Bask in your weirdness ☀️ | Summer camp sketchbook week 1

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Bask in your weirdness ☀️ | Summer camp sketchbook week 1"

Episode Release Date: August 1, 2025
Hosts: Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell, and Tania Willis of The Good Ship Illustration

In the inaugural episode of their mini-series "Find Your Creative Voice," The Good Ship Illustration trio—Helen, Katie, and Tania—embark on a journey to help illustrators uncover and embrace their unique artistic identities. Titled "Bask in your weirdness ☀️," this episode lays the foundation for an eight-week exploration aimed at building confidence and fostering authentic creativity among illustrators.

Embracing Your Unique Voice

The episode kicks off with Katie introducing the theme of the mini-series: finding and celebrating your creative voice. She encourages listeners to "fly in your freak flag" and hints at an accompanying online course designed to guide illustrators through this transformative process (00:27).

Helen brings up a pertinent question from an art club session: "What if the voice that's emerging isn't the one you like?" She suggests that truly embracing one's uniqueness should lead to a voice that resonates personally, but acknowledges that sometimes dissatisfaction arises from not fully tapping into what genuinely excites the artist (00:58 – 01:23).

Navigating Creative Changes

Katie expands on this by referencing the challenging journey of evolving one's artistic voice. She mentions the difficulty of bridging the gap between current and desired styles, often leading to self-doubt and dissatisfaction: "Bridging the gap is really hard. And then in that process, you can sometimes hate your work and think the voice you're developing is horrible" (01:23 – 01:47).

Tania adds that transitioning away from established commercial illustration work can feel uncomfortable. She advises patience and continuous exposure to inspiring content, coining the phrase "good stuff in, good stuff out" to emphasize the importance of feeding oneself with quality influences while being kind to oneself during the transition (01:47 – 02:20).

Overcoming Industry Constraints

Helen discusses how long-term illustrators might become over-art directed, anticipating feedback and editing excessively before presenting their work. This tendency can lead to creative stagnation and dissatisfaction, highlighting the need for a genuine artistic voice (02:20 – 02:42).

Katie echoes this sentiment, noting the pressure from publishers and art directors to conform to specific styles: "It's really scary to break out of that thing." She emphasizes that often, the perceived restrictions are more about internal beliefs than actual industry mandates (02:42 – 03:06).

Learning from Icons: David Bowie’s Example

Tania introduces the documentary "Moonage Daydream" about David Bowie as a case study in embracing one's freak flag. She praises Bowie for his bravery in celebrating his uniqueness, inspiring listeners to build their true voices by honoring their unique tastes and passions (03:06 – 04:01).

Helen adds that understanding and appreciating one's unique interests—“what have you always really been into? Do you appreciate that? Do you use that in your work?”—is crucial for developing an authentic artistic identity (03:43).

Personal Anecdotes and Authenticity

Katie shares personal stories from her teenage years, including her obsession with Eminem and her stint as a blues fingerstyle guitarist. These experiences, though outside her current artistic focus, subtly influence her work by adding depth and authenticity: “I was obsessed with Eminem as a teenager... I loved it because he was just so naughty.” (04:01 – 06:11).

Tania reflects on her friendships with more outgoing and daring individuals, which allowed her to explore facets of her personality she might not have otherwise: “I could just reflect, like live in their shadow.” (04:48 – 05:15).

The Importance of Authenticity

The conversation shifts to the broader importance of authenticity in art. Helen asserts that standing out on platforms like Instagram requires illustrators to be true to themselves rather than conforming to popular trends: "The people who stand out on Instagram are the ones that really know their voice and really draw about things that means something to them." (08:09 – 09:02).

Katie reinforces this by highlighting that authenticity is "future proof," allowing artists to remain themselves indefinitely without the need to constantly adapt to fleeting trends (08:41 – 09:02).

Ethical Considerations in Artistic Development

Tania touches on the ethical implications of copying others versus developing an original style. She emphasizes that authenticity not only feels right but is also ethically superior to merely imitating established artists: "Faking it feels awful. So we had some good ideas, didn't we? How to overcome some of this and how to find your creative voice." (09:02 – 09:34).

