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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: September, 2017
Sep 28, 2017

Shawny Sheldon is an artist who is inspired by nature and quirky whimsical stuff.

She forged a path for herself as a high school art teacher, and she has been teaching for twenty five years.  She is also the creator of Lily the Hedgehog.

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

In this episode, Shawny discusses:

-Her poor eyesight as a child and how it affected her as an artist.

-Some of her other early influences like her father, water, New York City, and the great masters.

-The experience of going to California.

-The decision she made when faced with the choice between the commercial route and teaching.

-Her decision to forge forward with her goals, even when people told her that she couldn’t find a job as an art teacher.

-The influence that teachers and professors have and why they shouldn’t be discouraging.

-The fears that she had in starting her Instagram account and participating in Inktober.

-Creating Lily the Hedghog, and how she became a symbol of strength.

-Learning to let go of perfect.

-Her creative relationship with her son.

-Some of the most important messages she attempts to teach her students, not just about art, but about life.

Shawny's Final Push will encourage you to find your bliss station – your space and time to do your artwork.

 

Quotes:

“I was just set in my way that this was what I was going to do.  And I did it!”

“If you are supposed to be doing something, you can feel it in your body.”

“Teachers have great power.  And they can abuse it.”

“When things don’t go right in your life, it’s actually a new opportunity for you to reinvent something or for you to be better at something.”

“Perfectionism is not about being meticulous.  It’s about fear.”

“You woke up in the morning.  You’re here.  You have a gift.  You have the gift of today.”

Links mentioned:

Inktober

Keith Haring

Connect with Shawny:

Instagram

 

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 25, 2017

Noah Bradley is an American artist, known best for his work on Magic: The Gathering cards, as well as his The Sin of Man project.

He is also well-known as the guy who told everyone "don't go to art school.  As a supplement to that advice, he founded Art Camp to help art students all over the world learn to make better art.

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

In this episode, Noah discusses:

-The list that he made of things he wanted to do with his life, and why he chose “artist.”

-His experience at RISD and VCU.

-How he decided to become a landscape and environment artist.

-The confusion, disappointment, and excitement that he felt when people started responding to his landscape work.

-Being plagued with the desire to move onto another piece as opposed to finishing the one he is working on.

-His experience working for Wizards of the Coast and doing art for Magic: The Gathering.

-Why he gave away free prints at Illuxcon and what that did for his art career.

-The difficulty he has in scheduling his life and knowing where he is going to be the next day.

-Why he believes that people should not pay for art school.

-His advice for people who have difficulty keeping self-imposed deadlines and holding themselves accountable.

-The importance of making your creative passion a habit (especially in the morning) so that you can take the decision-making process out of it.

-Finding an external source to hold you accountable.

-Quitting social media and what has happened since.

-His personal project, “The Sin of Man.”

Noah's Final Push will make you realize that as long as you put the time and hard work in, you can reach your creative goals too!

 

Quotes:

“For my own happiness, I can’t just sit around and not make something.  If at the end of the day I don’t have something tangible in my hands or on a screen that I made, I don’t feel happy about how productive I was that day.”

“Just go for it.  Whatever happens to click for you is the thing that you should be pursuing.  And it’s often not the thing that you originally set out to do.”

“Find ways to make it a habit rather than a decision.”

Links mentioned:

How I Became an Artist by Noah Bradley

Don't Go To Art School by Noah Bradley

Art Camp

The Sin of Man

Connect with Noah:

Website / Art Camp

On the next episode:

Shawny Sheldon : Instagram

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 21, 2017

Chrilz is a contemporary artist whose work focuses on human nature -- our experiences, our relationships, and our emotions.

Everything Chrilz creates is in a Neo-Figurative Expressionist style that uses the human form as its vessel.  Through color, line, geometry, and realizm, he is constantly seeking to visually express this severely emotional, dynamic life.  Every pieces is both formal and conceptual in a very intentional way, all of which serving the ultimate goal of expression.

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

In this episode, Chrilz discusses:

-His experience at college and determining which path he wanted to devote his time and energy towards.

-Getting together with Michelle Tanguay and what that did for his outlook on a creative life.

-What to do when you don’t have a creative framework in your life.

