162. Navigating Growth Without Losing Yourself - Martine Severin

Have you ever considered how success might change you? That as you grow, you might lose the very essence of what makes you, you? 

In this solo episode, I share a story of a startling comment that made me confront my own evolution. We’ll explore the balance between evolving and losing yourself, between growing your craft and abandoning your voice. Join me for a conversation about change, authenticity, and embracing the magnificent artist you are destined to become.

 

Check out the full video on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/DhHOizsG9Pw

Chapters

00:00 - A Story About Becoming
01:10 - A Car Ride and a Startling Question
03:00 - The Pressure to Change as an Artist
04:00 - The Real Question: Who Will You Become?
04:42 - Staying True Isn't Staying Still
05:30 - Your Roots Are Your Foundation
06:10 - Change is Natural, Like a River
06:30 - A Call to Your Own Magnificent Self
07:07 - Final Thoughts on My Own Evolution

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This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

 

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to This Is How We Create, a show that digs deeper into the creative life ofcontemporary artists of color.
Discover what feeds their creativity and how they found or are finding their artisticvoice.
Through these intimate and candid conversations, you'll gain insights into the lives ofcreative professionals of color that are hard to find anywhere else.

(00:22):
Welcome back to This Is How We Create.
My name is Martine Severin, your host.
Today, I am coming to you with something that's a little bit different than what wenormally cover on a mini episode.
And that's because I feel in some ways that today's episode is all about the process ofbecoming.

(00:42):
Michelle Obama wrote about it.
It's something that we all experience.
It's also something that is uh hand in glove with the human experience.
And so today I'd love to share some thoughts with you about
becoming and about how we all change as individuals.
This starts with a story and this story is all about me and my husband heading to theBerkshires in Western Massachusetts.

(01:13):
So one July morning the light fell just a little bit differently through the windshield ofour car while we were heading to the Berkshires.
I really remember how
The light fell golden and slanted like honey poured slow through the windows.
We were driving to the Berkshires with the windows rolled down just enough to let in justa great breeze.

(01:41):
The day was perfect.
The summer air was perfect.
It was warm and thick with possibility and especially the kind of possibility that makeseverything feel
like a promise.
We even had fresh mozzarella that was made that morning as well as basil.

(02:01):
So as you can imagine, we were getting ready to have the kind of meal that you rememberdecades later.
And it was there in that moment of peace when I was looking out the window, seeing thecountryside go by that my husband turned and look at me and said something that I have

(02:22):
been unable to forget.
And I think it was after I had gotten a new job.
And now this new job, I was making about 20 % more than I was previously.
And so to that, he said, you know, you have to be careful because when you get more money,when you get more successful, you change.

(02:49):
Well, just like that, the golden light
that was falling through the window felt really different.
And I was thinking, how dare he suggest that I would lose myself, my fabulous self.
The thing about being an artist, the same tension exists.
As you grow in your craft, as you start to find success, as your work evolves and youraudience grows, there is this pressure.

(03:17):
Now this pressure sometimes it's external, people start telling you,
what to sell or what kind of work to make or what this client would like.
They're going to tell you what's trendy.
Sometimes it's that internal voice that oh has you wondering if you should maybe softenyour edge or broaden your appeal or make work that is more palatable.

(03:41):
And just like I did in that car, I find myself saying, I am not going to change.
I'm never going to change.
Ha ha.
oh But the reality is you will change.
Your art will change.
Your perspective will change and your technique will deepen.

(04:03):
And when all of that happens, you're not betraying yourself.
It's just you're participating in growth.
So then the question isn't about whether or not you'll change.
The question is,
will you change into the artist you actually want to become?
Because there's a difference between evolving and losing yourself.

(04:26):
And then there's the difference between growing your craft and abandoning your voice.
There's a difference between learning new techniques and forgetting where you come from.
But maybe for you staying true never means forgetting.
the stories that maybe your grandmother told you or the stories that made you want tocreate to be an artist, to be a creative in the first place.

(04:51):
But maybe it's about holding onto the raw honesty that made people stop and watch yourwork in the first place.
Maybe it's remembering where you started, not for the likes or for the sales or for therecognition, but because something inside you just had to come out.

(05:12):
your roots, the soil in which your creativity grows, the experiences that shape you, theculture that raise you, the struggles that strengthen you, the joy that sustain you.
These aren't necessarily obstacles to transcend.
They're really the foundation of who you are.
So as you can guess, we have to let our work evolve.

(05:36):
We have to let our style mature and we have to let
success, change how we live, right?
But don't let any of that change why you create or whether your stories matter.
Don't let anyone convince you that authenticity, that's a hard word for me, I alwaysstruggle over it, authenticity, authenticity is too niche, too specific, or even too much.

(06:04):
Did you know?
Now this is a non sequitur, but stay with me.
But did you know that the Mediterranean Sea was once dry land?
The Grand Canyon was carved by persistent water.
Everything changes, but the rivers don't apologize for the path that they take.
In the same vein, change into the artist you want to become, not the one someone elsethinks you should be.

(06:31):
Remember who you are.
Remember where you came from.
And let that be the compass that guides every bold decision you make.
Let it drive your evolution.
Let it drive every risk you take, every bold step you take forward, your voice, yourvision, your taste, it all matters.

(06:55):
Let it grow strong and not smaller.
And stop being afraid to be you, to be exactly who you are, to be your magnificent self.
That's it.
That's all I have.
That's all I have for you today.
And I have to say, I have to say I've changed so much.
In fact, I think I change every year.

(07:16):
Every year I'm working on a new portfolio.
And the other day my sister was saying, isn't this like your ninth portfolio?
It's probably my 12th and I'm getting ready to work on my 13th or my 16th or however manyit is.
Because we, as artists, as we get better and better, as we become stronger and stronger,we could do harder lifts.

(07:38):
We can do more difficult things.
We could definitely do more difficult things.
That's all I have for you today, friends.
Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of This Is How We Create.
there.
I have a quick favor to ask you before you go.
If you're loving this show, would you mind taking a quick second to leave us a five starreview on your favorite go-to podcast app?

(08:06):
Here's the thing, those reviews are like magic fairy dust.
They help other creators of color
discover our show and tap into their own artistic superpowers.
While you're at it, why not subscribe to our sub stack newsletter Creative Matters.
Creative Matters is like a weekly dose of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

(08:31):
You can find the link to subscribe in the show notes.
All right, that's all that I have for you today.
I can't wait to see you on the next episode.
Bye!