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Cracking Creativity Episode 19: Dan Galperin on Traveling Around the World, Loving Yourself, and Being Confident

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Dan Galperin is the man behind the Man Power Project, the Fight Club for the Soul. Through one on one coaching and group calls, he helps men discover what it means to live well. In this episode Dan talks about his travels around the world, why you need to love yourself, and how you can become more confident.

Here are three important lessons you can learn from Dan:

The Key to Confidence

One of the most common limiting beliefs he found in people is not believing in themselves. When he was younger, Dan used to get so angry that he would punch himself in the face. He realized this was a self-destructive practice and changed the way he viewed the world.

He now regularly says “I love you” to himself. This is a reminder that he is good enough. He wants to take this lesson and share it with others. In order to become confident, you must first love yourself.

We are All the Same

After talking to many people, Dan has come to the realization that we are all the same. We all have the same doubts and fears.

Even the most famous celebrities and self-help gurus have these doubts and insecurities. It doesn’t matter how much success you have, we all feel these things because we are human.

This fact is quite liberating. When you are going through times of doubt, just remember, everyone has those same doubts. We are not alone in this journey.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

One thing that holds many people back is the fact that we are always comparing ourselves to others. We look at other people’s lives and are jealous of what they have.

We never compare ourselves to people who we think are lower than us. We are always comparing ourselves to people who we think are above us.

Instead of comparing yourself to others, we must be comfortable with who we are. There’s no point in comparing your journey to anyone else’s. We must fight this internal battle and realize we are the only thing holding us back.

When we compare ourselves to others we are holding ourselves back. Dan believes everyone has a greatness inside them, and I can’t help but agree.

Shownotes

  •  Man Power Project is the Fight Club for the Soul
    • breaking convention on what it means to live well
    • allows men to take off their masks
    • empowers men to create the lives they want
    • live in a more meaningful and powerful way
  • driven from a young age to do everything
    • friend told him “You don’t have to do everything before you turn 30 Dan.”
  • as a child he told himself “I want to be a billion times stronger/smarter”
  • went out to conquer fears and challenge himself
  • driven to overcome obstacles and fears

“I’m driven for freedom. When I go about my life, I can’t stand to be held in a box in any way, shape, or form.”

“I have an innate desire to help people, to share with people.”

  • wants to create a platform to help people do what he has done
  • male role model was Han Solo
    • independent spirit/ entrepreneurial spirit
  • figured out the journey without a male role model in the way he viewed it
  • Travel
    • traveled with group to Israel at 16
    • has traveled to 35 countries
    • traveled to China at 21 – shell shock of an experience
    • traveled to Europe/Asia and eventually around the world
  • Sports
    • ran marathons in his twenties
    • didn’t think he could do it
    • cousin and uncle were mentors in marathons
    • anchored his beliefs so he could achieve it
  • overcoming obstacle of not being able to accomplish marathon
    • push on through shear will and overcome your fear
    • break it into pieces – focus on one mile at a time
  • Getting Things Done by David Allen
    • focus on the next step, the next action and you can get far
  • similarities in cultures
    • people are inherently good
    • was always able to get help even with language barrier
    • train ride in India – man took care of him and showed him how to find the right train
  • differences – he made a point to learn different customs (ex: learn how to say hello)

“I believe when people act in unconscious ways, in mean ways in which they hurt other people. I think they’re doing that out of some type of pain… some unconscious state where they’re not fully connecting with people and that’s a reflection of how they treat themselves and what type of turmoil is going on inside them.”

“One of the most common limiting beliefs I see with people is ‘I’m not good enough.'”

“I want to bring out what’s great about people and for them to recognize that they don’t have to compare themselves with other people. Who they are is great in their own way.”

  • wants people to believe they are good and have value

A lot of people are hurting because they have never been taught to be nice to themselves.
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  • many people beat themselves up
    • Dan used to get so angry at himself that he punched himself
    • there’s a war going on inside themselves
    • put your hand on your heart and say “It’s okay, I love you”
  • We go out into the world and we want other people to love us, to respect us, to appreciate us, and yet, we don’t give that same level of love, and respect, and acceptance to ourselves… How can we expect other people to give us that if we’re not giving it to ourselves. So I think it all starts with how we treat ourselves.”
  • Love Yourself by Kamal Ravikant – from deathly ill to success by loving himself
  • when you’re in a relaxed state, your creativity can come out

“When you’re feeling love for yourself and you’re opening up your heart, you’re opening up all the goodness within you.”

  • When you’re feeling love for yourself and you’re opening up your heart, you’re opening up all the goodness within you.
  • Choose Yourself by James Altucher
  • was an actor in New York and wanted to take a trip around the world
    • researched around the world tickets and arranged where he wanted to go
    • six month before going on the trip, he was sitting on a rooftop looking at NYC skyline
      • friend asked what would you do if you won the lottery?
      • he responded, I would take a trip to different parts of the world
    • met friend in Mexico, then Colorado, Hawaii New Zealand, then Southeast Asia for 7 weeks
    • Nepal – Annapurna circuit
    • was at a hot springs and storm came through
      • others left, but he stayed, was okay if he died
    • India – was supposed to fly to a different part, but didn’t have tickets
      • went to a different city and was supposed to stay for 3 days
      • visited an ashram and ended up staying for 3 weeks
      • had a highly spiritual experience
      • changed outlook and energy
    • Southern Africa, Amsterdam, and back
    • was a completely different person after he came back from the trip
  • took a 700 foot bungee jump off a bridge
  • vision quest – 4 days in woods without eating anything
    • spent 4 days preparing with a guide
    • was taken through rituals
    • did a ritual with rocks that represented qualities of what he wanted to be and family members he wanted to include, had one for a wife he didn’t have
    • threw sticks into fire and yelled into the sky to help him find a partner
    • two months later, met his wife at a wedding
  • advice for someone who wants to go an adventurer
    • “I say go for it. If there’s something calling to you, then you should do it. You should challenge yourself in whatever ways feel drawn toward and don’t be afraid to do anything outside of the box.”

    • Follow your heart and do what you're called to do.
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  • called it Man Power Project because it is an evolving entity that can change depending on what WE want to create
    • invite people to participate in what he’s doing and participate
    • one on one coaching, help people see past obstacles and fears
    • group hangouts – moderating and leading, but also encouraging feedback
    • will do a live event next summer to recreate some of the events he’s done for other people so they can empower themselves
    • constantly evolving project, fits whatever people want to do
    • hangouts are limited, so he is looking to webinars to get more people involved
  • what he has learned from coaching people
    • we are all the same

“I think what I’ve learned.. is that we’re all the same. We all have the same doubts, the same fears, the same insecurities, and the same limiting beliefs.”

“Innately, we all have these limiting beliefs about ourselves… The most common universal limiting belief that I see in people is, I’m not good enough.”

  • even famous people and self help gurus feel that they aren’t good enough
    • no matter what level of success you have, you will feel it
  • biggest results he’s seen – confident enough to ask women out
    • men were focused on wrong thing
    • they were focused on being afraid
    • showed them how to focus on what they want
    • take people to a new level because their confidence level has grown
  • first step towards confidence
    • see what’s good about you
    • stop comparing yourself to other people
    • you will compare yourself to people you think are in a better situation
    • focus on what’s good about you
    • comparing yourself to anyone is not very useful

“Comparing yourself to to other people, does such a disservice because everybody’s got  that greatness within them. Everybody’s got something that they’re here to do, and to not be afraid to show that to the world.”

“When you compare yourself to other people you try to act like other people. And when you try to act like other people, you shut down what’s great about you. You shut down your creativity. You shut down your energy and the bright light that’s within you.”

  • Dan tells his extremely creative story about getting into World Domination Summit
    • creative, outside of the box, solution to a tough problem and a great lesson in not taking no for an answer
  • Morning routine
    • used to be a night owl
    • converted himself to a morning person
    • gets up at 5am, and sets intention for the day before even getting up
    • gets coffee, and does deep breathing exercises/ I love you’s
    • then reads for 45 minutes, then writes for 45 minutes
    • plans day out, exercises, eats breakfast, then starts the day
  • Books
  • Creative people
    • Steve Jobs – was able to create amazing products/services no one ever thought of before
      • cared about every aspect of what he did, not just what people saw
        • design of computers, inside of computers
        • wanted to make sure everything was beautiful and a work of art
        • didn’t care about money, cared about creating

“When I create something good, then people will be glad to be a part of it.”

  • Creativity
    • loves the idea of Iron Chef and working with whatever’s on the table
    • taking different resources, using all of your energy, your ideas, the people that you’re working with… and put it all together into something that’s never been made before

“Be expansive and allow yourself to expand in your ideas… and go outside the box and don’t be afraid to be out there.”

“Just trust your own ideas, trust your own inspiration, and just go for it no matter how weird or outside the box it might seem.”

ManPowerProject.com

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 19: Dan Galperin on Traveling Around the World, Loving Yourself, and Being Confident appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.


“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”– Socrates Quote Art

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“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates

Print available on Society6.

I’ll admit it. I don’t know all the answers. Anyone who tells you they know all the answers is lying.

As someone who is trying to help artists market themselves and their work, you might assume I know every aspect about marketing. I can tell you this right now, I don’t. If you are looking for a guru who can give you all the answers, you will be looking for a very long time.

We all look to the experts to figure things out for us. We want to do as little work as possible. This is your wake up call. If you want to find success, you must first acknowledge you don’t know everything. Next, you must admit that you will never know everything.

Some people may find this idea a burden. They want to take shortcuts. They want to know it all and they want to know it now.

I, on the other hand, think this idea is liberating. Sometimes the biggest burdens are the burdens of knowledge. When you know all the answers, you are less willing to take risks. You are less willing to break from convention. You believe your way is the right way, even if better alternatives exist.

Not knowing all the answers can lead to spectacular results. Here are some reasons you should admit to not knowing:

People will respect you more

When you are honest with others, they respect you more. It is better to tell people when you don’t know something than to make it up.

Don’t try to make yourself looks smarter by making it up. If people find out you were being dishonest, they will resent and lose respect for you.

When someone asks you a question, that you don’t know the answer to, simply tell them you don’t know, but you would like to find out. It will make you look better in the long run.

You can learn from others

We only have a finite amount of time on Earth, which means we can never know everything. Instead of trying to learn everything ourselves, we should lean on the knowledge of others.

No matter how much we think we know, there is always something we can learn from other people. Don’t close yourself off to the knowledge others can give you.

One of the best ways to do this is through Masterminds. Napoleon Hill found that the most successful people in his lifetime made use of a Mastermind. People from Andrew Carnegie to Henry Ford made use of this extraordinary tool.

Instead of trying to figure everything out on their own, these men relied on the wisdom of others. This allowed them to grow some of the largest, most successful businesses of their times.

By opening themselves up to the knowledge of others, they were able to solve problems they couldn’t figure out on their own.

It allows you to experiment

Every great discovery and invention started with a question. It was the result of someone not knowing something.

Just look at the scientific method as proof. Everything we know about science is based off of a question. Before we can claim something is true, we must first experiment and review the results.

If we were didn’t test our hypotheses, people would still believe the world is flat. We would still think the universe revolves around the Earth. We would still be experimenting with alchemy.

Through experimentation, we have made many new discoveries and debunked old theories. This is only possible by admitting we don’t know everything.

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Cracking Creativity Episode 20: Stephen Pirie on Traveling the World, Building Travel Adventures, and Giving Back to the Youths of Fiji

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Stephen Pirie is the director of many companies including Nurture Change, Unleash Travel, and Spirit of Sharing. Through these companies, Stephen is creating retreats for business leaders, building a safe travel experience for youths from New Zealand and Australia, and giving back to the youths of Fiji.

Here are three important lessons you can learn from Stephen:

Your Circumstances Don’t Dictate Your Outcome

Stephen dropped out of school to play professional hockey at the age of 16. When things didn’t turn out as he would have liked, he stopped playing at 24. You might think leaving your profession at 24 without a degree would set you up for failure, but that didn’t stop him.

Playing a professional sport taught him many things. He discovered that you must surround yourself with a great team and empower them. He also learned the importance of having a great partner or mentor to help guide you.

These two principles are the foundation of the work he does today.

The Importance of Being Present

Stephen has traveled across the world and has absorbed many of the great treasures the Earth has to offer. The best piece of advice he has for people who travel is to take it all in. Forget your technology and immerse yourself into cultures.
There are so many lessons you might miss if you are glued to your device. Stop looking at your phone and explore the world around you.

In the Western world, most of us have everything we could ever want, yet we are often miserable. One of the things that he noticed in third world countries is how happy they are. Even though they don’t have much, they still smile.

These are the types of things we should take notice of when we travel. Be willing to open yourself up to the world and you may be surprised by what you discover.

Simplicity is Key

One of the wonderful speakers we both got to experience at World Domination Summit is Derek Sivers. Often times we want to devise strategies that are years in advance. We want to plan out in pain-staking details everything that we should and shouldn’t do. What we often forget is the power of simplicity.
Instead of creating business plans that are pages long and inches thick, Stephen creates a simple one pager. It entails the vision of the company, the outcomes they want and how they will get them done, and why they are doing them. This simplicity company objectives clear without the need for all the details.

We need to stop overthinking things, and see what is front of us, instead of looking at the horizon.

Shownotes

  • started journey young, liked to travel
  • wanted to start safe journeys for Australian/New Zealand youth
  • brings them to Fiji to give them a safe place to explore Pacific Island culture
  • brings 4,000 people over 3 week period, and expanding into Asia/Europe
  • Spirit of Sharing – provide sports equipment and education to Pacific Islander youth
  • dropped out of school at 16 to play professional hockey in Europe
    • education was learning on the road and learning from people
    • sport is a thing that provides support, you can learn lessons from older mentors
    • went to Belgium at 18/19, stopped playing at 24
    • decided he need to get a real job
  • find the right team and partners to help you
    • surround yourself with great teams and empower/enable them to be great
    • his role on the team: bring ideas,concepts, and negotiating skills to the table
    • skills of a partner: sales, culture, leadership
  • Travel:
    • traveled with his dad growing up: Asia, Australia, America
    • traveled Europe as part of hockey team in Belgium
    • traveled conflict areas with his wife
    • don’t overthink things or over complicate them
    • Travelhacking Cartel email for tips, Tripadvisor
    • wants to experience as many countries as he can
  • People & Society:
    • loves to eat new food and find out about local people when he travels
    • in Japan, when they heard he spoke English, people wanted to help him and practice

“Open up, turn off your smart phone and get some peripheral vision. Look up and explore, and learn on the road.”

