Jessica Hansell, aka Coco Solid, has one of those (oh to be envied) diversified careers. Making music, freelancing, writing, zine/comic making and studying for her masters means she’s well qualified to talk about a career that spans a number of disciplines.

Jessica says she loves the multi-disciplinary buzz and exploring the different artistic climates, personalities, motivations and approaches.

"One craft will inspire, inform and nourish another too; it’s pretty amazing."

Tell us a bit about you and your background.

I’m a musician, writer and zine/comic maker. I’ve made music under the name Coco Solid for the last few years. Outside of the solo work I am in an disco-rap duo called Parallel Dance Ensemble (Permanent Vacation, Germany) and an experimental punk group called Badd Energy (Flying Nun NZ). 

I have always written creatively, or freelanced too. Now I am focusing a bit more on that craft by doing my creative writing masters degree at The Modern Letters writing program (Victoria University, Wellington).
I do a few self-publishing and underground zine projects too, my main project is called Philosoflygirl and I do one bumper issue a year. I also write a comic strip called Hook Ups and collab with assorted illustrators.

Did you have a first love?

I love all art-forms with a pretty white hot intensity, I’m one of those. Even the things I don’t do myself like film, fashion or painting I have a deep appreciation for – so there is no first love really.
Writing and music have always been inseparable for me. One of my earliest memories is writing on a type-writer and making crummy books for everyone in my family to read… so being an writer was always there. Music was more accidental, a bit more sub-conscious maybe. But it has proven itself just as powerful and become such a key part of who I am… to imagine my life with one and not the other seems ridiculous.

Are some ‘passion’ projects and others more income focused?

Income was never my priority and I think that has almost helped me artistically. I made my money in part-time work and unrelated areas for a long time which I think freed me up to focus all my creative energy on the right things. These days I find my inspiration and my money to survive are usually coming from the same place, so that mind-frame pays off I think. Almost everything I do is a passion project, although I am not a walking ball of fire I swear, it is all very low-key in how I approach it!

What do you enjoy about a multi-disciplinary creative career?

I love having a multi-disciplinary buzz, I have to admit I am spoilt because cool brains are never far away from me. The artistic climates and personalities are all so different, sometimes it is almost violent going from one realm to another but that is how I learn and thrive I think… maybe because I am multi-cultural I just naturally wanna see it all and feel those changes. These crafts have such different people behind them, different motivations and approaches and I get to explore them. One craft will inspire, inform and nourish another too; it’s pretty amazing.

What are some of the challenges?

I would say that switch over isn’t always a smooth transition, last week I was incubated in quiet academia, just writing and reading constantly. The weekend came and I was rapping three nights in a row and changes like that can give you mental indigestion and wipe out your energy. But I love and can manage it usually. Also I think there is the assumption that you are a fickle jack of all trades and don’t take any of your disciplines seriously, but the opposite is true. You have to stay up late, push yourself and multi-task constantly to prove your dedication when half your friends have turned in for the night. I have learnt that when I do focus creatively, I have to temporarily murder all other ideas and stresses… some days that’s not humanly possible. For me there is never an empty chamber in the gun, there is always something I have to remember or marinade on.

How do you juggle different balls in the air, without dropping the ball?

I can’t answer this one because I do drop the ball! I believe the answer to this question is called Carthew, my manager haha. Having a good team is awesome when you enter cliche flaky artist mode and this influences who I choose to work with, I naturally attract autonomous and motivating people. In terms of juggling, I had to learn to take what I did seriously, but it took me a long time. Just because there is a mic in your hand or you are drawing pictures doesn’t mean you are mucking around. I had to learn to take pride in what I did and that pride helps me stay on track.

How do you choose which discipline to focus on, or not lose focus on?

Luckily I am very much ‘in the moment’ as a person. I am good at shutting off those rival compartments of my mind. I think to be multi-disciplinary you do require a birds-eye view of everything for sure, but you also need to have hardcore tunnel-vision when you are creating something specific.

What are your top tips for managing a multi-disciplinary workload?

I guess I just set goals and I work through the process like a shopping list. It doesn’t matter how grandiose that goal is, I just move through it with a detached practicality and it has always worked well for me. I learnt to make friends with lists, calendars and my left brain. I also think that admin time and creative time are to be kept separate because although they both need respect, they infect each other. You have to pay the creative process respect, it is why you are there.

How do you stay on top of your game (NZ and internationally)?

I love what I do and who I work with. I want to spread a different message to what we are fed and there is an infinite pool to choose from.

What are your top tips for other creatives considering diversifying?

Keep everything you want to do on the boil, even if it’s turned low and has to wait. For me it’s all about experimenting in life and honouring silent contracts with myself, so if the saying ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ doesn’t appeal to you, you may want to rethink the creative path!

How do you measure success?

By how much love, friendship and creativity orbits around me. Material success to me is not getting ‘scary letters’ in the mail!