Melissa Sue Stanley is a Chicago artist, working in a variety of media to create paintings and soft sculptures. Her work is collected internationally and has been exhibited in galleries across the US.
Max Bare is a Chicago artist and designer. He creates and self-publishes comic series Mystery Afoot, Sour Milk and the upcoming Scally-Ho!
Together Melissa and Max collaborate on fun projects such as handmade zines, murals, and live-painting. Their current project is a comic book series for local brewery, Revolution Brewing. They also manage and host the Chicago Drink & Draw Social Club.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/202
In this episode, Melissa & Max discuss:
-How they choose which mediums to work in and how they balance them all at the same time.
-The value in your Patreon patron’s opinions as well as your closest fans.
-Max’s journey and what it took to get him to quit his job and become a full-time freelance artist.
-What led them to create comics for Revolution Brewery.
-Hosting their Drink & Draw group.
-Being on a panel at C2E2.
-Collaborations and the difference between working with other people and working with each other.
-Knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
-Their advice for getting out there and finding people to collaborate with.
-Taking matters into your own hands if there isn’t a local meetup group in order to find people to collaborate with.
-Tackling the feeling of needing permission to do the things that you want to do.
-Being motivated by the fear of having to go back to your old job.
-The realization that you’ll feel better mentally the more time you invest into your creative passion.
-Designing their home to be a work space in which they are always surrounded by their projects, and how that helps them to maintain a creative lifestyle.
-Melissa’s plan to save up money to pursue her passion and the mantra she told herself, “There is no montage.”
-Max’s encouragement to just keep creating, even if what you are creating isn’t good, just keep pushing through those bad drawings.
Quotes from Melissa:
“It’s been really great for me because I’m getting into a world that I’ve always wanted to experience and be a part of, and I have a really great helper getting me get into it.”
“If you’re living somewhere and you can’t find that group of people, then you should really try to start it.”
“The focus of our home is just all work space.”
“There is no montage.”
Quotes from Max:
“I got wrapped up in a lot of these bright lights that were steering me off this path.”
“It was also a really good relationship test, us butting our creative heads.”
“If you want to do that thing, just do it anyway. Just keep doing it and if you’re good enough at it, then eventually someone will pay you.”
“This notion of just do it anyway was the propulsion for me for the past five years.”
“If there’s a certain passion that you want to follow or an idea that you want to put out there, just try to get it out there as soon as you can.”
“You have to live through all of this to get to where you’re going, so you might as well live it.”
Links mentioned:
Your Creative Push Facebook Group
Connect with Melissa:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon
Connect with Max:
Website / Instagram / Tumblr / Twitter
On the next episode:
Ann Rea is a San Francisco-based artist and the founder of Artists Who THRIVE. Her artistic talent is praised by her mentor, Wayne Thiebaud, an American art icon.
She has been featured in Fortune, The Wine Enthusiast, and Art Business News magazines, in The San Francisco Chronicle, in the book Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields, and on HGTV, ABC, and The Good Life Project.
She is also a favorite instructor on Creative Live's "Money and Life" channel, broadcasting to over one million students worldwide.
Ann is the creator of "The MAKING Art Making MONEY Semester ®," eight foundational online business and marketing courses. Her students study with fellow artists from around the globe via live video calls within a welcoming and supportive community.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/annrea
In this episode, Ann discusses:
-How she became the “artist mentor” accidentally.
-How the press she received brought artists to her, seeking help, and that is what set her on the path to helping them sell their art without feeling like a sell-out.
-Stereotypes like “starving artist” and how they negatively affect the opinion and motivation of artists.
-All of the positive changes that occurred in her art and in herself once she started getting paid for it.
-Knowing exactly how much money you want to make, and by when.
-The importance of writing down your goals and your plan.
-What do you want, precisely? How are you going to get it? And who can help you?
-What an artist’s plan to make money should be comprised of.
-Dr. E’s sagely words that every entrepreneur is an artist and every artist is an entrepreneur.
-How she would rather be pulled toward something than to push herself toward it.
-Knowing the difference between your goal and your overall mission.
-A synchronistic event that she considers to be a “magical intervention” that got her to paint again.
-Her words of encouragement for people who might be suffering from things such as depression, anxiety, or insomnia as a result of not pursuing their creative passions.
-The power of exercise and a healthier diet.
-How if you don’t schedule your creative passion, then there is a significant chance that you won’t get to it.
Ann's Final Push will inspire you to find the thing that PULLS you – what do you stand for and what do you stand against?
Quotes:
“The press is what really brought other artists to me. They were looking for help on how to sell their art without feeling like a sell-out.”
“There are cultural messages about making art and making money. Those messages were distorting the thinking and the confidence of artists unnecessarily. I really wanted to set the record straight.”
“We could probably sit here for a good hour and list all of the negative stereotypes that are thrust upon artists. Unfortunately a lot of artists swallow these stereotypes and then they spread them amongst themselves.”
“A plan to sell art without a plan is a plan to sell no art.”
“Your plan is kind of like a compass more than it is a roadmap. You just want to make sure that you’re pointed in the right direction.”
“Instead of focusing on what’s holding me back or what’s bogging me down, I spend a considerate amount of effort remembering my mission.”
