Now, as always, sorry for the delay…
Life has been busy, but like, good-busy. I’m working on a few different things that take up a lot of my focus but they’ve got me more creatively-energized than I’ve been in a long time. One of those being a new podcast.
I know what you’re thinking, “Evan, no one wants to hear your voice this much.” Believe me, I don’t either, but in some ways (direct and indirect) having this other outlet has given me a lot of clarity and perspective on my relationship with “making” stuff.
Creativity and compensation will always have a complicated relationship, and having a space to exercise the creative mind without worrying about metrics and analytics has been refreshing. Even more so when bringing friends into the fold.
When was the last time you just made something with your friends? Be it a podcast, a YouTube video, or just a TikTok lip syncing “I was Josh Safdie’s muse on Uncut Jahmsss.” One of the most rewarding parts of starting this new project was interviewing one friend (Sarah Kempa) for the first episode, and bringing another (Evan Laybourn) on to compose the music.
Making stuff together requires vulnerability and what I think stops a lot of people from starting things is the fear of rejection. The thing is, though, if you close yourself off from the possibility of rejection, you’re also limiting the depth of acceptance you can achieve. I’m just rambling at this point…
Anyways, I’m excited about the stuff I’ve been working on and can’t wait to share it all with you. The first of which is a new podcast I’ve been planning at work, Someday List; a series of interviews with founders and creative-types.
Obviously, I used episode one as an excuse to talk shop with one of my favorite cartoonists, Sarah Kempa, whom you might know better as @auntsarahdraws. We talk about juggling freelancing and a full-time job, breaking into The New Yorker, her upcoming book, and a lot more. Check out the full interview below:
In preparing for her interview, I read through some others she’d done and what struck me was how structured she was with her cartooning practice; making the space and time for creativity to happen, rather than waiting for it to strike.
If anything, my conversation with Sarah was a bit of a wake up call. 2021 was a bit of a gap year and 2022 is about reassessing my relationship with cartooning, finding play, building routines and being a student of the form again.
Coincidentally, my first New Yorker cartoon in almost a year ran the day I interviewed Sarah. It felt like a good sign that I was back on the right track.
All the best,
Evan