Jake Parker is an illustrator who has worked for 15 years on everything from animated films to comics to picture books. He is the creator of the Missile Mouse graphic novel series published by Scholastic, and he has worked for Blue Sky Studios, creating sets and environments for feature films like Horton Hears a Who, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Rio, and Epic. He now freelances out of his home studio in Utah.
Full
shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/jakeparker
In this episode, Jake discusses:
-A bit about his personal life and what he is currently up to.
-Why he started SVS School, who his target audience is, and what you can learn there.
-Some of his earlier memories of drawing.
-How his parents and teachers were very supportive as well as his friend's mom, who was a painter.
-How doubt, comparing himself to others, time restraints, and over-committing to things are the main things that sometimes hold him back.
-How sometimes he compares himself to other people who are doing other careers and making lots of money, but then he remembers the freedom and joy that drawing gives him.
-How he gets through negative thoughts and battles through his resistance.
-The influence that both his wife and God play in his life, especially when he feels lost or discouraged.
-One of his hardest moments creatively, which actually came as a result of accomplishing one of his lifelong goals.
-An e-mail that completely changed his perspective when he was feeling like Missile Mouse was not having an impact.
-If you are taking on a large personal project, making sure that you create an appropriate balance with all of the other things that are important in your life, such as family, friends, and work.
-Making a large project into a marathon, not a sprint, and chipping away at it.
-The importance of rewarding yourself as you reach milestones.
-Finding a way to create accountability with self-imposed projects.
-How he balances his time, by making sure that everyone knows what is expected of them and being able to be flexible.
Jake's Final Push will inspire you to COMPLETE
SOMETHING, even if it isn't perfect.
Quotes:
"For this little artist kid, there was all this opportunity and I just ate it up."
"If I faced any resistance then and now, it's always been self-imposed."
"I think being an artist as your career choice is probably the hardest thing you can do to make money."
"Yea. I could be sitting there on the beach, thinking, Man, I wish I was drawing."
"Life is hard enough as it is with everything that people are doing, and I'm happy to provide a place for someone to escape to when they need. And that's what keeps me going."
"It doesn't work to have accountability to yourself. Because yourself knows all your excuses and sees the validity in them and will give you a pass."
"You need a final product, you don't need a project."
Links mentioned:
Society of Visual Storytelling (SVS School)
You Need a Product, Not a Project e041 (Jake's YouTube channel)
Connect with Jake:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / YouTube / Tumblr / Store /
Blanca is an artist from the Bronx, New York, but currently residing in Clarksville, Tennessee. She is a RAW Artist and a member of DAC (downtown artist co-op) and she received a BA in Art Studios with a concentration in painting at the University of South Carolina. And she will be showcasing her work as a vendor at three different events during the month of June.
Full
shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/blanca
In this episode, Blanca discusses:
-What RAW is and how she became a part of it.
-How organizations like RAW allow artists to spread their wings and show their work in other cities and towns without as much risk.
-The Downtown Artist Co-Op and how she became a part of that.
-The start of her educational journey in interior design, with a program that let her down.
-The next leg of her journey attempting to become a teacher.
-Another barrier that showed up that held her back from being a teacher, but how she was able to pivot in a new direction.
-Her plans to open her own gallery.
-Her advice to anyone who doesn't have the time or can't afford to go to college to be an artist.
-All of the free resources available to everyone, like the library and the Internet.
-How when she was working three jobs, she was unable to "love" her studio because she was too tired.
-Her decision to take her life into her own hands and go get a job having to do with art that she loved.
-Her constant desire to ask, "What's next?" after accomplishing a goal.
Blanca's Final Push will inspire you to embrace
rejection and know that you can keep trying, even if you have to
pivot.
Quotes:
"The program let me down."
"I've noticed that a lot of people make you feel silly when you think of going to college to be an artist."
"It's so weird when you try to actually tell a person that you want to be an artist."
"With all these dilemmas in my choices in school, it really affected who I was as an artist."
"This is a beautiful blessing and gift that you have. If you know how to make art, do it and don't let anyone tell you not to."
"If you are an artist, say 'I am an artist.' Don't say 'I'm an aspiring artist' or 'I do this on the side.'"
"Stay self-motivated, even if nobody believes in you."
"I was totally lost. Just making money and surviving."
"If I hadn't taken all those tiny little baby steps, I wouldn't be here. And I'm happy here."
Links mentioned:
"How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul" by Caroll Michaels
Connect with Blanca:
Website / Blog / Facebook / Instagram / Shop
Alex Hofeldt is a high school science teacher from Illinois and is the creator and host of Beautiful Dust Specks, a podcast designed to show the world the wonder and motivation in Science.
In this episode, Alex discusses:
-How spending money on the podcast helped to motivate him to keep doing it.
-The value that can come from scaring yourself a little bit every day.
-How like a cell, you adapt to the situation you find yourself in, and how the people around you can oftentimes bring you down.
-How creative people can resonate with each other because they realize how we need to help lift each other up.
-The importance of holding onto the people that do resonate with what you are attempting to do, and ignoring the haters.
-How 28/30 students can be completely enthralled with what he is teaching, but he will only be paying attention to the one or two that aren't paying attention.
-How his most "astounding fact" is how the deeper and deeper you go into science, the more you see how EVERYTHING is connected.
Alex's Final Push will inspire you to move inch by
inch and remain DYNAMIC!
Quotes:
"There's no greater time to be creative. Period."
"For me the fear of not doing it outweighed the fear of doing it."
"I think regrets have some power that you can muster and you can wield it for good if you don't let it bog you down."
"Just do it wholeheartedly. Whatever it is you're going to do in life, just dive into it."
"Scare yourself. Try to do something every day that's just a little freaky."
"If you move inch by inch, increment by increment, moment for moment towards a goal, you are moving. You are dynamic."
