Your Creative Push

Pascal Campion is a prolific French-American artist, illustrator, concept designer, character designer and animator whose clients include: Dreamworks Animation, Paramount Pictures, Disney Feature, Disney Toons, Cartoon Network, Hulu, and PBS.

Passionately inspired by his wife and kids, he is best known to his tens of thousands of fans and followers for "Sketch of the Day", a ritual of drawing a new image first thing in the morning from his home studio in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/pascal2

-How he started his "Sketch of the Day" project.

-His advice to anyone struggling to do the work every day, to take it one step at a time.

-How if you are impatient with your art, it is something that you can work on with your daily practice.

-The importance of finishing a drawing, because your brain starts to recognize the beginning, middle, and end of creating a piece of art, and if you don't finish the piece, you don't recognize those landmarks.

-How as you create art and get better, your goals change as you continue to learn more and more.

-How many of his less-favorite pieces end up being more popular than the ones he loves the most.

-How you can compare yourself to other talented artists, but they might be comparing themselves to you as well.

-His advice for people who might be afraid to draw or paint everyday scenes.

-A story about the time he watched a duck for 20 minutes.

-How when you are younger you want to be someone else, but as you get older you grow to accept who you are.

-How hard it is when you are young (or even older) and you are told to "be yourself," when you don't know exactly who you are.

-The beauty of being able to recognize that you are changing as an artist and a human being.

-Being able to let go of things you are good at for the sake of progressing, especially if those things found success.

-What it is like for him to get into the "zone," and how it is like deep-sea diving.

-When he gets into a flow state, how it feels as if he is a conduit for something else, and how he is just there to help it along.

-The importance of staying physically fit and the relationship that it can have with your art and creativity.

"I have a hard time doing an image without telling a story."

"After a few minutes, I have this nervous energy where I just want to get to the end really quickly."

"Patience and the amount of time that you can sit down and draw is something that you can work on. It's like running. It's like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the better you get at it."

"If you don't finish a drawing, you don't get those landmarks in your head."

"If you actually put yourself through the paces of finishing a drawing, your brain is going to create a grid: This is the beginning, this is the middle, and this is the end. You'll have an idea of the trip that you're going to be taken on."

"Always finish your drawing. The more you finish, the more you understand the whole process and the easier it is to get it done. If you keep starting and not finishing your drawings, you will never get the map in your head of the amount of work it takes to get a drawing done."

"I get incredible pleasure from creating images. Even if they are bad, the actual process of it is fun to me."

"As long as you enjoy it, it's going to show in the drawing."

"When I turned 30, things got a whole lot easier in my life because I wasn't trying to become something else anymore."

"The more you keep saying you're going to do something when you have time, the less likely you are to do it."

"There's no better time than NOW to do what you want to do."

"The ME of ten years ago would not do the same drawings as me now, even if we were at the same technical level.

"My best days of drawing are often when I've done a lot of physical exercise."

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Matt Madden : Website / Facebook

Amber Kane is an educator, textile designer, entrepreneur, and stellar day dreamer. She received her Art Education degree from Messiah College, and earned her masters in Creativity Studies from Union Institute and University.

She taught high school Art for 8 years in the public school system, while running her textile design business on the side. While teaching she learned that our schools are teaching creativity and dreams right out of our students, while developing an obsession for empty standards.

In 2015, she resigned from her public school position. She now teaches online AP Art and Art History courses for PA Homeschoolers, works part time at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, and creates one-0f-a-kind textiles.

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

-Her first years working as a teacher, and the pushback that she was getting from the school.

-Her decision to quit her teaching job and move into an abandoned home.

-The early process of getting settled in the new situation that she had "flung herself into."

-Her realization that she needed a safe space to process the last eight years of her life.

-How her textile design business started.

-The power in being a teacher and a working artist.

-How she is still surprised that she was able to convince her husband to move into their "Freedom House."

-How she wrote herself termination letters in order to reassure herself that she couldn't be fired for her ideas.

-How she reestablished her reasons for being an art teacher at the beginning of each school year.

-The power in telling other people your plans, even before you are fully convinced that you are capable of executing those plans.

-How she created The Unstandardized Standard.

"I think it's actually been within the last six months that I started to feel comfortable using my voice again."

"I realized that I could not get my daily actions to line up with my 'Why' anymore and that was a clear signal that I needed to get out of there."

"If it feels really hard but you still want it, then that needs to be the thing that you put all of your focus and energy into getting."

The Unstandardized Standard

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Paul Adshead is a Hat Wearer, Beard Owner, Crazy Golf Enthusiast, and Peanut Butter Fan. On the rare occasions he's not doing photography, he loves being outdoors, blind drawing, eating carrot cake and people watching.

