Anna Mac on finding her creative voice (after years designing for retail)

Permission to play can change EVERYTHING!This week we’re chatting to Anna Mac - artist, printmaker, illustrator, product designer, sleep counsellor, mum of twins, and hardcore Good Shipper who's been sailing with us since 2020.In this episode, we talk about scenic creative routes, why permission to play can change everything, creative voice vs paying the bills, and why sometimes felting a jumper is juuuust what your brain needs.Rough timestamps for our timestamp-fans:00:00 – Intro + course news01:00 – Anna’s background: fine art, printmaking + retail product design03:00 – Social work → creative rediscovery05:00 – Sweden influence + graphic print inspiration06:00 – Lockdown pivot + 100 day project energy07:00 – Finding creative voice even when you’re already “successful”09:00 – Taste is everywhere (home, clothes, environment)11:00 – Confidence, feedback and trusting your own eye13:00 – Agent life + picture book submissions14:00 – Balancing creativity, family life and part-time sleep counselling16:00 – Creative hobbies that are just for you17:00 – Creativity as a way of being (Rick Rubin chat)19:00 – Personal manifestos vs New Year’s resolutions21:00 – Listening to your gut when making work23:00 – Journalling + morning pages (ish, not perfectly)25:00 – Visual diaries and recording life through drawing27:00 – Stories we tell ourselves about who gets to be creative28:00 – Rejection collections + persistence mindset30:00 – Rejection rituals (tea, brownie, gallery trip recommended)31:00 – Creative voice is never “finished”32:00 – Lifetime access + coming back to learning later in lifeStuff mentioned:Anna's website - www.annamacstudio.com Anna's Instagram - @annamacstudioFind Your Creative Voice: Fly Your Freak Flag courseThe Artist’s Way – Julia CameronThe Creative Act – Rick RubinGood Ship Illustration Monthly Numbers Tracker (freebie) - To help you keep on top of your monthly numbers and track progress in your creative career.Byeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)Anna is an illustrator who works from her home studio in Perthshire, Scotland.She has a background in fine art and printmaking and spent several years creating design-led product collections for the retail market.  Client commissions included heritage retailers and international buyers, and her work has sold in shops and galleries in the UK and abroad.Anna combines printmaking techniques, drawing and collage to produce her work, with a focus on children’s illustration.  Anna also loves to work with lino, and she uses this approach to create prints and book covers.Come and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