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Your Creative Push

Your Creative Push is the podcast that pushes YOU to pursue your creative passion, even though you have a busy, full-time life. Twice a week, Youngman Brown interviews artists, musicians, writers, photographers, graphic designers, and other inspirational creative individuals in an attempt to get them to inspire you to put aside your excuses and START DOING WORK. Each artist opens up to YOU, revealing the things that hold THEM back on a daily basis, and how they FIGHT THROUGH IT. They then give you one final push, in an attempt to motivate you to start doing work as soon as the episode is over. If you have a full-time job or full-time responsibilities and WISH that you had the COURAGE and MOTIVATION to FINALLY do that thing that has been on your mind, this podcast is for you!
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Now displaying: January, 2016
Jan 30, 2016

DZO Olivier is a self-taught painter and illustrator from France. The simple, three-letter alias of DZO represents a divergence from his career in graphic arts and into the noosphere, which is defined as a postulated sphere or stage of evolutionary development dominated by consciousness, the mind, and interpersonal relationships. His work is both haunting and awe-inspiring and feels as if it could come from either religious or occult texts. A few moments with one of DZO’s unique works will make you wonder where you’ve seen such chilling beauty before, and make you wonder if maybe it was within your own mind.

Today, DZO answers some of our questions about what drives him and how he maintains his creativity.

Read the full interview: http://yourcreativepush.com/dzo

Jan 29, 2016

Hjalmar Wåhlin is a Swedish artist who loves to create. His background is in commercial retouching, and he has worked with clients such as Ford, Coca-cola, Läckerol and DN. Recently, he has moved towards illustration and design.  And that work is seriously awe-inspiring.

In this episode, Hjalmar discusses:

-The joy that the imaginative nature of illustration brings to him.

-How long each of his pieces takes him to do.

-Starting with the fundamentals.

-Find a teacher or other resources online.

-His piece "Heaven At Last," and the personal story behind it.

-One of his first creative moments as a child.

-How his laziness and fear are two factors that used to hold him back.

-How he stopped drawing from ages 8-18.

-How his FEAR OF SUCCESS sometimes still tries to stop him.

-The roller coaster ride that is the process of creating something.

-A difficulty that arose during a collaboration and how it affected him and his motivation.

-How receiving comments on his work is what motivates him.

-Art and creativity bring MEANING to his life.

-How concept artists are his greatest inspiration.

Quotes:

"I have a lot of fear.  That goes way back for me."

"You can overthink it.  Just make something new that brings a lot of joy."

"Don't let it be this monumental task that you have to do, but let it bring joy to your life."

"Maybe the first things that you do will be shit.  And it will look like shit.  Or be shit.  But you shouldn't expect otherwise.  You just have to keep doing it and doing it and doing it and eventually it will get easier."

"You have to sit down and say, 'Now I'm going to do it!' or chances are it's not going to get done."

 

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/hjalmarwahlin

Jan 28, 2016

Richard Gaston is a 26-year old photographer from Glasgow, Scotland. His landscapes are completely breathtaking are some of the most inspiring that you’ll ever see.  Richard uses the camera to explore what is important in life.

In this episode, Richard discusses:

-How he started taking photographs as a hobby with his friends.

-How he and his friends all started around the same time and how nice it is to see their organic approaches as well.

-How people really tune into the idea of a small man in a vast landscape.

-The research that goes into many of his photographs in the outdoors.

-How using a camera is not that difficult.  You just have to be there to take the photograph.

-Going to university or college for photography is unnecessary.  You can easily learn on Youtube.  Photography is just about putting yourself in that scenario and taking pictures.

-A tricky situation that he got himself in The Lost Valley.

-The story behind his photographs of the Aurora Borealis.

Richard's Final Push inspires you to just pick up whatever tool you need to use to begin your art, and just START.

Quotes:

"I never studied photography, so for me its a hobby and a lifestyle.  I still get that exciting feeling regardless of what I'm taking photographs of."

"You can't recreate something in the outdoors.  It happens once and once only."

"That's the thing about the outdoors -- you don't know what to expect.  It's very exciting."

"You have to be there to take the photo.  That's all it is."

"Working the camera is not that difficult.  It's just being there."

"There's no rush.  As long as you are doing something you really like, it's going to happen eventually."

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/richardgaston

Jan 27, 2016

If you missed Part 1 with artist Angela Treat Lyon, click here.

Angela Treat Lyon is a prolific sculptor, painter, and writer who lives and works in Hawaii. She is an EFT trainer and practitioner, as well as the host of Dreamers Radio, found at IDareYouRadio.com. She is the author of many books such as Change Your Mind with EFT, as well as a new series of coloring books called Mandalas for Meditative Coloring.