Actionable Steps for Illustrators

To help listeners take concrete steps towards discovering their unique voices, the hosts propose an actionable exercise: "Notice the stuff that you love." They encourage illustrators to pay attention to their passions, whether visual or otherwise, and incorporate these elements into their work. Helen adds, "Appreciate your weirdness. Appreciate all the weird things about yourself." (09:44 – 10:35).

Looking Ahead

The episode concludes with a preview of the next topic, "Drawing from Your Soul," promising deeper exploration into personal inspirations and artistic authenticity. The hosts invite listeners to stay tuned for upcoming episodes that will continue to build on the foundation laid in this first session (10:35 – 11:09).

Notable Quotes:

• Katie: "Welcome to step one, which is bask in your weirdness." (00:58)
• Helen: "What have you always really been into? Do you appreciate that? Do you use that in your work?" (03:43)
• Katie: "Bridging the gap is really hard. And then in that process, you can sometimes hate your work and think the voice you're developing is horrible." (01:23)
• Tania: "I wish I could do that. But that's where it's at. And all the things that I admire come from a place of vulnerability." (07:20)
• Helen: "You really need to be yourself." (08:41)
• Tania: "I'm gonna make pictures about sound systems. Big box sound systems especially." (10:35)

Conclusion

"Bask in your weirdness ☀️ | Summer camp sketchbook week 1" serves as an empowering kickoff for illustrators seeking to define and embrace their unique creative identities. By blending personal anecdotes with practical advice, The Good Ship Illustration provides a roadmap for artists to confidently celebrate their individuality and cultivate an authentic artistic voice.

Transcript

[Tanya]

Sa.

[Katie]

Welcome to this mini series find your creative voice. This week we're digging into practical, powerful steps to help you find your way of working, finding your creative voice and your confidence. And fly in your freak flag if you like what you hear. The doors are now open for our eight week online course, find your creative voice, fly your freak flag and would love to see you in there. Just visit www.thegoodshipillustration.com freakflag or you can just google freak flag course and ta da. There we are. And you can read all about it. Okay, welcome to step one, which is bask in your weirdness.

[Helen]

We got a good question about this when we were at art club the other night and somebody asked, what if the voice that's emerging isn't the one you like?

[Tanya]

Oh, that's a good question, isn't it?

[Helen]

So, yeah, if you're gonna bask in your weirdness, surely you're gonna love your voice if you're gonna embrace who you are completely. Maybe you don't like your voice because you're not really digging into the stuff that excites you most. Do you think?

[Katie]

Yeah, I think it's also that we always talk about Ira Glass, don't we? We're like obsessed with that quote about the taste guy. So here's where your work is now and there's where you want it to be. And bridging the gap is really hard. And then in that process, you can sometimes hate your work and think the voice you're developing is horrible. But we'll get into, into another step that we're going to talk about. Like there's not really any shortcuts, unfortunately, I think.

[Tanya]

And some people might not like the voice that they're working on if they're moving out of commercial illustration or work they've done for a long while and they want a new voice. So there's kind of two areas. I think Change is always quite ugly and you've just got to bear with it and see it out and things will start to move, especially if you look at the things you really like as well and start feeding yourself with good stuff. So good stuff in, good stuff out. But you know, just bear with it. Your first change will be a bit, a bit weird, maybe not to your own taste, but be kind to yourself.

[Helen]

I think sometimes if you've been working as an illustrator for a while, you can end up in this situation of not liking your work anymore because you can tend to be over art directed or there's that thing of anticipating what the Art director's gonna say, and editing your own work before it even gets there. I think when you've been around for a while, that's a point where you might become dissatisfied and need a change.

[Katie]

Yeah. And there's that thing. I know you talked about this, Helen. Like publishers, the art directing over art directing. You. And then you kind of get stuck in a box of thinking, oh, I've got to work that way, because that's what the publishers want. It can be really scary to break out of that thing.