-His grandmother’s advice that you need to stop saying you want to become an artist and just say that you are an artist.

-Being inspired by the talented artists in the Detroit area.

-How you can simply “cold call” someone you look up to.

-How he is so intentional with his art.

-How artists don’t create artwork, they beget it because it is such a big part of you.

-Finding contentment from creating something honest that pleases you, not someone else.

-How he developed his style.

-Being conscious of what he is doing and what he is saying with his art.

-The importance of writing down ideas for later exploration.

-His writing and his “conceptual statements” that go along with his pieces, and how he is often unsure of whether they come from himself, his art, or the figure in his art.

Chrilz' Final Push will force you to ask yourself 'Who am I?  What am I doing?  and Why am I doing it?'

 

Quotes:

“Keep doing it if it’s bringing you that joy and you still feel that passion for it.”

“If you put it off until tomorrow, it’s never going to happen.”

“Be honest with yourself.  Be honest with the artist that was built within you.”

“As an artist, you don’t create artwork, you beget artwork.  It is such a large piece of you.”

“Make something honest and then put it out there.”

Links mentioned:

Chrilz' Art Prize Page

Michelle Tanguay

Francis Bacon

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Connect with Chrilz:

Website / Instagram / Art Prize

On the next episode:

Noah Bradley: Website

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 18, 2017

Amanda Giacomini has dedicated her life to uplifting people and creating more beauty in the world through yoga and art. From teaching yoga at the White House to presenting at some of the biggest yoga festivals, conferences and Asian Art museums in the world, Amanda infuses the ancient teachings with creativity and joy. Her journey in yoga began in 1994, and she continues to study with many great Indian and Western masters.

In 2001, along with her husband, MC YOGI, she founded Yoga Toes Studio in Point Reyes, CA. She has been featured in Yoga International, Origins, Marin Magazine, Happiness + Wellbeing as well as appearing the cover of Yoga Journal and Mantra Magazine. As an artist, she created an award winning series of children’s books, called Mo's Nose, that feature her beloved rescued pit bull, Mo, as the main character. She has a catalog of paintings inspired by her yoga and spiritual practice. Currently she is working on a project to paint 10,000 Buddhas. 

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/10000buddhas

In this episode, Amanda discusses:

-The story of how her massive 10,000 Buddhas project started.

-How committing to a large project helped to creatively anchor herself down and thus get to a flow state more easily.

-How her painting is similar to rehearsing for a dance performance, where she doesn’t have to think about the movements after doing it so often.

-The experience of completing her ten-thousandth Buddha.

-Her practice of yoga and how it relates to her art.

-How she has now developed (and embraced) a new identity of “10,000 Buddhas.”

-How she avoided repetition by changing the scale, medium, and colors.

-Her creative relationship with her husband, MC Yogi.

-Some of the synchronistic things that have happened in her creative life.

-How she used to start projects and never finish them, and her advice for people who might struggle with a similar experience.

-How a creative journey is a cyclical one, with many ups and downs.

Amanda's Final Push will remind you that your creativity is an integral part to you having a well-rounded life.

 

Quotes:

“It started with a little seed of curiosity.”

“I think there was something about committing to a big project and a big number that helped me get to that flow state.”

“I had tears of joy that day that I made a commitment to the goal and I had kept it.”

“That sense of curiosity is important to me as an artist.”

Links mentioned:

Book Tour / Events

MC Yogi

Youngman Brown on The Pawprint Podcast

Connect with Amanda:

Website / Facebook / Instagram

On the next episode:

Chrilz : Website / Instagram

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 14, 2017

J.T. is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen critically acclaimed novels, including What Lies Behind, When Shadows Fall, and All the Pretty Girls, and is the coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter.

With over a million books in print, Ellison’s work has been published in twenty-five countries and thirteen languages. Her novel The Cold Room won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original and Where All The Dead Lie was a RITA® nominee for Best Romantic Suspense. She is also the author of multiple short stories.

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

In this episode, J.T. discusses:

-Her time living and working in Washington D.C. and how she thought that was the path she was going to go down.

-How reading John Sanford inspired her to get back to her own writing and to give it a shot.

-The memory of sitting down to write after eight years of not writing.

