We were lucky to catch up with Annie Sloan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Annie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I waited a long time to start an independent creative career. My job as an advertising copywriter and video editor was always creative, but it was in service to corporations. It wasn’t until several decades working for someone else while honing my creative chops that I decided it was time to do my own projects. I’d love to say I wish I had done it sooner, but that time was spent acquiring skills, so the truth is my timing was exactly as it was meant to be.

Annie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After a lifetime of working in network television as a marketing professional, I decided to turn my energy to my own projects and began my creative journey with fiction podcasts, writing and producing two full-cast productions. Two years ago, I pivoted creatively to novel writing and authored two works: Suffer–A Hollywood Novel and The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles. My latest book, coming out in June, changes things up yet again. It’s a non-fiction, self-help book called “The Middle-Raged Woman’s Workbook,” a cheeky look at empowerment in middle age.

I find myself switching genres and mediums with every endeavor, and I’m comfortable with that. I’m not necessarily searching for a niche to settle into, as some people might advise. Instead, I want to try my hand at everything.

I suppose what all of these disparate projects share in common is a particular satirical outlook. If I have a “brand” I think that’s at the core of it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Creative work is rewarding because it allows you to be free and not beholden to anyone but yourself. However, there’s a fine line that all artists must walk: between fulfilling your own creative desire and meeting the expectations of the audience. For a relatively new author like myself, whose audience isn’t so widespread, it’s not something I have to grapple with. That’s what I call a “quality problem.” The hope is that I continue my own journey and my readers will come along for the ride.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

At this point, I am placing less emphasis on creative work as a revenue stream and focusing more on the process of creating. It’s about joy and having fun these days. That’s the simple truth of it. The angst of worrying about sales, numbers, and an audience can derail a creative individual. Those things are fine to consider, but care must be taken not to let it become the driver.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.anncsloan.com
• Instagram: acsloanwriter
• Facebook: ACSloan.author
• Other: Threads: acsloanwriter

Image Credits
Mariana Tosca