Lean Into Art

Instead of our usual exploration of visual storytelling and thinking about creative process, this week we have a brief yet important message to share.

Our message is that we’re here to love, care, and support our black community and do our best as non-BIPOC do to be better at helping more by listening, being affected, and committing to an ongoing active awareness and ongoing supportive action to get rid of systemic racism.

Black Lives Matter. The ongoing system of repression and discrimination must end. So much murder and death of black skinned people is such an obvious symptom of the discrimination. Murders by the police of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, and so many others.

We are in the midst of an uprising of super brave action from the black community. This is a place and time to dig in for systemic change.

Let’s make it all our job to end systemic racism. I’m looking at us white folks as I say this. People who are BIPOC have no choice but face that job.

Our work is to help one another become as strong as possible.

So then what are we/us two doing to help more and in better ways?

For Jerzy, that is:

For Rob that is:

Supporting, raising, celebrating voices that need to be heard like that of the black community must be an ongoing way of life.

Where you can, when you can, support black creators and causes. The black community has been forced to bear this systemic racism load every day for over 400 years. We are privileged because it’s a choice for us to face it. Let’s not forget that.

Let’s explore ways to bring in more diverse voices more often on the show. We want potential guests to reach out. Leanintoart.com/contact

We’re here to learn with all of you. What are you doing for your awareness, commitment, and ongoing action? Tell us your stories, comments, questions, thoughts (through our email, social feeds, contact form).

I know we’re in good company to make things better because Leaners aren’t weiners.

Brave protesters thank you, our society owes you.

Thank you all for listening and learning with us.

Love to you all. OK Bye.

Rob and Jerzy like to remind themselves to make space for reading, watching, and playing. Join us for an exploration of media we engage with for relaxation and inspiration and even refueling.

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

The tools we use to make and share our art change a lot. Individual tools wear out, digital tools change company hands, business plans change and tools get decommissioned. As makers we are often in the position of picking a new tool, sometimes to replace the old, sometimes because we need to change something about our work and a new tool offers new possibilities.

The Lean Into Art podcast is soon to be 9 years old and we’ve offered both video and audio versions of our show for most every episode. Lately we’re digging into how we can level up with video streaming and Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is a tool pointing us toward so many interesting new possibilities.

Join us to learn along with us we share what we’re learning so far about streaming and recording with OBS! We’d love to hear from you in the chat whether you’re an OBS pro or just getting started.

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

Join Jerzy and Rob as they explore creating projects and works that are inclusive, think through ways to detect and avoid toxicity, and celebrate practicing/working to be both sensitive and patient.

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

Back in episode 230 we talked with Jon David Guerra about taking on big projects and hiring collaborators. Jon returns to reflect on his experience and what he learned in creating Nightmare Pro Wrestling: The Belly of the Beast, a comics anthology in which he hired different artists to draw different chapters.

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

Continuing our exploration of virtual events begun in the last episode, Rob and Jerzy are joined by cartoonist, narrative designer, and DM of the Big DunJen Show, Jen Vaughn. Together they’ll look at the upcoming Very Very Shopping Network event to see if we can find some new approaches to creating online events.

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

What kind of inspiration do we choose to surround ourselves? Join Jerzy and Rob for a conversation about taking a look around the home creative space, asking what things are there in the background until we look closer? And how are the things close at hand helpful as joyful reminders or useful reference?

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

Minicomics are a favorite topic on the Lean Into Art Cast. As Jerzy and Rob have expressed in many episodes, they’re a great format for testing out new ideas or proving to yourself that you can ship a project.

But even though the format is small and intended to be low risk, how do you know if your story or project is ready to begin? This time Jerzy and Rob share some of the signals they look for in a project to know whether or not it’s ready to draw.

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

Jerzy and Rob are joined by Steve Hamaker, creator of Plox, collaborator on The Pathfinders Society, and colorist of the graphic novels Hilo and Bone. Together they look at how color helps tell a story, and explore some digital coloring techniques.