May 14, 2020

With an unprecedented world situation set in motion by the covid-19 pandemic, we checked in with our featured illustrators and authors to see how this crisis has impacted their creative lives. Their replies give an interesting glimpse into their worlds as they confront the challenges this time has presented.

Sydney Smith

How has the pandemic impacted how you work or your approach to your work?

When the pandemic quickly spread across the world and the quarantine had shut everything down, our world was quickly divided into essential and nonessential. It is difficult to not catastrophize and reflect on how precarious everything is and how much I relied on faith in an industry that could be slowly sinking. I began to get nervous about the possibility of future contracts and I found it difficult to maintain focus on work. 

But early on, my family and I were lucky to relocate to a family farm away from the city where our children can have the space they need to stay happy. We have been here since and I have found it easier to focus and turn off my anxiety by enjoying the beauty of the country, the forest and the fields. 

I admire the authors and illustrators who have reached out and offered an important service during this difficult time. And although I wish I could offer something similar, my instincts are telling me to disconnect, and focus on work and family. When social media becomes your only contact with outside people, it has the potential to take over more than you would like.

I have also looked at my own work differently. What kind of stories will we be needing after this? Will we want uplifting hope-inspiring and entertaining books? Will we just want to be happy? Or escape? 

Do you think it will change your creative process for future work, after the world returns to “normal”? 

I am hoping I can take from this experience a better understanding of how best to control my focus. 

I'm not sure if I want to the world to go back to "normal". I am hoping we can learn from this experience and come out of this with more insight into our social and economic rights. I’m not sure how we could go back to "normal" knowing just how precarious our world balances. 

I have been drawing my kids a lot lately and I hope that doesn't change. 

During this time, what has been your most effective thing to do when you get stuck creatively?

I am stuck every day. But I have learned that forcing my way through a block or a rut can just drive me deeper in frustration. I will instead take a break to listen to music, read, play with my kids or cook something. I am in a unique situation. The last family member to live on this farm was a wonderful artist who passed away late last year and I have been working in his studio, surrounded by his records and books. I can sometimes channel his quiet calm. It has been a surreal experience and I am often overwhelmed by its beauty and sadness.

Have shelter-at-home directives limited your time to create? If so, how are you managing? Or not?

I am a little worried about art supplies. I’ve placed an order a month ago but haven't heard anything yet.

I am lucky to have the space and time to work right now.

Previous interview with Sydney Smith.

Yevgenia Nayberg

How has the pandemic impacted how you work or your approach to your work?

 As a long-time freelancer, I have it easier than most people. After all, I am used to working alone from morning to evening in my studio. That hasn’t changed, thanks to my easy-going family who generously give me space. I’ve been quite busy working on my illustration projects as well as writing my next picture book. Strangely enough, it feels like time is flying. It must be all the additional cooking and cleaning I have to do now!

Do you think it will change your creative process for future work after the world returns to “normal”? 

Before the quarantine, I worked similarly long hours. However, in the back of my mind, I kept wondering about things I was missing out on. Is there something else I should rather be doing? Something a bit more … profound? Now it feels like I am doing exactly what I should.

Whatever “normal” we are going to return to, I would like to preserve this feeling of doing exactly what’s in my power and living my life one day at a time.

During this time, what has been your most effective thing to do when you get stuck creatively?

I was hoping that leafing through my art books would help me unstuck, but it did not do the trick. The energy of New York City has been my source of inspiration for years and I miss it terribly. I tried a few solitary walks in the park, but that did not help much. Finally, I turned around and walked toward an industrial Brooklyn neighborhood. Seeing an urban landscape, as deserted as it is these days, made me feel much better!

Previous interview with Yevgenia Nayberg.

Eva Lindström

How has the pandemic impacted how you work or your approach to your work?

 In a way it is the same situation for me as before the pandemi. I work alone at home.

The only change is the sad feeling that surrounds me and everyone close to me.

Do you think it will change your creative process for future work, after the world returns to “normal”? 

I don't know. Perhaps.