“This is not a dress rehearsal. If you’re not happy, you need to start to bust a move, and move in the right direction.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Ann:
On the next episode:
Are you scared to create some of the ideas that pop in your head?
Are they too big? Too small? Already been done? Never been done? Don't know how to do it? What will people think of you if you created this scary idea?
In today's episode, Youngman takes a look at the reasons why you never seem to get ideas, why you might be too scared to bring the ideas that you do get into existence, and the five EASY steps to change that pattern.
Get the courage and creative inspiration to finally start creating those scary ideas!
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/scaryideas
Quotes:
"Ideas are fleeting. They're like dreams -- if you don't have a habit of writing them down, you will totally forget them."
"Ideas come with excitement. You get that idea and sometimes your heart can skip a beat. That excitement can really spur an idea on, kind of like hitting a ball up in the air with a paddle. That idea has a life and a movement to it. So keep hitting that ball and keep it moving before that excitement disappears."
"Let the idea take you for a ride."
"That transition from a thought in your mind to a thought written down on paper is harmless. It is not going to kill you if you write down a stupid idea."
"You never know where those ideas are going to take you. You've just gotta let them take you somewhere."
Links mentioned:
YCP Episode 187 with Tom Harold
YCP Episode 40 with Julie Zantopoulos
YCP Episode 188 with Kelly Killagain
YCP Episode 186 with Andrew T. Kearns
YCP Episode 139 with Lisa Congdon
On the next episode:
Ann Rea : Website / Making Art Making Money
Agnieszka Pilat is an award-winning, Polish-born artist who studied painting and illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA. Her works can be found in public and private collections in United States, Poland, Canada and China. She currently lives and maintains a full time studio in San Francisco and is represented by numerous galleries throughout United States.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/pilat
In this episode, Agnieszka discusses:
-How The Hills Have Eyes graphic novel played a role in inspiring her to become an artist.
-One of her earliest creative moments in which she drew all over her childhood walls.
-How she doesn’t believe in the words “inspiration” and “talent.”
-Laziness and the difficulty she sometimes has to just start.
-How athletes put their sneakers next to their bed so that they can get right into the flow, and how creative people should do the same.
-The importance of habits and rituals.
-Her fascination with time and how it plays a role in her art.
-The differences between her series Disrupt and Time, Deconstructed.
-How she has committed to painting her cousin as she ages for the rest of her life.
-The metaphor of your day being like a human life – when you wake up you are a baby and when you go to bed you are elderly.
-The importance of finding small amounts of time throughout your busy day and how all of that time adds up to something substantial.
-What Agnieszka’s cousin thinks about being the subject of her long-term paintings.
-Her “number signature” and what it represents.
-A stumbling block that she has encountered when she works for too long on a particular piece, without walking away from it to “heal.”
-The five stages of creativity.
-One of her worst creative moments.
-Her best moment, selling her first big painting.
-Her advice for selling your first piece of art.
-Her formula for balancing her time as an artist.
Agnieszka's Final Push will make you understand that it’s not about thinking, it’s about DOING!
Quotes:
“I’m a very big believer in habits and rituals, so I very consciously designed habits and rituals that will push me towards things that will make me productive during the day.”
“When I start painting, I come very, very prepared, so there is no waste of time.”
“That’s something I need to work on – to be able to walk away and give myself time to heal from this and to be able to look at it with a fresh eye.”
“Those small steps, those small, unordinary things will bring you to a good place.”
“You have to get very comfortable learning how to tell people ‘No.’ -- ‘No, I don’t have time. I’m working. No, I can’t go out.’
Links mentioned:
The Hills Have Eyes Graphic Novel
Connect with Agnieszka:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Gold Gallery
Clark Huggins is a visual artist who combines imagery from his 13 years of experience as a theater actor with his lifelong love of fantasy, science fiction, and comics. In addition to his personal work, he has worked on several tabletop gaming properties, including ANDROID:NETRUNNER, CALL OF CTHULHU, and STAR WARS. His work has appeared in SPECTRUM, IMAGINE FX magazine, and INFECTED BY ART. Clark also works as a professional storyboard artist for film and television production, and has worked on them television series TRUE BLOOD, DAMAGES, and AMERICAN HORROR STORY. Clark is the creator of RECKLESS DECK, an idea generating card deck for artists looking to jumpstart their creativity.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/clarkhuggins
In this episode, Clark discusses:
-His journey as an illustrator, storyboard artist, actor, and waiter.
-Striking a balance between working for money and working towards personal projects and goals.
-His advice for people who have a job that is not only non-creative, but it also takes up most of their time.
-Seeing your creative passion as the thing that makes you a superhero.
-Some of the Resistances that used to hold him back in his creative process.
-His apprehension to the solitude of visual art and the comparison of that with acting.
-Attacking the canvas in a romantic way, and how he conquered this ineffective process.
-The importance of learning technique, especially when it comes to starting a new piece.
-How he came up with the idea for Reckless Deck.
-The permissiveness that Reckless Deck can give to someone who might be timid or unconvinced to create something “unconventional.”
-Some of the lessons he learned from the first failed Kickstarter attempt.