"You have infinite possibilities, no matter what anyone tells you. These cells that make up me, Michael Jordan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, are all the same cells, just put in different environments. So go find your environment. Seek it out. Search for it vehemently. Aggressively go after the things that make you smile."
Links mentioned:
Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of Your Being Born (Huffington Post)
The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler
We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot (YouTube)
The Most Astounding Fact - Neil deGrasse Tyson (YouTube)
Connect with Alex:
Alex Hofeldt is a high school science teacher from Illinois and is the creator and host of Beautiful Dust Specks, a podcast designed to show the world the wonder and motivation in Science.
Full
shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/alexhofeldt
In this episode, Alex discusses:
-How he became interested in podcasts and podcasting.
-Some of the fears that held him back from initially starting "Beautiful Dust Specks."
-The students that really encouraged him to create the podcast.
-How one of his missions is to be a better teacher than his bad teachers growing up.
-How the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image inspired him to go on a rant which led to a yearly speech he makes in his school.
-The inspiration that comes from being his kids favorite teacher.
-Trying your hardest to ignore the haters and embrace the lovers.
-How humans are the only creature in the animal kingdom to have creativity.
-Flow state and the science behind it.
-How everyone has their creative muse or their creative bug, even if it differs from "traditional" art forms.
Quotes:
"The older and older I get, the more and more I dig it, so I just decided to throw that out into the ether and see what goes down."
"I just got out of my own way finally."
"I want science to be a part of people's lives and maybe I'm a conduit for it."
"Part of being a human is running with whatever creative experience you want to get through. If something speaks to you, make it happen."
"One of the best things about being a human is creativity."
"I think that everyone has their Muse if they're willing to look for it."
"What singularity are you going to start? What are you going to kick into motion just to see what happens?"
Links mentioned:
Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of Your Being Born (Huffington Post)
The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan
The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler
We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot (YouTube)
The Most Astounding Fact - Neil deGrasse Tyson (YouTube)
Connect with Alex:
Yliana Paolini is a constant doubter, doubting from herself to the universe itself. She is an artist from Luxembourg who likes to create, but doesn’t see herself as a GREAT artist, just somebody who is willing to go beyond her comfortable zone to get more of what she loves, which is passion itself.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/yliana
In this episode, Yliana discusses:
-How doubt is something that is prevalent with creative people and how it never seems to go away.
-A bit of history in her tattooing career and why she decided to go into music.
-How her tattoos are for pleasing other people, but her art and music is for pleasing herself.
-How she feels after just releasing her first EP.
-How she had to find a balance between the tattoo artistry and the music.
-Her advice for anyone who already defines themselves in one particular field of art or creativity that is thinking about trying a completely different form of art.
-How the main thing that held her back and still does to some extent is her ignorance in knowing what she wanted.
-How her ego held her back from pursuing music because of the imagined limitations it placed on her.
-The fear that people have to jump into something unknown, but how we should all do it anyway.
-How simply thinking positively isn't enough -- you have to take action.
-Working on and mastering her EP with a Grammy winner.
-How doing art and tattooing gives her balance and a form of meditation, which leads to peace of mind.
Yliana's Final Push will inspire you to understand that it is YOU who decides what to do with your life.
Quotes:
"Music is the way I can express myself in the best way."
"Music for me is my healing tool."
"I think I found myself some sort of balance."
"First of all you need to believe that you can do it."
"We all have a different way of learning. We all grow in a different rhythm."
"Just let that little light from the end of the tunnel shine through and guide you to create something."
Links mentioned:
"How Music Works" by David Byrne
"Who I Am" by Pete Townshend
Connect with Yliana:
Website / Facebook / Crutz / Crutz on iTunes
Pierre is a concept artist born in Paris and currently living in Montreal, Canada. He worked in the video game industry for five years before switching to animation. And after eight years in the industry as a concept artist, his goal is to explore and propose a wide range of possibility in creating universes.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/peah
In this episode, Pierre discusses:
-His personal projects and how he finds the time and motivation to get them done while still maintaining his job.
-The importance of finishing a project, and how it is much more difficult to finish something than to start it.
-How he got started with his project "Smokey Town," and how it is evolving.
-How he was contacted by Daniela Fischer and how they were able to collaborate.
-The fact that nobody will know that you might need help in a specific area unless you put yourself out there and ask for help.
-How something you might perceive as a "failure" might really be some other success in disguise that leads you somewhere else.
-His background that led him to want to create universes.
-Setting a timer for five minutes to help motivate him to do work and to take some of the pressure off.
-How drawing and painting is like a sport, because it is in daily practice and training that you can progress and get better.
-A difficult time when he developed a rare disease, and how it made him realize what he wanted to be spending his time on.
-How your worst moments often times end up becoming your best moments.
-How he loves art because of the range of creativity that it can allow, both intuitive and cerebral.
Quotes:
"I think the key with personal projects is to find something you really love to do."
"Starting something is good, but finishing it is better."
"You can tell stories in still illustration in only one picture."
"It's like a sport. You have to practice it on a daily basis to get better."
"I really see drawing and painting as a sport. It's in the daily practice that you see big changes."
"The love of drawing gave me strength and confidence."
"Finding a subject you love is the most important thing."
"I learned from this episode to be confident with my art and not to worry too much about things that don't matter that much. Because what matters is what you love and that is the only thing to be focused on."
"Failing and success is exactly the same thing as long as you learn from it."
"When I struggle with my art, I see it as a way to learn more than a failure."
"What I love about art is that you can go to all of those places with a pencil."
Links mentioned:
Connect with Pierre:
Carrington Schaeffer is a writer of creepy children's fiction and a member of the all-girl vintage vocal jazz quartet, The Tonettes. She is also the host of the podcast “Honestly, Dear Listener,” which is a podcast that aims to seek answers to the question of why so many of us let fear and insecurity keep us from creating.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/carrington
In this episode, Carrington discusses:
-Her reason for starting her podcast, "Honestly, Dear Listener."
