Hey, welcome to another bonus episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. I'm back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, putting out those moments that deserve a second look and dig deeper into what makes them special. This week I spoke to Kelliana, a London-based illustrator-artist whose vibrant, movement-driven work has taken her from independent galleries to global campaigns. The episode, published a few days ago, was titled Dare to Embrace the Confidence Rollercoaster, and it was a great conversation that got behind the scenes of Kelly's world to discover her process, thinking and her plans for the future. If you haven't checked out the full episode yet, let me start with these four moments that stood out from our conversation. I always used to talk about confidence because I used to struggle with it a lot and when I was kind of building my work, I didn't have the confidence because I hadn't had any jobs then, hadn't had any work and then I think, you know, the more jobs come in then you start to get a bit of confidence and you're like oh okay maybe there's something in my work and then it goes on and then you become freelance and you go into the world and and then you start losing jobs and you lose your confidence and then you get a job and then your confidence comes back I think a massive part of it is probably just being freelance it's just this roller coaster of emotion it's just like you're up then you're down then you're up I think over the years, I'm slowly learning to just accept that and just find ways to deal with those highs and lows. I'd say it like, I'm good at it. I'm definitely not good at it. As the main episode title reveals, the topic of confidence and the roller coaster of confidence was very much at the forefront of our conversation. Because the reason why I picked the standout moment is what matters is that who's saying this moment? Kelly isn't a new freelancer trying to find her footing. She's a decade in with Nike, I did this Rafa on her CV and many more. And she's still riding the same emotional wave And that the part that we need to talk about and talk about more honestly Confidence doesn stabilize just because the career does What changes slowly is the relationship with the dip. And Kelly's insight isn't that she's cracked it. She's the first to say that she hasn't, but that she's learned to accept the lows rather than fight them. And that's a much more useful and truthful message than, back yourself up or it will work out. It will wobble. That's the deal. And knowing that in advance is genuine and helpful. I think it was that very early on of sketching that movement that kind of influenced me going forward. And even though there was a huge gap in that and what I did throughout my career, I think that really set something off in me. And also, I was saying to you before, my dad, it was really big on colour. He always spoke about how important colour is and he always said that colour is a language that everyone understands. Wherever you are in the world, everyone understands colour. So yeah, I think those two things maybe have gotten me to where I am. As you know from my conversations, I like the origin story. I try to find out how people got to do what they do now and how they got to do it and as you may know from my conversations now i always ask questions about parents what the influence was and i absolutely adore stories like kelly's for example where you know she said it started with her dad who was an artist who never pursued it professionally sitting with kelly when she was young and talking to her about color like it was something that it was alive. And the idea that colour transcends borders, cultures and backgrounds is genuinely beautifully profound. It explains why her work learns so universally when you think about it. There's no translation needed. You feel it before you think it. What was beautiful also in this moment that Kelly didn intellectualise this philosophy later in life She simply absorbed it as a child and carried it forward into everything And it a reminder that some of our most powerful creative beliefs come not from education but from the people who raised us When I do a piece of artwork and someone wants to buy that, that alone, again, that's that feeling of like validation that someone else sees what I see. and they connect with it the way I have felt it in my body like I've felt that feeling to create and make this piece but then to have another human connect with it is just yeah it's amazing and that's why we keep doing it it's a human connection thing for me as well it's like someone else feels what I feel and they felt what I'm trying to get across that's what I find really beautiful and and you know when i always say like when someone buys a piece of your work and puts it in their home when people have artwork in their home it almost becomes part of their dna i told kelly after she mentioned this that this was potentially the most beautiful artist statement if there was one before what she just said because it was one of the most quietly profound moment said in a whole conversation. There was no chat about sales or commissions or even going viral. She was talking about something much older and much more human. It was the moment when your inner world resonates in someone else's. Making art is intensely private act. You feel something, you make something and then you release it. When another person connects with it, it really connects. They hung it on their walls, make it part of their home, and that's the whole point. Kelly describes it as a feeling like someone else sees what she sees, feels what she felt, and that kind of validation runs deeper than any brand campaign, and is the real reason most creative people keep going when the work gets hard. There was a time I did I think because I struggled so long with confidence there was a time I remember thinking to myself gosh this feels really good It felt so good to have something that you'd worked on. I don't think it was even that night. I think my whole life I had wanted to be a creative, an artist. And yeah, to get validation from someone that isn't yourself because you can you can big yourself up as much as you like. and you have to as an artist you have to be your own fan club but to have someone outside want your work next to their brand name that's another level of that's another feeling and it's something that we chase we go on chasing and it's just an amazing feeling. With the final standout moment for my conversation with Kelly Anna I just treasure the fact that she talks about how much it's important to be your own fan club. We go back to conversation about confidence and the confidence with the through line for the whole hour. How do you work when you get unstuck? What do you do next? How do you become at one with the work and how it feels very validating to have somebody else to buy your work, appreciate it, validate it and become your own fan as well. Thank you for joining me on this bonus episode. I hope you check out a full conversation with Kelliana. Thank you for being here and I'll catch you on the next one. Thank you. If you enjoyed this episode and would like more accessible resources to help you discover your daring creativity, you can pick up one of my books on themes of mindful creativity, creative business, branding, and graphic design. Every physical book purchase comes with a free digital bundle, including an ebook and audio book to make the content accessible wherever you are and whatever you do. To get 10% of your order, visit novemberuniverse.co.uk and use the code podcast. Have a look around and start living daringly.