-His advice for someone who wants to start a Kickstarter fund.
-How he balances his time with all of the different projects he has going on as well as having a 20-month old son.
Clark's Final Push will inspire you to not be afraid to create something “sucky.” Work through your dumptrucks of dirt to find the gems!
Quotes:
“Use your time well. When you have downtime, make sure that you’re productive.”
“When you’re trying to build a career from some kind of art form, it’s almost like you’re a superhero. You have a secret identity that’s your day job and then at night you put on your costume and do your thing.”
“Be willing to make a mess. Be willing to put things together that don’t belong together. Enjoy the experience of making something, rather than worrying about whether it’s right or good enough or whether you should be doing it or not.”
“The deck is meant to inspire leaping before you look.”
“It doesn’t need to say something about you every time you pick up a pencil and open up your sketchbook.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Clark:
Website / Reckless Deck / Instagram
On the next episode:
Agnieszka Pilat : Website / Instagram / Gold Gallery
Gwenn Seemel is a full-time artist, portraitist, and free-culture advocate. Her beautiful, unique portraits as well as all of her other work is intentionally free from copyright.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/gwennagain
In this episode, Gwenn discusses:
-How her personal, creative, and professional life merge all into one.
-The pros and cons of separating your personal and creative life.
-Her battle with endometriosis and the story behind “Crime Against Nature.”
-How things like homosexuality within nature are much more prevalent than is reported scientifically, and how things like dressing flamboyantly, not having offspring, and having multiple sexual partners can be connected to animals.
-The origins of her decision to free all of her work from copyright.
-How creativity and copyright go hand in hand.
-How she got over the question of “am I special enough and why do I think I am allowed to do this?” and how focusing on portraiture helped her to put that specialness onto them.
-The importance of showing your work and connecting with other people, because it adds responsibility and accountability.
-Art can be self-expression or communication, and the differences between the two types of people, and how she tries to move between those two things.
-How marketing can be a creative outlet.
-One of her first creative moments and how a compliment from her brother (during intergalactic travels) really inspired her.
-How sometimes all it takes is just that ONE compliment from someone who gets it to keep you going.
-What it is like to make a portrait for someone and then give it to them.
-How she deals with what she calls “the stupids,” when everything you do seems to be bad.
-How some of her best moments come when she completes a project, whatever it may be.
-Art and creativity bring her the desire and ability to be in this world.
-How she is inspired by everyone around her, especially the people who she makes portraits for.
-To reframe the way you think about mistakes and actually embrace them.
-If you are viewing something as a mistake, it means that you are evolving and not remaining stagnant.
Gwenn's Final Push will inspire you to embrace the mistake, because the mistake is evidence that you did the thing in the first place.
Quotes:
“The work is what’s valuable to the world and it should be done in the best way possible.”
“I am the only one who can do it anyway, so I might as well completely release it into the world and have it be used.”
“Creativity is about taking elements from the world around you and from inside of you and mixing that all up and making something of it.”
“Any time you take risks, you’re going to have this crippling self-doubt sometimes.”
Resources mentioned:
Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz & Kathryn Bowers
What It Is by Lynda Barry
Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity by Lawrence Lessig
“Rip, A Remix Manifesto” (movie)
All About Love by Bell Hooks
Give And Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
The Myth of Choice: Personal Responsibility in a World of Limits by Kent Greenfield
Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights by Kenji Yoshino
Connect with Gwenn:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Uncopyright / Patreon
On the next episode:
Clark Huggins : Website / Reckless Deck
Seth and Andrew McMurry (Nukazooka) have been producing high-quality action shorts since 2011. Their polished films, riddled with special effects bring to life both current and nostalgic characters and worlds, like Super Mario Brothers, Pokemon, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Darth Vader, Buzz Lightyear, Minecraft, and Legos, just to name a few. To date, they have well over a million subscribers and over 350 million views on Youtube.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/nukazooka
In this episode, Nukazooka discusses:
-Their creative history and what made them to making the Nukazooka channel.
-The idea of making shorter videos, knowing that their audience on YouTube tends to prefer shorter content.
-The advantages of keeping a small, family-like crew.
-How all of Nukazooka’s videos started out as a question of “what if?”
-Where the “dark” aspects of their videos come from and their intentional contrast to the happy-go-lucky type of worlds that they use as the setting.
-The idea of competition and how it doesn’t need to be perceived as competition, rather, shared growth.
-The importance of staying grounded and being inspired by the fans that are inspired enough to create something because of them.
-Looking back at the following that you have gained and making sure to be appreciative of how far you have come.
-The importance of consistent, quality content.
-Staying familiar, but adding a twist.
-Not wanting to stay stagnant as creative people and as filmmakers and wanting to think bigger.
-The actual process of creating one of Nukazooka’s videos.
-Andrew’s process of editing after everything is filmed.
-Nukazooka’s doubts after filming “Mario Underworld.”
-The strategy of working on the beginning and the end first and then working the middle afterwards.
-Spending so much time on a particular project that you don’t know if it is good or bad because you are too close to it for too long.
-Dealing with haters.
-Treating their characters lovingly.