-How she is a mom who needs to have her own creative pursuits, or else she ends up getting frustrated.
-The importance of giving up on perfectionism and control of what other people perceive of you.
-How being honest and open about your struggles allows for true art and expression to thrive.
-How celebrating the small victories is more important than the grand gestures.
-Her intention for publishing her actual voice memos in her podcast, and how scary it can be to put the "owchies" out there.
-The notion of addressing editor/fear that tells you to not do certain things in a kind way, so that it will "take a nap" and leave you alone.
-A transformative experience during a piece of performance art that she performed without a plan.
-Some of the other things that hold her back, including the fear of people pitying her as well as the fear of failure.
-Redefining what failure is, so that you can celebrate the small victories as they come.
-The importance of getting out of your own way.
Carrington's Final Push will inspire you to tell your inner critic and fear to TAKE A NAP!
Quotes:
"I started the podcast because I needed an outlet."
"I'm a mom who really needs to have her own pursuits and identity that is separate from the mom title. And I have found that if I don't honor that part of myself, I get really, really frustrated and I'm actually a worse mom."
"I think the thing that I've had to learn is to be gentle with myself."
"I'm happy when I can sit down and write a paragraph. To me, that is winning. And that is to be celebrated."
"It doesn't have to be perfect. It just matters that you start."
"Everyone has the editor that screams 'DON'T DO IT, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK YOU ARE AN IDIOT!'"
"Some of our most transformative art comes from spontaneity and is generated by saying 'Fear, thanks but no thanks. Take a nap.'"
"Because of the fear of failure, there's no room for experimentation, which is huge in art and creating art."
"It's almost like you get in your own way and you need to step out of your own way to be able to get the gift that's within you out."
Links mentioned:
Connect with Carrington:
Clay Cook began his creative career in the music industry, and after 10 years, his passion had leaned towards photography, cinematography and graphic design.
Constantly collaborating with fresh designers, national models, filmmakers and other photographers, Clay has built a reputable name as an award-winning internationally published photographer and filmmaker, specializing in editorial and advertising photography.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/claycook
In this episode, Clay discusses:
-How he got started with photography, transitioning from his music career.
-The importance of having a good logo and good flyers for bands, as perception is reality.
-His suggestion for any creative person who is looking to dabble in other creative fields as well as the field they are already pursuing.
-How "playing around" or investigating other creative pursuits can really help to prevent burnout.
-How the pre-production elements that come into play end up taking so much time away from the actual act of taking photographs.
-The parties that he threw when he was just starting out, where he would shoot his friends on a cloth background.
-How the impressive quality of images that he was able to capture with the DLSR got him excited to keep shooting.
-When he started "going for it" with photography, he wasn't completely sure of the exact path he would be taking, only that he would find a way to be successful.
-His advice to just keep shooting, because the more you shoot, the more you fail. And we learn by failing.
-The importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone, because if you are comfortable, you are most likely not growing.
-How he used to immerse himself in YouTube videos and tutorials in order to learn everything he could about photography.
-How to balance a job that you hate with your creative passion.
-His unwavering desire to be his own boss and the sacrifices that came with making that decision a reality.
Clay's Final Push will inspire you to be obsessed with your work and never give up.
Quotes:
"Perception is reality in the music business."
"The beauty in creativity is that it covers a whole wide umbrella of different topics."
"For me, photography was just as fulfilling and rewarding as music was."
"I think you have to stick to your passion, but dabbling in those other areas doesn't hurt at all. And it will only improve your self-satisfaction."
"I spend more time in a pre-production state than I do in a production state or a post-process production state."
"I would throw parties just to shoot friends on a cloth background in my little office that was a 5x5 room. It was almost a closet that I was sticking these people in and photographing them."
"I didn't care who I shot or what I shot. It was just so exciting for me."
"The biggest piece of advice I can give to someone just starting out in photography is just to shoot. Because the more you shoot, the more you're going to fail, and the more you fail, the more you're going to learn."
"You have to really be obsessed with your craft."
"I always want to be outside of my comfort zone."
"I've seen a lot of photographers get worse over the years because of the fact that they never truly step outside their comfort zone."
Connect with Clay:
Website / Blog / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
Suzanna is a painter who lives and works in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where her husband, daughter and dog hang out on the first floor, while she, her paintings, and her cats exist on the second floor. Sometimes they get mixed up, but they all survive with just a few minor scratches.
Suzanna believes that beauty is oxygen. We don’t need to worship it, but to deny it’s vital importance is naïve. Life is sometimes hard, but it is always, always beautiful and her painting is the purest expression of the beauty that exists within her.
http://yourcreativepush.com/suzanna
In this episode, Suzanna discusses:
-Her earliest memories of being creative.
-The time her mother posed the question to her: "What is happiness to you?"
-How happiness for her, is working and staying busy creating.
-Her slow shift into becoming an artist, as her original dream was to be a dancer.
-How everything she had been building in her life disappeared, but how great she actually felt about it after getting over the shock.
-How you can "hack life" more as you get older and how she would never want to go back to her 20's or 30's.
-How there are legitimate things in life that we have to do that can get in the way of our creative pursuits, but too often we use them as our excuse.
-The idea that the subconscious mind is an elephant and the conscious mind is an ant, and no matter how determined the ant might be, it can not move the elephant.
-The importance of aligning the conscious and subconscious parts of your brain so it isn't like trying to push an elephant.
-How it is difficult to be in a vulnerable place with your art for multiple hours a day.
-How she teaches the same technical skills to her students, but some of them flourish while others get caught up in the excuses.
-How many of us continue to be uncomfortable in our life situations until it hurts too much.
