Meet the Maker: Ginger Taylor

Let’s start at home - tell us how you live and what gives you the most comfort?

I live a 10 min walk from my studio, which was no mistake. I wanted to make sure I lived within walking distance so it feels like an extension of my living space, but with some distance so it feels like I'm not just trapped at home all the time.

My Chihuahuas (Toast and Cocopops) give me the most comfort at home. Many of my jobs require sitting and drawing on my iPad, which I choose to do from home because the dogs prefer it and I am their slave. Working from the couch & watching TV with the 2 dogs curled up on my lap is my happy place. Add a fresh cuppa and we're golden!

I know you come from a creative family. Tell us what growing up was like with such talented people and how that influences how you live and work?

Growing up in a creative family has had its up's & downs, I appreciate it more now that I am older. When I was little I put a massive amount of pressure on myself to do better. Because I am the youngest, I would compare my drawings/creations to my brother (3 years older) and my sister (12 years older). They are both incredibly talented and as a kid I didn't understand why I couldn't draw like them. Of course, now that I am older, I can see how silly that is, but when you're 5 and everyone in your family has more talent in their pinky than anyone else on the planet that can get to you, haha. Thinking about it now though, that probably encouraged me to push myself and get past imposter syndrome quite early on. 

Those feelings of jealousy faded with time as I found my own style and now I am just so grateful to have grown up with such strong influences. Who knows if I would even be able to draw without them teaching me from such an early age. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by that. 

Ginger packing orders in her amazing studio

What is joyful about living from your own creativity? 

That is a great question, and an important one! 

As a freelance artist it is really easy to forget to ask yourself this. I have been freelancing for almost 9 years now & the last 2 years have felt very up & down post-pandemic so thank you for this question. 

Here is a list of all the perks I can think of off the top of my head...

Other people's reactions 

Like I mentioned above, I have not always had confidence in myself/my work. I was my own worst critic and I was a harsh one. 

The only person who suffers from imposter syndrome is yourself & in my personal experience the only way to dig yourself out of it is reassurance from people who like your work. The biggest confidence booster/crusher of imposter syndrome I have found is the loving support from my followers. Once I found out that strangers liked my work, that's when I really started to believe in myself. I've always had friends and family support & reassure me, but in the beginning of my career I had that thought of "yeah but you have to say that". It wasn't until I had strangers sharing/loving my work that I really started to feel the joy & that's what keeps me going.

Freedom of your own deadlines/working week. 

If I have period cramps for example, I can allow myself to rest and don't have the guilt of calling in sick to work. Every time I am able to do this I am grateful, even 9 years in.

Being Proud of myself

I had a billion jobs before I was an artist & I was never good at any of them. After some time that can make you feel worthless & alone. I now know that a lot of that had to do with my ADHD & Dyslexia but at the time I just felt like I was not as smart as everyone else. Without knowing it, this freelance journey has taken me on a path of self-discovery & I've found my confidence. I can finally say I am proud of myself and my own abilities - and that to me is worth more than the comfort of annual leave & a steady income (although that would be nice, haha).

What is tricky?

A lot! haha. I mean, it's all worth it in the end but it's really tricky navigating this job. 

It's hard to self motivate - even just getting to the studio in the morning can be hard. I have no one telling me what time to be at work, what I need to do today, when I should take breaks, how to navigate problems, performance reviews, positive feedback etc. all the things you get from working in a team - I miss out on. If you'd told me when I was 19 that I would be my own boss one day & all those things would be non-existent I would have been thrilled but the grass is always greener, and I would LOVE all of those things now. I've realised there is a huge importance behind all the things that used to annoy me about working for someone else. I wish so badly that I had a routine & someone to bounce off at work now. It's funny how things can switch like that.

I've also realised the importance of hearing other people's daily problems (work and/or personal). When you're alone all the time and not getting a glimpse into work colleagues' lives, you start to think your problems are the only problems which can make them seem far worse than they actually are. As an introvert, I never thought I'd miss these things but I do.

You have such an amazing sense of style that we all love at SÜK! Who are your top 3 style and design inspirations?

That's nice to hear as I sit here in my pyjama pants, day 2 tee shirt & crocs, haha. 

Style-wise, I've always felt inspired by a mixture of things... here's a few off the top of my head;

Dolly Parton, Vivienne Westwood, Wes Anderson, Asian street style, Tank girl, Comics, 1940's workwear, Vintage stores, Cartoons & generally wearing anything that brings me joy. 

My mum is a fashion designer & pretty much dressed me up every day as a kid, She had a kids costume hire store called "The little shop for horrors" when I was in primary school, so dressing up was more normal to me than wearing your everyday clothes.I guess after growing up like that, it translated into not giving a f*ck about what people think & just wearing what makes me happy. Thanks Mum.

What keeps you going through the economic ups and downs and what I can only imagine is a bit of a hectic juggle?

In 100% honesty - it. has. not. been. good. 