Nukazooka's Final Push will inspire you to do what you love and keep producing consistently.
Quotes:
“I never wanted visual effects to be a thing that identifies us.”
“We pride ourselves in the quality we put out and I feel like that’s what our fans expect, which is what we like. We start with the story first and then enhance them with the effects.”
“We try to do a lot with very little. Simplicity is super-underrated.”
“I want people to be successful. Because that’s what I would have wanted when I was starting out.”
“It was always important to us to make sure that we loved the videos, first and foremost. That we made videos that we would want to watch.”
“Every single upload we try to learn something new.”
“Editing is very important. Editing can really make something great.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Nukazooka:
Nicolás Uribe is a painter born in Madison, WI, currently based in Bogotá, Colombia. He graduated with Honors as an Illustration Major from School of Visual Arts in NY. Nicolás has had numerous solo exhibitions both in the US and South America, and has exhibited his work in Mexico, Spain, and Egypt, among other countries. He splits his time between preparing works for upcoming projects and teaching Life Drawing and Painting at the Fine Arts Faculty of the Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogotá. Nicolás is also part of the team at Blank Atelier in Bogotá, where he teaches workshops privately.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/nicolas
In this episode, Nicolás discusses:
-Some of his earliest artistic influences.
-The realization that he wasn’t good at creating comic books and the shift that he made as a result.
-The influence that his teachers have had on him, especially Steven Assael.
-How the fundamentals of painting are the same, no matter who is teaching them.
-The idea that art is taught within art and the problems that sometimes arise because of it.
-How to escape the influences of your teachers in order to develop your own style.
-The way that art is based on the things that YOU care about, and much less on the technical skills of making a piece of art.
-His advice for discovering your own true voice or style.
-Being able to be appreciative of other artists’ work instead of being envious.
-Taking inspiration from another artist’s journey, rather than their individual works.
-How your art doesn’t have to be larger than you think it has to be – it doesn’t have to make the world better or change the universe.
-His opinion on the “next Rembrandt” and trying to copy art.
-How human experience is what drives a great painting.
-The fear that comes from taking the first step in many of the things we do.
-His Kickstarter project and the vulnerability involved with it.
-How the projects that we do don’t have to be about making money, but about sharing, giving back, and creating something memorable.
Quotes:
“My one doubt, always, is to know if I have the same effect as my teachers had on me.”
“The effect my students have on me is probably far larger than the one I hope to have on them.”
“You can go to twenty workshops of twenty different artists and honestly, you’re going to hear the same exact thing.”
“That thing you’re feeling, that little thing in the pit of your stomach where you know that you’re suffering while you’re learning? We’ve all been through it.”
“Art is amazing because it’s about so much more – so many other things that are not really even dependent on those skills.”
“Let’s try to figure out why you like something, and in trying to figure out why you like something, you’re going to learn something about yourself that is far more useful than knowing how to paint an apple.”
“You have to get to a point where you face yourself and you’re vulnerable.”
“When you’re moved by something, don’t walk away from it.”
“That first step, that’s what exceptional people do. They take that huge first step.”
“This is measurable. I’m going to do this and if nobody cares, it’s like the world telling me that nobody cares about my work. That is horrifying.”
“I could care less what people will tell me about my painting. I would still go back and paint.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Nicolás:
Website / Facebook / Instagram
On the next episode:
Matt Kohr is a concept artist in the game industry and has worked at Motiga Games, Vicious Cycle Software, and Hi-Rez Studios. He is also the creator of the digital painting resource CtrlPaint.com.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/mattkohr
In this episode, Matt discusses:
-How his path was much less linear than it might seem on paper, and more of jumping in and getting in over his head and figuring it out as he went.
-The idea of setting a major goal and working towards it every day, and then being okay if the goal changes over time.
-The difficulty that he sometimes has identifying as a teacher.
-The value of communication.
-How learning to digitally paint for beginners can be difficult even though there is a lot of free information and tutorials out there. It’s a matter of where to start and in what order to consume things.
-Using your frustration for something that isn’t working as permission for you to do it yourself.
-How sometimes ignorance is bliss, and how sometimes it is better to not know how long and difficult a pursuit really will be.
-The approach that he takes with Ctrl+Paint to make the scary goal of learning to paint much more manageable for beginners.
-How beginner painters are in much more danger than intermediate painters.
-The idea of being working for someone else towards a goal that isn’t yours and that you don’t have complete control over.
-Maintaining focus on a central thesis that you set out for yourself and working towards it on a daily basis.
-Pewdiepie as an example of a rare case of personality overcoming an original thesis.
-His advice for people with no followers or few followers.
-The power in having a small, loyal following.
-The danger in using the amount of likes you get as a test for whether or not something was a terrible idea.
-His hesitancy to post his latest personal work online and why he chose to do it.
-Some of the day-to-day struggles of running Ctrl+Paint.
-How hard it is to start something and to get that momentum rolling.
Matt's Final Push will inspire you to just jump in and do it, even if you don’t have all the pieces lined up yet!
Quotes:
“It was really a series of me being overconfident and jumping into something, getting in over my head and then scrambling to make it work over and over and over.”