Suzanna's Final Push will inspire you to be kind to yourself and JUST START!
Quotes:
"I feel that I almost subconsciously took myself to that place where everything had to be ruined so I could start over again."
"Painting is hard. It is really hard."
"'How can I go paint? There's nothing for dinner!' And you're thinking about that at ten in the morning."
"'I don't have time' is the worst of myths."
Links mentioned:
"Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert
"Your Elusive Creative Genius" - Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk
"The Art of Asking" by Amanda Palmer
How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind to Get What You Want w/ Dr. Cathy Collautt (YouTube)
"RESOLVED: 13 Solutions for LIFE" by Orrin Woodward
Connect with Suzanna:
Website / Facebook / Instagram
Ron has stood at the crossroads where so many musicians find themselves – at the intersection of record label and independence. In an ever-evolving industry filled with rejection and compromise, he has plotted a new course for his music to reach loyal listeners, taking the industry-road-less-traveled in exchange for the ultimate payback, a league of devoted fans the world over (and I am one of them).
He has sold over 2 million singles to date, he averages 15 million spins a MONTH on Pandora, and his songs have been streamed over 120 million times. His songs have been featured on “The Voice,” “Vampire Diaries,” 90210” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”
His latest album “Ron Pope & the Nighthawks,” is available everywhere music is sold.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/ronpope
In this episode, Ron discusses:
-His creative origins and how he got to the point he is today as a songwriter and musician.
-His involvement at the inception of “The District.”
-How he writes such a large quantity of songs because he knows that not all of them will be good enough to make a record.
-The belief that if you want to be a songwriter, you just have to sit down, shut up, and write songs.
-How he doesn’t really believe in writer’s block. It is just accepting that some of the stuff you write will be garbage.
-The importance of working harder than everyone else if you want to excel to the highest level of your creative field.
-One of the times that he was having a very difficult time writing a song, and then all of the sudden he was struck with the song in its entirety.
-How doing the hard work every day and getting used to what the work feels like puts you in a better position to capture inspiration and put it into its “physical” form, even in just one take.
-The role that music played in his life when he was younger to make him feel more connected and less alone.
-The profound connection that comes when people play his music during special events.
-How his song "I Do Not Love You" played a special role in Youngman Brown's life as his first dance at his wedding.
-How art is subjective and it doesn’t matter what the artist thinks about it once the viewer or listener has given it his or her own meaning.
-How hard it is to comprehend large numbers of listenership, and the power that comes from one-on-one connections.
-What he has been up to creating and touring his new album Ron Pope & the Nighthawks.
Ron's Final Push will inspire you to choose to do the thing you love
Quotes:
“That songwriting circle was really the difference for me. If I hadn’t joined that group, I don’t know if I would have been able to become a professional songwriter.”
“I just feel like I’m not good enough to sit down and write ten songs and have all ten of those songs be bangers and have that be the record.”
“For my last album, Ron Pope and the Nighthawks I wrote 150 songs. We recorded 40 of them or so to get to the 11 that we have on the record.”
“Really almost everything is like this. If you want to do it, and you want to do it at a high level, you’re going to have to work harder than everybody else.”
“It was like I got hit by lightning. It was into my brain immediately. The song in my bones just existed. The whole thing. The melody, the lyrics, the chords, the whole thing.”
“You put yourself in a much better position to have chance favor you if you do the right kind of work.”
“It made me excited when I stumbled upon music that made me feel something. It made me feel much less alone.”
“I very rarely share the stories behind my songs because I want you to take them home and make them your stories.”
“It’s still a really powerful feeling to know that whatever you’re creating is a part of people’s lives.”
“For me it’s the singular achievement of my life as an artist.”
“You’re going to have to work hard on something eventually whether it’s something you choose or something that people make you do, so if you have to pick, you might as well work hard at something that you love.”
"It's worth it to work hard on things that you love."
Links mentioned:
Connect with Ron:
Website / iTunes / Spotify / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
Andrew Salgado is a Canadian figurative painter who lives and works in London and has exhibited his work around the world. His paintings are large-scale and incorporate elements of abstraction and symbolic meaning. He is featured in books, is the subject of a documentary (Storytelling), and his work will be displayed at his latest exhibit, The Fool Makes a Joke at Midnight, which will be in New York City from May 7-28.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/andrewsalgado
In this episode, Andrew discusses:
-How he fell victim to the clutches of London.
-How he incorporates things around his studio and from his life into his artwork and anything that is around him is "fair game."
-How he approaches his paintings in a fluid fashion and being as flexible as possible.
-The importance of having fun when you paint and to enjoy the creative process.
-The dangers that can come when you try to emulate your favorite artists too closely and how it can start holding back your personal style.
-The fact that art is a marathon not a sprint and how young artists expect too much too soon.
-How every artist's definition of success is different and what his personal idea of success is.
-How money, or the promise of money, almost always affects an artist's creativity.
-The idea of a debut being an experience in which you reveal your art for the first time.
-The power that comes from seeing art in person.
-How he has a trusted few people that he will show his work to, because otherwise too many opinions can derail his creative process and make him think too much.
-How attempting to make the perfect piece of art is a beautiful thing to do, despite it being a futile pursuit of perfection.
-Bjork as an artist.
-The significance of the title of his latest gallery, The Fool Makes a Joke at Midnight.
-The power of social media, but the disservice that it does for viewing art.
-How figurative painters are treated as though they haven't evolved to a higher understanding of aesthetics like abstract painters do, and how angry it makes him.
-How the beauty of art happens when you really push yourself outside of what is comfortable.
Andrew's Final Push will inspire you to work twice as hard and worry half as much!
Quotes:
"I think of myself as a scientist tinkering about in a laboratory."
"If it's in the studio, it's fair game and it can end up in a painting or it can end up inspiring a painting."