“Sometimes you need to disconnect from your technology and immerse yourself into cultures. Especially in some of these third world countries, there’s a lot of learning to be had. They have not much, but are they happier than us? Probably a lot of the time, they’re always smiling…

  • Unleash Travel – started his journey with creating travel companies- largest outbound youth travel in New Zealand/Australia
    • create oversea experiences for 17-18 yr old graduates – similar to Spring Break
    • allows youths to party with others in safe environment
  • Fiji
    • was close by and had many ports
    • started with two people, DJs, a couple hundred people, and some spreadsheets
    • now 6 islands and 70 crew members
  • for a lot of people, it is their first time traveling
    • they make it easy and safe
    • give them activities to do during the day
    • do culture exchange with Spirit of Sharing
      • learn about Fijian culture
      •  play with kids from the islands and donate equipment
  • Spirit of Sharing – traveled to Cambodia – saw a lot of poverty, what can we do?
    • felt a responsibility to help Fijian Youth
    • sought local non-profit
    • make sure money was going to the right place
    • became a director
    • going to Everest to raise funds for Nepal
  • future of Unleash Travel
    • 10k passengers out of Australia/New Zealand
    • focus is on Australia/New Zealand and hitting 100k travelers
    • many travelers begin to work for them
  • choosing the next location
    • looking into expanding to Europe
    • Fiji is an event, Europe is an experience or journey

“That’s what we want to do with Unleashed is enable and empower people to travel and see this flippin awesome globe we live in.”

  • World Domination Summit – how can we get better as an organization with Nurture Change and Unleash Travel
  • Nurture Change
    • invests in travel, it is 12 hours to get anywhere
    • How can we create and enable  something that can empower this in our part of the globe?
    • met with business power Zac de Silva, how do we turn this into a community/organization
    • 60-70 people are going to Fiji for the event

“Everyone I think, on the globe, either wants to change something in their business or change something in their lives. And if we can bring people together to share, inspire, and learn off each other in a pretty cool environment being in Fiji, and we bring in industry leaders, being it top coaches or corporate wellness professionals, to be able to share in an informal format, very much similar to WDS, and then we can create accountability on that as well.”

  • creating an event
    • Ready, Shoot, Aim – how he operates
    • formulate shared purchase agreement, making sure the right partners are on board, and a simple one pager (business plan)
    • finding the right partners that can share your message

“We just have a clear vision. We want some outcomes and a timeline on how things and why we are doing things as well. How are we going to achieve them and why are we doing them?”

“I do think we just overthink things a lot and then we got bogged down on I suppose looking down instead of looking at the horizon. It’s like we focus on the little bit, and that takes up time… we don’t have the horizon in sight. So we have to look up and forward instead of looking down to the ground.”

  • events attended
  • day to day operations
    • sets up in “productivity bunker”
    • Sundays- set out key outcomes for the week
    • Nurture Change, Unleash Travel, Spirit of Sharing
    • 5 key outcomes on Friday afternoon on what he’s achieved
    • 5 to 1:
      • 5 focused hours on Monday with 30-15 minute breaks in between, 4 on Tue, 3 on Wed, 2 on Thur, 1 on Friday
    • uses Asana and Basecamp
  • on starting a business
    • go with your gut
    • share idea with a few close friends, if they buy in, set out the next few steps
    • go and make it work, or find a team that can supplement your assets
    • don’t think about it too much or you won’t do it

“Just ask and a lot of people will be willing to answer your questions and that’s helped me out immensely.”

  • not scared to answer questions

When you have something great you'll know, they'll be freaking out.
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“My definition of creativity is being able to think outside the norm and not be influenced by anyone else.”

  • take learnings from other businesses
  • he travels to different places for creative inspiration
  • pulling inspiration from a coffee shop for his fitness business

StevePirie.co | Twitter | Email

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 20: Stephen Pirie on Traveling the World, Building Travel Adventures, and Giving Back to the Youths of Fiji appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”– William Feather Quote Art

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“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” – William Feather

Print available on Storenvy.

How many times have you given up just when you were on the cusp of success? You know you could do it, but chose to give up instead. It happens to many of us. It is often the factor that separates success from failure.

I have given up on many projects. I wanted to build a website where people could discover where to buy things they saw on Pinterest or Tumblr, but I gave up. I started a blog where I posted something new I learned that day, but gave up on that too.

I have quit on many projects without success. Could they have succeeded? Quite possibly, but I chose to move on to something else instead.

What separates someone who succeeds from someone who fails? Persistence.

The problem many of us have is, we give up when things don’t go the way we planned. We look at the success others have and wonder why we aren’t getting the same results.

We need to stop looking at others and focus on ourselves. We choose to ignore the hard work that others had to put in to get where they are. Instead, we choose to envy their status. This is an unhelpful and self-destructive practice.

Instead of envying what others have, congratulate them and figure out what you can do to find the same success. Don’t aspire to be a second rate version of someone else, choose to be a first rate version of yourself.

How do you do this? By putting in the work. Instead of giving up at the first sign of failure, choose to move on.

Malcom Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours to master any skill. Have you put in your 10,000 hours? Have you put in the hard work necessary for success? Will you choose to hang on while others let go?

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Photo by Sean Hobson

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“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”– Babe Ruth Quote Art

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“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth

Print available on Storenvy.

Babe Ruth was one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history. In 1923 he broke the record for most home runs in a season. He also had the second highest batting average that year.By the time he retired, he held the home run record at 714.

These statistics may be well known, but what isn’t as well known is, he also had the most strikeouts that year. Not only that, he also held the record for the most career strikeouts at 1,330.

Both of these records lasted many years before they were broken. The point is, Babe Ruth was not afraid to strike out. He realized that great accomplishment does not come without great failure.

This quote also comes in many variations. The words are different, but the message is always the same. Without risk, there is no reward.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg went to Harvard, one of the most well respected schools in the entire world. He could have played it safe and gotten a degree, found a good job, worked for 50 years, and retired.

Instead, he started working on a little project in his dorm room with a few classmates. They began sharing it on other campuses, and it became so successful that they dropped out of Harvard and brought it to Silicon Valley. That was the start of Facebook.

“Never was anything great achieved without danger.” – Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli is considered the “father of modern political theory.” He was a diplomat in the Florentine Republic for 14 years while the Medici family was out of power in Florence.

When the Medici family returned to power, he was suspected of conspiracy, sent to jail, tortured, and exiled. While exiled he wrote one of the seminal works of political theory: The Prince.

In The Prince, Machiavelli writes about monarchical rule and man’s ability to determine his own destiny. The book is known for showing politicians how to be ruthless, self-serving, and cunning. It even inspired the term Machiavellian.

Machiavelli’s story shows that you should not be afraid to disturb the status quo. He could have sat by and let circumstances happen to him. Instead, he stuck by his ideals, even though he was punished for them, and is now immortalized through his work.

“The greatest risk to man is not that he aims too high and misses, but that he aims too low and hits.” – Michelangelo

Michelangelo is often cited as one of the most influential artists of all time. He has created some of the most recognizable pieces of art known to the world.

This only happened because he was willing to take risks with his art. Two great examples of this come in the form of his statue of David and his fresco painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Before Michelangelo created the statue of David, two prior sculptors attempted and abandoned it. A committee consulted several artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, about creating the statue. Yet Michelangelo, who was only 26 years old at the time, convinced the committee he deserved the commission.

This feat is so impressive because the statue stands at 17 ft tall and was made from a single giant piece of marble. It is now one of the most recognizable figures in the world.

The ceiling painting of the Sistine Chapel is an equally impressive feat. Although he was known as a sculptor, not a painter, Pope Julius II commissioned him adorn the ceiling with twelve large figures of the Apostles. Michelangelo negotiated a much grander scheme. He eventually created the painting with over 300 figures.

It took four years to complete the massive, complicated painting. An estimated six million people visit the chapel each year to catch a glimpse of the painting.

If Michelangelo did not take risks, these two complicated and spectacular pieces of art would have never been created.

These are just a few notable examples of what can be achieved when you are willing to take a risk. No one ever made something great without taking on great risk.

There is so much we can learn by studying those who came before us. Don’t let the fear of failure prevent you from achieving greatness. Don’t be fooled by the safety of the status quo. You have to be willing to strike out if you want to hit a home run.

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Photo by Charles Conlon

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Cracking Creativity Episode 21: Mark McClung on Taking Action, Finding Your Passion, and Leveraging Side Projects

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Mark McClung is the creator of My Daily Mark, a blog dedicated to helping people, especially high school students, take action in their lives. In this episode Mark talks about the lessons he has learned, why you need to find your passion, and leveraging projects to your advantage.

Here are three important lessons you can learn from Mark:

Taking Action is Essential

One of the most important lessons Mark has learned is the importance of taking action. Every success he has seen was the result of taking action on the ideas he has.

One thing Mark said really stood out to me. He says that inspiration alone is not enough to get you where you need to go. “Without action, inspiration is nothing more than entertainment.” I can’t agree with him more.

Anyone can watch inspiring talks or read inspirational books. Only people that take action on that inspiration actually achieve something great.

It doesn’t require much to take action. All you need to do is break down your goal into individual action steps. Once you break things down into small, actionable parts, it becomes much easier to accomplish them.

Find Your Passion

Another thing that Mark advocates is finding your passion. Once you find your passion, it becomes much easier to move forward with your idea.
Just because you don’t know what your passion is doesn’t mean you won’t be able to discover it. When you pursue things you enjoy, you may discover your passion.

This quote perfectly describes passion and taking action, “You don’t have to know what your passion is. You just have to take passionate action.”

The most important thing is to take actionable steps. It doesn’t matter how big or small those steps are, just as long as you are taking them.

Leverage Your Projects

Mark is a huge advocate of starting projects through your passion. He has used these projects to make himself stand out from his peers and get new job opportunities.
In college, he started his own advertising company which lowed him to learn many aspects of business. He was able to turn a $100 budget into a company with 20 clients. This separated himself from other recent college graduates when he went to get a job.

Mark and his wife also started a social network for teachers. Although he eventually moved on from the project, it taught him valuable lessons and allowed him to start his next project.

These projects have allowed him to rise the ranks of his career ladder, they have taught him lessons that he might not have learned otherwise, and they have allowed him to experiment and find things he was passionate about.

Shownotes

  • World Domination Summit – where we met
  • My Daily Mark – his blog
    • was started with late night writing of notes
    • similar business lessons – lessons from mentors, mistakes, and successes that allowed him to climb corporate ladder
    • wife found Google Doc with notes and told him to turn it into blog
    • doc was called My Daily Marks – which he used as blog title
    • scattered thoughts of what he wanted to teach high school students
    • biggest lesson was TAKE ACTION
    • things you can implement immediately

“A lot of people struggle with inspiration and how to turn it into action because, without action, inspiration is nothing more than entertainment.”

  • guide and steps are simple ways to start and take action immediately

    • It doesn't have to be big action, it just has to be consistent action.
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“Really once you break down from a huge goal into individual small action steps, that’s what’s really resonating. That’s what really makes it feasible and realistic and helping turn inspiration into action.”

  • had lunch with mentor who told him to take the correct indicated action at the moment followed by the next correct indicated action
    • on taking the next best action
      • “Just break it down into what you know is going to work, what you know you can do right now, even if it doesn’t seem like it’s going to get you that much further ahead, it puts you in the right direction and gives you the chance to do some corrective action.”
  • never considered himself a good writer, feels better on stage and mentoring students one on one

“It comes down to finding something you really like, you’re really passionate about, and just go forward.”

  • positive influences and teachers that led him on the wrong path and had negative influences that helped lead him positively
    • negative: went to radio station – someone told him he would never make it in marketing/advertising
    • positive: part of DECA – marketing organization in high school/college
      • was bullied in middle/high school
      • found support in DECA
      • 10th grade – saw motivational speaker for the first time and wanted  to become one
      • made a challenge for himself to begin speaking by 30, and ended up achieving it
  • David Villava’s episode

“Everybody has their own opinions and you can’t control their opinions, but you can control your response and your reactions to those opinions.”


You can settle for average or ignore it and use it as motivation
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  • power through negative reactions and know you have room to grow
  • story about charging his parents to bring them drinks to the hot tub

“All through high school and college, I always found passion projects and side projects that I really did to learn but also gave myself the opportunity to earn.”

  • started an advertising company in college because he was working for a small business and saw their weren’t many opportunities to advertise
    • took action immediately, grew company to 20 clients
    • taught him how to do accounting, graphic design, selling, negotiation, etc.
    • gave him experiences that others wouldn’t have when finding a job
  • started social network platform for teachers, shut it down to start different projects
  • can point to experiences that other people wouldn’t have
  • has started many small projects and built them up to learn new skills
    • even if you stop doing projects, that doesn’t make you a failure

“If you’re interested in something, you don’t have to turn right over and call it a career immediately and quit your day job. You can pursue it as a passion just to learn it, and as you’re learning it, you’ll expand your network, you’ll expand your knowledge, you’ll learn more about it, and you’ll kind of create your own path.”

  • doing small projects might not get you 100% to where you want to be, but you can alter your path and learn more about what your passions are
  • power of the process
  • on starting his ad agency
    • sometimes being naive helps you in certain situations
    • people are willing to help you if you tell them that you trust and value what they know
    • scheduled one on ones with professors and local businesses
    • sister moved to college with him and helped start up his company
    • being open and vulnerable breaks down barriers, makes people are more willing to help
    • started with $100 and went door to door selling
    • received a lot of no’s but wasn’t discouraged by them
      • each no brings you closer to a yes
      • don’t be afraid of hearing no
    • as long as you are providing value, people won’t be upset about you asking
    • first yeses lead to more, received 10 clients in first month, had 20 by second quarter
    • was able to make money while going through college

“I’m never ashamed or afraid to ask people questions and to say I don’t know. I would like to learn from you.”

  • on knowing when to quit a project
    • when you stop growing or the project has outgrown his interest
    • make sure motivation is not the reason you’re losing interest and make sure you’re still passionate about it and providing value
    • quit most projects because they brought him new opportunities
  • on becoming a motivational speaker
    • looked at life when had the American Dream, but didn’t see that as successful
    • changed his mindset of success from one based on money and things to one of growth and potential
    • found happiness in that growth mindset and wanted to bring that to high school students
    • work on your passions and your will find joy
    • reflected on his life at 30, so he challenged himself to speak
    • sent out emails and got 2 speaking gigs
    • had experience speaking from DECA
  • uses sales/training experiences to speak
  • reached out to advisers to speak about passion and finding success
  • first speaking gig
    • went to the wrong class, spoke to wrong group
    • kids responded well
    • steps and path are not rocket science
    • when you see someone successful, all you are seeing is the end result
    • no one sees the beginning of the domino chain, you only see the result

“You don’t have to have someone deem you as special. Anyone can do it.”

  • Jeremy Cowart at World Domination Summit
  • finding your passion
    • do something you enjoy, that you really want to learn about
    • when you pursue those things, they may become your passion
    • figure out if you really like it
    • give yourself 28 days of action
    • it doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s a small action towards your goal

“You don’t have to know what your passion is. You just have to be willing to take passionate action. So don’t just take action for action’s sake.”

“It all just comes to down to just starting it and doing something no matter how big or how small, just starting it. It’s not that difficult to start.”

  • on failure and trying
    • at the very least, you’ll know what you don’t like
    • when you fail, you see something that doesn’t work
    • you can always change direction and alter your trajectory
  • support network
    • surround himself with more inspiring people
    • when you surround yourself with people who like the same things, you will become more motivated
    • Andy Miller:  daily call for accountability and support
    • my accountability partner interview with Jacques Ho (correction  – episode 3)

“Failure is a misconception. Other people might be able to call something you’ve done a failure because they don’t see what it resulted in.”

