The Good Ship Illustration: Anna Mac on Finding Her Creative Voice (After Years Designing for Retail)

Release Date: February 20, 2026
Host: The Good Ship Illustration (Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell, and Tania Willis)
Guest: Anna Mac, Scottish illustrator, printmaker, and writer

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid conversation with Anna Mac, a Scotland-based illustrator and printmaker, about her winding journey to finding her true creative voice. Drawing on her experience transitioning from fine art and printmaking to product design for the retail market and finally into children's illustration, Anna shares valuable insights about giving yourself permission to play, the role of external influence, reframing rejection, and the continual work of self-discovery as an artist. The discussion is interwoven with personal anecdotes, practical advice, and memorable moments that will resonate with illustrators and creative folk at any stage of their careers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anna's Background and Introduction ([00:23]–[02:03])

• Anna introduces herself as an artist, printmaker, illustrator, and writer working from her home in Perthshire, Scotland.
• She balances her creative work with being a mother to teenage twins.
• Quote:
  "I call myself a writer, but I'm based in Scotland, so I'm in a town that's about an hour from Edinburgh and Glasgow and I work from my home studio and I have two kids, twins, that are teenagers." (01:39 – Anna)

2. The "Scenic Route" to Creativity ([02:03]–[03:57])

• Anna’s love of art began early but was stymied by imposter syndrome due to her mother being an art teacher.
• Initially studied social work before returning to art through online courses.
• Rediscovered her passion in printmaking and began designing product collections for the retail market.

3. Designing for Retail: Freedom and Boundaries ([03:57]–[05:33])

• Designed wares and textiles, focusing on character-driven, story-filled designs with a Scandinavian edge.
• Inspired by time spent in Sweden—mid-century ceramics, textiles, and artist Lisa Larson’s character work influenced her.
• Quote:
  "There were a lot of characters within those designs and a lot of simple lines and very kind of bold, graphic kind of look as well. That was hugely inspiring to me..." (04:55 – Anna)

4. Pandemic Pivot and Finding Creative Voice ([05:33]–[07:58])

• Lockdown saw retail orders dry up; simultaneously, Anna reconnected with her love for writing and art, especially picture books.
• Participated in the #100DayProject and joined Good Ship’s “Fly Your Freak Flag” course, which encouraged exploration and self-discovery.
• Quote:
  "I started thinking about picture books as a sort of like a direction to go. And I think at the same time I was still not totally sure of my voice." (05:41 – Anna)

5. The Importance of Permission to Play ([07:58]–[10:10])

• "Permission slips" to play and freedom from external validation were pivotal.
• Noticed her taste and personality reflected in her home environment, but hadn’t consciously linked this to her artistic identity.
• Quote:
  "Giving myself permission and giving myself the space to just, yeah, play with materials, explore, experiment... that was a really big turning point for me." (07:58 – Anna)

6. Developing Confidence and Navigating Feedback ([10:10]–[13:19])

• Learned to trust her own judgement, rather than constantly seeking approval.
• Emphasizes importance of seeking feedback—but selectively, from trusted sources.
• Quote:
  "It's important to realize that, yes, absolutely, feedback is a really important thing in terms of growth and development... But yeah, just be careful who you're giving the power to in terms of that feedback." (12:01 – Anna)

7. Balancing Creativity, Family, and Other Work ([13:19]–[16:27])

• Anna balances illustration with freelance work as a sleep counselor, alongside ongoing family commitments.
• Continues to work on children's books and product licensing, with an agent and submissions in progress.
• Finds solace and therapeutic value in creative hobbies “just for fun,” like felting.
• Quote:
  "I need something else that is just something that's not for anything. It's just pure. Just sitting in front of telly felting." (15:12 – Anna)

8. Creativity as a Way of Life ([17:10]–[20:37])

• Inspiration from Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act”—emphasizing being in process, not outcome.
• Everything, from home décor to clothes, is an expression of creative identity.
• Quote:
  "Creativity is about a way of living, it's a way of being." (17:52 – Anna)

9. Personal Manifestos and Filling the Well ([19:40]–[20:37])

• Anna writes and illustrates a personal manifesto as a more meaningful alternative to New Year’s resolutions.
• Advocates for regularly “filling your soul” with art and music, trusting that personal interests will manifest in creative output.