"I let the paintings take me on a ride as opposed to getting frustrated when they aren't going the way I want them to go."
"As soon as I started letting the paintings tell me what direction they wanted to go, I became stronger."
"Whatever you need to do to make yourself a stronger artist -- go for it."
"The more we experiment and nurture our processes and don't feel bad about our processes, we can reach higher levels of painterly transcendence."
"Art is about process, and it is a lifelong process."
"People can make casual comments that can really unhinge the creative process."
"As artist, we totally know when that painting isn't sitting right."
"What I am trying to do with my work is learn how to reevaluate the figure through the language of abstraction."
"I'm trying to make my works challenging for myself to create them and I'm trying to make my works challenging for my viewer to receive them."
"If you think you know what you're doing with too much conviction, you're probably not pushing yourself hard enough."
Links mentioned:
The Fool Makes a Joke at Midnight (Andrew's exhibition)
Connect with Andrew:
Philip Ruddy is a Los Angeles-based depth psychotherapist, who previously spent fifteen years as a writer, producer and development executive in Hollywood. He now works with writers, artists and performers, helping them explore and transcend creative blocks, anxiety, depression, and the unique stressors of the film and television industry. He can be reached via his website ActivelyImagine.com.
If you missed Part 1, you can listen here.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/philipruddy2
In this episode, Philip discusses:
-The importance of his clients being sober when coming in for treatment so that they aren't "unconscious" during the process.
-Why creative people rely on drugs or alcohol to subdue their minds from the constant thoughts, and healthier ways for them to disengage.
-An extremely disheartening experience that he went through in the past, which helps him to relate to his clients today.
-The journey that he took after having his original screenplay taken, which led him to becoming a psychotherapist.
-His masters thesis on transcending writer's block based on Active Imagination.
-The concept of the "wounded healer."
-His advice for someone who wants to open a dialogue with his or her blocks.
-How the subconscious part of your psyche that will hold you back from doing work will often have insights that your conscious mind isn't aware of.
-The importance of creating a friendly and welcoming dialogue with your block and treating it like a guest in your house.
Philip's Final Push will inspire you to go forth on your Hero's Journey!
Quotes:
"I found that after that experience, I really began to shut down as a writer."
"I just looked around and I thought I have found my tribe."
"Going into film production is kind of like the French Foreign Legion. You can literally work 24/7. That job is never over."
"I went through it myself -- that is why I'm able to help others."
"Sometimes the most effective healers are the ones that have been injured themselves."
"Don't invite your critic in while you're creating."
Links mentioned:
"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron
"The Red Book" by Carl Jung
"Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up" by James Hollis
"An Evening with Ray Bradbury - 2001" (YouTube)
"The Hero's Journey... For Writers, Artists & Performers" (from Philip's blog)
Connect with Philip:
Philip Ruddy is a Los Angeles-based depth psychotherapist, who previously spent fifteen years as a writer, producer and development executive in Hollywood. He now works with writers, artists and performers, helping them explore and transcend creative blocks, anxiety, depression, and the unique stressors of the film and television industry. He can be reached via his website ActivelyImagine.com.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/philipruddy
In this episode, Philip discusses:
-His journey getting to the point he is now as a depth psychotherapist.
-His explanation of what depth psychology is.
-How he is able to tap into his experience as a development executive, screenwriter, and a short story writer in order to understand what other creative people are going through.
-How writer's block is a personal thing that differs for every person that he works with.
-The notion of befriending your creative blocks.
-The idea of Active Imagination.
-How we imagine the harshest of critics will judge our work, but in reality, if someone doesn't like your work, they typically just move on.
-The traumatic effect that negative comments from teachers can have, especially at an early age.
-The importance of seeking out a tribe and a group of peers, and not necessarily rely on the influences that your school district had as art teachers.
-Creating a new persona.
-The interplay that happens between your persona and your "true self," both positive and negative.
Quotes:
"What's the personal myth that you are leading your life by?"
"Writer's block is something that you're probably going to wrestle with for many years to come if you don't make a decision to focus on it now and come up with some ways to navigate it."
"Befriend it so that you can transcend it."
"The idea is not just to exterminate this writer's block but to engage it in dialogue. I actually mean that quite literally."
"Write out a dialogue with this writer's block and see what it has to say."
"Writer's block is often an unexpressed part of ourselves that wants to be heard, so if you actually give it some time and engage it, it will often tell you what it wants of you."
"We're often far worse critics than the real flesh-and-blood critics that we encounter."
"The first creative act is reinventing yourself. Creating your new self as an artist."
"To reinvent ourselves, to become who we are destined to be, takes an incredible amount of strength."
Links mentioned:
"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron
"The Red Book" by Carl Jung
"Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up" by James Hollis
"An Evening with Ray Bradbury - 2001" (YouTube)
"The Hero's Journey... For Writers, Artists & Performers" (from Philip's blog)
Connect with Philip:
Brooke Shaden is a fine art photographer, author, and motivational speaker from Lancaster, PA. She grew up near the "Amish Country" until attending Temple University. Brooke was photographically born in December 2008 after graduating from Temple with bachelor degrees in film and English.
Self portraiture for her is not autobiographical in nature. Instead, she places herself within environments she wishes to explore, where secrets are exposed, impossibilities are tested, and life is questioned in eras beyond our own.
Brooke works to capture fantastic realities within her photographic frame. By using painterly techniques as well as the square format, traditional photographic properties are replaced by otherworldly elements.Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/brookeshaden
In this episode, Brooke discusses:
-How photography felt like a rebirth for her because it was one of the first things that she considered herself “good at.”
-The story of the first time she picked up the camera and started with self-portraiture.
-How she has always loved writing and her reason for starting her blog “Promoting Passion.”
-Her reason for starting her YouTube channel despite her extreme fear of public speaking.