-Her advice for people who have had a long hiatus from their writing or art, to just do it.

-For people who have full-time gigs, to find an hour of time to put towards their calling.

-How people know how to budget their money to save up for a vacation, but they don't think of their time with creativity the same way.

-How her thesis advisor told her she "wasn't good enough" to get published, and how that voice remained in her head for years (and still does).

-Her advice for anyone who has received negative feedback and can't get that voice out of their head.

-The importance of having a critique group or some friends or colleagues that will give you honest feedback without tearing you down.

-One of her hardest times creatively, when she actually thought she was going to quit, and how "The Artist's Way" brought her out of it and realized that she needed to pivot and write something different.

-How you should not leave behind "half-eaten sandwiches," or half-finished stories.

-How it is important to be honest and explain to loved ones why you need to spend time doing your creative passion and what it brings to your life.

J.T.'s Final Push will inspire you to approach your creativity with reckless abandon!

Quotes:

"I think everybody goes to D.C. thinking they're going to change the world."

"I sat down and I started to write.  I wrote a paragraph, hit period, and I started to cry.  Because that was it.  I had come home."

"Something was wrong.  I was good at what I did but I hated every minute of it.  I hated getting up in the morning.  I hated going to work.  I hated going to sleep at night because then I had to get up and do it the next day.  If you are feeling that, you need to step away.  Life is just too short to be miserable in your work and in what you do."

"Writing is not easy.  It is not an easy path.  There are a lot of obstacles in the way, but any creative outlet whether you're a writer, a painter, or a poet... you have to just do it."

"You can find an hour to do anything."

"Fifteen minutes a day, write 250 words.  You will have a novel by the end of the year.  It's totally doable."

"That's why I didn't write for eight years.  Because somebody told me I wasn't good enough."

"If you can understand why a story is appealing on a broad level, you can fix your own."

"Voice can't be taught.  Voice is something unique to every writer.  And Voice is something that comes when you trust yourself."

"Learn how to structure and build a story and then let yourself go.  The voice will come."

"A bad day writing is better than a good day doing anything else."

"The problem with being a writer is that it takes a lot of introspection."

"All creatives are selfish.  And you have to be selfish and you have to be able to respect your time."

"It's very threatening for the spouse or parent of a creative person to see you finding satisfaction in something that's not them."

Links mentioned:

"No One Knows" by J.T. Ellison

"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron

Connect with J.T.:

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

On the next episode:

Amanda Giacomini : Website / Instagram

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 11, 2017

Megan Auman is a designer, metalsmith, educator, and entrepreneur who has built a a multi-faceted business around her passion for art, commerce, and visual content creation.

Megan splits her time between running her eponymous jewelry line and teaching the intersection of art and business on Designing an MBA.

A best-selling CreativeLive instructor, her designs have been featured in Elle Decor, Better Homes & Gardens, Cooking Light and on top-rated blogs like Design*Sponge.

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

In this episode, Megan discusses:

-Her creative education in metalsmithing.

-How platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are tailor-made for visual artists.

-Some of the mistakes that people make on Instagram and Pinterest, like being overly promotional (or not promotional enough).

-Her tactic of using professional images alongside conversational dialogue.

-The ratio you should be sharing of personal pictures versus pictures of your work.

-How you should feel free to repost old work as well as share things that are sold out.

-Why so many creators get frustrated and give up on Pinterest (and why they shouldn’t).

-How you can utilize Instagram and Pinterest in tandem.

-Thinking about Pinterest as a search engine.

-How to turn your followers on Instagram and Pinterest into customers and sales.

-The importance of having an optimized website.

-Getting into a mindset as a businessperson if you are looking to make money from your art.

-Starting a mailing list.

-How she balances her time between her business, her art, and her teaching by separating them.

-“Marketing mornings.”

-Designing an MBA and her Creative Live courses.

Megan's Final Push will remind you to treat your creativity like an athlete would treat their sport!

 

Quotes:

“My motto is ‘professional images, conversational copy.’”

“If you’re not consuming a lot of the visual culture that’s happening online, it’s hard to turn around and create your own.”

“On Pinterest, it’s about reaching critical mass.”

“You don’t know if it’s going to sell unless you put it up for sale.”

