It can be so empowering to use your art to make change in the world, and that's exactly what cartoonist Liza Donnelly does every week. We loved finding out how she built her career and what she had to say to young artists. Namely, to "be patient with yourself, and you'll find your voice if you keep trying. You just have to keep trying."

Who is Liza Donnelly?

We were so excited to speak with Liza Donnelly, a writer and award-winning cartoonist with The New Yorker Magazine, where she has been drawing cartoons about culture and politics for over thirty years. Liza is the creator of something she calls live tweet-drawing, wherein she quickly cartoons people and events on her tablet and immediately tweets them out, sometimes with humorous and insightful commentary on the drawing or in the tweet.   

Can cartoons change the world?

Liza is a huge proponent of cartoons and the roll they can play in culture and politics, believing that cartoons can take on serious issues and effect change in part because of their visual, humorous nature. "Cartoons are powerful, in part because they're visual and people can understand them. You can give people something that's maybe different than they thought of before, as well as make them laugh, hopefully, or make them smile." 

Learn More

After listening to our conversation with Liza, explore Skillshare for more classes on finding and using your artistic voice for change:

Written By

Becca Cloyd

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