ARTIST FEATURE: Planet Prudence

Interview of Planet Prudence by Meredith

Hi Prudence! How are you?

I’m good, thank you so much!

Tell us about a typical workday for you?

There’s no real typical workday. Every day is different. Even the times when I wake up. I usually get up really early these days. That used to be different because I mostly worked at night. I’m an insomniac so nights used to scare. I get in bed really early and embrace that I won’t get to sleeping very fast. It helps, and I can get up early now. The rest of the day depends on what work I have. I love drawing, it’s my life, so everything revolves around it, really

So upon looking at your website and in your portfolio I noticed that many of your illustrations tend to revolve around relationships, whether they be friends, romantic, or family.  What do your relationships with your friends and family mean to you and do you think your illustrations based on relationships make you connect with people and customers?

Relationships are so important to me. I am always the one who gives too much though, which often results in heartbreak. But then again, I have some friend that means the world to me and of these relationships, I know won’t ever be broken because these people give equally as much love and trust in return. It’s just so beautiful to see two people care so much for each other.  I love being social and caring and loving, I just don’t like getting hurt (as most people of course!). I am cautious about fake friends and people who want to take advantage of me though.

Many artists use their art as a way to express themselves.  Is the same true for you? Do you use your art to express yourself and your feelings?

Yes, absolutely! I went a while without making art, and I just wasn’t me. I did this after being disappointed and after being harassed by my teacher. After I started drawing again, I found myself again. Without art, my feelings can’t go anywhere. It’s the only way that I’m able to communicate about my feelings and to release the stress.

Is art a type of self-care for you? What do you do to take care of yourself and why is it important for you to be a mental health advocate?

I struggled with mental health issues for such a long time. I went through dark periods and I’ve been terrible at times. I know what I’m talking about and I didn’t go through it without a reason. It’s important to share my lessons and I might even help someone with sharing them. I don’t see myself as a therapist, more like a bigger sister. Art is a type of self-care, but it’s also a job now. And even though I LOVE drawing, the first thing I want is making sure that I can do this for the rest of my life and I’m very ambitious, I know what I want and I know it’s possible. I’m not afraid to work hard, and working hard comes with lots of stress as well. I’m fully aware of that, but it’s also a good way to release the stress. I just need art in my life, it’s as simple as that. It’s the best thing for me.

So you have just completed a stationary collection called Paper Club Collection; which consists of two books: an undated planner and a bullet journal. Congratulations! What was the process like to create the Paper Collection and what is your goal for these products?

Thank you! I love the planner sooooo much! It’s my favorite piece actually. It’s a perfect planner for anyone who first starts to plan but also for professionals. You can actually choose whenever you want to use it. It’s undated, so you can just fill it in yourself. So it’s perfect for people who want to start by January, but also for students, who start their dates in September or August,.. The planner also contains a sticker sheet, which I love so much! It’s such a nice extra little something. It also contains a drawing challenge, a period tracker, and many comics It’s also a hardcover and I love the string so you can easily find where you were in the planner.

What would you say to teenagers and young adults who want a career in the arts, but maybe don’t think it is a realistic career goal?

I’m someone who believes that if you can dream it, you can be it. It worked pretty well for me. I keep dreaming, but I just don’t see anything as “impossible”, I see it as “I’m possible”. All the clichés aside, but I DO really believe those. I motivate myself by telling myself these motivational things and if I feel down, I look up motivational quotes. I set goals for what I want to achieve for the year (realistic ones though), and I nearly check off everything each year. You start to work towards your goals because you wrote it down before, so it’s more realistic to you as well at this point. You can be anything you want. And it’s possible that it won’t come easy, it usually never does. But it’s always worth fighting for it.

Are there any cool illustrators that you are really loving right now?

There are sooo many! I follow so many illustrators at this point. I’m loving @zoesees though! I love her work so much and I always look forward to seeing her new work online.