Libby Schoettle Featured in TEETH MAG
Libby Schoettle was interviewed for TEETH MAG in June, 2015. TEETH MAG is an international biannual print publication and online society of creatives focused on showcasing captivating, idiosyncratic outlooks on fashion, photography, music, culture and art.
Read the full article:
http://www.teethmag.net/art/phoebenewyork-by-libby-schoettle/
Libby Schoettle Interviewed by L'Express
Libby Schoettle was interviewed by Simona Gouchan for Paris-based L'Express magazine in May 2015.
Read the full interview: Who is Phoebe? in French or read on for English translation.
Who is Phoebe?
May 30th, 2015 - 1:00 p.m. - Paris
by Simone Gouchan
For the last few months, the little character of Phoebe, Instagram rising star, is appearing on the walls of Soho and of the West Village. Meet her creator, the New York artist Elizabeth Schoettle, Libby to her friends.
Who is Phoebe?
It is my alter ego. A character with a huge head and a tiny mouth who spends her time wondering what place does she occupy in the world. Phoebe succeeds to express a lot of things in a few words words, the opposite of me who always try to please everybody. As I have difficulty expressing what I think, I come home to write it down and express myself through her. Phoebe is my release.
How was this character born?
In Paris, 14 years ago, I am very afraid of flying and it was my first trip outside the United States. I departed on September 10, 2001 to join my boyfriend. The following day, the (NY) towers collapsed and the entire world was in shock. My boyfriend had to go to London and as there were no flights, I remained alone for three weeks. I spent my time taking photos. One day at the Flea Market (LesPuces in Paris) I found an old-rose sweater and a redpair of pants. colors that reminded my of my childhood I created a silhouette, started by using this vintage outfit and I added a bowl in place of the head. This was the first incarnation of Phoebe. For three years, her character had no face. I would use objects: an old type writer, a lamp, etc.. instead of her head. I would lay the clothes on the floor, them I would take a photo for its immortality.
And Now (today)?
I often use old photos bought on Ebay. I spend a lot of time in antique shops and flea markets. I pick up objects from the ground. Everything helps me to create Phoebe. I often go to the Strand bookstore, and to records shops. Every time I make new discoveries. The face of Phoebe is made from records’ covers. Once I draw her eyes and lips, she comes alive.
Where does her name come from?
From The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. This is the adorable sister of the hero Holden Caulfield. I always wondered what could have happened to her. I wanted to use her name, and imagine her life.
Your (young) Instagram account is an immediate success?
In general, I was always reluctant to participate in social media. I am convinced I was born in the wrong era. I am very old--fashioned. I've had a smart phone only for a year and a half. Instagram has changed our lives, for Phoebe and me. I am someone who likes to be alone, and owing to this network, I feel less lonely, happier. The internet has allowed me to open up to my critics, to overcome my anxieties. That Phoebe could touch so many people through her own solitude, sadness, her emotional troubles but also her joys, has surprised me a lot. For the last few
months I've had her lead an existence off the internet, I have her live in the streets of New York, as a heroine of street art.
What is your background?
At 20, I had chosen to study cinema, I then wanted to become an actor before realizing that it only would be through art that I could express myself. These last years I have been lucky to have a solo show and I also have been the subject of a book of photos. Right now the producer Jyll Johnstone is making a documentary on my work (see Canobiefilms.org) The infatuation for Phoebe is a comfort to me for my choices. Finally at41 yrs old I have the impression to be understood, heard, accepted and esteemed, of doing something important.
Many of your pictures allude to unhappy love stories, self-esteem problems, addiction, but there is also a lot of autoderision (self mockery)?
It is true. I have always loved men that I should not. A lot of women can identify with that. When someone stands me up or does not return my call, I try to transfer my disappointment into a picture. I pull out my shears and start to scissor.
What is your way of working?
There are some days when I sit in front of my desk and no idea comes up. I force myself to stay in place and refuse to become disheartened . One must learn to trust oneself, ideas will come. One needs to take time and continue to search. Sometimes I happen to redo Phoebe ten times before being happy with the result.
What is the best compliment you ever got for Phoebe?
Some followers have sent me their own version of the character where they had included it in their own creations. Often it comes from men. I thought that Phoebe would essentially have a feminine public, yet there are a lot of skateboarders, tatooed ones, graffiti artists and street artists who are fans. I even have received invitations for dates by the grace of Phoebe.
How do you spend your days?
