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There is nothing more important to Rowan than to inspire others to be their best selves, whatever form that may take. She hopes to engage others and inspire them to fight for better understanding of the personal demons many share. Having survived abuse and dealt with panic, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, her empathy comes from considerable experience. From times of complete hopelessness, she has struggled throughout, she strives now to be the change she wishes to see, the support that she lacked in her own journey. Thus, she continues to help creatives everywhere find their strength amidst weakness, and better tap their creative potential, which traditional schooling often ignores, suppresses or squanders.
Rowan North
Writer. Illustrator. Art Teacher.
“One can discover who they really are when they go to a place where they don’t have to be anything else.” – Anonymous
Following three years of a dual-program in illustration and art education at Southern Utah University, Rowan North struck out on her own, founding a successful art business. A freelance artist and art educator, she has worked for several years now as a professional graphic designer, interior illustrator, book cover artist, and in other related fields. This considerable body of work includes collaborative projects such as the Story Crossroads newsletter and cover art for Immortal Works Press. Rowan has attended quite a few local conventions across Utah as an artist, vendor, and guest, where she has taught panels and workshops on both honing your craft and overcoming the mental health and confidence struggles that we can all face. You can find examples of Rowan’s work, information on her upcoming events, and all of her social media on her website at rowannorthillustrations.org/.
Recruited out of SaltCity Steamfest, Rowan is and has considerable experience as a cosplayer, LARPer, model and presenter, in addition to her prodigious writing portfolio here at Steam-Funk Studios (SFS). No stranger to the convention scene, events Rowan regularly attended included Utah Winter Faire, Anthro Weekend Utah, and quite a few others. Rowan grew up in a proudly gamer household, with access to Nintendo 64 and a slew of other classic consoles (Dreamcast! He-hey!). She has migrated mostly to Steam and more “casual” gaming, especially her favorite, sandbox survival games.
Beyond this, Rowan has a dizzying list of extracurricular accomplishments. A student of fashion and costume design, her extensive focus is on cultural trends within Japanese pop-fashion and arts. This deeply informs her work for SFS, penning not one but two nonfiction series on the topics of illustration and fashion. What’s more, she’s provided critical input for the The Living Multiverse, the firm’s in-house fiction, both in general and as part of the Rookgsguard team and brand. Starting in 2019, Rowan added yet another impressive feather in her cap as she began streaming tabletop games on Twitch and has gone on to become a professional GM, delighting her players with homebrew stories and settings, complete with custom art. Rowan studies the why and how of art; why we have it, how we feel drawn to it, and what may motivate evolving trends. Her work as a creative arts instructor reflects that, delving into the nuts and bolts of various media. These insights, she delivers with an emphasis on not only educating, but entertaining. This is food for the soul, after all. It should be “fun”. Her mental health advocacy is not only for those with persistent conditions, but for anyone who seeks emotional resonance and validation in artistic forms and appreciation. She remains a font of knowledge and a vector for goodwill, despite her bon vivant spirit being heavily salted with a sardonic air.