  • Take Action Guide and accountability call at the end of the 28 days
  • New Year’s Eve Goals
    • problem of setting goals that are too concrete and getting discourage
    •  Mark and his wife set 5 year goals based on what lifestyle they want to live
      • what do we need to do this fist year to achieve goals
      • throw away five year goal and first year goal
      • what do we need to do first month and first week to reach goal
      • setting small goals allow you to adjust
      • modify goals to do what you enjoy
  • Guarantees – things have attributes success to
    • Take Action – you have to take action to achieve anything
    • Lucky Isn’t a Thing – something lazy people attribute to other people’s success
      • people put themselves in positions to get lucky
    • Waiting on Perfect – I’m not good enough/perfect
      • no one starts off a millionaire
      • everything is a progression
      • don’t look at where you are now, look at how far you’ve come in six months
    • Start. Don’t Finish – you will never be successful if you draw a finish line
    • Be 100% You – if you are anything but yourself, why are you in that situation?
      • be authentic
      • don’t put yourself in the wrong place by being inauthentic
    • Twinkle Twinkle Ya’ll – watch one of his speeches
  • What can I teach recent graduates what to do?
    • saw common themes
    • nothing magical or get rich quick
    • things that can be done immediately and by changing your mindset
  • reshaping My Daily Mark towards what he wants to do
    • give people tools they need to change themselves
    • focusing on videos and teaching young people how to find mentors/internships and implement immediately
  • Mark Guay’s episode has been released
  • morning routine – starts morning routine at night
    • preps morning so he can get moving
    • wakes up at 4:13am every morning, coffee, breakfast, meditate/work out
  • resources
  • creative influence – wife
    • surrounds herself with beautiful things
    • little things that are sentimental
    • cleans out Instagram feed so everything is positive and beautiful
    • surrounds herself with creatives

“My definition of creativity is just creating, just doing something that you enjoy, that’s output that makes the world a better place, a more beautiful place, just changes. “

  • creativity doesn’t have to always be original, but original to you
  • being more creative:
    • explore, do things that you have never done before, put yourself in positions where you feel uncomfortable, and work with other people
    • continue digging and exploring
    • one medium leads to other mediums of creative self-expression
  • take small steps for 28 days, and reflect on those things
  • start now, do something small, and reflect on the progress you’ve made

MyDailyMark.com/creatives | Twitter | Instagram

  • finish meta info

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 21: Mark McClung on Taking Action, Finding Your Passion, and Leveraging Side Projects appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”– Winston Churchill Quote Art

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“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Print available on Storenvy.

Like I have talked about many times before, failure is not something to be ashamed of. Each of us encounters failure in some form or fashion throughout our lives. Artists from Walt Disney to J.K. Rowling had to go through hardship to find success.

Here are just a few notable examples of people who have failed:

Walt Disney

Early in his career Disney created an animation studio called Laugh-O-Gram Films. This studio became loaded with debt and ended up bankrupt. He could have quit after this failure, but he chose to go Hollywood instead. There Walt and his brother Roy set up another studio.

Now, Disney is one of the most iconic brands in the world, and his characters are nearly universally recognized.

Steven Spielberg

Spielberg may be known for his many blockbusters, but he hasn’t always been so successful. Before becoming the icon he is today, he was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Cinema Arts three times for having poor grades.

Spielberg went on the create some of the most iconic movies in film history. In 1995 he was rewarded an honorary degree from USC, and in 1996 he became a trustee.

Harrison Ford

You may know Harrison Ford as one of his many iconic characters like Han Solo or Indiana Jones, but Ford was not always a successful actor.

Ford began his acting career as a contract player earning $150 a week. Initially, he did not find much success. One studio official even told Ford he would never be a movie star. Before catching his big break, he had to become a carpenter to supplement his income.

Ford is now one of the most well known actors in Hollywood and has acted for over 40 years.

Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was the editor-in-chief of the Darthmouth humor magazine Jack-O-Lantern, and was kicked off the staff for breaking the Prohibition law. So he began using the pseudonym “Seuss.” He later became known for his pen name Dr. Seuss.

Seuss spent years making a living by drawing cartoons for advertisements and magazines. On his boat trip back from Europe, Seuss, the rhythm of the ship’s engine inspired his first book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. This book was rejected 27 times.

Seuss was going to destroy the book until he had a chance encounter with a friend who had just become editor at a publishing house’s children’s section.

That moment changed his life. The book became a sensation, and he wound up publishing over 60 books including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

Stephen King

Stephen King may be known as one the the greatest horror writers, but it wasn’t always this way.

When King left university, he got a teaching certificate, but wasn’t able to find a job initially. So he had to work at a laundry, where he wrote short stories on the side.

King even threw away his first novel, Carrie, because he became discouraged writing. His wife retrieved it from the trash and encourage him to finish it. That ended up being the tipping point of his career.

Since completing Carrie, King has written over 50 novels and nearly 200 short stories. He has sold over 350 million copies of his books and many of them have been adapted into films and mini series.

J.K. Rowling

Before J.K. Rowling found fame with Harry Potter, she considered herself a failure. She had a failed marriage. She was jobless and raising a child by herself. She was clinically diagnosed with depression and contemplated suicide.

Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book while on welfare. You might think after the outrageous success the books had that publishers would have killed for the chance to publish the book. You would be wrong. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected it.

We know the rest of the story. Rowling ended up writing seven Harry Potter books in total, which turned into eight films. According to Forbes, she became the first billionaire writer and the second-richest female entertainer.

These stories show the failures of some of the most well known artists of our time. Each one reached a low point in their careers, but was able to overcome them and move on to great things.


Failure is not uncommon, it is inevitable.
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If you are to learn anything from these people it’s that failure is not uncommon, it is inevitable. It is only by making it through these failures that one will find success.

Buy Winston Churchill Quote Art

Thanks to Business Insider for the list of failures.

The post “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill Quote Art appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

Cracking Creativity Episode 22: Brad Beckstrom on Owning His Own Agencies, Living Lean, and Finding Happiness in Photography

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Brad Beckstrom has built a career in advertising, but has found happiness in living lean and his creative pursuits. On his blog The Frug, Brad talks about what it is like to live lean, work lean, and travel lean.  In this episode, Brad talks about what it was like going into advertising and owning his own agencies, how he began living lean, and his creative quest to take 100,000 photographs.

Here are three lessons you can learn from Brad:

It’s Hard to Balance Business and Passion

Before going to college, Brad wanted to pursue a creative career. Since his dad was helping to pay for college, he had a say in what Brad should study in college. Instead of following his creative calling, Brad chose to study business and marketing. He tried to take photography classes on the side, but his creativity was put on the shelf to focus on his business courses.

This led to the creation of multiple advertising agencies. While working in these companies, Brad wanted to work on the creative side, but was tasked with sales and operations. He always felt the creative itch, but wan’t able to balance the operations side and creative side of himself.

It’s Never too Late to Pursue What You Love

After many years working in marketing, Brad took a sabbatical to Thailand. While there, he felt a pain in his knees.  While in that moment of pain, he thought of his creative interests and thought to himself “What if I’ve waited too long?” That moment, coupled with watching a documentary on Vivian Meyer and Chris Guillebeau’s The Happiness of Pursuit set him on a creative quest.

He was going to take 100k photos in 100 cities and 1,000 places. Instead of waiting til retirement to pursue something he loved, he was going to seek it as soon as he could.

The Importance of Living Lean

Early in his life, Brad was in the rat race of life just like everyone else. He wanted the big house with eclectic and creative things in it. At a certain point, he realized these things would not bring happiness to him.

He saw how people were spending the rest of their lives paying for the big ticket items everyone tells you to get, a big house and fancy car. Brad has chosen to live in a modest house and drive his car into the ground.

Instead he has chosen experiences over things. That is the essence of his creative quest.

Shownotes

  • involved in photography and wanted to go to art school
    • dad told him he had to go to business school
    • took photography classes, but creativity was put on shelf after graduating
  • worked for Miller brewing in brand management/marketing
  • started an agency with another founder who thought they could do it better
    • grew to 60 person agency
    • worked with Miller, Mastercard, AOL
    • had chance to work with artists as COO
    • found himself wanting to be in creative department
    • was trying to be a creative
    • was major shareholder in the company
    • company didn’t feel he was pulling his weight in sales so they bought him out
    • took years to recover from it
    • had a non-compete so he went into digital marketing and built another company in Apollo Bravo
  • on Apollo Bravo and digital marketing:
    • work on responsive sites in early days of mobile web
    • create banner ads, apps, commercials, etc.
  •  10 years in – was watching documentary on Vivian Meyer
    • had a life she presented to public and private life
    • was a nanny and secretly also a street photographer
    • took close to 100k images, many weren’t developed
    • wasn’t creating art for accolades, was doing it for herself
    • photos were discovered in an auction
    • inspired him to pick up his camera again
  • thought he might be too late to photography
    • “What will it take to master something?”
    • Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 hours

“I realized that all this time that I was trying to be a creative, but what I really had been doing was being a creative director, and directing other artists, and I was sitting on the wrong side of that table.”

“What will I say in twenty years if I don’t do this?”

  • reaction to being told not to go to art school
    • at the time, dad was an entrepreneur and his business was struggling
      • was going to be a stretch to help Brad with his education
      • had a say in what Brad would do
      • art got pushed to the side because of other priorities
      • became less than a hobby because other things took over
  • at his marketing agency
    • added logo to postcards at events
    • an example of creative thinking
  • it takes a spark to make a change
  • wanted to take a larger creative role at his agency
    • not possible to wear that many hats when you are running a company
  • started Apollo Bravo in a different way – wanted to make it smaller
  • people aren’t likely to pay you for street/abstract photography
  • on starting a mobile based marketing company
    • saw people using Blackberrys, and thought there would be more to the devices
    • there was a need for someone to create mobile websites
    • needed to convince agencies that mobile was the future of the web
  • took a sabbatical to Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • knees were burning
    • thought, “What if I’ve waited too long?”
    • figured out that waiting til retirement would be too late
    • his retirement will be different
    • plans on working on art for the rest of his life, the first ten years are just the start of it

“If I’m going to do something, it has to be something I love”

  • Brad’s blog The Frug – about living lean
    • sees a trend where people buy so many things and spend the rest of their lives paying for it all
    • financial industry is selling us fear

“What I see in our consumer culture is that many people have sorta spent themselves into a corner.”

“Obviously it’s important to save, but many people waited to long to save. They didn’t start early enough. so they’re stuck with the standardized retirement plan.”

  • overcoming fear and taking action
    • it starts early
    • when he started writing, he wrote speaking to the 20-25 year old version of himself
    • don’t fall into the traps of doing what other people tell you
    • we have all these financial tools and access to info, but we don’t learn how to do it early on

Learn how to live lean, and it will pay off later.
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  • on what to spend money on
    • start with the big stuff
    • most people don’t understand how much they spend on cars, insurance, commuting
    • you can benefit by working at home and driving a 20 year old car
    • another trap people fall for is the size of their homes
    • you don’t need all the rooms that come with the idea of a traditional home
    • he used to fill his house with things
    • early on he saw people with things as eclectic and creative, but later realized he didn’t need these things
    • the benefit of traveling light
  •  Chris Guillebeau’s idea of a quest (The Happiness of Pursuit) – put a number on it so you can work towards it
    • he gave himself the quest of taking 100k images by visiting 100 cities and 1,000 places
      • you think more about your art
    • has allowed him to learn about stories through people he meets
      • still keeps in touch with person he met in Thailand before even starting the quest
      • it’s a great journey

“Regardless of what lays ahead, it’s a great journey, and I think that’s what you start to see, learn to see, and learn to write about.”

  • photographer told him “Don’t compare your beginning to the middle of someone else’s journey.”
    • some street photographers have been shooting for over 20 years
    • when he started doing street photographer, he found it awkward
    • now he can walk 11 miles and just be in flow
    • sometimes you don’t know if something will stick, but that’s okay
    • Vivian Meyer didn’t compare herself to anyone, because there was no one to compare herself to
    • it’s about the art, sometimes we chase the recognition
    • other street photographers have shown him what is possible
    • Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
    • learn from people outside of your industry (ex: artists being inspired by photography)
  • Steve Jobs “You can’t connect all the dots looking forward. You can only look back and connect them.”
    • was good at connecting dots backwards
    • he spend a lot of time at art galleries, but still spent time going ten years in another direction
    • he is connecting the dots behind him
    • since he started quest, he has looked back each week asking “What did I learn this week?”
  • writes about what bothers him
    • slows you down and focuses you on a few things
    • uses dictation software so he can talk about things
  • choosing a destination
    • used to travel to typical tourist destinations
    • for this quest, he wanted to photograph life on urban streets, started with Baltimore
    • when you start to get to tougher cities, it’s harder to take a lot of photos, it takes more hardcore travel
    • locations are urban and have a good creative culture
      • searches for dive bars, and universities, etc. – they are more interesting
      • chooses places with strong sense of community
  • on what photos to take
    • had experience choosing photos, and taking them when he was younger
    • with each photo, you get a little better and more comfortable
    • it takes doing the work
    • Ira Glass – This American Life – you’re going to hate everything you did the first two years, but don’t give up
    • he posts photos, reads comments, and learns from them
    • you can meet interesting people anywhere he goes
  • favorite part of journey
    • getting to be out, and be present in the moment
    • when you’re out, always look around
    • don’t look at Facebook, Twitter, etc.
    • when he goes back to look at the photos, he gets to relive the moments
  • on having a favorite photo
    • out of 7,000 photos, he would be embarrassed to show most to photographers
    • posts photos on 500px
    • started putting camera on the ground  and turning LCD up
      • put it under a jungle gym, which capture the idea of what he was doing
    • went to metro stop, and people didn’t notice him on the ground
    • considers himself an urban explorer
  • for people who want to start a journey
    • start your journey at the library, start with books
    • artistic journey – The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
    • Four Hour Chef and Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
      • diving in to experiments
    •  spend some time thinking about what you want to do
  • morning routine
    • fan of habits
    • get started early, start out writing 500-1000 words
    • has dead zones throughout the day – plans a walk
    • tabata training – heavy bag and light weights for 20 minutes
    • spend as little time on email as possible
  • creative influence
  • books
    • War of Art, Steal Like an Artist
    • The Minimalists – corporate guys that changed their lives
  • Definition of creativity
    • “The longest journey is the one from your head to your heart.”

    • true artists have to take that journey
    • had to take that creative journey himself
    • listen to podcasts and learn from mentors

TheFrug.com

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 22: Brad Beckstrom on Owning His Own Agencies, Living Lean, and Finding Happiness in Photography appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.


Cracking Creativity Episode 23: Tim Lawrence on Growing Through Adversity, Minimalism, and the Power of Listening

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Tim Lawrence is a copy editor, writer and adversity researcher. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Barclays Center, and Lincoln Center, and has copyedited for New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling authors. In this episode, Tim talks about growing through adversity, the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle, and the power of listening.