“Have one really strong goal and work towards it, but don’t expect to actually hit that precise thing. Art is so unpredictable and things are changing. It’s okay if that goal changes, because whatever it changes to could also be really exciting.”
“I’m not by any means the best painter, but I have been the most annoyed audience member.”
“That sense that something is wrong in the world and you could do it better is a really good feeling to act on. Because you’ve got the taste. Follow that hunch.”
“I think the beginner is in the most danger.”
“If you have a small audience that is dedicated to whatever you’re putting out into the world, you can totally make it work financially.”
“I think there really is something to having a vision and sticking to it and not overly relying on the popular feedback immediately.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Matt:
Website / LinkedIn / Twitter / ArtStation
On the next episode:
Amanda Stalter is self-taught artist from southern California. She began creating art in the spring of 2014 and shortly thereafter began exhibiting her work in local galleries. Now residing in Brooklyn, New York, Amanda has been featured in magazines, Books, and exhibited her work in both national and international galleries.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/amandastalter
In this episode, Amanda discusses:
-What set her on the path of becoming a visual artist.
-The inspiration that can be gained from people who have already walked down the difficult path of a creative career.
-Why she went down the path of a musician for so long.
-Some of the initial fears that she had upon making the jump to be a painter.
-Dealing with aspirations of grandeur.
-Handling lack of support from people that are closest to you.
-The importance of taking “baby steps” to achieve your audacious goals.
-Her best and worst moments as a creative person.
-How being a workaholic means that you have to turn down fun activities (and also have to remember to eat food).
-How music influences her more than people might know.
-The inspiration that she gained from J.K. Rowling.
-How you are only failing when you stop trying.
Amanda's Final Push will make you realize that you can let go of your fear of failure.
Quotes:
“I really felt like I was treading water half the time.”
“That’s when I realized that everything I wanted to be was completely tangible.”
“The thing that’s the best to me is waking up every day and knowing that I get to do what I’m fully passionate about for a living and I get to spend all the time in the world really devoting myself to what makes me happy.”
“There’s no rule book for being a creative person.”
“If you’re not happy, you’re doing it wrong. Period.”
“Art, in all its forms, is kind of like a rebellion. So looking for guidelines is silly.”
“It shouldn’t be called ‘failure.’ I think it should be called ‘attempts.’ I don’t think you’re ever really failing until you stop trying.”
“Your own internal fear is so much worse than what other people are going to think.”
Links mentioned:
Devotchka - Till The End of Time [YouTube]
La Bodega Gallery Renovation [GoFundMe]
Pencil Kings Episode 128 with Cat Rose
Your Creative Push Episode 172 with Cat Rose
Your Creative Push Episode 102 with Mitch Bowler
Connect with Amanda:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
On the next episode:
Matt Kohr : Website / Ctrl+Paint
Michael Thomas is the creator and owner of Linkup215, an entertainment, fashion, culture, and artist platform, and a company based out of Philadelphia. Aside from running his company, he is also a teacher and an author of an upcoming book, which he discusses in the episode.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/michaelthomas
In this episode, Michael discusses:
-How he and Jasmine Anderson had the vision to create Linkup215
-The importance of giving back to the community and to those less fortunate.
-Working with Philly Homeless and Sunday Breakfast.
-How he finds time to achieve all of his goals while still maintaining a job as a teacher.
-His love for writing, stemming from his father’s influence and Encyclopedia Brown.
-The vision for his upcoming book, A Boy with a Dream.
-Losing his initial outline for his book and how he dealt with it.
-The importance of not dwelling on the bad things that sometimes happen, because thinking about them for too long will keep you stagnant.
-How he attempts to capture the uniqueness of each of the individuals he interviews.
-How information is readily available for the young and the old – it’s just a matter of taking it.
Michael's Final Push will inspire you to go for your dreams no matter what!
Quotes:
“I find the time because I’ve got to make the time.”
“This book brings a lot out of me.”
“Something that you create, you just want more and more out of it.”
“Anything can happen in a year. That’s all it takes is one year. Your life can just turn around.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Michael:
Instagram Linkup215: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
On the next episode:
Kate Shaw is a Melbourne-based artist who creates landscapes that are simultaneously sublime and toxic. Formed out of ‘paint pours’ and collage techniques, her landscapes capture the transcendent beauty of nature. She has had many solo and group exhibitions and currently her work is touring to museums throughout Asia as part of the Asialink curated exhibition Vertigo.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/kateshaw
In this episode, Kate discusses:
-How she got to the point she is at today in her artistic career.
-The comfort and structure that a part-time job can provide while pursuing your creative passion on the side.
-How nothing stifles creativity more than having to worry about necessities like food and shelter.
-The power in finding a job that feeds into your creative passion.
-The importance of relaxing the body and silencing the mind in order to get to homeostasis.
-Tapping into the creative energy of the universe so that you can more effectively communicate with people around the world.
-Getting out into nature and unplugging from the daily demands of being a professional artist.
-The surprise that many artists and creative people have as they discover that by becoming a professional artist, they are also becoming a small business.
-The connection with nature in her art.
-What people can do in their everyday lives to help climate change.
-How she developed and invented her style.
-The resistances that occur when you are inventing something new.
