I got burned out recently. Trying to keep up with everything meant I wasn’t able to keep up with anything…unless I started to tackle my to-do-list a little bit smarter.
So I started to batch it. 🙂
I got defeated by a drawing. Well, not a drawing, exactly, but a lettering design. I had all the references I wanted, I had a good plan, and I couldn’t execute it. The vision in my head looked much better than what I was putting on the page in front of me. Hell, the sketch…
Your feelings follow your actions. It’s not the other way around. Don’t wait until you feel like it to be nice. Be nice to feel better.
So go do something nice! Try it right now.
Neil Gaiman is one of my heroes. His ideas on creativity and being a prolific creator have been a source of inspiration to me for years, now.
I want to ask a favor. Think about where you might be over-extended, then start reducing your obligations in those areas. Do that until you actually have some free time.
Then fill that time with interesting projects.
Understanding and feeling with the people you interact with will do more than help you be a better leader or a better team member. It will make you a better person.
And most importantly for me – it will make you a better spouse and parent.
As a parent, I’ll always be there to guide my kids in the direction that they want to go. I view my role as a parent-educator as more of an advisor and facilitator than a taskmaster. One day I’ll be able to look at my kids and know that, regardless of where they end up, I did my best to raise independent, creative, curious members of society.
I’m always up for a challenge! And drawing kids is DEFINITELY a challenge. Especially when they are your own kids.
I want to change the world. I want to live a creative life I’m proud of. And I want to teach other people to do the same. Let’s create something together and make the world a better place.
I’ve been making some pretty major life choices lately…
And one of those choices is to start teaching – again. So I thought I’d kick off this HUGE announcement with a self-portrait.
If you want security, be a banker. If you want the freedom to create, even if you know you might fail, be an artist. You might help those around you in the process.
As an artist, you have to be alone in your mind to create. There’s an obvious social cost of being a creative professional. You have to shut people out to get work done. Cherish the silence of solitude.
Every amateur artist I’ve ever encountered has an unrealistic idea of their expected growth. If you’re getting frustrated about the learning curve ahead of you, just be patient and study. Study everything you can and enjoy the process.
Your fear of failure is holding you back. We’re hard-wired to seek success AND stay safe.
Get a job with good pay and a good retirement. Go to school and work to pay it off for the rest of your life. That sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?
Nope. Society is a bitch, and that bitch wants you to go into debt.
Birds of a feather flock together. You are the company you keep. You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with… If you work through your influences and surround yourself with people who actually encourage your growth, you will grow as a person.
It’s simple advice that is difficult to implement.
Make creativity a part of your everyday life. Do your best to come up with creative solutions, and you’ll find that creative solutions start coming to you from everywhere. Here’s to a creative future for everyone.
Struggling with your weaknesses isn’t the path to success. Playing to your strengths is a better option. This system is what works for me.
These 2 exercises are WORK, and they require hard work. Doing the right work will help you reach the next level in your artistic skill and career that much faster. Don’t struggle through plateaus on your own, let the masters guide you.
I sat down with the young woman who I’ve started mentoring to discuss imposter syndrome. Why do artists and creatives feel like their work doesn’t have value?
Not too long ago I was a starving artist. Even when my family was living on nothing I found things to enjoy about my life. It was difficult, but always worth the effort. Live in the moment, because that’s all you have.
Developing a style is important to any professional artist, but be wary of the dangers of getting stuck or stagnating in your own style.
I remember a time not too long ago when cancellations made me nervous. Now…I don’t even try to fill my canceled spots. I don’t mind so much that I lost hundreds of dollars in a day because of a no-show.
Being jealous of other people’s achievements is not healthy. Instead, find inspiration from what others achieve. Learn from their success – because success leaves clues.
When you feel like the project in front of you is impossible, you’re about to have a breakthrough. But, the difference between an amateur and a professional is how you deal with challenges and blocks. Here’s how…
Are you offended? Do you blame everyone else for your problems? Maybe you should take some responsibility.