In this episode, Angela discusses:

-The strategy of writing down why you're not doing your creative job and writing down three tiny things that you can do to get the ball rolling.

-Being nervous is just the same energy as feeling excitement.

-How everything we do in life is art, and how we should approach everything we do with joy.

-How she stopped making plans for art except for asking "What's next?"

-Her inspiration for drawing her own coloring books for adults.

-How coloring is a form of meditation, connecting you to your quiet place.

Quotes:

"If somebody is afraid, they just have to hunker down and do it anyway."

"Life is all about being.  It's not about doing, it's not about having.  It's about being."

"It makes my cells sing when I carve."

 

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/angelatreatlyon2

Jan 26, 2016

Angela Treat Lyon is a prolific sculptor, painter, and writer who lives and works in Hawaii. She is an EFT trainer and practitioner, as well as the host of Dreamers Radio, found at IDareYouRadio.com. She is the author of many books such as Change Your Mind with EFT, as well as a new series of coloring books called Mandalas for Meditative Coloring.

(Part 2 of the interview can be found here)

In this episode, Angela discusses

-One of her first creative moments, involving National Geographic and Tibet.

-How teachers can actually be detrimental to creative spirit.

-How a childlike rebellion can translate into an adult rebellion.

-How a sailing incident nearly sent her to her death.  And what that incident made her think about her life.

-How you should make a list of what you don't want to miss out on in life.

-How people with "real jobs" are in a dangerous situation.

-How your brain will crave your creative habits once you start them.

-How a series of "sucky" creative attempts will make the first great one feel that much better.

-Why she prefers the word "Hesitation" over the word "Resistance."

-How her suicidal tendencies were destroyed by the practice of EFT.

-How one of her biggest turnarounds was realizing that marketing was about the customer, not about the seller.

-How people want to connect with the source of your creativity rather than you personally.

-Art is a connection to Source.

-Sculpture and architecture are the only things that last after civilization ends.

 

Quotes:

"Would I be happy with myself, if I was there floundering out there in the water, about to die?  Would I be happy with myself and my life?  And its become the defining question of my life.  If I'm offered to do something and I say no to it, later on, as I'm on my way out of this lifetime, am I going to be happy with myself?  Am I going to be pleased that I said no to that opportunity?"

"You have to ask yourself, 'Can I have the self-discipline to add a half-hour of sitting down and being with my calling per day?'"

 

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/angelatreatlyon

Jan 25, 2016

Stephen Docker and Gerrard Sidhu are two amazing musicians who, together, make up the electronic duo from Melbourne, Australia known as Strange Talk.

In this episode, Strange Talk discusses:

-Their recent changes in from four members to two

-How getting back to their electronic roots and their new EP feels like being home.

-Stephen and Gerrard each tell us one of their first creative moments growing up.

-How artists are always tweaking things, and how having a trusted second opinion is incredibly valuable.

-How motivation is sometimes hard to find, especially when trying to rebrand and refocus.

-How Strange Talk's new management team has allowed them to focus solely on the music.

-Their best advice for being able to get through blocks in creativity and writing music.

-The importance of getting to a new location or taking a break when creativity won't come to you.

-How the internet has opened up the doors for so many new artists to work with others for collaborations.

-What art and creativity bring to their lives.

-How being a sponge and being able to absorb things that other people are saying about your work is important.

Strange Talk's Final Push encourages you to go home and just get started!

 

Quotes:

"If you wake up and you're not in a creative mood, you've gotta find a way to get into a creative mood and write."

"All of the stars are finally aligned for us."

"Stop what you're doing.  Go for a walk, go to the gym, go catch up with mates.  When you're in that head space, nothing good comes out of it."

"People out there that aren't sure how to go about it, but have so many great crazy ideas, it's about introducing yourself on this huge world wide web and trying to create opportunities to collaborate and work with artists that can help see that same vision."

"Without needing to get a manager or a label or a publisher, you can do so much by yourself at the moment.  You just have to have the want and the drive."

"It's like getting up and brushing your teeth and eating.  We get up and we listen to music and we write music or we do something with music.  It's who we are."

"It's not just about starting, but see it through.  If you want to do it, you have to apply yourself, you have to sacrifice things, you have to commit yourself to it.  Otherwise what's the point?"

 

Music in this episode: "Something's Bout to Change" and "Painted in Gold" by Strange Talk

 

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/strangetalk

Jan 23, 2016

Full interview/shownotes at http://yourcreativepush.com/veorra

Welcome to the first written “episode” of Your Creative Push!

