We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abigail Markov a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Abigail, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’m self taught, which is the answer most people are looking for, right? People usually want to know who taught you, where did you learn, what classes or schools did you attend. So, how did I learn what it is I do? I taught myself. The internet, some books, a whole lot of mistakes. Mostly mistakes – mistakes are the best teachers if you know how to use them.

The thing is, all that said, if I hadn’t learned how to learn, I couldn’t have taught myself. I couldn’t have learned painting in three different mediums, paint making, pen turning, resin casting, jewelry making, photography, web design, social media marketing, a handful of instruments, soap and incense making, or how to run a business or three simultaneously. I just couldn’t have, especially not while also raising three kids, and caring for a spouse with cancer.

So, really, I learned to do what I do because I learned how to learn. It took a fair bit of self awareness, reflection, mediation, and no small amount of talking it through with people I trusted. It wasn’t what I’d call fun, but once I understood the psychological process of learning a new skill, there really wasn’t anything other than not having enough time that could stop me when I wanted to learn something new. It’s made all the difference in my work, my art, my businesses.

Understanding that process is probably the most important thing I’ve ever learned. Once you understand the process – the initial excitement, the valleys of frustration between small successes, the first glimmers of competency, the way your doubts and fears come up through it – it’s so much easier to move through the process, to be compassionate towards yourself as you progress. You’re basically unstoppable, as long as you are able to maintain the awareness of where you are in the process. You have a map now, and you know that as long as you keep going in this direction, you’ll eventually make it out of this valley or forest or cave or desert. Once you understand the process, going through it the next time gets easier.

Of course, access to tools, resources, those things will hold you back sometimes. So will being human – there’s only so much you can learn in one day, and our bodies and brains have limits. Frustration is valid and no joke, too – being kind to yourself is important. Knowing how the process works doesn’t mean it’s suddenly easy. You’re just better able to keep going, be compassionate, and not beat yourself up for the struggles.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am first, and foremost, an Artist and Creative.

My friends joke that I’m a self-taught wizard living in the wilds of Florida, and an Agent of Chaos, because I cross and incorporate so many disciplines into what I do that you’re always in for a bit of a surprise with what I’m doing that week, which business or skill set will come into play.

I run The Tabula Rasa Farm, and our soap is an exclusive formula I created – and one that has been getting stellar feedback and reviews for over 4 years now. There is an actual, if neglected, former small chicken farm behind the brand, as well. It was in better shape before my husband died and we lost our entire flock of chickens to predators, but with the help of my kids and neighbors, we’re slowly coming back from that. It’s very slow though.

I turn art pens – fountain, rollerball, ball point, and some pencils. They’re collector’s items – all one of a kind, and I cast the resin myself, so they are genuinely one of a kind. The most popular are the Fidget Pens; the center band spins freely, so instead of clicking or tapping your pen, you can silently spin that band anytime, anywhere.

I’ve made jewelry off and on for over seven years, including a few engagement rings. My specialty is an antique style of chain – each one can take weeks to make. I don’t make them often, and I only rarely open commissions for them; they’re a massive time investment.

I’ve several dozen gallery shows under my belt for my paintings, including some international shows. My collectors mean the world to me, and come from all over the world. I’m beyond fortunate to have found so many that appreciate and support my art.

I’ve been involved in photography as a hobby and a profession for 30 years, as well.

I realize that’s a long list of things to do professionally, but I’m insatiably curious, and intensely passionate about learning, discovery, and sharing what I’m learning, and I’ve found that new disciplines and skills enhances old ones, encourages discovery, and keeps me inspired.

I’m an avid and very active social media user, frequently sharing behind the scenes, works in progress, and mistakes I’ve made on my accounts. I am near-fanatical about my belief that we need to normalize sharing the learning process, including the mistakes, frustrations, and struggles that go with it. I feel that too many of us don’t realize that this is an inherent and natural part of learning, and we’ve gotten the impression that mistakes mean we’ll never be good at it. The western obsession with perfection has led us to limit our experiences and joy, as well as limit our ability to relate to and appreciate others, and if I have to share my mistakes and frequently look incompetent in the western paradigm in order to shift that, I’m okay doing that.

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

This is going to sound so cliché, but I am driven by trying to connect people – both to each other, and to the parts of ourselves that our current western culture has cut us off from. I firmly believe that there is joy in the mistakes, the mishaps, the chaos, and that the fear and shame – of a long list of things, many that get used to manipulate us for profit, and that we’re currently starting to see – is harming us all.

I believe that we should embrace the mistakes as not something to be ashamed of, but as a sign we’re learning.

When the fear creeps up about mistakes and failure, I remind myself of my personal prime directive:

Make mistakes, and make them beautifully. Make them so beautifully people think you made them on purpose.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Absolutely the people and community. The other artists, the viewers, the people who take time to tell you genuinely what your work means to them, what they think, how they took something from it and ran with it. Knowing that the work I’ve put in for myself somehow had a positive impact is life-altering, every time, and I know that the work of others has changed my life in ways I cannot even begin to detail, as well.

It’s realizing that everything, no matter how big or small, grass roots or world-stage, it’s all done by people. It’s human powered chaos, start to finish, and it’s glorious. We’re all flailing around, trying to make something out of the time we have, to come together to make something that feeds our souls, and I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing that happen.

It’s definitely the people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abigailmarkov.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailmarkov/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbigailMMarkov
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/oriridraco
• Other: https://thetabularasafarm.com/