Bill Carman has worked as a designer, illustrator, and art director at universities, ad agencies, publishers, and large corporations. Since graduating with a BFA in visual communication/illustration and an MFA in painting he has always free-lanced and exhibited with ongoing national gallery representation in New York City, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Los Angeles.
Bill is currently a professor, teaching illustration and drawing, and his new book, “Imagery From the Bird’s Home: The Art of Bill Carman” is currently available from Flesk Publications.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/billcarman
In this episode, Bill discusses:
-His career path that brought him to the Boise State.
-How he has always done his "weird" stuff on the side.
-How teaching changed everything for him, not just for the financial stability, but because he was able to surround himself with a creative environment.
-For people who are thinking of starting to build a side career, how they have to ask themselves if they really want to do it and have to deal with the amounts of time and solitude that it requires.
-That doing your art for fame is a misguided goal.
-How all it takes to call yourself an artist is putting in the time and actively working towards becoming better.
-How you have to make sure that you fill yourself up as much as you are letting your stuff out through your art.
-How you can learn how to do virtually anything on the Internet and how easy it is to connect with other artists of potential clients.
-Where his unique style came from and how he developed it.
-How he worries about tutorials because of copycats that don't have a voice of their own.
-The concept of carrying a sketchbook (or even just using your phone) and getting in the habit of continually working on your craft whenever you can find the time.
-The story behind his book.
Bill's Final Push will make you realize that you CAN do your art every day, and you can even turn it into your sole means of income.
Quotes:
"I was always doing my weird stuff on the side."
"I don't know any illustrator that doesn't do their own thing in the wee hours of the night when it is dark and no one is looking."
"That's the secret. I get that question a lot: 'How do I get good? What are your tools? What are you using?' And the secret is time."
"For me, there's no other place I'd rather be than my studio."
"That's the key with art. You have to face yourself."
"For me it's not only about making pretty pictures and selling my work, but do I still have something to say that means anything?"
"It keeps me on my toes seeing all of these wonderful young people doing this great stuff. It keeps me excited about the whole thing."
"All of my spare time was spent on finding this strange voice that was in me."
"That voice is there to be found but you also have to have the skill to realize it."
"Carve out more and more and more time, and if you get better at it and if you enjoy, you carve out more time."
Links mentioned:
Imagery From the Bird’s Home: The Art of Bill Carman
Connect with Bill:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Deluxe Version of Bill's book