A podcast episode? Written?

That’s right! The insanely talented duo Veorra wasn’t going to let their anonymity stop them from coming on the show. Nor do they let their anonymity stop them from taking over the EDM scene. Veorra, made up of female singer known as “S” and male producer known as “J,” is offering some of the freshest sounds to the eardrums of EDM fans all over the world.

J & S agreed to come on Your Creative Push in an audio-less interview to give us some insight into what motivates them to create such wonderful sounds, and hopefully push us to pursue our creative passions!

Jan 22, 2016

Justin Gray is an artist and writer who has worked with top tier comic book publishers, video game developers as well as animation and film studios on a wide variety of properties. Think: DC Comics, Jonah Hex. When he’s not helping serve the needs of some of the most recognizable entertainment companies on the planet, he also self-publishes novels and graphic novels. Justin is currently a part of the Paper Films team.

 

In this episode, Justin discusses:

-How he approaches adaptations.

-How he works with Jimmy Palmiotti and others.

-How he came about creating the ending of Abbadon.

-He breaks Youngman's heart, informing him there won't be an Issue 2 of Abbadon.

-Knowing when to push your idea and when to concede to a better one.

-The role that comic books played in his development.

-His decision to pivot into creative writing.

-His take on DC and Marvel and where comics are heading.

-How he feels about self publishing and what it brings to the artistic world.

-How no matter how much skill someone has, the person who puts the most time into their craft is the one that is going to be the most successful.

-To make sure that you convey everything that is inside your head into the work.

-Great advice about filling in the gaps for your readers.

-How he goes through phases of consumption of favorite artists and other aspects of life, and how that is healthy.

Justin's Final Push encourages you to FINISH what you START, no matter what.

Quotes:

"You're not going to encounter instant success, and everyone is not going to like your work.  You have to have thick skin if you want to use things like the internet."

"There's no feeling like that place you're in where time becomes irrelevant and you're so engrossed in what you're doing."

"The world doesn't care that you started.  They care that you finished."

Jan 21, 2016

Cory is an actor and storyteller who fell into a career in Internet marketing and has worked on marketing and software programs for some of the world’s biggest companies. Cory is the creator of TheAbundantArtist.com, which helps artists who have never sold anything to now selling pieces monthly or weekly, with some clients selling their work for $20,000 or more!

In this episode, Cory discusses:

-How he got started with The Abundant Artist.

-One of his first creative memories as a 4th grader.

-His first creative resistance, which occurred very late in his creative journey (and how he handled it).

-How he intentionally seek other creative outlets and how that uplifted him.

-How taking a break and doing something else for a while can help reset you.

-How he wrote, produced, and performed a one-man show.

-How he went from a performing artist to the creator of The Abundant Artist.

-His advice for people just starting out, who aren't necessarily looking to become an professional artist right away.

-The importance of having a series of work if you are looking to become a professional artist.

-The importance of setting a schedule for your art and sticking to it.

-The different revenue streams for artists.

-How selling prints DOES NOT cheapen the value of your art.

-The 50/50 rule for balancing your time as an artist.

-What art and creativity brings to his life.

Cory's Final Push inspires you to take small steps, every day.

 

Quotes:

"I decided to intentionally seek other creative outlets since things weren't going well in that direction, and that gave me some distance from this negative cycle that I found myself in."

"Don't worry about selling until you have a body of work."

"There's a big difference between making art for yourself and being a professional artist."

"Art is communication.  If you're making art, you're in dialogue with the world.  You're putting forth an idea and seeing how people respond to that idea."

"I think that our world needs art.  And we need people who can bring the invisible to life."

"As long as you continue to take small steps forward and believe that you can progress and learn, you will eventually succeed."

Jan 20, 2016

Ari Leff, aka Lauv, is a New York based singer, songwriter, and producer who hit the ground running when he released his debut “The Other,” which instantly became a debut hit, now with over 1 million listens on Soundcloud.   He is an NYU senior who just returned from studying abroad in Prague.

In this episode, Ari discusses:

-How he balances his time as a full-time student and full-time musician.

-His first creative moments as a kid.

-Once he decided to pursue music, he didn't let anything hold him back.

-How balancing his time ebbs and flows.

-How his narcolepsy affects his sleep and his life.

-How inspirational and influential figures in his life change all the time.

-Music fulfills his mental health.

-To remember what is important to you and to never stop practicing and learning.

Ari's Final Push inspires you to never, never, never give up.