I have opinions that make people angry. My opinion is that the world would be a better place if we started cooperating and taking action instead of focusing on the wall that we’re about to crash into. We would be better off if we looked to where we wanted to be, started turning the wheel,…
Amateurs hold themselves and other people back. Professionals push themselves and other people forward. Which are you?
Your time here is precious. Remember that you’ll die one day so you don’t waste the most valuable resource you have.
Boredom isn’t a problem, but misery is. If you fall into a cycle of repetitive drudgery, it might be time for a change.
I wanted to share a story about surrounding yourself with people who support you and inspiring those people to grow with you.
I just wanted to say “Thank you” to a whole bunch of people. It’s the people around me who make me who I am, who help me grow and succeed. So I’m showing some gratitude. To the people who support me in my career… My friends, family, clients, coworkers, and my readers. Thank you for…
Have you ever thought about how you live your life and make decisions? Most people don’t! Create a personal philosophy to make living well easier.
I recently wrote an email about self-respect to my infant son that I hope he can comprehend by the time I hand him the password.
My life recently fell apart, and it started a domino effect that I couldn’t stop. Peter Drucker said it best in a nod to Murphy’s Law when he coined Drucker’s Law – “If one thing goes wrong, everything else will, and at the same time.”
How do we define what being successful is? If we are to rise so that we may be successful, what is successful?
My wife and I went skydiving! This is what it was like – with VIDEO!
Episode 8 of the JoshuaGraphic Experiment
Why would you passively want to find yourself when you can be more active and create yourself? I know which one I prefer.
Don’t complain about your problems, look for solutions and accept responsibility for them. Maybe then your life will start to improve.
My son, Maddix, is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for botulism – a very rare disease that has paralyzed him.
I learned a lot about traveling with an infant during a recent family vacation. Long drives and tiny, squishy humans don’t mix.
New Year’s Resolutions suck. They just don’t work! Plan out a SMART goal for the New Year to increase the odds of success.
Find a purpose and pursue it relentlessly. Having a purpose doesn’t mean being rich, it’s making a choice to live happily and make an impact.
Unfortunately, most people rely on the unreliable “skill” of willpower to make choices, and many people make bad choices because they lack the discipline to make the right ones.
I’ve managed to develop six habits which I consider to be keystone habits for myself. I’m not saying these will apply to everyone, but I’m sure they will help quite a few people.
You’ll start painting your masterpiece tomorrow. Or maybe you’ll write the first chapter to your novel next week. Or the week after. It’ll be a New Year’s resolution. But probably not… Related posts: Overcoming Artist’s Block Build a Reference Library to Enhance Your Art Avoiding Frustration on the Growth Curve In Defense of Solitude I…
It’s hard to develop habits that stick. They have a bad habit of not staying around.
14 questions to help you determine if freelancing is right for you.
A few ideas to defeat your own worst enemy and get rid of artist’s block forever.
Build a reference library to have a wealth of visual information on-hand when you create your own art.
If you can’t focus, then there’s no point in managing your time. All of the time management voodoo in the world isn’t going to save the soul without a priority.
Chronic stress is actually killing you. You can either avoid it or handle it like a pro, here’s how to do both.
Have you ever been so overwhelmed with random shit that you just can’t focus? Related posts: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Skydiving and the Time of My Life The Things I Forgot When Life Fell Apart Can Comparing Yourself to Others Help You Win at Life? Stress is Messing You Up – How to…
There’s too much information in the world. Too much to consume, too much to learn, too much to remember. Related posts: Playing to Your Strengths is Better than Fixing Weaknesses Have a SMART New Year: Set SMART Goals for Success Skydiving and the Time of My Life The Things I Forgot When Life Fell Apart…
I am an idiot. I took a job that pays salary and demands upwards of 80 hours a week of my time. On a good week. I’m on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I can’t get through dinner with my fiance without my phone ringing. Yes…I’m an idiot. It’s time to…