Here are three lessons you can learn from Tim:

You have to challenge yourself if you want to grow

When we grow up, we do everything we can to make life easier on ourselves. We are taught to seek comfort instead of adversity. While this may lead to an easier life, you will also stagnate.

Challenging yourself is the only way to grow as a person. It forces you to be in the moment. You become more aware of you body and mind, and grow outside of your comfort zone.

Otherwise you will be left unfulfilled and bored. Instead of running from adverse circumstances, confront them. That is the only way to grow.

The benefits of a minimalist lifestyle

One of the great revelations Tim had was the power of owning less. When he was making a lot of money, he also owned a lot of stuff, and was still unhappy. Now that he is making a lot less, he also owns less, which has made him a happier person.

What he has come to realize is that by owning less, you are able to serve people more effectively. You have less distractions and you are able to focus on what is truly important.

Instead of owning more things, he recommends saving money so you can have experiences. When you travel, you come face to face with cultures that are different from our own. And you realize that things like possessions, status, and power are valued a lot less than they are in the Western world.

The power of being a good listener

Early in life, Tim discovered that listening was a very important aspect of connecting with other people. When people were going through tragedy, they would come to him because he knew how to be a good listener.

He now uses this skill to help both people who are going through adverse circumstances, and those who are trying to share their message with the world. It has been crucial in his work with successful people.

Through listening he is able to dive into other people’s worlds. He allows people to expose themselves for who they are without judgement. This had led to strong relationships that can last a lifetime.

Shownotes

  • as a child, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy
    • affected him in physical and neurological ways
    • always felt weak and like an outsider
  • experienced tragedies is high school
    • lost a few friends and felt depressed
    • entered deep depression, attempted suicide a few times
  • drawn to philosophical topics and weight topics
    • was fascinated by how people dealt with difficulty
    • people came to him for help with tragedies/difficulties
    • came to him often
    • people sought him out when their lives were going to hell
    • was good at listening and acknowledging pains
  • difficulties led him to current path
  • went into acting/corporate with little success
  • combination of performing and writing brought him solace
    • began writing in depth about his trials and the trials of others
    • researched post traumatic stress and growth
    • started writing about post traumatic growth and what we can learn from grief
    • why are people running from adversities?
  • Gym Jones – small gym in Salt Lake City by Mark Twight
    • was climber and cyclist, opened gym after he retired
    • wanted to build place where people could push themselves
    • gym trains  fighters, Olympic athletes, and military personnel
    • became popular by training cast of 300, but stayed small
    • only a few dozen clients, you have to apply to train there
    • always wanted to train body
    • applied to Gym Jones and got invited to train for 3 months
    • was able to do things even his doctors thought were physically impossible for him
    • gym uses physical means for psychological ends
    • want growth of person and to challenge psychological limits
    • test limits to learn about yourself and take on challenges you didn’t think were possible
    • training – putting yourself in deliberate and challenging circumstances
    • helps you live a more fulfilling, intentional, and directional life
    • was welcomed with open arms, at other gyms he felt like a loser
    • transformed how he sees himself
    • was open an vulnerable when he applied and they were drawn to that
    • individualized training
      • was able to focus on his own weaknesses without worrying about others
      • wanted to improve right side/left side coordination and train brain to get in sync with his right side
  • adverse circumstances and growth
    • at young age, we do everything we can to make things easy on ourselves
    • intentionally challenging circumstances focuses the mind and forces you to be in the moment and aware of your body and mind
    • doing hard work forces you to confront the darkness within yourself

“When I focus on what’s easy instead of what’s best… I’m often left very unfulfilled, bored, and not reaching my potential.”

“There’s also something about adverse circumstances that forces us to confront the darkest part of ourselves.”

“It’s only when you confront that inner darkness… that you can grow”

“I don’t think you can live life very well if you are unwilling to face the darkness within yourself.”

  • there are certain things in life that you will never get over
    • losing loved one, becoming incredibly ill, losing job, etc.
    • people usually say “Get better” “It was meant to be”
      • but it’s usually not the truth
    • seek people who will be objective with you, love you, and tell you the truth
    • best objective people are not usually your closest friends and family
    • instead find mentors who are incredibly objective who will give you the advice you need

“Finding people who will be objective with you because they believe in you is a powerful motivator for confronting your fears and worries… it can serve as a powerful mirror.”

  • limit your mentors
    • it’s easy to do research and planning, but it can lead to paralysis
    • he only asks for advice when he is really stuck, and only asks very few people
    • seeking mentors outside of you direct sphere of influence is very powerful
    • learning to make decisions on your own is also very powerful
    • we live in a society of paralysis by analysis
    • we avoid making decisions, even the inconsequential things like what dish to get on a menu
    • most decisions we make are not consequential, they are usually minor
    • learn to make decisions quickly, start with the mundane and inconsequential
    • when you do this, it becomes easier to make decisions for more difficult situations
    • limit your options and give yourself constraints
      • force yourself to say no and confront the fear within

“Rely on your own self-awareness…when you do that it increases your confidence…that therefore leads to greater self-esteem, which leads to a greater sense of meaning, and a greater sense of purpose…and you get more done.”

“If you want to confront you fear, you have to go inside yourself. and the best way to go inside yourself is to stop avoiding yourself.”

  •  you need to have patience with yourself
  • limits of will power
    • we use most of our will power in anxieties and fears
  • stoic philosophy
    • focus on things in life you can control and focus your energy on those things

“The reality is, most of us spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about things we have no control over.”

  • asks himself out loud every day “What do I have real control over?”
    • there is great power in it, it makes you conscious and aware of what you have control over
    • it also gives you confidence and allows you to ignore what you don’t have control over
    • most people devote their energy to things they can’t control instead of things they can control
  • the power of systems and owning less
    • he sold 90% of his stuff after he quit his job and found it a liberating experience
    • he limits his options and decisions he has to make
    • limit what you bring into your home and get rid of what you don’t need
    • limiting your options and freeing yourself from distractions
      • leads to increased confidence and decision making

“I think that owning less is a very very powerful way to augment your ability to make decisions and to control what it is that you can control.”

“Environment is very powerful…and it is one of those things you can control.”

  • stuff vs. experiences
    • making a lot of money and owning more vs. making a lot less and owning less
    • he is able to serve people more effectively
    • highly suggests saving as much money as you can for experiences
    • we don’t think we will fall into the traps of a mundane life, but societal, cultural, and environmental pressures are powerful
    • we are incredibly strong and weak
    • finds himself falling back into certain habits while in the US
    • if he thinks he’s above it, he will fail
    • interested in how we deal with our weaknesses and understanding that we do have weaknesses
    • not inherently good, we are inherently selfish
    • be aware of your weaknesses

“Travel… forces you to come face to face in depth with other cultures that are dramatically different from our own.”

“In much of the world, things like possessions, and status, and power are valued a lot less than they are here.”

“Finding meaning in fulfillment is a very very winding road and there’s a lot of pain in that. There’s a lot of confrontation in that. There’s a lot of failure in that.”

  • post traumatic stress vs. growth
    • post traumatic stress – people who face tragedy and extreme circumstances that morph into something they are not
      • fall into patterns of addiction and self-destruction
    • post traumatic growth – relatively new phenomenon
      • people undergo adverse circumstances and suffer, but they are able to create new mosaic for their lives
      • they are able to build new meaning, fulfillment, strength, and care on foundations of that pain and suffering
      • hard to do because suffering and tragedy are terrible things
      • these things can’t be defeated
      • Megan Devine – “Some things in life can’t be fixed. They can only be carried.”
      • only possible if you wish to build a new life in the face of those circumstances
      • if you don’t acknowledge the pain, you will never embrace the loss for what it is
      • there’s no formula
    • through his research, he wants to acknowledge people’s pain and help them find the space to really live
    • the most meaningful parts of his life came in the wake of tragedies
      • he was able to serve others in his pain and help people recognize they are not alone
      • after tragedies, even at the end of the day, you still have the choice to live and impact the lives of others
      • interested in touching other people’s lives and enriching his own as a result
      • happiness is a byproduct of wading through adversity
      • chooses to live and give even though things might suck
      • people are afraid to go to this place because they are afraid of the beast and adversity that lurks within
    • those who grow vs. those who don’t
      • people with a history of avoidance and running from pain will be more likely continue that pattern afterwards
    • we all face minor adversities throughout the day
    • the act of running from pain is in itself painful, just like procrastination
    • accept that adversity is a part of life
      • practice it and prepare for it
      • we don’t get to make it go away, we just get to respond to it

“At the end of the day, we have to accept that pain, and suffering, and difficulty are a part of life, and really accept that… but millions of people spend their entire lives doing everything they can running from it.”


Adversity is a part of life. It is part of the essence of being human.
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  • on listening and working with authors
    • has worked with New York Times & Wall St. Journal best-selling authors & writers
    • we live in a disconnected culture in America
      • people are really bad at listening
    • he listens well, especially with those going through adverse circumstances
    • listening has helped him with people who are successful
    • when he is reading, his internal sensors come up, and he wants to change things but listening is understanding when those sensors come up and silencing them
    • he has learned when to quiet that voice
      • he tells people “This is what I’m hearing from you” and asks them a series of questions based on those intuitions
      • instead of giving advice or telling them what to do, he makes observations and tells them what he is picking up from their answers
      • teaching yourself to listen helps you, it helps them, and helps you to help them
    • if people want to work with him, he spends as much time as he needs to listen to them and understand them
      • he is entering their world and is not afraid to do so
      • he allows people to expose themselves for who they are and not judging them for it
      • leads to connections that can last a lifetime
      • we are often too impatient

“One of the best ways you can learn to be patient, both with yourself and with others, is through active and intentional listening, where you really invite another person to enter your world.”

  • interviewing and letting expectations go
    • truly listen and be present
    • the next question will present itself
    • conversations will evolve naturally
    • when you listen, it will feel like time is suspended
    • don’t worry about what will happen in the future
  • morning routine
    • vitally important, especially for Tim who is a nomad
    • finding stability is powerful and important
    • meditates 10-15 minutes (mantra based)
      • if he doesn’t meditate, things feel cluttered
    • reads (fiction) and writes (without internet) every morning
    • likes to keep routine simple
  • on reading
    • when working on your craft, you need to create an experience
      • don’t write only when you’re motivated
      • uses Freedom app and Ommwriter, calibrated Spotify playlist
    • returns to many books continuously
    • find the ideal environment to work in and make it a reality

“When you enter into your craft, I think it’s really important to create an experience… you can’t just create when you’re motivated.”

“For me, writing is sort of a cinematic, amorphous, beautiful experience. So I try to simulate that.”

“It’s an experience that I create for myself through books, through music, and how I actually enter my craft, and by creating that experience, I am far more likely to keep working… when I’m not feeling inspired.”

“Create an experience that’s congruent with your craft, and to turn that experience into a habit, and into a ritual. Because once it turns into a ritual, it becomes more sacred to you, and it becomes a lot more likely that you will continue to practice it on a daily basis.”

  • Srinivas Rao of the Unmistakable Creative
    • has rituals and practice for creating
    • pours his heart and bleeds onto the page
    • not a great writer, but a beautifully honest communicator
    • has created a set of practices and has created a set of rituals
    • beauty in everything they create
    • has made himself unmistakable by going through struggle and testing things out
    • has taken massive risks, and that has allowed him to be successful
    • prioritizes creativity and honesty above all else
    • quote from Esme Wang, a guest on the show – “One of the things that makes people unmistakable is a sort of level of obsessiveness.”

“Creativity is… the exposure of… your soul’s delights, pains, beauties, fears, horrors, and desires in a way that weaves some kind of story… through several creative mediums. And that is not an easy thing to cultivate quickly, but it is one of the most powerful expressions of our humanity that we have. Art is incredibly important. It always has been and I think it always will be.”

“Creativity really is about forcing us to come face to face with who we really are and being willing to share it via a medium of our choosing. And that is actually really beautiful and really amazing and something we take for granted so often. We have the opportunity to share of ourselves, to tell a story and to create a legacy and give of ourselves through the creative process. That’s a beautiful thing.”

  • being more creative
    • expose yourself to other forms of art
    •  drawing creative inspiration by going to different museums: going to The Met and MoMa in NYC
    • speaking to creatives in different mediums
    • it is hard to honor yourself if you are destructive

“The true expression of self-care leads to more creativity.”

“If you truly care for your own body and your own mind… you will inevitably be more creative… you will inevitably have more stability in the center of who you are.”

Tim Lawrence |  Twitter

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 23: Tim Lawrence on Growing Through Adversity, Minimalism, and the Power of Listening appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”– Paulo Coelho Quote Art

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“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” – Paulo Coelho

Print available on Storenvy.

As creatives, we are often thought of as dreamers. We dream of our art being “discovered”. We dream of people clamoring over our work. We dream of a life where we can just create.

The thing is, we are dreamers, but often times, we are not doers.

A little over a year ago, I was a dreamer too. I dreamed that I could help artists get exposure for their work. I dreamed that I could help artists in the subject they are most uncomfortable: marketing. I dreamed that I could have my own podcast and share my thoughts with the world.

I am no longer just a dreamer. I am a doer too. Instead of letting my dreams die, I took action on them. That is the only reason you are reading this. Without action, I would be like many creatives, dreaming my life away.

There is nothing wrong with being a dreamer. In fact, I would argue it is absolutely essential for artists to be dreamers. The problem is, you can’t just be a dreamer. Dreams will get you nowhere without action.

The only thing that separates those who succeed from those who don’t is taking action and not giving up. When I embarked on this adventure, I didn’t have everything planned out.

Often times we want a perfect blueprint of what we should be doing and when we should be doing it. We want someone to tell us exactly what to do without figuring it out for ourselves.

I’ll tell you this, the path to success is not linear. Nothing is ever perfect. If you have been waiting for the perfect formula to bring you success, you will be waiting a very long time.

And that’s a good thing. If life were a formula you could just follow, it would quickly become dull. Life is about the journey, not the destination.

I’ve talked to many creatives and one commonality they all have is their unconventional paths. No one told them what to do. They discovered it on their own.

When we are children, we think the adults have it figured out. We think there is this magical switch that turns on and we’ll know exactly what to do. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that switch doesn’t exist.

If you have a dream, there is only one thing left to do: take action. Instead of hoping your dreams will come true, make them come true.

Buy Paulo Coelho Quote Art

Photo by Flickr user pslee999

The post “People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” – Paulo Coelho Quote Art appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

7 Writing Topics that Can Help You Build a Connection with Your Audience

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“I know writing helps me build a connection with my fans, but I don’t know what to write about.”

As artists, all we want to do is work on our craft. The canvas calls to us like a newborn baby calls to her mom. We don’t want to step away from our art because that’s the thing we know how to do best. Others keep telling you to “Tell your story. It’s what people want to see.”

You might think “I’m not a writer.” or “I don’t know what to talk about.” Is writing about yourself and your art really that important? Yes, and I’ll tell you why.

