately. It’s a great way to change pace and move into a lighter place in your mind.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://emilystmarieart.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilystmarie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilymarieart
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyStMarie
- Other: Mastadon: @Esma@infosec.exchange
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/emilystmarie.bsky.social
Post: https://post.news/@/emilystmarie
Newsletter: https://pencilbooth.com/esma
Image Credits
All photos taken by Emily St. Marie