During this time, what has been your most effective thing to do when you get stuck creatively?

If I feel stuck I take a walk in the forest.

I need to laugh so I talk to a funny friend.

I ride my horse.

Have shelter-at-home directives limited your time to create? If so, how are you managing? Or not?

No, these directives has not put any limit to my creative time.

Previous interview with Eva Lindström.

Molly Idle

How has the pandemic impacted how you work or your approach to your work?

With so much worry in the real world, I feel luckier than ever to have the worlds I create in books to escape into for a bit each day.

Do you think it will change your creative process for future work, after the world returns to “normal”?

For myself,  it's too soon to say what the long term creative effects on my process will be. But as to the practical effects on my process- I can tell you right now that I will definitely be laying in a larger stock of art supplies from this point forward. I work traditionally, and until recently I completely took for granted my ability to run down to the art supply store and pick up whatever I needed, whenever I needed it.  Not anymore. Do you know how difficult it is to get hold of a light peach Prismacolor pencil right now? It's like trying to find a container of Clorox wipes!

During this time, what has been your most effective thing to do when you get stuck creatively?

Going for a walk round our neighborhood always helps me sift through my thoughts and refocus.

That, and a good cuppa coffee. 

And cake.

Have shelter-at-home directives limited your time to create? If so, how are you managing? Or not?

I find myself far more easily distracted now than I normally am (and that is saying something!).

So, I've taken to making myself a to-do list for each day of the week.  It helps keep me on track.

Full disclosure: not every to-do on the list gets to-done.

But having a plan written down gives me an itty bitty semblance of control that makes it easier to keep on creating. And each checkmark next to a to-do that does get to-done is a tiny touchstone of incremental progress. It feels good to move forward, especially when we can't move about.

Previous interview with Molly Idle.

Øyvind Torseter

How has the pandemic impacted how you work or your approach to your work?

Here in Norway things are slightly coming back to normal now after around two months with restrictions. But it is not as before the pandemic. 

We still avoid public transport. A lot of people will continue to work from home for a long period. The schools have started up again, but only for some hours each day. And we keep distance. 

The pandemic still has an impact on every day life for most of us here. And probably will have for a very long time.

During the period I worked at home, which was a change for me.

I usually work in a studio with other artists. Our three daughters had homeschool during the epidemic, and both my wife and I moved our jobs home when the restrictions started in the middle of March. The five of us were together more or less all the time for two months. That has never happened before. It was nice. 

Workwise I had to change some of my plans though. My new book was meant to be released this autumn, but we have delayed to winter 2021, which is for the best.

At home I found it hard to find the focus over a longer period, which I need to finish a book. 

I am used to working alone the whole day, which is good for deep concentration. 

Being in a studio for 20 years I have probably developed some routines that are almost automatic. 

I use a lot of physical tools and materials when in the studio. Half finished projects are hanging on walls or laying around. Drawings everywhere. But there is a system there.

At home, because of space, I worked mostly digital. It requires a different way of thinking.

Working from home was more fragmented. Worklife and homelife got mixed up. Both the computer and dishwasher screaming for attention.

I probably worked for more hours during the day (and night) at home than I do in my studio. But I was not very effective. 

So, instead of finishing the new book I started up something I have been thinking about for years but never prioritized: To make a website. This, together with some commissioned book covers, became my main corona activity. You can see the website here: www.oyvindtorseter.com It was possible to do at home, with more distractions going on around. 

Do you think it will change your creative process for future work, after the world returns to “normal”? 

It made me a bit more aware of how I am working. I don't think it will change the creative process for me. 

Maybe in subject matter, it might. When I start up a new project. It has been a strange time.

During this time, what has been your most effective thing to do when you get stuck creatively?

The best trick when I get stuck is always to do something else. Go for a walk, do some reading. Just something different for a while, and come back to try solving the problem. It often helps. 

Previous interview with Øyvind Torseter.

All images included here with permission from the respective artists.

Stock photo of pencils by Sharon McCutcheon from Unsplash.