Let’s say you have two similar paintings. They are equally beautiful and they are the same price. Next to one, all you see is the artist’s name and the title of the painting. Next to the other, you see the same thing, but there is also a description of the piece. It talks about the emotions and history behind the work. It tells you the artist’s perspective and why she created the piece. Which painting would you rather buy?

I’m guessing the painting with the story. As humans, we are born to like stories. It has helped our civilizations survive and thrive. You can use this tool of story to draw people to your art.

If you need help figuring out what topics to talk about, here are seven topics to get you started.

1. Why you create art

This is one of the easiest and most important things you can talk about. If you want to get people interested in your art, start with telling people why you create art.

Most people talk about their art by telling you uninteresting details. “I went to college and studied fine art. I started painting landscapes. I use acrylics. etc.” Please don’t do this. You will bore your audience to death.

Instead, try talking about why you chose to become an artist. Artists don’t want to create art. They NEED to create art.

What is the underlying reason you create art? The reason I create art is because I want to help inspire people. I use my quote art to help inspire action in others. I create my city collage art to inspire others to travel and explore the world. Figure out the reason you create art. It will draw in an audience like a moth to a flame.

Why I create art

Last year I started creating art based on quotes that inspired me. Although I started it as a fun side project, I quickly realized how much my art can have an impact on others. So I began writing my thoughts about each quote to go along with the art. I wanted to share my thoughts about each quote and why it inspired me. I wanted to help others going through the same struggles as I was. If my art can help just one person get through the day it will have been worth all the work.

2. How your art affects people

As artists, all we think about is how selling art will help us. It brings me joy. It helps pay the bills. It allows me to buy more supplies. We are inherently selfish creatures. Every thought we have revolves around ourselves. Everything we do is for us.

We assume people are judging us or watching our every move. I will tell you this right now. Most people do not think of you at all. I don’t mean everyone is awful and has no feelings. What I am saying is everyone is too busy worrying about themselves to worry about you.

That is why you shouldn’t always write about yourself. If you want people to pay attention, you should write about them. You may be wondering how you’re supposed to write about other people. What are you supposed to say?

You need to write about how your art affects people. There are two ways you can do this: write about people who have bought your art and people who are viewing your art.

Testimonials

If you want to write about people who have bought your art, you need to ask for a testimonial. You don’t want to leave the testimonial completely open-ended. To get a good testimonial there are a few questions you can ask your customers.

  • What drew you to my art?
  • Why did you choose this piece over others?
  • Where do you display it?
  • How does my art make you feel?
  • Is there anything else you would like to say about my art?

These questions can help guide the testimonial in a way that creates impact. It also takes the work off of the person giving the testimonial.

Audience

You can also talk about how your art fits into the life of your audience. You want people to feel something when viewing your art. This can be anything from nostalgia to joy.

You can create emotions in your audience through storytelling. If you want people to feel nostalgic, talk about a memory you had while creating your art. Create a story that has meaning.

Once you do, your viewers will naturally attach their own meaning to your art. They will think back to a time they felt the same way. Memories will come flooding back to them just like they did for you.

As the creator of your art, you have a unique perspective to add. Use that to your advantage and make people feel something.

How my art affects others

What do you do when you are having a bad day? Do you turn to work? Do you do research? No, you sit down and read a good book. You plop down on the couch and immerse yourself in the world of Westeros. You listen to music that makes your soul feel alive. You turn to the arts.

I create art to make you forgot about your problems. For a moment, there is a light that brightens your day. My art explores the ideas of great men and women. It’s there when you need the extra push to go on.

3. Emotions that inspire your work

Emotion is at the heart of every great piece of art. Without emotion your art can be dull and lifeless. Emotions not only make art better, they also help us navigate the world.

Talking about the emotions you had while creating your art can have a huge impact on how the viewer interprets it. Talking about your work helps set the mood and tone of the piece. It changes how the viewer feels about your art.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at one of the most famous pieces of art ever created: the Mona Lisa. People have debated her smile for as long as the work has existed. No one knows for sure what Leonardo da Vinci was thinking when he created it. What if we could? How would our interpretation of the work change? Although this might remove the mystique of the piece, it would also give us a greater perspective into the painting.

By describing your emotions while creating your art, you give the audience a glimpse behind the curtain. Have you ever wondered how the artist felt when staring at their work? How did this affect the way the piece turned out? Your audience is just as curious as you are. Give them what they want.

Emotions that inspire my work

When you turn on the news or open a newspaper, what do you see? There are headlines about disasters. Scare tactics are abundant. “Are your kids safe? What’s lurking in your tap water? What can you do to avoid Ebola?” It’s a surprise any of us are alive at all.

While many in the news and media are all doom and gloom, I can’t help but be an optimist. Someone has to be.

I’ve listened to so many great stories about people finding success. With hard work and persistence you can achieve so much, but you have to want it.

That’s why I create quote art. I know how hard it is to pursue your dreams so I’m doing what I can to encourage you. So many people give up at the precipice of success. I want to pull you up so you can find that success.

4. Ways art has changed your life

As aspiring artists, I can guarantee art has had a profound affect on your life. There is something about art that draws you in. It has changed who you are and your outlook on the world.

You need to share this message with the world. Telling people how art has changed your life can create a deeper connection with your audience. They will feel like they know you and will be more likely to buy your art.

The mistake many artists make when telling their story is, they do it too soon. You don’t want to shove it in front of everyone and force them to read or listen to it. This comes off as self-absorbed. Your story should be used to enhance your art. Once people become interested in your art, they will want to know more about you. This is when you share your story.

If you need help crafting your message, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

  • What was your life like before you began making art?
  • What would your life be like if you didn’t create art?
  • Why does creating give you joy?
  • Why do you feel compelled to create?
  • How has your life changed since you began creating art?

Answering these questions will let everyone know how much art means to you. Use it to build a stronger bond with your audience. Let them know how art has changed your life.

How art has changed my life

Ever since I was a child, art has had a profound affect on my life. I don’t even remember what it was like to not feel great joy when creating.

Life without art seems unfathomable. The closest parallel I can think of comes from the movie Pleasantville. When two modern day teenagers arrive back in the 1950’s, everything in the city feels like a sitcom. There are perfect families, manicured lawns, and no conflicts to be found. That is what life would be like without art. Not the perfection, but the lack of excitement, the dullness of life.

When colors begin to pop up in Pleasantville, things start to change. The facade of a perfect life cracks, and we see into what life is really like. Art is like color in Pleasantville. Sure, we could live life without art, but would we want to? Life without art would mirror the dullness of Pleasantville without color.

5. Experimentation and trying new things

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This means we need to try new things and learn from everything we do. Every time we create a new piece of art we should be learning from it. Every time we market and sell art we should be learning too.

If we continue to do the same things over and over again, how will we ever grow? We need to be willing to put ourselves out there and experiment. These experiments will not only teach us lessons, they also make for great writing material.

They allow you to open up to the audience about your experiences and lessons you learned. These experiments can lead to failure, but they can also lead to great success.

The next time you create a new piece of art, try something new and talk about your experience. Say what went right or wrong and what you can learn from it. Talking about your successes and failures makes you more relatable and they can also give you a world of insights.

My experiment

There is nothing better for your self-improvement than some experimentation. While most people are content to go through life doing the same things, I am constantly trying new projects. Some have found success, but many have not. The fun part is not in success or failure, but in doing.

In fact, you are reading my latest experiment. I know I don’t have all the answers or even the best answers, but I do know what works for me. While trying to find my place in the world, I have stumbled upon something that makes me feel alive.

Helping artists find their way has been one giant ongoing experiment. My hope is some of you will join me on this journey. Together we can find success or failure, but one thing is certain, we tried. Every experiment brings us closer to finding what works for us. As long as we continue to try new things and learn from them, we will grow and become better.

6. A Challenge you faced and overcame

What failures have you had? What lessons did you learn from those failures?

Challenges can be paralyzing. They make us feel like we are trapped in a corner with no way out. Until we figure a way out.

Stories of our challenges are some of the most powerful things we can share with our audience. Everyone has felt paralyzed by fear. Like we have no way out. It is part of what makes us human.

Challenges make us better. They force us to find a solution which often come from unexpected places. They force us to think outside of the box and grow.

In fact, Ryan Holiday wrote an amazing book on this very topic: The Obstacle is the Way. In it he describes the three pillars of overcoming obstacles: perception, action, and will. With these three things, you can overcome anything.

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” – Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius

It is with this attitude that you must face every challenge. Challenges are like puzzles waiting to be solved. Once you’ve completed them, you feel an immense sense of satisfaction. Share these stories.

The next time you have an obstacle to face, write about it. The answer won’t come to you right away, but that makes overcoming the challenge that much sweeter. Write about your ups and downs. Write about solutions that didn’t work. Write about your journey and how you finally found your way out of that corner.

My challenge

When I was a child I was paralyzed by fear at the thought of talking to people I didn’t know. When I would meet new people at school, I wouldn’t say a word. When it was my turn to order something at a restaurant, my mom would have to tell the server my order. It was bad enough that they held me back a year after Kindergarten.Looking back at those times I know my fear was completely irrational. I can’t explain why I felt this way, but I got over it. If I had held onto this fear I wouldn’t be where I am today. The point is, if your obstacle is a fear of talking to other people or trying something new to market your art, you can overcome it. You can only succeed if you face your challenges head on.

7. Things you wish you knew earlier

We should not judge success by the number of things we’ve accomplished. It does not tell the whole story of who we are and what we had to go through to get there. We claim to love success stories, but what we actually like to hear are stories of failure and lessons learned. These stories prove that we are all human. They prove that we can overcome obstacles and still be successful.

No matter how long you have been an artist, you have valuable knowledge that you can share with others. Think of all the things you’ve learned over the years. If you could go back five years, what would you tell your younger self? What valuable insights can you give to other artists?

You can’t prevent the mistakes you made, but you can help others avoid those same mistakes. The next time you are looking for something to write about, don’t talk about your success. Talk about your failures. Help guide others through those tough times. They will appreciate your advice.

What I wish I knew

I’ve noticed a trend in artist websites. They all lack something. They are disorganized, lack direction, or just look bad.

As a web designer and graphic artist for at least half of my life, I couldn’t understand why. It all seemed so simple to me. Why don’t they just fix their site?After studying a few courses and reading a lot of ideas, I realized I was suffering from the curse of expertise. This happens when you think something is obvious and easy to do, but people who don’t have your background find it difficult.

For me, seeing artists create magnificent art is an absolute joy. I want to help those artists sell their work and bring that joy to as many people as possible.

I wish I had realized the impact I could have made sooner, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. What I can do is begin making an impact now.

That is why I started my website for helping artists, and that is why I want to help you.

Conclusion

Starting a blog about your art can feel like a daunting task. If you want to create something people read, subscribe to, and care about, you must have good content. People aren’t going to read your blog if you don’t put time and care into it. The topics above are just the tip of the iceberg. You can write about anything as long it is relevant to your audience. If you still need more topics here are a few more to get you started:

  • Your thoughts about art
  • The story behind why you created a piece of art
  • Ways to decorate home revolving around an art piece(s)
  • Art genres that inspire you
  • Thoughts on the future of art and your place in it

I hope this has helped you realize the power and potential of writing about your art. The only way to get better at writing is to do it, so I’ll stop writing and let you get started!

If you enjoyed this article, please sign up for my free marketing tips below. Future articles will include blogging, creating newsletters, tools for tracking your user interactions, what makes a good post, article headlines,  site designs that work, and much more. I also plan to explore social media and SEO for those who are ready. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to leave a comment below, I would love to hear how this information has helped you.

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“What we do in life echoes in eternity.”– Maximus (Gladiator) Quote Art

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“What we do in life echoes in eternity.” – Maximus (Gladiator)

Print available on Storenvy.

In ancient times, people were obsessed with legacy. People were not just representing themselves in the sphere of public perception. They were representing the legacy of their family name. They wanted to live a life their ancestors could be proud of.

Somewhere along the lines, we lost touch with the idea of legacy. When going through life, we often focus on the future. What can I do to become a full time artist? How do I get my work in front of more people? Where’s the best place to market my art?

We are so absorbed with our future that we rarely stop to think about the legacy we will leave behind. After all, it is hard to think about life after death. No one really knows what happens to us when we die. The only thing we can do is live the best life that we have.

The perfect embodiment of this idea is the late Scott Dinsmore. Scott believed the world would be a different place if “we all did work that actually mattered to us.” That is a powerful idea.

Through his site, Live Your Legend, Scott inspired thousands of people to find their passions and live life on purpose. He built a community with meetups in 150 cities and 48 countries around the world. He gave a TEDx Talk that has millions of views. But in the end, his greatest legacy was the impact he made on other people.

Instead of always thinking about ourselves, we need to look at the impact we are making on others. Are you making a positive impact on the world? Are you doing everything you can to make your ancestors proud?

When you die, will your life be something you can be proud of? What legacy will you leave behind? After all, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

Buy Maximus from Gladiator Quote Art

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Cracking Creativity Episode 24: Steven Shewach on Busting Bogus Beliefs, the Stereotypes of Masculinity, and Changing Himself for the Better

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Steven Shewach is the creator of Bogus Belief Busters, an idea dedicated to bringing self-help to the masses. He is also the author of Man Date, a manual for men on how to make meaningful relationships with fascinating dudes without being weird or awkward. In this episode Steven talks about how he plans to help people overcome their bogus beliefs, his thoughts on masculinity, and how he turned his life around after being a self-described asshole.

Here are three things you can learn from Steven:

You can repurpose old ideas with a simple twist

Steven is on a mission to help people bust their beliefs. Through his project, he is trying to translate life’s universal truths into something that is relatable to the general population. He is doing this by creating characters out of our behavioral problems, and bringing them to life through the use of super heroes and comics. Some examples of his characters include the Unfinisher, Not Enougher, Apeaser, and Expecter

He is taking the lessons that people have learned over millennia, an repackaging it for this era. By building a highly visual brand and merchandise, he hopes to make self-help relatable to a broader audience.

Masculinity isn’t what you think

One thing Steven has noticed, is that masculine stereotypes have caused problems in men’s lives. A few of these include always being stoic, repressing your feeling, being powerful, and doing things alone. Men who try to fit these ideals become trapped, and it’s hard to get out.

Instead of closing themselves off, Steven wants to help men forge meaningful and soulful friendships. He wants to create a space of vulnerability and openess where men can explore their feelings.

You can change yourself for the better

Steven describes himself as an ex-asshole. Before making the change, he blamed other people for his circumstances. Instead of accepting responsibility for himself, he put it on everyone else. He acted out in anger, frustration, and sadness all the time.

During a three day period, he came to this realization, and has tried to become a better person ever since. He tries to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. The key thing is to recognize your negative thoughts. You need to listen to what your body is telling you and orient yourself to a positive place.