[Helen]

Yeah. And it's not always true either. Often that can just be a voice in your head. Somebody once said. And so you. Then you think it's the rule forever, and it's just not true.

[Tanya]

Yeah. Your true self might look a little bit weird because you've been maybe faking it for art direction for so long, and it'll take a while to unearth who you really are. But we were talking earlier about watching the documentary on Moon Age Daydream on David Bowie. And that's a perfect case study in being brave and really waving that freak flag. I mean, he's the king of freak flag. But watching the documentary made me think, this is how you build your true voice. So if you haven't seen it yet, go and watch it. It's just mind blowing. And it'll make you feel braver about your own work.

[Helen]

You're sort of learning to appreciate all the weird tastes that you have. The thing that makes you you. Like, what have you always really been into? Do you appreciate that? Do you use that in your work? It's important to kind of think about who you are as a person as well as the way that you draw.

[Katie]

Yeah. And especially if the things that you're, like, a bit embarrassed about, they're the best fit. And then you get the juicy stuff because they're like, nobody can know this. That I'm like. For instance, I was obsessed with Eminem as a teenager. And now when I tell people that, they're like, really? And all the other day, I was driving home from a job and I was listening to Eminem's one of my favorite Eminem albums. I was like, why was I allowed to listen to this when I was 12? It's terrible. He's talking about awful things and swearing constantly. But I just absolutely loved it. And I think it's because he was just so naughty. Like, it was the naughtiest thing I could possibly be listening to because he was talking about these terrible things and swearing constantly. And I loved it. And I know, there's something. I don't know where that comes into my work now, but maybe that tiny sprinkling of rebellion and being like, yeah, getting away. Like, I don't know if I'm getting away with the whole.

[Helen]

You get that? I always made friends with people who were much noisier, much louder than I was and. And much more daring or naughty than I was because I could just reflect, like live in their shadow.

[Katie]

It'd be so brilliant, vicariously.

[Helen]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tanya]

Hold on. But what about Katie's other Persona, the folk singer?

[Helen]

The folk.

[Tanya]

Didn't you go and sing? Oh, no, you sang blues.

[Katie]

Oh, yeah. I was a blues finger style guitarist for a while.

[Tanya]

This is when you were literally a child, weren't you?

[Katie]

Watching nature? I played guitar until I was 14 and then so I used to go open mic nights with old men and I would play guitar and stuff. But I stopped because every time I sang I would cry and it was really embarrassing. Especially when you're 14, there's a pub full of old men and they're just like. I think I felt it too much and would cry and it was just like, oh, just a cat. It's incredible.

[Tanya]

I mean, all of you, you were really living your freak flag. That age when everyone's telling you to conform and other teenagers really put pressure on you to be normal, but you were at it.

[Katie]

Even things like at house parties, if I got tired, I'd just go to bed. And that was always one of my, like, rebellious things. I wasn't like a proper rebel. I was just like, I'm tired, this party is over for me. And they'd be like, whoa, you go to bed, you're crazy.

[Tanya]

Going to use up all the things that make you you now, aren't they?

[Katie]

And it's so fun to dig into those. I think that's something inside the. Inside the course. Seeing people dig into their freak flag and all the things of their past is really interesting.

[Tanya]

I think there's nothing more boring than being a pleaser if everyone's kind of held to task, especially in terms of their work. But what does the audience want? What does the client want? Let's all work to please that. That's why we've got this huge morass of similar looking work. Because everyone's asking, how will I get work? How do I fit into this genre? Don't fit in. Make yourself unique by doing what you really feel, not what you think should happen. But it takes a while to start listening to that voice and also valuing what you like, because you can think, surely no one's interested in the weird stuff that I like. But actually they are. And if you start drawing about that, I mean, I regret that I didn't draw about the things that I really like, like pearly kings and queens and steam organs. And why didn't I do that when I was at art school or as an illustrator? Instead you think, what's illustration? I must learn and I must toe the line. That's the worst thing you can do.