-The strategy of putting something that you are struggling with aside until the next day.
-How asking too many opinions of your work gives your creative power away.
Kate's Final Push will inspire you to JUST DO IT!
Quotes:
“I find if the body is relaxed and the mind is relaxed, that’s when the creativity really opens up.”
“I really believe in flow rather than push.”
“It’s time and money. That’s all we have in our lives is time.”
“If I’ve been working on a painting for a long time and I don’t know what to do next, I just leave it and come back the next day. There’s something about fresh eyes.”
“You don’t want to be asking too many opinions because then you’re just giving all that away. You, yourself, actually know the best.”
“I think a lot of times people are just looking for reassurance because they are afraid. But they actually know themselves if it’s good or not good.”
Links mentioned:
The Ethical Guide to the Anthropocene (The Guardian)
Nestle and Deforestation (Greenpeace)
Connect with Kate:
Alex Cherry is an LA-based digital artist who blurs the lines between art and design. He draws his inspiration from film, music, and pop culture to make stunning images that will always make you think.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/alexcherryagain
In this episode, Alex discusses:
-The story behind his piece, "Starman" a tribute to David Bowie.
-Art versus design, and how we don't watch design the way we watch art.
-How to pursue your creativity by leaning on what you know, and for him that started with music.
-His first creative moments and his creative journey from there.
-How incredibly amazing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Nintendo are.
-How we are lucky to live in the time of the internet, and we should immerse ourselves in how easy it is to share and find new things.
-Kanye West and his polarizing character.
-Bret Easton Ellis's idea of "Post Empire."
-How many people have separate selves that they put forth on the internet.
-How having a character or a persona can give you a confidence you don't have with your actual identity.
-The issue of copying and how we have to get over it.
-The importance of thinking about new things every day.
-A recent negative experience he had and how it led to an "artistic PTSD."
-The story about how he met his fiance through his art.
-A rapper suggestion for Youngman Brown to help him with his insecurities about his own monotone voice.
-The last words his grandmother said to him, and the impact that it has on his life.
Alex's Final Push will grant you permission to create!
Quotes:
"It's always these pictures that take the least amount of effort that resonate the most with me, and other people."
"I love music, and for me it was an easy thing to do, to piece something together and to find a song to connect that to."
"We have the Internet and tumblr. Just immerse yourself in it and don't be afraid to take inspiration from it. Be ruthless about that."
"The creative world is the exact opposite of the real world."
"I heard that 90% of communication is non-verbal, and it's so true. We put too much value in words."
"It's not the what. It's the how."
"You never know in which ways you influence people or potentially change someones life. You may never find out about that."
"You have to be lovingly detached from the ego."
"The best way to not produce any work is to think about the identity of that work."
"Just create what you think the world needs."
"Celebrate the difference."
"So much of creativity is like capturing lightning in a bottle. You can't really control the lightning, so you have to create an environment to capture the lightning."
"You don't tell a tree how to grow. You just water it and then it grows. That's how creativity is."
Links mentioned:
Connect with Alex:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Victor Mosquera is a concept artist working in the entertainment industry. He currently works at Ubisoft Toronto and his list of clients include companies such as Universal Music, Tor Books, Orbit Books, Volta and One pixel brush.
In this episode, Victor discusses:
-How he forged his own path, even though becoming an artist in Colombia is difficult.
-The experience of learning from Nicolás Uribe.
-The idea of building your own tribe, learning from the people around you, and finding new opportunities along the way.
-Working with Seven Lions for his album art.
-How his style developed.
-How important his personal work is for him to detox.
-Having a “fuck it” mentality when it comes to creating your own personal work and wondering what other people are going to think.
-How sometimes it is okay to be the “master of none,” and to just experiment with new things – you never know what doorways will open up to you.
-The difference between having a carefree attitude and an attitude without cares.
-Becoming obsessed with art and working all night long, but having to be careful with that the older that he gets.
-How he balances his time and how the limited amount of time that he has also influences his changing style.
-The difference between making art and posting it to social media just to stay relevant and making measurable goals for yourself.
-Making a physical product and giving it away as a gift if nobody buys it.
Victor's Final Push will inspire you to use the energy that you have right now – you won’t have it forever!
Quotes:
“The important thing is to start doing it. Once you’re doing it, you can learn from your mistakes and improve on top of that.”
“I don’t think you choose a style. I think it’s a reflection of how you see life and how you see your work, and it happens organically.”
“For me, my personal work is like a detox.”
Links mentioned:
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Connect with Victor:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Tumblr / DeviantArt
Courtney Brooke is a photographer and conceptual artist who explores the ties of the feminine to nature and spirituality through the lens of nostalgia. Her works focus on the concrete questions that grapple with our existence and by emphasizing aesthetics, she creates work through the labor-intensive processes as a personal exorcism ritual.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/courtneybrooke
In this episode, Courtney discusses:
-What she means when she says that her art and photography is like a personal exorcism.
-How she ended up sharing her photographic work and building an audience accidentally.
-How her Instagram started as a personal account, and then eventually she started sharing her work on there.
-The importance of having your own website or your own “domain” where you make the rules.
-The notion of separate identities as an artist and as a person.