Shownotes

  • belief chief runs the bureau of bogus beliefs
  • create a world called bogus belief busters
    • mix of super heroes genre and personal growth
  • beginnings of Bogus Belief Busters
    • started with his first character – The Unfinisher
    • bogus beliefs and beneficial beliefs
    • started with unfinished projects around the house
    • seeing pattern of not being able to finish
    • characters can be made from behavioral patterns (Not Enougher, Apeaser, Expecter, etc.)
    • create a different way of looking at things you want to change
  • how he came up with the different characters
    • personal growth – we teach what we need to know
    • belief chief is omnipotent and all knowing
    • being functionally delusional
    • having characters/feelings that are universal
  •  not having all the answers
    • taking content from the millennia
    • takes content from different disciplines and repackaging it in different way for this era

“Not only do I not have all the answers, I’m seeking the answers from the cumulative answers of human kind.”

  • having the idea for years and starting up a team to work on the project
    • working with a branding strategist and graphic designer
    • creating highly visual brand and merchandise
  • going from character to story that resonates
    • on not building a business but a slow-ness
    • it will reveal itself when the time comes
    • put project on hold to work on another project
    • similar to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey
    • teaching lessons through characters

The idea of bringing out this content about personal growth and how to live the best life through characters, I think is very visceral through the human experience. Most people connect with storytelling… especially with visual components of that storytelling.

  • the negative connotation of self-help
    • bringing self-help to the general populace
    • using a familiar delivery mechanism (comics) and changed the content within it (self-help)
  • taking a grand idea and actually executing it
    • not being great at executing big plans
    • learning to let go of a blue print or timeline and just let it develop
    • going where your energy takes you
  • changing direction when you need to
    • idea of perfection
    • iterating and improving upon things
    • start with version 1.0
    • let the public and tribe tell him where to go, to co-create together

“I don’t really think perfection is a healthy goal to attain because I don’t believe it is possible.”

“I think that’s a really powerful thing, to bring people in to what you’re doing and have them help you in as many ways as possible that’s reasonable to the creator. Have them co-create with you.”

  • startups and MVPs – minimum viable product
    • being surprised by the product that ends ups being successful
    • Twitter origins as a podcasting app
    • balance of having your stamp on something and allowing it to morph into something else

“As a creator… there’s a balance between… holding steadfast to your vision, but also being willing to let go at the right places and at the right time, and moving with where it wants to go.”

  • starting a website LoveMoreHurtLess.com
    • listening to marketing advice and begrudgingly did it
    • went into men’s coaching space as the Mantor (man’s mentor)
    • helping men not be assholes – ex-asshole himself
    • figuring out how many get trapped in ideals and stereotypes
    • masculine stereotypes cause problems in men’s lives
    • being stoic, repressing feelings, being powerful, and going alone are not helpful
    • help men forge meaningful and soulful friendships
    • create spaces of vulnerability and openness

The stereotypes for masculinity are unattainable.
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  • thoughts on Lewis Howes‘ speech at World Domination Summit
    • didn’t know him before
    • when he heard the title “Myth of Male Masculinity” he thought the speech was going to go in different direction
    • when you have expectations, and they aren’t met, you feel let down
    • applauds him for being open and vulnerable, but didn’t feel he went deep enough to dismantle stereotypes

“You can’t be all things to all people.”

  • exploring the idea of the Mantor
    • Derek Murphy – helped come up with subtitle of the book: A manual for making meaningful relationships, with fascinating dudes, without it being weird or awkward
    • helping men step into their personal power
    • likes to take big topics and infuse lighter approach and humor to them
    • Man dating- men dating other men for friendship – light hearted play on dating
    • connecting with other men in deep and meaningful way without it being awkward
    • likes to tackle things through humor because he thinks people will be more receptive to it
  • building meaningful relationships with other people
    • find ways that you are similar to them
    • recognizing people instead of ignoring them

“At the base level, we all have the same basic human desire, and that is, we want to be loved, we want to be acknowledged, we want to be validated, and we want to be heard… that to me is the universal connector so when I remember that, I feel like I can connect to anyone.”

  • making the switch from being an asshole
    • The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result
    • that’s what he was doing, so he realized he needed to change
    • attributes the insight to a three day period that shifted the way he saw reality
      • he was victimizing himself and putting responsibility on everyone but himself
      • acted out in anger, frustration and sadness all the time
      • calls himself, RNT – recovering negative thinker, but has to work at it
  • recognizing if you are thinking negatively
    • listening to your body
    • you have physiological response before you have a feeling/thought
    • orient yourself to a positive place

“Remembering how beautiful and fantastical life can be is a really powerful practice to see the glass as half full as opposed to half empty.”

  • the Hero’s Journey
    • something known to unknown and back again
    • movies from Star Wars to Disney all use it
    • call to adventure, threshold they must meet, mentor, move through challenge, revelation at the bottom, transformation, and return
    • used in creating narratives
    • the Hero’s Journey happens naturally
    • when you’ve bottomed out, the only through it is up
    • what will your transformation look like?
    • Phoenix rising out of the ashes
  • difference between people who rise out of the ashes and those who don’t
    • A belief is just an opinion that you think is true
    • belief is what causes you to believe it’s the truth, even universal truths
    • people who aren’t willing to take accountability and responsibility for themselves are the ones who won’t make it out
  • the placebo effect
    • the way your thoughts have an affect on your body

“My belief is that our beliefs form our entire reality at all dimensions.”

  • the next steps
    • Man date – launched book in September at the Gentleman’s expo
    • Bogus Belief Busters – re-brand with artis
    • getting rid of everything he owns and work on projects while traveling internationally
  • morning routine
    • had a morning routine and stopped a couple of months ago
    • blog post – I have a routine intolerance
    • was using Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
      • Silence/meditation
      • Affirmation
      • Visualization
      • Exercise
      • Reading
      • Scribing (journaling)
    • was doing it for 1.5 hours
    • create time for yourself and set path for the day
    • while on it, a lot of great things were happening
    • stopped because he was traveling, which threw it off
  • books/resources
    • any book by Eric Maisel – writes from a psychological perspective
    • fan of technology and leveraging it as a tool instead of a hindrance
    • likes tools that help capture, make, and share his creative output
    • Seconds Pro – allows you to create multiple timers in a row
      • used with Miracle Morning steps
    •  Day One Journal – syncing writing on all devices
    • Text Expander – shortcuts for text outputs
  •  definition of creativity

“My definition of creativity is the use of our great many faculties, meaning thinking, seeing, hearing, doing, in a synergistic way, that yields something tangible or experiential to oneself or others.”

  • being more creative

“I think the way to do that is to have an open mind, to experiment, to muck around, to be curious, to investigate the curious, and work at your edge, wherever that is.”

“”I think it’s also about constraints. Sometimes when the canvas is too big, or too open, creativity is overwhelming… By having some restraints, it actually causes us to become more creative.”

“To re-create literally is re-creating oneself, our version of reality. We can become a different person if we want to be… in any facet that we want, it’s all about choice… I think that being creative is about playing, and disrupting ourselves, and both integrating new things but also being expansive.”

StevenShewach.com

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 24: Steven Shewach on Busting Bogus Beliefs, the Stereotypes of Masculinity, and Changing Himself for the Better appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

Cracking Creativity Episode 25: Jennifer Palmer on the Power of a Single Event, Being the Subject of a Documentary, and the Power of Technology

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Jennifer Palmer is the subject of the upcoming documentary on synchronicity: Time is Art. She is also a writer and the co-founder of SyncChast, a platform that connects people with thought leaders, artists, and pioneers for change. In this episode, Jennifer talked about how her aunt’s death changed her life, what it was like being the subject of a documentary, and how technology is a powerful tool for connecting people.

Here are three lessons you can learn from Jennifer:

One event can change the course of our lives

After graduating with her Masters degree, Jennifer was trying to make it as a writer, but ended up with a job in IT. She found herself floating through life at her tech job instead of writing.

Her aunt’s early death was the catalyst that changed her life. This made Jennifer realize she didn’t want to continue her career in IT, so she decided to make a change. Now she is actively writing and helping connect people through SynchCast.

You should always keep an open mind

When we are children, we have an insatiable curiosity. We approach life with an open mind and playfulness that we lose in adulthood.

We falsely believe that as we grow up we should start having all the answers. We are scared that other people do know the answers, and we are afraid to show how much we don’t know.
This fear hampers our ability to accept the unexpected. When you open yourself up to new information, you increase your ability to be creativity. You can only achieve this by keeping an open mind and admitting you don’t have all the answers.

Technology is a powerful tool for connection

Many people have this false idea of technology. They think that is somehow stiff, stilted and weird compared to talking with people face to face. But technology is anything but that.

Sure you’ll encounter hiccups along the way, but technology can be a wonderful aid for connecting people. She has found that the conversations she has online can be very intimate and close. She also found that once, you get used to using technology, it flows very well. She has even found that you can feel the energy flowing at these events.

  •  interests growing up
    • always inquisitive and led by wanting to learn how to think
    • parents told her you can’t always trust what’s being told to you by the media

      “What does it really mean to know something? What does it really mean to know what truth is?”

    • breaking through normal reality and questioning things
  • education
    • undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence College
    • found passion in philosophy
    • got Masters in continental philosophy in Belgium
      • older tradition of asking big questions – truth/evil/good/etc.
  • making it as a writer
    • waited tables while writing
    • got job by accident
      • learned to fix things herself and doing tech/IT
    • was doing tech job more than writing, found herself just floating through

“Sometimes you have to leave what you thought you were doing and  question it and then find a new way or better way that you can do it.”

  • quitting her job and forging a new path
    • knew that she didn’t want to do her current job anymore
    • came about because of the death of her aunt
      • she had an amazing life, but still died relatively young

“What kind of life are you going to have? Is it going to be one where you are waiting to do what you really want or one that you really make a go of it”

  • major life events forcing change upon our lives and question things

“I think it takes something that disrupts that daily life so it almost breaks down on you.”

  • the difference between people who grow vs. those who spiral downwards
    • you have no choice but to grow, even if it leads to spiraling downwards

“We go through sorrow and difficult emotions in life… If you can really let yourself feel it. That’s again something that is what an artist needs… to have that is better than just that dull, kind of non-questioning day-to-day life.”

“If you are able to keep that questioning active and to look at what you’re doing. I think it really makes a difference.”

  • why we stop being curious after childhood
    • we think we’re supposed to have answers
    • when you don’t know something, you’re scared everyone else knows it
    • we don’t want people to know we don’t know something

    • Be ready for the unexpected, and be open to it.
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    • when you’re open to new information, you increase your ability to be creative
    • be open, flexible, and go with the flow

“If you stop doing that questioning, your brain kind of atrophies.”

“You can never be ready for the unexpected, but you can be open to it.”

  • keys to creativity
    • creativity is a frame of mind/state/openness to unexpected
    • get into a creative frame of mind instead of trying too hard to do stuff
    • creativity is about consistency, not doing something when you feel like it
  • Time is Art documentary
    • capturing the uncapturable phenomena of synchronicity
    • when you make a film about synchronicity, you will find it
    • they found her writing online and wanted to use it to narrate/frame the film
    • initially didn’t know she was going to be the subject of the film
  • synchronicity conference
    • Gary Bobroff had course through her company SynchCast
      • mentioned he was putting on conference on synchronicity on west coast
      • heard him say that, but it didn’t sink in
      • asked if he needed help with filming the conference
      • brought idea to filmmakers, who were thinking about going to conference too
      • did a crowdfunding campaign to pay for crew to film at conference
  • other moments of synchronicity
    • whenever the crew all meets up, they find things that sync up
    • filming in Mission district of California where there are murals
      • alien faces and UFO imagery
      • she got woozy on escalator ride
      • homeless man kept saying  to her “Did you hear it? Can you hear it?”
      • the film crew noticed on the memory card there was a blip they didn’t remember filming
      • camera was accidentally filming at the same time she was having her moment elsewhere
      • the footage looks like a UFO flying overhead
      • you can hear in the footage Maya saying “Can you hear it?”
  • poem concepts that were included in film
    • took things that resonate with Katy and synchronicities she had in the past with eyes and numbers
    • created streams that incorporated those themes
    • used them to frame conversations an narration
  • synchronicities that happened after filming ended
    • noticed she has mirrored the story from the film again since it ended
    • following questions and seeing where they take you
    • realized the nature of her story
    • living intentionally and creating the results you want
  • other things she’s writing
    • fiction and short articles for Reality Sandwich & Evolve and Ascend
    • appeared in books on synchronicity and social media
    • creating a book with all the conversations from the movie
      • discussions in transcript form and some of the details behind them
  • screenplay based on blog she wrote for years 2002-2006
    • fiction blog about 3 different characters and adventures they had
    • protagonist who has been crushed by the world but has a voice
    • takes place from before 9/11 through 2009 in NY and Europe
    • plan to get screenplay to people in the industry, if not, give it to a graphic novelist
    • originally started as novel, but always thought of it as a movie
  • Synchcast
    • incorporates themes she’s interested in
    • involves people in the movie or could have been in the movie
    • in a time where the world seems like it’s changing
    • going through archives to revive content
    • create online courses
    • built a course with Penn State Professor Richard Doyle
    • works well with people who can’t physically move around as much
    • ongoing shows about astrology, meditation, and have free courses for people to learn from
    • allowing people who normally can’t meet to connect online
  • convincing people you can make strong connections with technology
    • assumption that tech will make things stiff and stilted and weird
    • tech is an aid to connecting people
    • people are unsure of how it works so they are afraid to use it
    • sometimes, not being face to face can even take the nerves off

“Having a conversation online, often is very intimate, very, close, and… it’s not stiff. It flows really well and  that even surprised me when I first started working with these mediums.”

“Once people get used to it and just learn how to use it, they find that it flows and is really intimate.”

  • reactions of creators and audience of online events
    • people have a connection at these events
    • you can feel the energy of these events, even though they are online
    • Napoleon Hill’s The Law of Success – ether and being connected with each other

“When we connect with one another it’s not just our physical selves, there’s something else connecting us as well.”

  • morning routine
    • gets up early to catch the sunrise
    • quiet time and has great view of the sunrise
    • holds off going online, takes a moment to plan out her day
  • creative people
  • books, resources, podcasts
  • definition of creativity
    • when you are too controlling of your art, you can stifle it

 “For me, creativity is kind of a dance, but it’s a dance where you learn and you strengthen yourself and strengthen your moves. You learn all the steps, but then , in that, you learn, you’re able to then explore and be open to what might just come up and be able to perform it and be fearless.”

“Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the creativity killer for sure. Fear of all sorts of things, is the worst. If you can get fearless, whatever that means, or however you can do that, then your creativity will get amplified.”

  • overcoming fear
    • comes down to self-work and self healing
    • you have to let yourself feel things you might not want to feel
    • there’s no shame is asking for help

Twitter | TheSyncMovie.com

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 25: Jennifer Palmer on the Power of a Single Event, Being the Subject of a Documentary, and the Power of Technology appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Stephen King Quote Art

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“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Stephen King

Print available on Storenvy.

We live most of our lives in fear. We are afraid to be alone. We are afraid of trying new things. Most of all, we are afraid of failure. This single fear prevents many of us from doing the things we want to do.

The question is not whether we have fear, the question is why. While I don’t claim to know why anyone else has fear, I do know why I am afraid.

I am afraid that I am not enough. I am afraid of other people’s judgments. I am afraid that I will fail.