-How she doesn’t like working in teams if she can avoid it.
-How she is able to balance her time and produce all of the content that she is able to put out in her various mediums.
-The importance of knowing your business so that you can focus solely on the things you love and want to produce and say “no” to things that don’t fit that.
-The story behind “Phoenix.”
-The story behind “Capturing Inspiration.”
-The many factors that contributed into her starting self-portraiture.
-How she feels like "The Falling of Autumn Darkness" entirely captures her essence.
-One of the things that holds her back is wanting to create images that are darker in nature and fearing the backlash that might come from doing so.
-How she has recently decided to slow down her creative pace to make work that will take her longer but will be more creatively fulfilling.
-A creatively fulfilling moment in Iceland where she was able to really push herself.
-How it's okay if who you think you want to be ends up not being who you become, especially when it comes to art.
Brooke's Final Push will inspire you to ignore others and forge your own path!
Quotes:
“It was quickly evident that photography would morph into the thing that I would continue to pursue.”
“I could just pretend that my camera was a friend standing in front of me and sharing my insights, my failures, my successes – anything I had going on at the moment and do that really vulnerably.
“I think the moment that we accept our weaknesses and turn them into strengths, then we have control over those things.
"To me, self-portraiture is the best way of expressing who I am and being able to do that in the most genuine way while keeping control of the whole creative situation."
"Art is the best way of understanding yourself and the better we understand ourselves the more fulfilled our lives can be."
"Every single time I put pen to paper or I pull out my camera, it's that question of "Who am I now? Who do I want to be? And how will I portray that? And that is the biggest gift."
"It's fine if who you think you want to be turns out to not be true."
"Whatever you feel you need to be doing in your life, do it. Forge your own path and let others follow in your footsteps."
Links mentioned:
-Promoting Passion Convention!
Connect with Brooke:
Jessie is an award-winning blogger, screenwriter, and freelancer who just published her first novel DEAD RINGER. She also created and runs the monthly storytelling series, Sunday Night Sex Talks, which features racy tales by real people and offers a No Boys Allowed as well as a Co-Ed version of the show.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/jessierosen
In this episode, Jessie discusses:
-Her background before she got into all of her varied creative pursuits.
-How and why she started Sunday Night Sex Talk and the differences between the Co-Ed and No Boys Allowed versions of the show.
-How she still gets nervous about having a sex talk show
-The "vow of silence" that all of the people at the show agree to take.
-How many of the first shows were only attended by a handful of people and how she was able to power through that discouragement.
-Her suggestion to people who are starting out with a very small audience, to ask people for help.
-The power in asking for specific help and knowing what to ask when reaching out to others for assistance.
-How she started her blog because she wasn't given any assignments and still wanted to create a body of work so that she might be given a chance once people saw that she could write.
-Her inspiration for writing "Dead Ringer" and the challenges that it presented to her.
-One of her useful tactics to get more things done, by purposefully giving herself less time to finish a project so that she doesn't try to make it too perfect.
-Her strategy for balancing her day as well as her time in general.
-How putting too much pressure on yourself ends up leading to zero productivity.
-How working on more than one project at one time is not necessarily a bad thing, as you can flip flop and remain fresh.
Jessie's Final Push will inspire you to spend the small amount of time NOW so that an EXPLOSION of ideas might be sprouted.
Quotes:
"I'm still nervous to have a sex talk show."
"We would have shows where there were five people in the audience."
"It does take time, and also really believing in it."
"I try to make the blog about coming of age at every age."
"I was just a girl who wanted a byline and nobody would offer that opportunity
"Blogging has been this way for me to consistently develop and find and re-find my voice. Because my blog writing is as pure me as it gets."
Links mentioned:
"Dead Ringer" by Jessie Rosen
"Daily Ritual: How Artists Work" on Amazon
Connect with Jessie:
David Talley is an internationally recognized photographer, director, and producer operating out of Portland, OR. His works exhibit the darkest moment before an explosion of light, a story broken, but changed for the better, and the ability to transform the present problem in to a prospering future. David is the founder and creative director of the world's largest photographic collaboration event, Concept Collaboration.
If you missed Part 1, click here to listen!
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/davidtalley2
In this episode, David discusses:
-How sharing your single sentence with people that you care about allows them to hold you accountable for the things that you believe in.
-How more than art, he wants to be able to help people.
-How he balances his time, working hard and then playing hard, along with the concept of sabbath.
-The importance of having some "zest" to your life.
-The Pareto principle and how it applies to him and other artists.
-His greatest inspirations: God, J.J. Abrams and Gregory Crewdson.
-The origins of Concept Collaboration and how it helped many artists and photographers to work together and share resources.
-His ebook "The Single Sentence" and how it breaks down the process of developing your own single sentence and helped many people find vision and focus in their own creativity.
David's Final Push will inspire you to START TODAY, and create something every day for the next 30 days!
Quotes:
"If you want to be something and if you want to say that you're something, then go do something."
"The art that I create is a direct extension of the strongest parts of who I am."
"Who I am at my core is what feeds into my creativity, what feeds into my art, and what ultimately becomes what I produce and what people see of me."
"Go start today. Don't wait until tomorrow because you won't do it. Start today."
"If you want to take the next step in being who you want to be as an artist or a creative person, go take the first step today. Right now."
"Do your art every day for the next 30 days and it will destroy you in the best way. It will completely awaken who you are going to be."
"'Someday' is a very dangerous word."
Links mentioned:
"The Single Sentence" by David Talley (David's ebook!)
Gregory Crewdson (Wikipedia)
"The Gap" by Ira Glass
Connect with David:
Website / Facebook / Instagram
David Talley is an internationally recognized photographer, director, and producer operating out of Portland, OR. His works exhibit the darkest moment before an explosion of light, a story broken, but changed for the better, and the ability to transform the present problem in to a prospering future. David is the founder and creative director of the world's largest photographic collaboration event, Concept Collaboration.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/davidtalley
In this episode, David discusses:
-How his personality doesn't lend well with a normal job where he is told what to do.