-Having an “elevator pitch” prepared so that you can describe to people what it is that you do.
-The importance of being selfish and making sure to get back to personal work that you care about.
-Her view on what it is to be a human being.
-Dealing with negative feedback.
-Some of the Resistances that she has had to deal with in her creative career.
-The hesitancy to be a subject in her own photographs.
-Being a “copycat” of other artists and then also dealing with your own “copycats.”
Courtney's Final Push will inspire you to not hesitate and reevaluate the things that you are spending your time on every single day.
Quotes:
“When I am creating an image, it is like I am exercising out of myself all of that toxic energy. Creating is therapeutic for me.”
“There’s a lot of work that I just don’t post online. It’s not for everyone, it’s just for me. I’m real selfish sometimes.”
“For me, being human is being in touch with nature. Being in touch with my own frailty and my own fragility. Being in touch then is empowering, knowing that death is on my shoulder, whispering in my ear, telling me to live at every second.”
“Do it because it’s going to make you feel better. Because I promise it’s going to make you sleep better at night.”
“Stop doing it for other people. Do it because you’re curious about it. Do it because you’re interested in it. Even if you don’t show it to anyone and stick it in a box underneath your bed. It’s still there, it still passed through you, and it was cathartic.”
Connect with Courtney:
One year after the launch of Your Creative Push, Youngman looks back to the very first Introduction Episode to see what he got right and what he got wrong.
Even though it embarrasses him. To the core.
He also looks towards the future and shares plans for the show's second year.
Take a short survey about your listening experience. It will only take five minutes and it will go a long way in helping to make the show more helpful to you in the future!
Kelly Killagain is a South Jersey-based tattoo and fine artist specializing in line and dotwork. Among the many things that Kelly draws, tattoos, and sculpts, she focuses closely on the various relationships between humans and animals and how they can be used to understand human psychology.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/kellykillagain
In this episode, Kelly discusses:
-Attempting to balance two different creative passions, and at the same time attempting to balance personal work and commissioned work.
-Her advice for pushing past the feelings of not wanting to get the work done in the limited time that you do have for your personal work.
-The importance of remembering that even a creative session in which you don’t produce something tangible is not a waste.
-The power of deadlines, even if it takes tricking yourself with “fake deadlines.”
-Setting a timer and going at your work for that full time, distraction free.
-Her fascination for the interaction that humans have with animals.
-The difference between dog people and cat people.
-How one of her doodles turned into her senior thesis.
-How sculpting something can make something “real.”
-Overcoming self-doubt and other insecurities.
-The role that society plays in keeping people away from a creative path.
-The difficulty that creative people sometimes have in defining themselves to others.
-How she balances her time, especially recently by giving herself a “day off.”
Kelly's Final Push to just do it, and to remember how much you will regret NOT doing the thing that you are most passionate about.
Quotes:
“Not only artists, but I think all human beings right now are struggling with not being motivated to do anything because we are attached to our devices. Everything is so instant. You want something, you get it.”
“That 48-hour grind before a deadline – I am so productive.”
“I think artists, designers, and creative people of all sorts are extremely important to society and to our own culture. We are keeping a record of our culture. We are recording history with everything we do and informing and enriching our lives.”
Links mentioned:
Neil Gaiman – Commencement Speech at the University of the Arts 2012
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
Connect with Kelly:
Website / Instagram / Behance / Tumblr / 777Tattoos
Tom Harold is an Indiana artist who combines the precision of mechanics with the feel of a Dr. Suess book to create exciting, fascinating custom kinetic metal art that soothes even as it entertains. His rolling ball sculptures offer the viewer the sights and sounds that can mesmerize and entertain them for hours.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/tomharold
In this episode, Tom discusses:
-How he was inspired by a George Rhoads rolling ball sculpture.
-How he let his lack of knowledge in welding hold him back from starting to create rolling ball sculptures.
-The power that comes from talking about something you are passionate about.
-How marketing is nothing more than sharing your story with your people.
-His advice for people with full-time jobs who are still trying to pursue their creative endeavors.
-The importance of finding a job in which you can either learn things about your creative pursuit or have free time to pursue it on your own.
-His struggles with perfectionism.
-Christopher Moore and the idea of finishing your book.
-Gratitude lists and being thankful for your completed works.
-Children playing and not caring about the mess that they make.
-Feeling as if your artwork doesn’t address an issue or stand for something.
Tom's Final Push will inspire you to seek out people who have been successful at what you want to achieve!
Quotes:
“Sometimes we aren’t ready for something until we’re ready for it.”
“It was like this great translation machine for the joy of mechanics and motion.”
“Find a job that either enhances your opportunities for being creative or one that allows you to save up all of your creativity for the evening.”
“Creativity thrives on constraints.”
“Let go and just enjoy the moment that you’re in.”
“If you really believe in what you’re doing, don’t listen to anyone who tells you it’s not worth your time.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Tom:
Andrew T. Kearns is a freelance photographer/videographer based out of Washington. His career is spent behind a camera whether that's filming or taking photos, and it seems his free time is spent the same way. His latest project has been traveling and living on the road out of his car all while documenting his experiences through photography, social media, and more recently his vlogs. With a crowd reach of 450,000 he has built a significant influence behind his name and continues to grow his audience rapidly, alongside working with well known and respected brands.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/andrewtkearns
In this episode, Andrew discusses:
-How he got started as a professional photographer and videographer.
