Jan Eliot is the cartoonist behind the Stone Soup series, an internationally syndicated comic strip that ran for over 25 years and ended in July of 2020. The series portrays the life of a family headed by a single mother, Val Stone—who is not just as a character insertion of Jan, but also her way of representing single and working parents. Jan drew panel after panel based on her humorous experiences that empathized with those who often get overwhelmed with life’s daily grind. More than just a source of a few giggles, Jan also used Stone Soup for charity, notably raising awareness for Habitat for Humanity International.

In this episode, Jan describes what it was like growing up with a passion for doodling that led to professional cartooning. She shares how we met and what the cartoon industry was like for women when she was just getting started. She describes how Stone Soup allowed her to have an outlet for feminist advocacies. She explains how she turned life’s everyday struggles into something to laugh about. Jan also shares what new artists should do to turn their doodles into something they can use as a source of income.

\"Having a lot of frustration and difficulty in your life? If you can find a way to make fun of it, that is a very wonderful survival skill.\" - Jan Eliot

This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:

●     Who Jan is, the Stone Soup cartoon, and what she learned about the creative self

●     The fascinating story of how Jan and I met

●     Jan\'s childhood and when she realized her penchant for art

●     The role of women in art at the time when she was still searching for her path

●     Creative writing and feminism in Jan’s comics

●     Transforming negative experiences into art

●     The learning curve between doodling and the craft of cartooning

●     What Jan says would have made her love for cartooning come out sooner

●     The story of how she became Jan Eliot and why she didn\'t like her maiden name

●     What it was like finding out Jan has been syndicated

●     Jan\'s career in advertising and graphic design

●     The milestones that made Jan a household name

●     How newspapers treat cartoonist freelancers and how they treat syndicates

●     How Calvin & Hobbes helped Jan and other cartoonists get a boost

●     The mindset of a typical cartoonist with every panel

●     Jan\'s advice to those who have dreams of cartooning

●     Why Jan advocates for online cartooning for upcoming cartoonists

●     Jan\'s travel and doodling plans in the future

●     Why Jan sometimes hated working on her cartoons

Resources Mentioned:

●     Habitat for Humanity

Connect with Jan Eliot:

●     Stone Soup Cartoons

Spaceship Not Required

I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.

I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.

In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are--spaceship not required.

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