The Quick Q & A editorial in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine is a much loved regular feature, in which we ask 5 artists the same 4 questions. In the March 2025 Issue 48, these were the Quick Q & A questions:
- What piece of advice do you have to unlearn to get to the next step in your art career?
- If the child version of you could see you now, what do you think they would say/think?
- How do you approach the challenge of staying motivated and inspired in your art practice?
- How do you differentiate yourself and your work from other artists in your field?
We feel that the artists’ responses provide such a valuable insight for our community of artists that we wanted to share one Quick Q & A response from each issue with you, going forward. The March 2025 Issue 48 print issue is available, but you can download the digital magazine via our webstore to read more. To ensure you never miss an issue again, you can also subscribe to Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, and have each issue sent straight to your door each quarter.
Excerpt from Issue 48 // March 2025 Quick Q & A editorial: Bennett Slater, Shannon Taylor, Poi & Keely, Helena Artbook, Emily Counts, and Rocio Villanueva all respond to the below Quick Q & A:
Quick Q & A: If the child version of you could see you now, what do you think they would say/think?
“I think if the child version of myself could see into the future, this life as a working artist would seem right to her. She would be delighted to see the projects that I get to create as an adult, but also might be confused that I make a living as an artist. I am currently surprised, grateful, and usually a little nervous about the future. Art has always been a passion for me, ever since I began to draw and make craft projects with my mother. We come from a lineage of artistic women, and I was encouraged to explore different materials and express myself creatively. Although it’s often challenging, my career has felt like a natural path.”
“I am sure that my child-self would have been deeply, tragically betrayed at my lack of a career in professional ballet. I was incredibly committed to dance growing up, even though it was clearly not destined to be my path. I didn’t actually know a career in the arts was at all feasible until my late teens, when a teacher recommended I attend a summer arts program. I think that a younger version of myself would grudgingly approve of my current work, but would have a shocking amount of demands for our future self. I can say without doubt that I would also be requesting more pieces about dragons.”
“I think the child version of me would hopefully feel both a sense of pride and of relief. Proud that I stuck with my passion, and persevered through those initial years of terror, paranoia, and doubt. Relief that I never forced my work into artistic compromise or fell for the quick-money trap. Saying that sounds like I’ve “made it” or that I’m completely out of the woods, but I’m definitely not, haha. The years have just become a little less of a struggle. There is always this creeping panic that tries to take hold. I just try to remind myself who I want to be, and what kind of work I want to leave behind. The child in me would also probably think having an art studio in my living room is wicked.”
“If you had walked into my room when I was a kid, you would have seen how I “destroyed” my walls with pens. As a child who had such a strong artistic spirit, I am not afraid to say that little me would be thrilled to see what my future self has created. The child version of me would definitely admire who I have become and see me as her idol. She would be so thankful that my current self has kept those childhood passions alive and has not succumbed to the adult seriousness that stops so many people from pursuing their dreams. She would say, “Thank you for always remembering the little artist you were, as she will live in your heart forever.”
“Without a doubt she would be so excited and hopeful. I know my younger self would be left with a sense of peace and confidence that she didn’t know was possible for her. My childhood was clouded with a sense of dread when it came to the future, so many things were uncertain, especially dealing with extreme depression at a young age. I wish she could have had that kind of reassurance. But just as I think she would be proud of me now, I’m also incredibly proud of her. Her consistency and resilience is an integral part of who I am today and plays a major role in what I choose to create every day.”
“She would be both in awe and deeply curious. She might say, “Wow, we made the worlds we used to dream about real. I knew we could do it!” I think she’d see how I’ve turned those early fascinations with symbols, colours, and ethereal feelings into something tangible and would feel validated that her imagination had purpose all along. But she’d ask me, “Are we still having fun? Do we still believe in magic? Are we still dreaming big enough?” I’d want to reassure her that, yes, we are. Every photograph and story continues the wonder she carried, expressed in a language we’ve learned over time. And I’d thank her for never losing that spark.”