-Meeting Samuel Elkins and the influence he had on him.
-His New Year’s Resolutions.
-The importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle with healthy food and exercise.
-Springing into action with your ideas instead of thinking and romanticizing about them.
-How everyone shows their highlights on social media, which is why he tries to be authentic and show the imperfections as well.
-The importance of creating for a goal.
-The idea of past, present, and future you, and treating each one with respect.
-How he developed his style and some of his inspirations, including Jared Chambers.
-Striking a balance between finding the perfect shot and also enjoying the moment.
-How he gets the work done when he really doesn’t feel like it.
-People who inspire and influence him, such as Casey Neistat, Gary Vaynerchuk, Ben Brown, Fun for Louie, and Sarah Dietchy.
Andrew's Final Push will inspire you to set a goal so that you are able to score!
Quotes:
“Going on that hike was probably one of the best decisions I ever made.”
“There’s a big lack of authenticity on social media today”
“It definitely holds you back if you put too much work before yourself and before play.”
"Set a goal. If you don't have a goal, you can't score."
"Go and work hard. No excuses anymore. Just get at it."
Links mentioned:
Simon Sinek on Millenials [YouTube]
Connect with Andrew:
Alex Hofeldt is a science teacher, podcaster, yoga & mobility instructor, fitness coach and nutrition enthusiast. In his podcast, Beautiful Dust Specks, Alex shows the world the wonder and motivation in Science.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/185
In this episode, Alex discusses:
-The process of starting his podcast after years of putting it off.
-How the beginning is always the toughest part, but once you start, you never know what can happen.
-Some of the fears that still creep into his thought processes and the way that he gets through them.
-The sometimes difficult-to-balance tightrope of being happy with the “tribe” that you already have and wanting to grow it exponentially.
-How he is attempting to stop using the word “failure.”
-His experience of running a marathon this year.
-How you know the outcome if you quit
-Neuroplasticity and how it relates to creativity.
-The idea of choosing to be in a more positive mindset and at the same time down-regulating negative emotions.
Quotes:
“My biggest fear in life is squandering gifts and wasting time.”
“Nothing is ever going to be perfect. Perfect is an unattainable thing.”
“Embrace the chaos.”
“Your first challenge is to start. Just start going down some road of the infinite possibilities that it is that’s you and see where it takes you.”
“Fitness, health, wellness, mind, body, creativity – they’re choices. You just have to open the book.”
Links mentioned:
Connect with Alex:
Brian Rutenberg is an internationally exhibited painter based in New York City. He received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the College of Charleston in 1987 and his master’s degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1989.
Among his many accolades, Brian is a Fulbright Scholar, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow, an Irish Museum of Modern Art Residency Programme participant, and has had over 200 exhibitions throughout North America. His popular YouTube series, “Brian Rutenberg Studio Visits,” is viewed daily by thousands of people all over the world and his brand new book Clear Seeing Place is an Amazon Number One Bestseller.
Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/brianrutenberg
In this episode, Brian discusses:
-How and why he started his YouTube channel, “Brian Rutenberg Studio Visits.”
-His attempt and the attempt of all creative people to “strip naked” and bear your soul in the most honest way possible.
-The fear that comes when starting a new creative pursuit, especially when you are sitting in front of a camera.
-Details about his new book, Clear Seeing Place and the process of creating it.
-How he was able to achieve the #1 spot on Amazon in two different categories.
-The idea of building a following of like-minded individuals and focusing less on the number of followers in terms of popularity.
-How he reads every single comment and e-mail, but never reads reviews.
-How the failures make up half of your creative career, and once you can embrace those bad things, you become stronger as a creative person.
-A defining moment with Clement Greenberg.
-The power that comes from letting go.”
-How to get past the blocks that still occur even when you are in a locked room with your creativity.
-The importance of finding your “postage stamp-sized niche.”
-How he balances his time.
-How boredom is jet fuel for creativity.
-How artists and creative people can free their minds by wandering and getting out in nature.
-His advice on how to know when a painting is done, even if that means it is time to throw it away.
Brian's Final Push will make you realize that there is a difference between looking and seeing
Quotes:
“I have the best job in the world. My worst day is still better than the best day in most other jobs.”
“Unfortunately success is too often confused with popularity.”
“Success, in my opinion, is curiosity and effort. Those are things that you control.”
“I would say the defining word of my entire career is ‘Resistance.’”
“There’s always going to be someone better than me and someone smarter than me, but there will never be anyone just like me.”
“The recipe is to just be yourself, and then the rest is just practice.”
“I’ve always believed that an artist is born the moment they give up, the moment you stop trying so hard.”
“Repetition is very valuable for a painter, because it allows you to get really good at stuff.”
“The narrower you are, the bigger the umbrella over you.”
“Artists are malleable. We are able to survive in almost any situation.”
Links mentioned:
Clear Seeing Place by Brian Rutenberg
Three Cornered World by Natsume Suseki