“Selling online is hard and if you are struggling you are so not alone.”

Links mentioned:

What you need to know about the Pinterest lag (and how to get past it to find success on Pinterest)

What to post on Instagram when you're a maker, artist, or designer (and how to share your work without feeling overly promotional)

Viraltag

Tailwind: Pinterest & Instagram Marketing, Scheduling & Analytics Tool

Connect with Megan:

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

On the next episode:

Amanda Giacomini : Website / Instagram

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 7, 2017

Martin Thomas Smyczek II is a sustainability advocate/entrepreneur, musician, and an all around creator of things who aims to positively change the world.

He is a Reuse Artist who uses societies discarded, wasted, and over-consumed trash as his medium in an attempt to inspire others to RETHINK how we live.

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

In this episode, Martin discusses:

-How he became initially inspired to be a reuse artist.

-Some of the struggles that he has to deal with as a reuse artist that other artists don’t have to worry about, such as sourcing materials.

-What his living situation is like with all of his materials and current work.

-How he is inspired by having his recycled materials around him, “staring at him.”

-“Project Z” – the portrait that he is making of Zaria Forman using her discarded latex gloves.

-The initial intimidation that he felt in reaching out to Zaria, and the slight panic he felt when she actually responded with an enthusiastic “yes.”

-Some of the daily resistances that he faces.

-His advanced glaucoma and how that affects the way he looks at his art and his life.

-Advice for people who want to incorporate more re-use in their own lives or in their own art.

Martin's Final Push will inspire you to JUST DO IT!

 

Quotes:

“I really want what I do – art, life, business, work – to all incorporate some sort of positivity.”

“It’s the most challenging piece that I’ve done to date.”

“There’s a privilege that I have to be here and do what I’m doing.  Hopefully what I do is a positive and inspires other people to rethink how they live.”

“It’s not like you’re taking one massive step.  You have to take a hundred small steps to get there.”

“If you just force yourself to start doing something, you’ll find that once you start doing it, you’ll want to do it more and you won’t want to stop.”

Links mentioned:

Zaria Forman on Your Creative Push

Connect with Martin:

Website / Facebook / Instagram

On the next episode:

Megan Auman : Website / Instagram / Facebook

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Sep 4, 2017

Rob DiTeodoro is an artist who manages to find a way to balance his time between his art, his family, and his full-time job.  He bears his soul with his vibrant and psychedelic style, and his work ethic sets him apart from someone who is merely trying to make a hobby out of their art.

Rob is soon turning his art into his full-time profession.

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

In this episode, Rob discusses:

-A signifying moment of painting a “D.”

-The frustration that can come as a result of “The Gap.”

-The fixed mindset versus the growth mindset.

-AICT: Ass In Chair Time.

-His family’s decision to get rid of the TV and all of the time that he found as a result.

-How he makes time for himself in the morning by waking up at 4AM and working for three hours before work every single day.

-The importance of a morning routine and also setting things up for yourself the night before.

-How he balances his time between his art, his job, and his family.

-Quitting drinking and anything else that wasn’t helpful in his pursuit to become an artist.

-Dealing with imposter syndrome.

-His advice to have multiple pieces going at the same time so that you always have something that you can dive into.

-How his style began to develop when he started drawing on pieces of paper that he could just throw out if he didn’t like it.

-His advice to not bring an eraser to your sketchbook because the sketchbook is meant for you to screw up.

-How he uses binaural beats to get him in a proper mood to create.

-The role the psychedelics have played in his art and his life.

Rob's Final Push will remind you to not have any expectations for your creativity and to just play around!

 

Quotes:

“I could draw, but I still never felt like I was an artist.  Like it was a trick or something.”

“Time’s running out.  You shouldn’t be looking to kill it.”

“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

“Routine is everything.”

“I’ve got too many ideas to spend more than a week on one of them.”

Links mentioned:

“The Gap” by Ira Glass

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work by Steven Pressfield

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss

The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer

Cory Allen

The Astral Hustle

Terence McKenna: "Nature Loves Courage"

Connect with Rob:

Instagram

On the next episode:

Martin Thomas Smyczek II : Website / Instagram

Join the discussion in the Facebook group!

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