We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Liz Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Liz, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
In my 20s, I really was my own worst enemy. My anxiety had such a hold on me. It told me that nothing I did was good enough, that I was a failure, that I had already wasted my life and it was too late to get that time back. I really struggled to create anything while in that mental state. Why bother? What was the point? It would never feel like enough.
If that’s where you find yourself now, I would urge you to be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with compassion. You and your mental health are the priority – not productivity, not your goals, and certainly not living up to the expectation of others. Remember that your anxiety is lying to you and does not have your best interest at heart. Give yourself time and space to heal. The idea that creativity requires suffering is a myth and you deserve better.
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?
It always feel weird to say it somehow, but I am an artist. I studied painting in school and feel really back in the groove of that all these years later. I paint in acrylic, usually on wood panels, in bright, saturated colors. In my work, I am primarily interested in nostalgia, feelings of joys and bittersweet memories that are brought up by objects. If it creates dopamine, I wanna paint it. That’s is a fancy way of saying I paint a lot of toys! My favorite subject to paint are vintage Care Bear stuffed animals. They have the perfect colors, the perfect everything.
More recently, I became interested in film photography. I really love the novelty of it. I often use plastic point-and-shoot cameras and experimental films, because I love the mystery. I drop off film for development without really knowing what I am gonna get back. And with experimental films, there are a lot of color alternations and other surprises. I recently had my first photography show at Duck Duck Coffee here in Minneapolis and was really touched by the response. I am looking forward to where the photography path takes me.
I’m also a freelance writer, but that’s pretty boring. It’s much more interesting that the podcast I co-host with my friend Samantha is somehow on its 8th season. It’s called “Perhaps It’s You” and it’s an unofficial rewatch podcast for the classic TV show “Unsolved Mysteries” (the Robert Stack episodes, obviously). We really started it on a whim nearly six years ago and it’s invited so much delightful strangeness into my life. I am very thankful for it, because it has helped me find my fellow weirdos.
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?
– Let go of perfectionism. For years the saying, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” really applied to me. So make messy things. Make imperfect things. Rough edges can be great, actually. People relate to rough edges.
– Be open to collaboration. Sometimes it’s hard to find the will to create alone. There’s no way I would still be making a podcast right now if I did it by myself. But working with Samantha pushes me to keep going. So be sure to make stuff with your friends. It’s a great way to get to know someone on a new level and also have something concrete from your time together.
– If you are looking for a supportive audience for your creative work, I cannot recommend the world of zines enough. Zines are handmade booklets (which can be about literally anything) and the community is full of the absolute most wonderful people on earth. If you write poetry or take photos or create recipes, whatever, I would recommend submitting to zines and also creating your own. Look up at zine fest by you to get started.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I have a chronic illness called fibromyalgia. It won’t kill me, it just makes everything a bit harder. And while I have the pain symptoms largely under control, the fatigue is real. I think my greatest challenge is that I simply don’t have the energy to do everything I want to do, I have to prioritize. Each and every day my schedule revolves around how much energy I have left and what needs to get done before the brain fog sets in. I would love to create more and certainly feel the pressure to be more productive, but that isn’t very realistic. I’m still learning to live with that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everybodylikesliz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/everybodylikesliz
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/everybodylikesliz/
- Other: https://perhapsitsyou.wordpress.com/