-How many people are afraid of making money with their creative talents because they love it so much and don't want that love to disappear.
-His "single sentence" and how it applies to his creativity as well as his life in general.
-How if you want bad things to turn around, you have to seek out your "explosion of light."
-How his creativity was nurtured from a very young age.
-An important first experience photographing a sunrise in Hawaii.
-How many potentially creative people are idealistic so they never go out and create that first thing to get the ball rolling.
-How lack of structure as well as lack of deadlines holds many people (including David) back from actually creating work.
-How beginning a 365-day challenge gave him the structure and framework to actually take photographs and strive to get better, which actually began his career.
-How it is impossible not to grow when you do something every single day.
-The moment when he realized that he didn't have an answer for why he takes photographs and the way he found an answer, which ultimately led to his single sentence.
-One of his worst moments, when all of his camera gear was stolen, and how he was able to look at the situation from above to realize that in six months, everything would be much better.
-The power that comes from being able to step outside of situations and attempting to determine exactly what is going on and how your single sentence fits into it.
Quotes:
"I don't know if it's like this for other creative artists, but I have a problem with authority and I don' want to be told what to do."
"I was afraid of making money with my creative talents for a really long time."
"At the end of the day, if you're not failing in your art and learning, you're not growing."
"The sentence itself is the guidepost for everything I do and everything I create in terms of art and in terms of life."
"I'm just snapping photos and framing these images and I'm just dying inside. Like this is the best thing ever. I love this so much."
"I think the biggest thing that holds creative people back is a lack of structure and lack of a deadline."
"The first part was take a photo every single day for a year and the second part was try to get better every single day. With that, I found my calling as a photographer."
"As creatives, we love the idea of things, and we hate the idea of hard work. We need to combine the two into one so that we can get stuff done."
Links mentioned:
"The Single Sentence" by David Talley (David's ebook!)
Connect with David:
Website / Facebook / Instagram
Mattias is an incredible artist and illustrator from Sweden whose drawings feature infectious characters, fantastical worlds, sci-fi elements, and gentle, pleasing colors. His work has been seen in the New York Times, The Onion, and Spotify, just to name a few. He has released 4 personal books, and his book “The second in line, from the sketchbooks of Mattias Adolfsson won “Most beautiful Swedish book” in 2014, as well as several other awards.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/mattias
In this episode, Mattias discusses:
-His initial journey in the workforce as he discovered what his true artistic passions were.
-How his body physically told him that he could not work at the video game company after only a few days of working there.
-How it can be a shock when you start freelancing because you are used to a steady paycheck.
-The development and expansion of teams that work on video games going from a close-knit team of a few people to very large teams of hundreds of people.
-How his only real hurdle in terms of creating things is his lack of time to create personal art.
-How he actually gets excited if his plane gets delayed, because it gives him more time to create.
-How his time with his sketchbook is like spending time in his own sanctuary.
-His hardest time creatively when he quit his job at the video game studio.
-How many artists wonder if they would be able to make the leap into a full-time career with their art and how scary it is to make that jump.
-One of the deciding factors in him quitting his job was when one of his coworkers described himself as "elite."
-How his brain and body already made the decision for him to quit.
-How his best creative moments are when he is able to meet his fans.
-How having children really taught him to appreciate what little time he has and to make better use of it.
-The power in shutting off your phone in order to get work done (or breaking it!)
-How creativity brings him a sense of calmness in his life.
-His love for music and how electronic music is more international and universal than other forms of music.
Mattias's Final Push will inspire you to start thinking about perhaps taking the leap into a creative career!
Quotes:
"I just filled up the sketchbooks with doodles."
"My body just said "No, I can't continue making video games."
"The older you get, the more sluggish your brain becomes."
"I really feel that I have to create something personal each day."
"It's almost like the sketchbook is a kind of sanctuary for me."
Links mentioned:
MUSI 112: Listening to Music (Open Yale Courses)
"Pump up the Volume: The History of House Music" (Youtube)
Connect with Mattias:
Rik Garrett is a photographer and artist from Chicago who utilizes analog photographic processes to explore themes surrounding the invisible. His latest book, “Earth Magic” is a collection of photographs taken with an antique camera that explore witchcraft, the female form, and nature.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/rik
In this episode, Rik discusses:
-How he was influenced by his mother, who was also a photographer.
-How he took all of the images in his series "Earth Magic" using the wet plate collodion process.
-All of the challenges that come with taking photographs with an antique camera and developing process.
-Why he enjoys taking photographs with the wet plate collodion process even if it means more time, planning, and moving pieces.
-Embracing the "mistakes" that occur as serendipitous events that can possibly tie the piece together.
-How he often publishes "outtakes" on his social media pages.
-How he is sometimes caught off guard by what people resonate with, especially if it is something he did on a whim.
-His interest in witchcraft and the occult, but more broadly his interest in the unexplained.
-How "Earth Magic" was his attempt to imagine a documentation of witchcraft and outsider women as photography was being invented.
-How he made a book of inspiration, using photos and other sources to develop the theme that he wanted to create with his photographs... and then put his own photos into it as well.
-How being obsessive about your art can sometimes be helpful in terms of remaining focused and getting things done.
-How he has a tendency to overthink things and how this can end up slowing down his work.
-How deadlines always ensure that he is putting in the time and effort to get the work done.
Rik's Final Push will inspire you to GO OVERBOARD and DIVE IN!
Quotes:
"It's a hurry-up-and-wait kind of situation."
"I just instinctively go for the tactile aspect of photography."
"The serendipity of this mistake is actually what makes the image more compelling."
