Episode 11: Finding Happiness in Creativity with Morgan Swank

Morgan Swank is a freelance fashion illustrator: how cool is that? We loved chatting with Morgan about how she chose to do what she loved even when it was a little scary, how she finds balance between making and creating, and how to stay yourself on social media. For all of you introverts out there, she also talks about the struggle to balance the desire to be alone in order to nurture creativity, with not being too disconnected from people that she goes too crazy. Relate? We sure can.
Here’s Where to Find Morgan:
Website: http://www.morganswank.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganswankstudio/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/moswank/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morganswankstudio/
Here’s where to find Ashley:
Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial
Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial
Here’s where to find Abbigail:
Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbigailekriebs/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inkwellsandimages/
Mini Book Club:
The Gift of Asher Leve by Chaim Potok
Creative, Inc. by Joy Cho: A book Morgan found helpful for freelancing. High level, but gives you a good starting place for your thoughts.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: A book about creativity and art. It has a lot of good exercises and practices to help unleash your creativity.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Quotes from this Episode:
“I realized that I loved fashion and that is what I wanted to pursue.” - Morgan
“I think the desire to do fashion illustration just kept growing.” - Morgan
“Once you end up crying in a J.C. Penny’s parking lot, you realize you have to make a life change.” - Morgan
“When there is a passion like that that keeps coming back again and again, and you can’t squash it down into something more reasonable or something that earns a better paycheck, that is definitely a sign that you just need to go for it.” - Ashley
“The majority of it is being a hardworking, show up on time person. Look like you care.” - Morgan’s secret to success
“I’m not being creative. I’m not drawing anything. I’m just sitting on the couch binge-watching Netflix.” - Morgan
“I try to jealously guard my Saturdays so that, as an introvert, I can have that day to not see people.” - Abbigail
“I don’t have time to create art and market art.” - Morgan
“I made this picture. Please view it. I like it. I hope you do, too.” - Morgan
“My hope is that my pictures speak a 1,000 words and that people just enjoy seeing something pretty.” - Morgan
“The thing that turns me off is when I feel somebody is being disingenuous.” - Morgan
“Sometimes, my true self is just silent.” - Morgan
“I don’t want to put myself out there on so many streams that I feel overwhelmed.” - Morgan
“The social media part of marketing can completely take over your life if you let it.” - Ashley
“If having 140 characters or less would make people like me more, then I don’t need to go for those people then.” - Morgan
“You’re never going to do social media justice if you hate doing it.” - Abbigail
“What are the next five things I need to do. Then I do them.” - Morgan
“As a freelancer I can get really internalized. I need to stop and see what other people are doing.” - Morgan
“At the end of the day: what do I want to do? Is it a good reflection of me?” - Morgan
“Right now, what I’m doing is the closest expression of me and my style as I can be at the moment.” - Morgan
“You are following your passions. If you were anybody else, you wouldn’t be you.” - Morgan
“I don’t do it all well, but my life as a freelancer is a marathon, not a sprint.” - Morgan
“The reason you make your own job is to enjoy it. If you aren’t enjoying it, you might be doing something a little more than you ought to.” - Abbigail