We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olivia Seone SternJohn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olivia Seone below.

Alright, Olivia Seone thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I have worked in the creative field for the past 3 years and the experience has been extremely valuable in the lessons learned surrounding the community but I was never able to feel stable in the industry. The income was never consistent and after a point the pressure to hustle just to make rent led me to burn out. As a result, starting 2 months ago I began a cleaning job to not only pay for expenses but also reclaim my time. When your income is project based you are more likely to put in overtime hours with no additional pay because no matter what the project needs to be completed, even if it goes over budget. With an hourly pay I can come home and have my time be my own again. Having time to animate again has been the most gratifying part of experiencing a regular job again. I haven’t had to work a service job since college so it’s not unfamiliar but I also don’t think I’m going backwards in my career. I’m creating space for myself to handle my business while practicing my passion again so it feels more like I’m creating a space for myself and that feels the most rewarding.

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 used to focus on independent creative projects, mainly prioritizing short animations and poster style illustrations. My style is definitely anime inspired with a focus on infusing afrocentric features and culture into my works. Since then I have become the creator of SotaGurls. An online, Minnesota based brand that focuses on the collision of Art, fashion, culture and education. Starting out as a blog for Minnesota girls, we are now evolving into a creative business mentorship where anyone can catch up on the latest tips and trends to help find success in starting or maintaining a business that aligns with their passions. While also providing resources for deeper dives into understanding certain trends or subjects too long for a single post. The name “Sota Gurls” is both a homage to the origin of the brand in Minne(sota) and the normalization of the vagueness around the word “girl” depending on her age. If you’re a “Gurl” it can feel relatable but not as “childish,” whether you’re 16 or 27. It’s for that nuanced age range for those who feel like they arent old enough to feel like they’re truly treated like an adult but are still burdened to carry a level of responsibility in life.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Michiko e Hatchin will always be the animation that has affected me the deepest. I watched it when the dub version was first leaked online around 2013. I went to a public school in Minnetonka, back then there was little representation in my educational or personal experience that made me feel connected to my skin color but watching Michiko Malandro be a “Fashionista Fightin Baddie” for the 22 episodes the series ran gave me enough confidence to use my imagination to become just as cool as she was. The creator of the show, Sayo Yamamoto Created the show for women after work in Japan to enjoy and you can tell by the way the show is coded for girls even with the action in the show. The show has such an emotionally layered plot that even the representation alone to see a woman that looked like me have such a range of emotions allowed me to have space for my own emotions growing up. The amount of Black women I have bonded over this anime lets me know I was not the only gurl who grew up having those experiences around the show.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The work force in adulthood dose not always mean it will be a professional one. When I was younger I was always a very serious kid

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sotagurls.my.canva.site/#cover
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sotagurls/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-seone-stern-45b5081a7/