8 Questions for... Liana Finck

Liana's Newsletter

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Liana Finck

is a cartoonist, illustrator and regular contributor to the New Yorker where she also authors the “Dear Pepper” advice-from-a-dog column. As the author of eight books, her work also frequently appears in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine and more. She is the recipient of Fulbright, Guggenheim and New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships. She teaches creative writing at Barnard College. www.lianafinck.com

You can buy Liana's latest book here.

https://bookshop.org/p/books/mixed-feelings-liana-finck/21453846

photograph by Jorge Colombo

1. Why Substack?

I used to post a ton of drawings on Instagram and was very into it, but I don't feel as connected to people on there as I used to. A mixture of Instagram changing, and me changing. Substack feels a lot more personal. k

2. How long did it take you to find your groove?

I'm still searching, always searching. A groove that feels like mine one week won't feel right another week. So as soon as I think I've found my new groove, I need to find another one.

3. How has it changed you?

It's made me more comfortable writing. I used to feel more comfortable drawing. It's also made longer-form things come more naturally to me. It's also made me able to focus on more thoughtful projects. My new children's book, Mixed Feelings, is all about introspection and slow discovery, and I think that mood came from Substack.

4. What mistakes have you made?

I am relatively changeable and don't like regularity - doing the same sort of thing like clockwork. I try hard to do that, when what I'd really like is to post every day one week and not at all the next month, and to make comics one day, little drawings another day, and an essay another day. It's always a balance between being professional and following my heart, and I'm always making mistakes and making adjustments.

5. To pay or not to pay?

Please pay.

6. What artistic and technical choices have you made?

I've chosen to write more than I draw, at least lately. I think Substack is set up for that, and I enjoy it so much.

7. What’s been the effect on your writing?

I've been writing more, it's lovely.

8. In it for the long haul?

YES. I love getting to feel like I can share whatever feels most important with an audience on a given week.

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Liana Finck