Conversation with Joshua Pawis-Steckley

Joshua Pawis-Steckley

Was Sharice’s Big Voice the first book you’ve illustrated? If so, did the process of illustrating a book match your expectations? If not, how did it compare to illustrating other books? 

Yes! Sharice's Big Voice was the first book I illustrated. Though it was released after the second book I illustrated, "Mii Maanda Ezhi-gkendmaanh/This Is How I Know." The process was fairly straightforward. I started out with the thumbnails, then rough pages, then final illustrations. There was a bit more revision work compared to the other books I've done since it is the only one about a real person/story. I had a lot of creative freedom but there were details that Sharice had asked to be a certain way. I did feel somewhat nervous illustrating this book since it was my first book and it was about a US congresswoman! But I was pleased with the process and how it all turned out.  

How closely did you work with Sharice to create your illustrations, and can you describe the process of illustrating her book? 

There were a couple of layers of separation between me and Sharice while I was illustrating the book. I was mostly in contact with the creative director at Harper Collins. She would share my illustrations with the editor who would then share them with Sharice and then relay the feedback Sharice had for me. I was also in communication with Nancy Mays - who had helped Sharice write the book - throughout the process as well. After the book was released, I got to chat with Sharice more and we got to do a few online talks together promoting the book.

Is there a specific page or image from Sharice’s Big Voice that you particularly enjoyed illustrating or found particularly meaningful?

It's hard to decide which page, in particular, was my favorite to illustrate. There are so many good ones. I really liked illustrating the MMA scenes; I had to do some research on what the moves looked like. Getting the positions and the movement correct was a bit of a challenge. Another one would be when Sharice went to law school and got to meet some other Native Americans she could connect with. I felt that was relatable to my experience moving to Vancouver and would have been a special time for her. 

You have created so much art celebrating Native American culture, history, legends, and stories. What do you enjoy or find most meaningful about this process and what do you find most challenging?

I find that it's meaningful to keep the culture going. I don't want it to be lost or forgotten. The hardest part is finding authentic stories or teachings. There are fewer and fewer Elders or knowledge keepers you can speak to about our history and teachings. Sometimes I do get a sense of imposter syndrome as well because I never had a mentor or teacher or wasn't immersed in my culture growing up. I feel like I didn't have that life I should've had. And it's like I'm trying to live a life that isn't for me or was stolen from me. But I know that's all a part of the process of relearning. All of my indigenous kin are going through similar processes. It's nice, we have a strong supportive online community that empowers each other and supports each other. It's nice to be a part of it and share what I've learned. 

Can you tell us about the mediums you use to create art? Do you always use the same mediums, or do you change mediums depending on the work?

I mostly use my tablet nowadays. The work I create now is mostly digital. Besides that, I do like to screen-print and paint with acrylics. I like to use more hands-on mediums for personal work; I think it adds a lot of depth to a piece when you can see or feel the texture, and the technique you use to create it are more engaged. It adds another layer of emotion you can tie into it.

What kinds of thoughts, conversations, or actions do you hope your art inspires?

I hope my art inspires youth to believe in themselves, to achieve more, to be happy with who they are. That's why I'm really happy to be doing children's books now. I always wanted to empower our youth. A lot of our development and learning comes at such a young age; if we have those positive influences at a younger age, we learn lessons that help us throughout our entire lives. It's been harder for BIPOC youth to feel empowered because of the lack of representation but that has been changing more and more. This book is a good example.