When we are afraid, we don't take action.
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Fear is a powerful de-motivator. When we are afraid, we don’t take action. We stay inside our comfort zone. We are trapped in a bubble.

While our fears will never go away, we can acknowledge them and let them go. If we let fear win, we have given in to death. In the words immortalized by Drake, “You only live once.”

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”
H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Nothing in life is guaranteed. We should be grateful every day we wake up. It can all disappear so quickly. No one knows what comes after death, so we should spend our time living in the now instead of some distant future.


If you are waiting for permission to live your life, here it is.
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If you are waiting for permission to live your life, here it is. That doesn’t mean you need to be a reckless or live your life like a daredevil. It means finding out what lights you up inside. Live the life you want to lead. Don’t let everyone else tell you how to live your life. Don’t go to your deathbed with all your regrets.

Buy Stephen King Quote Art

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Picture by Philipp

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“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse Quote Art

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“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

Print available on Storenvy.

Whether you’ve been creative your entire life, or you are just now exploring it, one thing is true. Creativity takes courage.

As creatives, we spend our whole lives fighting against the system. Our parents tells us to stop drawing on the walls. Our teachers gave us bad grades because we didn’t do their assignment the “right” way. Our bosses are dead set in their ways.

Each day we live within the confines of the establishment. Most of us fall right in line. We feel stifled and held back by the people around us, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

We can choose to be courageous. We can take the unbeaten path. We can take risks without knowing how things will turn out.

Most of us choose to accept the status quo, but there are many people out there who have created their own way. Here are a few of the people I look to while trying to form my own path:

Tim Ferriss

Tim is one of the best known examples of someone who doesn’t let people dictate his life. He built and sold his own company after deciding he could maximize his time and delegate his work.

He has written multiple best-selling books including his seminal work The Four Hour Workweek, he has one of the top ranked podcasts on iTunes, and he is also an angel investor.

Tim has built a massive following around the idea of doing maximizing your efforts to get the greatest results and has inspired many people to do the same.

Lewis Howes

Lewis was fulfilling his dream as a professional football player until an injury ended his playing career. This injury devastated him. He was broken and living on his sister’s couch.

At that moment, he could have felt sorry for himself and accepted his place in the world. Many people would. Instead he embarked on a new path.

Since that moment, he has built multiple companies, he has created an extremely popular podcast, and he recently released his first traditionally published book about achieving greatness.

In that moment of weakness, instead of giving up, he chose to seek greatness. Now he is helping people seek their greatness too.

Maria Popova

Maria is the wonderful mind behind one of the internet’s favorite blogs: Brain Pickings. While most blogs on the internet explore very specific topics, Brain Pickings features Maria’s thoughts on culture, books, and any topic that interests her.

Brain Pickings started as a weekly email to seven of her friends. Now it receives millions of visitors a month. She has built that following by exploring her own interests, and is able to sustain her blog through donations from her readers.

Although she could be making much more money through ads, she chooses to make money through affiliate links and donations from her readers. This allows her to work on things she enjoys instead of working on things that will make her money.

Srinivas Rao

Srinivas is the creative force behind one of my favorite podcasts: The Unmistakable Creative. This podcast features amazing interviews with everyone from artists to entrepreneurs to ex-cons.

Like many people, Srinivas thought he had to seek the traditional path to success. He went to business school and got a 9-5 job, but wasn’t fulfilled. So he hosted a podcast called BlogCast FM and gradually grew the podcast interview by interview. He then re-branded it into what it is today, the Unmistakable Creative. It is now one of the most popular podcasts for creatives.

Tina Roth Eisenberg aka swissmiss

Tina is one of the most popular designers on the internet. She came to the US from Switzerland and worked for several prominent NYC design firms.

In 2005, she started her popular blog, swissmiss, and ran her own design studio with clients including the Museum of Modern Art and Food Network. While building the studio she also started other side projects including Creative Mornings, TeuxDeux, and Tattly. These projects allowed her to drop all her clients to work on them full-time.

Chase Jarvis

While at San Diego State University, Chase had plans of going to medical school after graduating. A few weeks before graduation, his grandfather passed and left him all of his photography equipment.

Instead of going to school after graduating, he took a trip to Europe, where he discovered his passion for photography. While pursuing his Masters degree at the University of Washington, he licensed photos to REI, which allowed him to leave school and start up his own studio.

Since then, Chase has photographed for clients like Nike, Apple, Miscrosoft, REI, and Lady Gaga. He also launched CreativeLive which offers free classes for people who want to learn photography, design, and other creative topics, and hosts interviews with creatives on Chase Jarvis Live.

Most of us believe we can’t pursue our creative dreams. We lack the conviction to step out of our comfort zones and do the thing we love most. Instead of letting your preconceived notions stop you, let them go. Be courageous and let your creativity guide you.

Buy Henri Matisse Quote Art

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Cracking Creativity Episode 26: Katy Walker and Joel Mejia on Taking Action, Working with Limitations, and Empowering Others

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Katy Walker and Joel Mejia are the co-directors of the Time is Art documentary, a film that follow’s Jennifer Palmer’s journey after her aunt’s death and her exploration of synchronicity. They are also the minds behind Things Are Changing Productions, a creative collective that produces youth media programs, indie films, and music videos. In this episode we explore what you must do to take action, why you should work with limitations, and the benefits of empowering others.

Here are three things you can learn from Katy and Joel:

You should look inward for answers

Looking inward is one of the most empowering things people can do. Many of us go days without taking the time to look within ourselves for answers. We are so busy trying to be productive that we forget to think things through.

Most of the time, the answer we are looking for is already within us. The next time you are stuck looking for answers, pause and look inside yourself. You might be surprised by what you discover.

Limitations make you more creative

Big budget blockbusters have an almost an unlimited amount of money to work with. They are given every resource they may need, which might be the reason so many of them fall flat.

Joel believes the best way to get the most out of an artist is to give that artist some limitations. When you are up against a wall, you are forced to come up with a creative solution, which often lead to the best results.

Most of us believe the more free you are, the easier it is to be creative. The problem is, this gives you t oo many options. The next time you are stuck, give yourself some limitations. You may be surprised by the results.

The benefits of empowering others

Katy and Joel are big believers in empowering other people. They believe apprenticeships are a powerful form of teaching. When someone becomes your apprentice, they are not being forced to learn. They are looking for long term value and a longer term education.

They are also running a series of workshops along with the film. This encourages people to engage and collaborate with others, which leads to a more powerful experience. They want people to connect through the film and the workshops and create long terms connections from it.

SUBTRACT 4:56 from times

  • group of loosely related creative minds under Things are Changing Productions
    • releasing the Time is Art documentary on 11/11/15
      • film that follows writer Jennifer Palmer after having a mystical experience that has been labeled synchronicity
      • she talks to authors, researchers, mystics and artists about what makes us all interconnected
      • explores the idea that time isn’t money but time is art
    • environmentalists, creative thinkers, & educators who believe their mission is to empower people through their work which lead to a more sustainable world
  • 7:26 Katy’s upbringing and background
    • didn’t grow up in creative environment, grew up with sports and competition
    • discovered she was a filmmaker at 11/12
      • was given the opportunity to do a video instead of a book review
      • she wrote a screenplay and enlisted friends to act in it
      • she shot it and did voiceover work on it
      • recorded on two VHS decks
      • she got an A+ and teacher screened it in front of the class
    •  got transmedia degree at UT
      • used those experiences in filming documentary
  • 12:40 Joel’s upbringing and background
    • traditional immigrant story of  Dominican Republic family in NYC
    • parents and brother weren’t familiar with American way
    • grew up watching television and thinking it was cool
    • took acting classes in school
    • family didn’t have any artists
    • didn’t feel like an artist
    • was involved with company working with musicians
      • got into the business aspects of it
    • studied economics in college
      • wanted his own business
    • had psychedelic experience that led him back to music and a band
    • wanted to do music, but ended up in corporate job for 5 years
    • realized Things are Changing and named his company after it
    • wanted to hear his music on video
      • shot himself and edited himself into videos with music
      • people started contacting him wanting him to shoot their videos (documentaries)
    • meeting Katy brought back the musical component to his videos
  • 19:34 only connecting the dots when you look back
    • has books dating back to when he was 16 and didn’t know what they mean but have significance now
    • 21 Lessons of Merlin – Carl Jung quotes
    • knowledge came to him that he couldn’t understand, but kept those books and wrote his thoughts down

“It’s cool what comes through when you don’t use your logical mind so much. When you’re young, you’re not overthinking. You’re just coming from your heart and sometimes that’s why some of the most brilliant stuff is written by people who are 21 and 22, because they don’t have that filter of the world.”

  • 21:39 – childlike curiosity
    • Joel had teachers that were instrumental in his life
      • gave him foundation of critical thinking, being decisive
    • Katy talks about the impact of a teacher she had at UT
  • 23:12 – empowering people to take action
    • people need to go inward and look for answers
    • people who are inward thinkers need to look outward, outward thinkers need to look inward
    • “Traveling is huge in terms of inspiration”
      • you tend to find people who are like you when you travel
      • your winning to take risks and you’re in an exploratory mode
      • a lot of the music in from came from traveling

“You can go out and talk to people, but at the end of the day, you have to go in and find that true purpose that you’re seeking and the answers that you’re seeking. Because if not, then you’re going to keep looking externally, and that isn’t always what’s serving us. Sometimes going inward will create the right opportunities for the outward world to manifest the way you want it to.”

  • 27:42 – finding your purpose in life
    • big part of the film is Jennifer Palmer finding her purpose
    • you have to channel your feelings or you will go crazy

      “I am what I choose to become”

    • using uplifting music in the film
    • documentaries as an agent for change

“Art gives a lot of people purpose in their lives. It helps them breathe… it helps you express those feelings of powerlessness.”

“When you look at patterns and you’re able to flow with the natural, with the natural flow, then things happen… Time is not this finite construction. It’s a  malleable thing. “

  • 32:10 bringing people together to create the film
    • people working on things that they love and want to work on
    • using aerial photography and GoPros
    • choices they made attracted the people working on the film
    • working by their own intuitions and making all the decisions
  • 37:13 Christopher Nolan and Robert Rodriguez making films on limited budgets
    • Nolan’s Following and Rodriguez’s episode on the Tim Ferriss Show
    • Joel’s philosophy is “Fake it til you make it”, “Think like you have it”
      • believes you get better results when you have many minds working together
    • Maia’s  instrumental work on the project
    • bringing people onto projects
    • the leadership qualities of getting things done

“To me, it’s about trying to achieve mastery.”

“To me passion should trump all, and I think you shouldn’t always look at throwing money at the problem, which is what I think is the trap of having  large budgets, and I’ve always said and believed that the best way to work with an artist is to give that artist limitations. Take away as much as you can and that artist will create the most, the best.”

“I don’t think there is any person that can do it all, or should do it all.”

“At the end of the day, you enrich your work by engaging other creative minds.”

“Leaders fail, and it’s okay to fail and get up and make new choices.”

  • 41:55  Richard Linklater’s Slacker
    • going around Austin and only filming during the golden hour
    • using natural light to make things seem more real
    • Waking Life‘s influence on Katy
      • using it as an influence for Time is Art
  • 45:25 not knowing where the documentary will take you and lessons learned while making the film
    • having a real person means you have to form the documentary about them
    • making something so ambitious with so little
    • having reasonable expectations and not getting too carried away
    • being reasonable, flexible, and open to synchronicity
    • going with the flow and working with everyone’s schedules/flexibility
    • being blown away by the way films get made
    • learning not to push yourselves until you go crazy
    • taking breaks
    • traveled to Nicaragua to work with kids
  • 51:34 favorite moment or moment of synchronicity

    “Most synchronicities sound crazy because they’re so personal.”

    • filming a UFO and no one remembering it
      • being blown away by UFO murals
      • being a glitch in reality and not knowing

“We don’t fully understand what’s out there. We’re just living in this present reality and really there is no time. It doesn’t actually exist, it’s just this 3D construct that just helps us get from point A to point B… it’s not what we think it is.”

  • 56:16 plans after finishing film
    • exploring permaculture and sustainability
      • living off the grid and still being connected
      • figuring out living spaces to share and bounce in and out of and co-create
    •  establishing co-creations and touring with the film
      • helping people connect with others through co-creation workshops
    • creating a film that can change people’s philosophy and lives
    • also working on the Time is Art book
    • Sync channel Youtube web series
    • film started as a short, began with academic ideas
    • partnering with other production companies Time Wheel

“I think we’re a new generation of artists that are living in a time of digitization but we can also have the knowledge and the insights to live off the grid and live sustainably.”

“What we really believe in is, this is a lifestyle change. This is for people who want to change their lives.”

  • 1:04:03 – workshops, mentorship, and empowering people
    • mentorship – started with young people
      • saved Joel by teaching and giving him a space to learn
      • encouraging people to sign up and learn through apprenticeships
    • workshop – innovative component to film
      • workshop tours where film makers do screening and 2-3 hour workshop
      • co-creation workshop where people would engage in collaboration with other people
        • be encourage to keep long term connection through projects
        • being a powerful part of their experience with the film
      • Facebook Time Bank group
        • instead of paying people for different skills, you set people up to exchange time
        • move out of idea of time is money
        • we should have trust each other and bonds of collaboration
        • being able to trust the person you are collaborating with for equal exchange
        • Portland, Maine volunteer time bank
        • voluntourism – offering services for a place to stay
        • Burning Man philosophy – matrix
          • integrating philosophy daily instead of only for those 10 days a year

“I believe an apprentice is someone who knowingly learns, who’s not being forced to learn. They’re in it for a long term value, a long term education.”

  • 1:13:56 morning routines
    • Joel – finds the mornings to be sacred
      • exploring dreams, being mindful, and checking in with himself
      • hear the sounds of nature to clear the mind and prepare the mind for activities
      • look at what other people are saying about synchronicity on Twitter
    • Katy – night owl
      • determined by the weather
      • gets up and rides bike to park and relaxes in the grass
      • living in a place with so much going on and so many noises around
      • listens to music they are working on and listening to music in the morning
      • meditate and yoga
  • 1:18:48 books
  • 1:21:01 creative people
    • having creative friends – music, herb blends, hemp bars, painters, festivals, etc.
    • being around people who make things with limited money
    • being inspired by people and inspiring them
  • 1:23:40 definition of creativity

“I believe creativity is when you are in touch with the spiritual side. There’s a realm that’s unseen, and that’s what’s giving you ideas.” – Katy

  • tapping into spiritual and philosophical side

“Creativity is tapping in… I’ve always remembered that in order to get closer to the creator, you have to create… For me, that’s what it comes down to. I’ve always been drawn by the unseen and my imagination.” – Joel

“There’s so many ways to be creative, it’s just a matter of tapping in… That tapping in gives you a sense of something more than you… that you can tap into as an ally.”

– Joel

  • seeing stuff in his mind and not needing to see stuff
  • art comes from nothing
  • the broadness of creativity
  • aligning with allies and realization of self
  • 1:26:47 tapping into creativity
    • you have to look at it like it’s easy
    • the enemy of creativity is can’t
    • start with thinking you can do anything
    • figure out what you want to do and do something about it
    • the importance of discipline in creativity
    • don’t overwhelm yourself, it can be simple

“Creativity is multi-faceted. It’s not just a production.”

