My Beauty Cocktail: Brianna Tosswill

Brianna Tosswill, a Linocut artist, and a blogger is a force! She is the creator and founder of Penrose Press– a book arts practice whose “mandate is to present storytelling in beautiful, physical detail, and to amplify marginalized voices and perspectives.” Here, Brianna shares self-care rituals that keep her grounded, and her ultimate advice for those aspiring to be their own boss. 

First, what is a Linocut?

I’ve had lots of practice with this question this summer as I introduce people to my practice at the 124 Grand Market. It’s harder without a visual, tangible aid, but here goes. A linocut is a print created by carving linoleum (like the flooring material) and transferring ink off of the surface. Whatever I carve away is the area that doesn’t catch or transfer ink. It’s important to remember that every colour requires a separate impression and that the whole image will print backwards, so text (for example) needs to be flipped before I start. There is a ton more explanation of the nuances of the medium on Nerd Time with Brianna!

Here are some Lino blocks that I’ve carved –

What inspired you to start your blog, ‘Nerd Time with Brianna’?

I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I think the blog came from a place of insecurity. The first post (it doesn’t exist in its original state but has been cannibalized for Linocut 101) was in response to the many questions that I received from people along the lines of “why are these books so expensive?” HA! Especially funny because my first book project was gorgeous, sold out in 2 days, and if I were selling it today, would have been priced at more than 3 times what it went for then. So, the first blog post was like: This is a children’s paperback that costs $30. It costs that much because there are 16 original, multi-layer linocut reduction illustrations in it; the cover is printed in linocut and lead type with gold embossing powder, and every copy is hand bound. 

These days I’m less defensive towards prospective collectors who push back on cost. I know that my work is affordable, and not for everyone. I’m able to speak about the aspects of the work that excite me instead of feeling like I need to justify my labour! 

How did you come up with the name for it?

The blog is called Nerd Time with Brianna because – a) I am a huge nerd about art and printmaking and, b) I’m very informal and conversational. 

I push back on the “professionalism” that expects artists to be known primarily by their family name. 

The blog allows my collectors to dive a little deeper into the process behind the works, or the ideas (in my interviews with various collaborators). It also allows me to contribute to the open-source-network of strategies and techniques that printmakers share with one another so readily. We’re very much “a rising tide lifts all boats” type of community.

“I was always proud of the design, a bit sheepish about the writing.” 

I loved this quote from your Adventure Unlocked: Starting my life as a full-time Creative blog post. Having gone through something similar myself, I’d love to know how you overcame that fear? 

This isn’t so much a question of “overcoming” as it is being strategic. I knew that my strengths, especially in the early part of my creative career, were in visuals. Rather than spend time trying to become a writer on top of trying to become an artist and small business owner, I leaned into the things that I felt only I could do, and I worked with others in a way that enhanced both of our contributions. 

Instead of trying to improve my creative writing in poetry or fiction, I’ve improved my creative non-fiction writing for the purposes of social media captions, blog posts, product descriptions, etc. In recent years I’ve learned to trust myself more in terms of knowing what I like and what I’m less enthusiastic about outside of the world of visual arts. I think it’s important as a creative business owner to be able to switch between the creative brain and the critical brain. 

From quitting your full-time job to moving to a new province, all while reinventing your career. You’ve had more than just a few bad days. What has kept you going during those days? Do you have any self-care rituals to keep you grounded and balanced?

I read somewhere that our coping mechanisms are developed in young adulthood, and I think that’s accurate because my response to teenage angst was to devour many novels every week. Reading has always been my safe space. I strongly believe in escapism, not only for making you feel better in the moment but to better prepare you to tackle whatever reality is waiting for you. 

I often feel like my brain is just fifteen simultaneous and overlapping narratives at all times unless I am reading. A book narrows my focus and allows me to relax. Tea and cookies also help!

Having checked off your goal for self-employment this year, what’s one piece of advice you would give to the people who want to achieve the same. 