[Helen]

I, I think it's because we were out of school in the 90s. We've spoken about this before, about what a cynical time it was and you couldn't show huge passion for something that was a bit weird, could you?

[Tanya]

It's true.

[Helen]

It's such a. Everybody was not cynical. What's the word? Like, you could only like something if you liked it in an ironic way, don't you think? Yeah, I guess. Was really ladish. And you could only like something with irony.

[Tanya]

That's why when they talk about, well, when people talk, they. When people talk about vulnerability now, as a kind of someone with one foot in the boomer generation, I think I couldn't do that. I don't want to be vulnerable because we were brought up in that cynical self conscious era. Whereas Katie, you're all about it. I watch you go going about being vulnerable and wow, I wish I could do that. But it doesn't come naturally to, I think our generation. But that's where it's at. And all the things that I admire come from a place of vulnerability. So I have to push to make myself do that or become that.

[Helen]

I was gonna say something about. You just made me think, Tanya, about art directors now look for people on Instagram and if you're too safe and you just want to be a bit like all of the other illustrators on Instagram because you think that's how you're going to get work. You're just never going to stand out. So the people who stand out on Instagram are the ones that really know their voice and really draw about things that means something to them. So yeah, there's just no kind of long term career for somebody who's a bit like a load of other people. You really do need to be yourself.

[Katie]

Yeah. And that's the whole benefit of flying your feet flag, isn't it? It's the future proof thing because you can be yourself till the cows come home forever. It's so easy.

[Helen]

Yeah.

[Tanya]

You don't have to think about it as long as you've accessed yourself. It just keeps on giving.

[Helen]

Makes the work easier.

[Katie]

Yeah, definitely. Especially when you compare it to. You've seen a style that you like and you sort of try it on. It's like wearing someone else's clothes. You know, you can do it for.

[Helen]

A bit and they can do it for a bit. If you're illustrating something that they've kind of illustrated, but the minute you need to illustrate something they've never done, then you're lost.

[Tanya]

That's true. Yeah. Yeah. You're following a kind of formula or manual, but it doesn't give you all the ingredients and it kind of doesn't feel right. And you know when you. When you're faking it and it does and it seems inauthentic and it's not ethical either. And I find that that ethical side of things has been. Seems to have gone by the wayside in the past couple of decades. I was like, it's okay to copy people.

[Katie]

Well, it's kind of not.

[Tanya]

And it feels awful. So we had some good ideas, didn't we? How to overcome some of this and how to find your creative voice. Yeah.

[Katie]

So we've got an action step for you. So if you're feeling productive or with teachers, pet ish, you can do the action step. And that is to just notice the stuff that you love. And if you. You don't even have to write it down, but if you want to write it down, you can. That's going to be really helpful. You might want to draw the things that you love and just. I think it's about paying attention.

[Helen]

Yeah, paying attention. And appreciate your weirdness. Appreciate all the weird things about yourself.

[Tanya]

Especially the things that you don't think would count. I mean, yeah, you can. You can talk about color and pattern and all the things that are visual and easy, but think about the stuff you wouldn't think counts and notice that.

[Helen]

That's so true. Yeah. All the stuff that's not related to visual stuff. Music, clothes, you know.

[Tanya]

Yeah. Make all the things that you think aren't part of pictures. God, I wish I'd made pictures about the things I really liked. I will, though.

[Helen]

I will.

[Tanya]

I'm gonna make pictures about sound systems. Big box sound systems especially. It was Notting Hill this week. What a great place that would be to draw, wouldn't it?

[Katie]

Everybody be.

[Helen]

And go to your soul talking about drawing. That's the next podcast.

[Katie]

Yes, it's the next one. So come back. We're going to be releasing one of these a day, so if you're listening to this in real time, it'll come out tomorrow. But if you're revisiting, it's probably already there for you, so that's nice.

[Tanya]

Okay, see you there.

[Helen]

Lovely. Bye Bye. Bye.

[Tanya]

Bye.

[Katie]

Sa.