 

Quotes:

"My life changed completely when I released that song."

"I finally decided to do something original and say 'I'm not going to try to give this to someone else,' I'm going to do it myself."

"Music is like me breathing."

"You are the only person that will get in your way."

Jan 20, 2016

Karl is a painter from Sweden with a special interest in nature… specifically birds. Karl’s style comes from his interest for the forms of meditation found in Zen Buddhism, and he believes that the first brushstroke is the most important.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/2

In this episode, Karl discusses:

-How zen calligraphy helped to make him understand how he was trying to control his life.

-How so many years of looking at birds allows him to paint them by memory.

-How the practice of kyudo affects his painting.

-Karl takes Youngman through a meditation exercise.

-Why thinking too much about how the painting is supposed to look like can interfere with the actual painting of it.

-The theory that the first brush stroke is the most important.

-To approach the first brush stroke (or any first creative action) full of energy.

-To not worry about what other people think about your work.

-To embrace "happy accidents," and see where they take you.

-How art is a (safe) battle ground for him to overcome his fears.

Karl's Final Push will inspire you to create from your heart.

 

Quotes:

"If you have the knowledge of how to paint, if you paint with the image faded in your mind, then your intuition will paint for you."

"As soon as you start thinking about how it ought to be, you limit yourself."

"If you paint with your heart, you will paint something beautiful."

"I don't do it for the art.  It is a practice ground for overcoming my fears."

"The only advice I can give is believe in what you're doing, and just do it.  Don't be concerned with comparisons."

 

Resources mentioned:

Karl's early Inspiration:

 
 
 
 
 
Karl's more recent inspiration:
 
Myiamoto Musashi aka Niten Dōraku -- Japanese (1584-1645) Legendary swordsman retired to become a master painter, poet and writer 
 
Shih-T'ao --  Chinese, The wholistic paint stroke (1642-1707)
 
Nakahara Nantembo -- Japanese, Zen monk (1839-1925)
 
Master Chao Shao-an (1905-1998)
 
Olle Skagerfors - Swedish (1920-1997)
 
From Karl: Skagerfors's work was very instrumental in my daring to change my way of painting. I saw a show in Stockholm, and his simple painting of an enamel pitcher changed my life. (image attached) He was, unfortunately an alchohoic and had serious psychiatric problems which made him give up his painting for a long time. After several years he started again by painting this pitcher. It's a magnificent masterpiece and inspired me to "start all over".
 

Connect with Karl:

Website / Facebook

Jan 20, 2016

Artist Chris Riddell is a prolific writer and illustrator whose work is familiar to both children and adults. He is known especially for his distinctive line drawings with their clever caricature, fascinating detail and often enchanting fantasy elements. In addition to his children's books, Chris is a renowned political cartoonist whose work appears in The Observer, The Literary Review and The New Statesman. Chris is also the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, which is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field.

In this episode, Chris discusses:

-Why he loves working for different age groups and how the contrast affects his creativity in a positive way.
-Why rushing to self-definition is unnecessary.
-What being the Children's Laureate means.
-How the joy of drawing and art in general shouldn't stop when you grow up.
-The idea of "the sketcher" versus "the non-sketcher."
-How questioning things is a positive thing.
-The power of having a sketch book and taking notes.
-How everyone is an artist from childhood, but then self-doubt takes it away.
-How the community of sharing via social media leads to a golden age of visual art and cultural exchange.
-How his starting point is a very permissive one -- drawing without an agenda.
-How putting off creativity until tomorrow leads to never getting anything done.
-You can develop good habits just as easily as bad habits.
-How a SINGLE line in a journal can bring back memories more clearly than a photograph.
-How the internet allows us to go on imaginative journeys.
-His formula for balancing his time.
-How commissioned work and leisure work sometimes become melded into one.

His final push is a simple, but powerful idea, that literally any human being can implement.

 

Quotes:

"Drawing is a meditation."

"We are in a golden age of visual art and we should all be talking about it a lot, and carry on sharing the artwork we do."

"Grab a coat, get out the front door and go.  Walk into a creative journey."

"Make a mark on the page.  And then make another one.  And another one.  And another one.  That's the way you start."

"Start with a lowly ambition.  Start with making things look beautiful on a page and see where it takes you."

Jan 16, 2016

In this episode, Youngman Brown picks up the microphone for the first time to tell you a little about himself and why he is starting "Your Creative Push."

It is a podcast for you as much as it is for him.  He needs that inspiration as much as you do in order to get stuff done… and since he couldn’t find a daily podcast that gave him what he needed… he decided to make his own.

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