I am someone very disciplined. I wake up eat my oatmeal, while checking my Ebay. After that I sit at my desk and I work 4 to 6 hours in a row. Then it is time to go to the gym where I spend 2 hours every day. One hour on the elliptical machine, one hour of pilates. Then I go back home, and look at what I have done during that morning. I try to improve on it. Three evenings a week, I work as a waitress in a restaurant. Before I was going out a lot but lately I have more a tendency to stay at home.
Follow on Instagram: https://instagram.com/phoebenewyork/
Libby Schoettle Featured in Ballad Of
This article appeared in Ballad Of, a London-based publication featuring emerging artists.
In Today's Brand New Art We Heart, Elizabeth Schoettle takes us on a trip into the wonderful world of Phoebe New York. Elizabeth, who often goes by the name of Libby, is a New York City-based artist who uses found objects to create evocative scenes and scenarios for her alter-ego character, Phoebe. Using objects such as old book covers, picture frames, Polaroids, and other elements that convey either nostalgia or up-to-the-minute modernity (and sometimes both), Libby speaks through Phoebe to express her feelings about love, loneliness, courage, vanity, joy, rejection, and basically anything else a person can feel.
Read the full article on Balladof.co.uk
Libby Schoettle Featured in Citizen Brooklyn
Writer Icarus Blake says, "Elizabeth Schoettle is an artist and a creator of magical worlds. Her alter-ego character, Phoebe New York delves deep into the life of modern women. Ironic, irate, loving and smart, Phoebe always makes us think about the content beyond the aesthetics. These collages are a powerful rendition of the conflicts of our society."
Read the full article, "The Magical World of Phoebe New York."
Stumbled the concept
If you’re not sure how much time you are actually spending on various tasks, use a tool like Rescue Time (their free version is excellent!) which runs in the background and tracks where your time is being spent. It can even send you weekly reports so you know exactly how much time you wasted on Facebook, or spent in your email inbox! You can assign different websites or programs/applications on a scale of very distracting to very productive, so you can see at a glance things like: which days of the week you’re most productive, which times of the day you’re most productive, and the sites on which you’re spending the most distracting time. I stumbled upon the concept of margin while reading a post by Michael Hyatt, which led me to design my ideal week.
Richard Swenson, M.D. (who wrote the book: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives) describes margin like this:
Last year I wrote about why booking too far in advance can be dangerous for your business, and this concept of margin so eloquently captures what I had recognized had been my problem: I was so booked up with clients that I wasn’t leaving any margin for error, growth, planning, or reflection. I wasn’t really growing my business in a sustainable way; I was just booking one client after the next. At the time this seemed like a good thing: doesn’t growing my business mean getting more clients?
What if instead of booking up to 100% capacity (which more often than not ends up being closer to 120%), we only booked up to an 80% capacity?
What if we left more room for growth (personal or professional) and stopped being one with “busy-ness”?
I spent nearly a year turning down every new project (and even getting rid of old ones) so that I could reduce my workload, build in more margin, and create what is now Digital Strategy School. It takes time to build margin into your schedule.
What could you accomplish with 20% more time?
Write a book. Create a program. Update your contracts and proposals (which has been on your to-do list for how long..?) Spend more time with your family. Go above and beyond for a client. Learn something new. Actually follow through on the things that have been nagging at you for a long time.
When you design your ideal week, you start to see that the time you think you have is often not in alignment with how much time you actually have.
After designing my ideal week, I had a much clearer idea of how to create a framework for my week that would empower me to feel more focused by theming days of the week, and even parts of the day. SO simple, I know. Some of you have been doing this for ages and you’re already a pro, and some of you who saw my schedule said “woah, that’s so rigid, I need more flexibility!”
Structure enables flexibility.
If you’re not sure how much time you are actually spending on various tasks, use a tool like Rescue Time (their free version is excellent!) which runs in the background and tracks where your time is being spent. It can even send you weekly reports so you know exactly how much time you wasted on Facebook, or spent in your email inbox! You can assign different websites or programs/applications on a scale of very distracting to very productive, so you can see at a glance things like: which days of the week you’re most productive, which times of the day you’re most productive, and the sites on which you’re spending the most distracting time. Turns out I’m consistently “in the zone” around 3pm in the afternoon; so instead of trying to tackle highly creative work first thing in the morning (when my brain is barely functioning), I handle it in the afternoon, when I know I’m at my peak!
Creating more margin has been game-changing for my business.
What would be possible for yours?