"There are a few of my photographs that ended up in the book that I think wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if there hadn't been some mistake that had happened there that tied everything together."
"I would always go to the areas of unexplained things, and I think that has influenced my artwork."
"There's this whole history of occult thought and knowledge. It's this wealth of creative information that you can draw on. It's fascinating to me."
"For a long time I saw it as a side interest, not really connected with my artwork.
"I wanted to be a part of those histories in a way."
"You can always hone and tweak something for the rest of your life and never quite finish it or call it 'done.'"
"Allow yourself to really sink into the world you are trying to get out there."
Links mentioned:
"Earth Magic" by Rik Garrett
Connect with Rik:
Website / Facebook / Instagram
Pascal Campion is a prolific French-American illustrator and animator from the San Francisco whose clients include: DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Pictures, Disney Feature, Disney Toons, Cartoon Network, Hulu, and PBS. Working in the animation industry for over 15 years, currently he is the Art Director for the Netflix/Warner Bros “Green Eggs and Ham” series. His feature work includes Visual Development of "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" and "The Penguins of Madagascar." Pascal also has worked with Marvel Comics since 2013 and has steadily posted over 3,000 images of personal work to his “Sketches of the Day” project since 2005.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/pascal
In this episode, Pascal discusses:
-How he started his "Sketch of the Day" project.
-His advice to anyone struggling to do the work every day, to take it one step at a time.
-How if you are impatient with your art, it is something that you can work on with your daily practice.
-The importance of finishing a drawing, because your brain starts to recognize the beginning, middle, and end of creating a piece of art, and if you don't finish the piece, you don't recognize those landmarks.
-How as you create art and get better, your goals change as you continue to learn more and more.
-How many of his less-favorite pieces end up being more popular than the ones he loves the most.
-How you can compare yourself to other talented artists, but they might be comparing themselves to you as well.
-His advice for people who might be afraid to draw or paint everyday scenes.
-A story about the time he watched a duck for 20 minutes.
-How when you are younger you want to be someone else, but as you get older you grow to accept who you are.
-How hard it is when you are young (or even older) and you are told to “be yourself,” when you don’t know exactly who you are.
-The beauty of being able to recognize that you are changing as an artist and a human being.
-Being able to let go of things you are good at for the sake of progressing, especially if those things found success.
-What it is like for him to get into the “zone,” and how it is like deep-sea diving.
-When he gets into a flow state, how it feels as if he is a conduit for something else, and how he is just there to help it along.
-The importance of staying physically fit and the relationship that it can have with your art and creativity.
Pascal's Final Push will inspire you to start drawing whatever you are thinking a feeling, right now!
Quotes:
"I have a hard time doing an image without telling a story."
"After a few minutes, I have this nervous energy where I just want to get to the end really quickly."
"Patience and the amount of time that you can sit down and draw is something that you can work on. It's like running. It's like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the better you get at it."
"If you don't finish a drawing, you don't get those landmarks in your head."
"If you actually put yourself through the paces of finishing a drawing, your brain is going to create a grid: This is the beginning, this is the middle, and this is the end. You'll have an idea of the trip that you're going to be taken on."
"Always finish your drawing. The more you finish, the more you understand the whole process and the easier it is to get it done. If you keep starting and not finishing your drawings, you will never get the map in your head of the amount of work it takes to get a drawing done."
"I get incredible pleasure from creating images. Even if they are bad, the actual process of it is fun to me."
"As long as you enjoy it, it's going to show in the drawing."
"When I turned 30, things got a whole lot easier in my life because I wasn't trying to become something else anymore."
“The more you keep saying you’re going to do something when you have time, the less likely you are to do it.”
“There’s no better time than NOW to do what you want to do.”
“The ME of ten years ago would not do the same drawings as me now, even if we were at the same technical level.
“My best days of drawing are often when I’ve done a lot of physical exercise.”
Connect with Pascal:
Bo is a television writer who got his start and first two scripts on the Disney Channel’s hit show “Good Luck Charlie.” His next writing job came on the Netflix Original “Richie Rich,” a sitcom remake of the classic comic book.
In between those jobs, he raised $12,000 on Kickstarter to produce his own animated show, “Pearly Gates,” which was released in February 2015. Bo graduated from Fairfield University in 2006 and was born and raised in Portland, Maine.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/bo
In this episode, Bo discusses:
-His creative journey from college until the point that he is at now.
-How his first forays into writing were treated like a "secret hobby."
-How he had to convince his friend, Matt, to join him in creating writing as a career by using a Fairly Brothers clip.
-How he took matters into his own hands while working on "Good Luck Charlie," by giving the showrunners his card and making sure they remembered him.
-The idea behind "Pearly Gates" and his reason for creating it.
-The process of creating a new show and hiring other creatives to do work on it.
-How there are two ways to make your ways through the ranks as a screenwriter.
-The importance of writing down all of your ideas so that you can develop them later.
-The importance of knowing the finalized form you want your art to take.
-How you should complete the work you start, so it might be helpful to start with smaller projects in the beginning that you will be able to see all the way through.
-How to properly look at criticism and use that criticism to help you.
-How to deal with writer's block (by forcing yourself to write consistently every day).
-His advice for someone who wants to get their script out there that has a full-time job or full-time responsibilities that can't pick up their life and move to Los Angeles.
-How to figure out if the criticism you receive is merited or not.
-The importance of having people that you can trust who can look at your work.
Quotes:
"I wanted to just make something. Because I had been writing and writing and writing, which is fun. But after awhile you want to actually see your work living."
"The more that you write down, the more that it takes on a life of its own."
"The more I wrote, the more that stuff came to me."
"It really is important having a life outside of your craft because that is where all the ideas come from."
"It never gets easy but it gets easier."
Links mentioned:
Farrelly Brothers' RWU Commencement Speech