It's been a really hard time & it's an odd feeling knowing we're all going through it together. On one hand, I am grateful we all have each other to lean on/support but on the other hand I feel defeated & sad for everyone it's affected. I've seen friends' businesses close down, I've had to shut down my online store (by far the hardest career decision I've faced, still pretty heart broken about it) & I am in a position for the first time since I was 19 where rent has been hard to pay each month. It does seem to be getting a bit better, but the toll it takes on your mental health isn't easy in the slightest. It's a defeating feeling when you've finally made it as a successful artist when you thought that was impossible and then BAM Pandemic happens and it's all taken away from you. It feels like I've had to start from scratch again and again & I won't lie, it takes the fun out of the whole process. I just try to do my best and hope that is enough to keep me afloat. 

At this point, I am just taking each day as it comes. I worked really hard to be able to do what I do full time so there's a factor of blissful ignorance & stubbornness to refuse to fail, ha.

I also am just not sure what job I could do now? I have worked for myself for so long and have such a specific way of making my working week work for me that I am a bit scared I wouldn't know how to work in another job. 

I guess I just have to stay hopeful that my fanbase will always support the arts and whatever journey my art takes me on. They have so far and I could not be more grateful.

You have such a strong sense of style and distinctive aesthetic - where does it come from and how do you chase it?

I think style is something that is born from perseverance. I personally think it's as simple as that, if you just keep going it will eventually show in everything you do. Whether that's painting, writing, drawing, sewing, building etc - if you just keep going your style will show up in everything you do. These days I don't think "how do I make this more my style?" or "what is my style?" because no matter what I create - it's going to show up whether I want it to or not. I think it's inherently in each of us & the way to make it come out is perseverance and ignoring the inevitable imposter syndrome monster who's trying to ruin the party. Just keep creating! it'll happen naturally.

Tell us about one of your favourite projects you’ve worked on and where people might be able to find it?

I've been lucky enough to receive a lot of fun opportunities so it's hard to pick one, but one of my all time career highlights was designing a skateboard for Impala Skates. I've always been a skater - not a great one, admittedly, but a skater nonetheless. When Impala reached out and wanted me to design their artist deck for 2023 I was over the moon to say the least. I went with a "Motel from hell" kind of theme - inspired by the Inferno Room in the original Beetlejuice which I was inappropriately obsessed with as a kid, haha. 

A fun factor of this particular job was that I also designed the skateboard hardware - trucks, wheels, griptape etc. I made the wheels a baby pink & red with a trim of motel lights so that when they're spinning the wheels turn hot pink & the lights turn into a white line. And each deck came with a "Do Not Disturb" door hanger like you'd get in a traditional American 1960's roadside motel. I really wanted to add in as many themed quirks as I could. 

They let me have a lot of creative control with not only the design but with the promo photoshoot as well. My talented photographer friend Asia (@asiakwin) and I spent the day skating around Melbourne finding retro laundromats & convenience stores to shoot in & it added another fun element to the job I wasn't expecting. I am really happy with the way it turned out and all the details included. I happy-cried the day the prototype arrived.

Any advice for creatives looking to like their mark and support themselves like you?

Hire a good accountant...

If you've got a creative brain, that most likely means you're incredibly talented at the creative side & not so talented at the business/finance side of the job.

I made the mistake of thinking I could do every aspect of being a freelance artist and it came back to bite me. Find the aspects of the job you're not enjoying/feel like you could mess up, and hire a professional to do it for you. That's what they're there for. You may think "I can do this myself, it's not that hard" and you're probably right, but you'll have more time to create if you delegate. We all work for money - have a professional take care of it so you can relax & do what you do best. 

Take care of your mental health...

Your brain is your most important tool. Take care of it before anything else. 

Always have a nest egg...

This is way easier said than done, but trust me, when your bank account is at $10 and rent is due, and you don't have a job on that month - you're gonna WISH you had a nest egg.

Don't make $0 your "I have no money" amount. Make $1k (minimum) your "I have no money" amount. 

I've never borrowed a cent from anyone for my business. When things have gotten dire I've always found a way to get the cash flow going again. whether that's starting a Patreon, having a sale or making a new t-shirt design. you just have to stay vigilant. It's kind of exhausting to be honest but that's what you sign up for when you go freelance. So have a nest egg for those tricky months, because they will come.

Hire a space away from home... if you can...

Working from home isn't as dreamy as it sounds. If you can, hire a studio space. Having the separation between home and work is more important than you realise. 

Make sure you have a good support network...

You need a mixture of not only good friends & family you can talk to when things get hard, but you'll also need to talk to other creatives! There are certain work issues that come up that friends and family won't be able to help you with in the way a fellow creative can. When I first started I reached out to some friends in the creative industry I felt comfortable with and asked everything from how to quote jobs, what paints are best for murals, contacts for art accountants, what to do when you're feeling creatively stumped, what to do when a company copies your artwork and every freelancer question in between. I was lucky enough to be guided through some tough situations that you can't simply Google by some great art friends and I'm forever grateful.

Stay humble and don't take it too seriously...

I like to remind myself that I draw hotdogs with googly eyes for a living. It reminds me that I am truly lucky to be in this position in a country where it's possible to be a full time artist. Not everyone gets that opportunity. Have fun, be grateful and ENJOY THE PROCESS.

Follow Ginger on Instagram and check out her amazing website