'Stay Brave' with Libby Schoettle
‘Stay Brave’ is an interview series by woman-identifying creatives for woman-identifying creatives to inspire bravery in the creative life. [Created and curated by Leah Umansky]
How do you interpret the phrase, "Stay Brave?"
For me, I think staying brave is not necessarily about the big things in life, but rather the little things, like getting up every morning and facing the day.
As a woman-identifying writer, what are the ways that you “stay brave” in your life?
Recently, I have been struggling with health issues, which often times makes me feel held back. Staying brave is BEING kinder to ONESELF which is difficult for me. The wonderful thing is I can always start my day over, that feels brave, to be able to begin anew and move forward from where I was in that past difficult moment.
Who is someone in your life who models “staying brave” for you?
My mother is in every way the bravest woman I have ever met. She is the most inspiring person in my life and always will be.
What writers, artists, and/or musicians do you look to to foster a sense of “bravery?”
I am in awe of how LADY GAGA holds herself up amidst her own struggles with pain, and her honesty with the public. We need role models who show us the light because it can get very dark.
What’s a piece of advice you would pass on to your younger self about “staying brave?” What’s something you know now, that you didn’t know in the past?
It's okay not to feel perfect, in fact it's beautiful.
Can you remember a time in your life where you realized your own bravery? How did you use it to propel you forward?
I feel like I'm realizing it now, since I don't usually talk openly about these things, which feels like a brave step.
What do you do when you aren’t feeling brave? What inspires you or motivates you?
I write or go to my desk and try to make art. I also go to the gym or call a friend. However, there are times I find it very almost impossible to feel brave, during these times I try to be patient with my feelings and let them pass. It can be uncomfortable, and I'm not always good at it but again, I think being brave comes down to just putting one foot in front of the other and making the effort.
In what ways would you like to be more brave in your creative life?
I'd like to talk more openly from here about my own conditions and find a way to help others through my creative work who face similar obstacles. I would also like to get braver about caring less about what other people think.
What is your proudest moment of bravery?
Leaving my waitress job to make art. (But now, not sure that was brave, or crazy!)
What are you currently working on?
My docu-series with Canobie Films, dealing with my health, and of course trying to keep up with making art.
[from the artist’s website]
Thank you, Libby!
LIBBY SCHOETTLE is a NYC artist originally from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She attended Gettysburg College, Philadelphia University and graduated with honors from Hunter College.
From the streets of New York City to Philadelphia, L.A., London, and Berlin, NYC-based artist Libby Schoettle reveals her own vulnerability, raw emotions, and witty observations through her alter-ego PhoebeNewYork‘s dark and funny explorations into love, feminism, political independence, and finding beauty in the mistaken. Unique street art iterations of Phoebe—a paper doll-like character collaged together with pieces of vintage photographs, fashion magazine pages, Xerox pages, clothing, old books, and pop art—can be spotted on buildings, street lamps, and city scaffolding, donning phrases like “Rebel,” “Fear Nothing,” “Don’t Look Back” and “Be Confident” on her cutout couture.
Find her IG: Phoebenewyork
Leah Umansky is the author of three books of poems, most recently the forthcoming OF TYRANT, (The Word Works in April, 2024.) She is currently working on a memoir DELICATE MACHINE, an exploration of womanhood, hope, and heart in the face of grief and a global pandemic. She earned her MFA in Poetry at Sarah Lawrence College and has curated and hosted The COUPLET Reading Series in NYC since 2011. Her creative work can be found in such places as The New York Times, POETRY, The Bennington Review, The Academy of American Poets' Poem-A-Day and others. She can be found at www.leahumansky.com or @leah.umansky on IG.