Surround yourself with people who have similar goals. My social sphere has been mostly artists for years, and artists have a thing we do where we’re afraid of “selling out” so we tell ourselves and each other “the money doesn’t matter”. It’s made a big difference for me to have a few close friends who consider the business end of the arts as carefully and enthusiastically as they consider the artwork production end. My friend/collaborator Kim McCollum is a painter and textile artist, and whenever we sit down to talk about a new project “it might look like this” is always closely followed by “and we might market it like this” which feels magical to me.

In financial terms: decide your monthly budget and work towards earning that in your side-hustle/ partial self-employment. When you’re close to earning it every month AND you’ve saved a 6-month buffer, then consider transitioning to full time. 

Let’s talk Books!! What’s that one book that had a deep impact on you, and why?

I have read Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery probably once a year since I was 12 or 13. It’s a book that strikes me differently every time I reread it. I love Anne’s reconciliation of imagination and reality.

Have you read anything good recently?

Define recently, haha. I read at least a bit of a novel every day, but I do abandon them if they don’t resonate by ¼ through. A couple of weeks ago I read and loved Circe by Madeline Miller. It was a book that was painful at times, the heroine seems to vacillate between enduring her circumstances and reclaiming her agency, and the enduring was heavy. But the ending was super satisfying/soothing.

Honestly, I read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy and romance. One of my top favourite series is Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews.  

What does your morning routine look like? 

I am not what you’d call a morning person. I snooze my alarm multiple times and have spent a lot of my life getting ready in the least possible amount of time. These days, in the new flush of self-employment, I have my tea, bagel and iron supplements, and breakfast tends to blend into the beginning of the creative workday. My favourite thing is when I’m so excited about a project that I can’t wait to get started. 

Let’s talk fashion!! How did you get into designing your own clothes?

I learned to sew properly from my mom, who learned from her mom, which I love. For most of my childhood, I made clothes for my barbies. This has a huge advantage of taking very little fabric and laying the groundwork for an ingrained idea of how clothes function sculpturally. I feel like I developed my personal style kind of late in my teens which I blame on my high school uniform. 

I think my closet is 20% handmade and 80% thrifted. The center of this Venn diagram is clothing construction and fabrics that hold up long enough to be grown out of. I would describe my aesthetic as “art school academia”. Think Dark Academia but more colours and a little weirder.

Oh, also I did a year of fashion design university, but I determined it wasn’t for me. I knew how to sew going in, but I learned a lot about fibres in my history of textiles class. My favourite fun fact is that there is a fibre that was simultaneously synthesized in two different labs, and when they both applied for a patent, they couldn’t determine who did it first and split the credit between both labs. That fibre is nylon, aka New York and London. 

We briefly talked about your love and passion for colours. How does colour inspire your art? Do you have a favourite colour? And, why?

I definitely have a favourite colour palette: think fall colours. I love rusty reds, light browns, and pale greens. I rarely if ever use the colour black in my work (or even on my website, it’s all dark gray). I am often physically cold, and I joke that I try to warm myself up with my art. My colour choices in art and fashion have significant overlap and I often accidentally or purposefully match my ink to my outfit. The most elaborate case of this was at a studio fundraiser where I was live printing a pale pink layer on the Vandercook letterpress, and I wore a matching all pink suit.

Do you have a skincare routine?  

My skincare routine is very minimal. I cleanse with a gentle, drug store, a liquid cleanser that says “moisturizing” or “for dry skin” on it. (I’m not very loyal, haha, it’s a different one every time I run out). and I moisturize with a daytime moisturizer with SPF. Nighttime moisturizer sans SPF. 

What about makeup? 

Concealer and lipstick when I’m feeling fancy. I have been genetically blessed with long eyelashes. Wearing a mask for so long has tempted me to do something in the way of eye makeup but I never really got around to it.

Q: Do you have a  beauty product that you cannot go without?

Okay, this is a little strange maybe, but a large Velcr roller for my bangs as they dry, otherwise they lie directly on my forehead.

Q: Do you have a beauty philosophy?

I believe that feeling put together or pretty can be just huge for my confidence. I believe in talking myself up, in complimenting myself in the mirror. One thing I like to do is describe myself as if I were the protagonist in a novel (in like, a novel written by a woman). 

Thank you, Brianna. You’re so inspiring! xx

P.S.

More Beauty Cocktails, including a fashion stylist, a model, and a wanderlust.