“Creativity is so much… it’s just knowing what you want.”

“Time is what you do with it. It’s how you fill up and what you decide to do with that time is what you will get out of it, and so creativity is the same way.”

– Joel

TheSyncMovie.com | Twitter | Facebook

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 26: Katy Walker and Joel Mejia on Taking Action, Working with Limitations, and Empowering Others appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”– Richard Branson Quote Art

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“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” – Richard Branson

Print available on Storenvy.

When you look back on your life, will you be happy with what you see?

If you want to leave a lasting impact, you have to be willing to take chances. Otherwise, you will look back in disappointment.

Look at the world’s most memorable people. Do you think they were cautious?

What would the world be like if our forefathers didn’t fight for our freedoms? What would life be like if Guttenberg hand’t taken a chance and built a printing press? What if Edison decided building a more efficient light bulb wasn’t worth the effort?

We must be brave if we want to achieve our dreams. Cautious people accept their fate and life. There is nothing wrong with the cautious life. Just don’t expect things to happen to you. You have to seek them for yourself.

If you want to make a living from your art, you must be intentional about it. If you want people to recognize you for your gifts, you can’t just create and expect people to find you.

I’m not saying it will be an easy or short journey. It is scary putting yourself and your work on the line.

We fear rejection. We fear our work won’t be good enough. We fear failure.

People have fought and died for what they believe in. Is putting your art out there really that scary?

Living the life of your dreams takes bravery. Stop being so cautious. Make your life worth looking back on.

Buy Richard Branson Quote Art

Photo by Ghislain Mary

The post “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” – Richard Branson Quote Art appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

Cracking Creativity Episode 27: Lee Moyer on learning from others, dealing with criticism, and his Kickstarter game

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Lee Moyer is a polymath and illustrator who has been working for over 35 years. He has worked with book publishers, theaters, and game developers among many other things. In this episode, we talk about a lot of topics including learning from others, how to handle criticism and information overload, and his Kickstarter project The Doom that Came to Atlantic City.

Here are three things you can learn from Lee:

How to become a better artist

Lee is a big believer in learning from those who came before you. He never had a traditional art education and doesn’t think it is necessary to become a great artist.

In order to become a better artist, he studied under other artists and absorbed their knowledge. This allowed him to learn under the best and the brightest instead of going into debt by going to art school.

He is also a big believer in joining forums and learning from artists on the internet. These avenues make it easier than ever to become a better, more refined artist.

The importance of criticism

Lee believes criticism is an important part of becoming a better artist. Instead of letting criticism get to you, learn from what others are trying to tell you.

People who critique your work are using their own time and energy to give you constructive feedback. Listen to what they they have to say and instead of taking it personally. If people didn’t like you, they wouldn’t bother to critique you.

Dealing with impostor syndrome

Everyone must deal with impostor syndrome. Even the late, great B.B. King was not immune from it. In order to overcome your feeling of not being good enough, you have to know and believe your work will turn out well.

Even when you feel like nothing is coming together, you have to work through it. You need to be stubborn enough to work through the lulls in order to create something great. Just keep working and you will be fine.

Shownotes

  • started career young, never went to college, has been working for over 35 years
  • learned to do all his art without the use of technology
  • works with book publishers, theaters, game design and Kickstarter, docent at the Smithsonian, worked with game developers, Hasboro, Electronic Arts
  • 7:35 the beginning of his artistic journey
    • had an appreciation of illustrations of John R. Neill  for Oz books (art nouveau)
    • Norman Rockwell and other illustrators gave him great love
    • competitive family told him the only way to compete is to not compete
    • started displaying art at science fiction conventions
      • startled by seeing art at these shows and by how bad they were
    • started doing shows at age 15
    • engaged in live role-playing games and got to work with them
    • worked with Keith Baker of Gloom who also wrote the rules for The Doom That Came to Atlantic City
  • 11:10 art from conventions and art he created for conventions
    • realized he could draw whatever the hell he wanted
    • showing humor works every time
    • witty art seemed to be the most popular
  • 12:17 what makes his work stand out
    • volume, does a lot of work but not in the same category or style
    • Norman Rockwell and others being inspired by other artists
    • taking the vernacular of others and adding it to his skills
    • studied amazing art abroad

“Variety is a curious hallmark for an artist. We live in an age of the specialist… but for me, it’s important that I be able to create, good original work in motif, in a period that I really love.”

  • 14:23 how he learned art
    • learned under Stephen Hickman – book covers and Tolkien calendar
    • Michael Kaluta  – comic Starstruck
    • didn’t have actual schooling, but learned under other artists
    • freeze framing movies and painting them
    • finding your own great references instead of just using the ones from Google image search

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  • 17:26 learning from other people and combining influences
    • art education in America vs going to museums and studying the greats
    • using gray scale to learn
    • applying tricks from one style of art into other styles
    • J. C. Leyendecker
    • painting in other people’s palettes

“When we study the works of other people and we study them closely, we can accidentally absorb. We can soak in it. We can get it right almost accidentally.”

“It’s really fun to watch other people learn from the best and the brightest.”

“Once we realize there is nothing set in stone, that everyone is learning from the best people they can find, I think it allows us to learn from the best people we can find.”

  • 22:35 choosing people who influence his work
    • we don’t choose who influences us, it just happens
    • influenced by personal taste, personal growth, and taking it all in
    • you have to be careful of what styles you use, because they carry a lot of baggage
    • poster Lee created for 39 Steps play

“Certain jobs cry out for a certain style, but others get a specific style imposed on them.”

  • 26:32 method that produces the best results
    • there isn’t a method that always works
    • he doesn’t have to create the same type of work every day, if he did. he might get sick of it
  • 27:37 the process for creating with different styles
    • each style has its own method and steps
    • Glen Orbick – pulp fiction covers

“What I’m trying to do is study and learn the techniques of the people that I respect instead of re-creating the wheel every single piece I do, I’m trying to study and I’m trying to learn.”

  • 29:28 keeping track of all his influences (Jump to photos of his reference photos)
    • has a 10 ft shelf with books in alphabetical order
    • he knows where they all lie on the shelf and where to find them when he needs to reference them
    • also pulls a lot of inspiration from the internet
  • 32:02 referencing people and things when creating
    • the very best artists take photos for reference
    • has friends pose for him and a photographer take shots for reference photos
      • would rather art direct than take photos himself
    • hands out cards to strangers to pose for his art
    • created  literary pin-up calendars for charity
      •  hired a black model for shoot because he didn’t have one
      • the woman had been given a card 6 years ago
    • created an illustration of an animator friend as a white walker for George R.R. Martin
    • friend Becca asked to be made into a moon fairy
  • 37:13 art direction vs. art creation
    • when you can’t do something yourself, you should bring on other people to help you
    • for large companies like Electronic Arts, the key is being the best communicator you can be
      • talk about specs, mood, what you are looking for, and how to get there
      •  you need to be positive, proactive, and keep moving forward

“You gotta do what you gotta do. You’re only as good as your last gig.”

“When you’re working with other people, you have to be aware of the big picture at all times and you need to be able to convey that picture.”

  • 40:36 B.B. King and the impostor syndrome
    •  “I developed in my head that I’m never any better than my last concert or the last time I played, so it’s like an audition each time” – B.B. King interview on Fresh Air
    • being a professional and knowing and believing your work will come out well
    • there’s nothing as deflating as seeing how bad your old work is, and yet it is also exciting

“Impostor syndrome is a thing, but when you’re deliberately an impostor, when you’re working in these areas that other people have been so brilliant at for so many years,  it’s a little hard to not let that pressure get to you.”

“Fear is excitement without the breathing.”

“For me, when I started out, I knew that I was terrible, and any time a job came out well, I knew that I had gotten lucky.”

  • 44:12 getting over impostor syndrome and being willing to make mistakes
    • he is able to overcome it because he is stubborn
    • didn’t have a backup plan
    • be stubborn and just keep working
    • being naive and not knowing what mistakes you’re making
    • being terrible at Photoshop in the beginning and being drunk with power

“Almost every painting goes through a phase where you just feel like it’s not going to work. It’s not going to come together this time. It’s a failure, and pretty much, you work through it, you’ll be fine.”

  • 47:49 whether young artists should go to school or skip it
    • believes skipping school was the smartest decision he could have made
    • degree from Rhode Island School of Design being more expensive than Harvard
    • forums like Deviant Art, CG Society, critique groups help you learn and grow
    • working under great artists and doing the work
    • learning from other artists on the internet, Fred Fixler,  Ken Adam, and Youtube

“I would learn from the best. I would go to illustrators gatherings, I would show my portfolio to everyone in sight. I would listen carefully, in a way that took me a long time to listen because no one ever gave me this advice.  Listen carefully for the things that you don’t want to hear.”

“The thing that took me longest to learn is that every time someone looked at a page in my portfolio, and flipped the page quickly, it probably means that piece doesn’t belong in your portfolio. It’s probably not good enough.”

“By getting out into the world, we can meet our fellow artists, illustrators. We can talk. We can learn.”

“Do the work. Work hard. Pay attention.”

“Everything that we can learn, we can teach ourselves, or we can be open to finding other people who will teach us.”

  •  53:13 dealing with criticism
    • peers in junior high being better artists, but not sticking to it
      • they let their ego get in the way from hearing they were the best
    • When you listen to critique, there’s a few crucial things to remember:
      • if the person didn’t like you, they wouldn’t bother to critique you
      • if they say things that are harsh or cruel, they aren’t any more harsh than business at large
      • chances are, they are being helpful and constructive, which takes their time and energy
      • realize that people are taking the time and energy to help you out
    • being mentor to illustrators in Portland and helping them grow
  • 55:56 dealing with information overload and selecting what to use in his work
    • grew up believing the most polished work was the best work
    • in digital age, polish is easy
    • finding the right group of people who are inspired by the same things
    • knowing what you like and don’t like
    • it all comes down to personal taste
    • didn’t have a signature for a long time
    • having a couple recognize his signature at San Diego Comic Con and not knowing why they recognized it

“If you are working digitally, work with some rougher tools. Let some happy accidents accrue, and you and your work will be the better for it.”

“Figure out what you want to do. Do it really well and figure out how to tell people you do it really well.”

“It’s all well and good for me to be able to do the work, but it’s important that people know that I do the work… and there’s a lot involved in that.”

  • 1:01:16 Kickstarter gameThe Doom that Came to Atlantic City
    • origins and working with Keith Baker
    • working with Z-Man games of Pandemic fame
      • owner sold game company to European game company, new owner didn’t want it
    • someone from H.P. Lovecraft film festival approached them to do a Kickstarter
    • asked for $35k, raised $123k
    • person running Kickstarter spent the money and said no one would get the game
    • Keith and Lee’s names were on the line
    • even wrote a white paper on Kickstarter
    • so they made the game available for people to download and play themselves
    • other game companies approached them to provide game at cost, but they didn’t want backers to pay again
    • Cryptozoic came through and said they wanted to give game to backers and continue to publish it
    • now made through Renegade games
    • FTC came out with ruling against Erik Chevalier saying he would have to pay backers
  • 1:08:38.6 morning routine
    • eats breakfast, does yoga
    • as long as work gets done, doesn’t care when it gets done
  • 1:09:42 creative influences
    • creativity is a fascinating subject because it applies to so many people, fields, and subjects
    • Small Gods project – an hour a day, once a day
    • They Might be Giantsdial a song
    • Jonathan Coulton
    • musicians only doing 10 songs
    • Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan’s interaction about Cohen’s Hallelujah, and Cohen asking about All Along the Watchtower
    • we all move at the speed we are capable of moving at
    • fond of mashups and people who can jump genres
    • Andri Magnason – job for each book to betray his readership
      • challenge is figuring what’s new and exciting
    • Max Raabe & His Palace Orchestra
      • covers of Queen and Britney Spears songs
    • Postmodern Jukebox
      • not liking everything they do and why that’s a good thing
  • 1:14:41 books, resources, tools on creativity
    • travel as being a creative catalyst
    • the more you travel, the more you see
    • inspiration can come from anywhere

“I never know where inspiration will come from. Creativity, I like to think I have already, and it’s just a question of priming, and using it, and encouraging it.”

  • 1:17:17 definition of creativity
    • had his brain scanned, because he’s never done it, it gives a fascinating read out, and gives him new understanding
      • helps understand his workflow and why he craves order
    • you should do new things all the time

“I think that creativity is freedom. I think that we all get trapped in convention… Creativity comes from letting go of but these are just the things we do. And the more we free ourselves of the strictures of what is done, what is known. The more we experience, the more we allow our curiosity to take hold, the better.”

LeeMoyer.com | Facebook | Twitter


Reference photos mentioned in the episode:

1. The Morgue – these icons represent large photos I have taken and use as reference:

 1. The Morgue - these icons represent large photos I have taken and use as reference:

2. The Virtual Bookshelf. Most of these artists are otherwise not represented in my vast library (either foreign, too young or, sometimes, the subjects of books too old to have proper reproductions in color).

2. The Virtual Bookshelf. Most of these artists are otherwise not represented in my vast library.

The post Cracking Creativity Episode 27: Lee Moyer on learning from others, dealing with criticism, and his Kickstarter game appeared first on Marketing Your Art the Right Way.

Fear is a Liar Quote Art

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“Fear is a Liar”

Print available on Storenvy.

This is quote and writing comes courtesy of one my readers Diana Casabar who is a Contemporary Jewelry Metalsmith.

Fear is a LIAR. What about this quote speaks to me?

Hmmm ~ It speaks to every aspect of my life and helps me to keep kind and loving thoughts of Myself in my mind.

I say it to keep me from not comparing my work to others and feeling inadequate.

I think of it when I see a call to artists and I don’t feel brave enough to submit my work for those juried exhibitions or galleries.

I say it when I’m shy about contacting old clients to let them know I have new work.

I think of it every season so I can design AND create a new line.

I say it while I’m trying desperately to bring my art to the next level.

I think of it when I’m sketching a piece, and fall off the path of my chosen brand.

I say it when I’m trying to figure out a new way to market my work.

I think of it when I peruse magazines and see other’s work, but not mine.

It speaks to my personal life too, helps me balance my family, my sport and my work.

I’m training right now to test for my third degree black belt in Taekwondo. It’s a two day test in November. It’s very strenuous. There are lots of younger kids. I’m 54 years old, with two kids and I hammer metal all day. There are a lot of days when my lungs, muscles and brain sing for attention. I think of it when they’re are singing, just to get through the workouts.

I think of it when I’m lost on a hiking trail.

I think of it when the husband is away on a trip.

I think of it when I have to clean the house, get the boy to school, let the contractor in to fix the air conditioner, mail a package, go to the grocery store ANNNNNNDDDD hammer 5 new pairs of earrings and two pendants.

Fear is a LIAR. I can do this.

—-

Thanks Diana for the wonderful words of inspiration and encouragement. If you have a favorite quote of your own, don’t be afraid to share it with me!

Buy This Quote Art

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