10. The Alignment of Work and Voice ([20:37]–[22:19])

• Since focusing on self-discovery, Anna finds her commissioned work is more aligned with her own passions.
• Uses journaling to reconnect with her gut instincts, especially amidst the noise of social media.
• Quote:
  "Now when I create work, it's actually listening to your gut and really tuning in with, what do you. Is this exciting? Am I excited by this?" (21:13 – Anna)

11. Rituals for Rejection and Resilience ([27:10]–[31:01])

• Anna (and Helen) discuss reframing rejection—celebrating it as progress, creating “rejection collections,” and using rituals to process setbacks.
• Inspired by others who turn rejection into a numbers game—applying until the “no’s” and “yes’s” become fuel.
• Quote:
  "I've had a rejection, which means I am one step closer to a yes. And, yeah, that's a bit of a gold nugget, really." (27:14 – Anna)
  "If you learn to be able to deal with the rejections, be happy for other people that are succeeding and have your ritual... every time you get rejected, take yourself off somewhere, which is somewhere lovely for your cup of tea and your brownie or whatever it is... And then move on." (29:47 – Anna)

12. Lifelong Journey and Revisiting the Work ([31:01]–[33:13])

• The work of finding and expressing a creative voice is never finished—it’s perpetual evolution.
• Value of lifetime access to courses, so artists can revisit material as they and their circumstances change.
• Quote:
  "Because it's never over. Like I think you've always got to be... always evolving and growing and learning and you can come back to things with new eyes." (31:27 – Anna)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On realizing she could be an artist too:
  "My mum was an art teacher and then I had it in my head like, she's the artist, so I can't be an artist. It just didn't occur to me that I could be an artist too." (02:26 – Anna)

• On finding alignment:
  “One of the side effects of flying your freak flag and finding your creative voice is that the work you get or the work you attract tends to be much more in tune with the stuff you love doing.” (20:37 – Host)

• On using sketchbooks as a personal record:
  "It's so much nicer than just flicking through your phone photos... I've got these books of sketches of them (her kids) when they were in primary school and things. And, yeah, it's just a really nice sort of record to keep as well." (25:37 – Anna)

• On journaling and creative practice:
  "Journaling is a great way of almost bringing it back to me rather than shutting out all the other voices that are going on." (21:13 – Anna)

• On resilience:
  "You can't keep going if you're holding yourself back. Whereas if you learn to be able to deal with the rejections, be happy for other people that are succeeding and have your ritual... take yourself off somewhere, take yourself to a gallery or museum and fill back up again." (29:47 – Anna)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:23 – Introduction of Anna Mac and her creative background
• 02:26 – The scenic (non-linear) route into a creative career
• 03:57 – Designing for retail: inspirations, challenges, and character-driven work
• 05:41 – The impact of the pandemic and pivot to picture books
• 07:45 – On the “permission slip” to play and creative self-discovery
• 09:23 – Connecting personal taste and environment to creative identity
• 12:01 – Navigating feedback and cultivating confidence
• 13:19 – Balancing creative ambitions, family life, and other professions
• 15:12 – The importance of hobby creativity—felting as therapy
• 17:10 – Creativity as a way of life and inspiration from Rick Rubin
• 19:40 – Personal manifesto and self-nourishment
• 20:37 – Aligning paid work with personal creative excitement
• 27:10 – Reframing and ritualizing rejection
• 31:01 – Lifelong learning and continually finding your creative voice

Tone and Atmosphere

Friendly, supportive, and open—Anna and the hosts create a space that’s both practical and uplifting, weaving vulnerability with hard-won wisdom. The spirit of the “Good Ship Illustration” shines through: creative encouragement, community, and permission to embrace your individuality.

Useful for Listeners

• Candid advice on finding your unique creative voice, even after years in design
• Real talk about balancing creativity, parenthood, and financial realities
• Practical methods for building confidence and dealing with imposter syndrome
• Tools and rituals for reframing rejection and nurturing resilience
• The importance of play and personal projects outside of commercial work
• Invites reflection on how environment, taste, and self-compassion impact your art

For Anna’s art and links, check the episode show notes.

Favourite listener takeaway:
"Absolutely, there's space for everyone to be creative." (26:50 – Anna)