Paul also uses old, out of date film in even older antique cameras to attempt to capture the past as he attends and photographs World War, Victorian and American Civil War events.

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

-How he never studied photography or take creative courses academically

-How he has made his transitions slowly.

-How his work is dark and cinematic, and how most clients don't want that.

-The different types of "darkness" in his work.

-The thought and planning that goes into his shoots.

-How he likes to leave things to people's imaginations.

-The power of brevity.

-His love for history and the way that he tries to recreate it in his art.

-Using antique cameras and what that does for his process and mindset.

-How he uses his Instagram descriptions to help to add value to his pieces and to give the viewer additional information.

-The relationship that he has with his own Resistances.

-Having multiple projects going at once.

-Using Parkison's Law to his advantage.

"I personally never like to compromise my style."

"For me, people's imaginations is better than any creative out there."

"I just find the past more interesting than the present."

"The second you set a date, everything falls into line and the job gets done."

"The more you do anything, the more chance it will have a positive effect on your life."

The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind by Richard Wiseman

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Amber Kane : Website / Instagram

Todd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of four books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, and Herding Tigers) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.

Todd is also the host of The Accidental Creative Podcast, which has delivered weekly tips and ideas for staying prolific, brilliant, and healthy since 2005.

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

-How the pressure to be creative all day at our jobs can wear and tear at us.

-His discovery in The Accidental Creative that successful people all share many of the same habits and qualities.

-His FRESH method for finding and solving your problems quickly, and managing your relationships, energy, stimuli, and hours.

-The importance of saying "no" to things that you know will drain your energy from the more important things that you intend to create.

-The power of secret work and private victories.

-His advice for people who are starting to consider turning their side hustle into their "main" hustle.

-His new book, Herding Tigers.

"We're not wired to produce creatively like machines."

"Which of these good things in my life needs to go away so that something better can be born?"

"What do I need to prune from my life so that I have the energy I need to be able to focus on the more important stuff that I'm tasked with?"

"Cover bands don't change the world. You have to find your own unique voice if you want to thrive."

Herding Tigers: Be the Leader That Creative People Need by Todd Henry

The Accidental Creative Podcast

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Paul Adshead : Website / Instagram

Born in Brittany (France) in 1976. Virginie Ropars's figures are in between sculpture, fashion design and illustration, building up visions full of wonders

Virginie's work is shown throughout Europe in art galleries and art shows and also in United States and Russia.

Her work has been featured in many magazines and publications. Her dimensional interpretation of Brom's main character Jack, in The Plucker novel won the Spectrum 19 Gold Award (in 2012), she also received the Spectrum 20 Gold Award (in 2013) for one of her personal work, Acanthophis III.

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

-Working in the video game industry and then shifting to make her own personal work.

-How she considers her first doll to be "monstrous."

-Her process for deciding which sculpture to make.

-How long each of her sculptures takes and the process that goes into making them.

-Where she gets her inspiration.

-The struggle of having to finish a project when you actually want to be working on something else.

-How excitement for a creative pursuit or project typically translates into the quality of the work.

-Her daily routine and the importance of thinking.

-The danger of repeating yourself instead of innovating if you aren't constantly feeding yourself with other inspirations.

"It is a lot of experimenting, and I quite like that."

"It can be very misty how inspiration works."

"The more excited you are about what you do, the better the work is."

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Todd Henry : Website / Accidental Creative Podcast

Dave Roberts is an artist out of Las Vegas, NV who makes fine art using the Etch A Sketch. He draws landscapes, architecture, portraits and more, preserving all of his work.

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

-His artistic history and how he first started using an Etch A Sketch.

-Finding out that other people were using the Etch A Sketch to make art and then learning from them.

-Developing a method for preserving his art.

-Coming up with a goal to be featured in a gallery.

-Entering (and not winning) a Red Robin contest for a gift card.

-Trying to not get lost in your own negative thoughts.

-Creating accountability by telling people about your goals.

-His decision to achieve his goals despite the fact that all of his previous excuses were still a part of his life.

-Building resiliency by getting knocked down and getting back up again.

-The experience of seeing his dream of being in a gallery come to fruition.

"If things don't go your way are you going to start tearing yourself down and be your own stumbling block?"

"I hate to say it, but art became this thing that I used to do."

"Attitude is everything."

Jordan Peterson - The Curse of Creativity

SKYE Gallery

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Virginie Ropars : Website / Instagram

Daniel Reyes is an award-winning TV producer with nearly 2-decades of experience. Daniel has worked with NBC, FOX Sports, ESPN, DAYSTAR and SYFY networks in the past. The shows he has created have aired on the local, national and international level. Recently, he was in development on a program for HGTV.

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

Make your own Heirloom Film

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee

The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier

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Dave Roberts : Website / Instagram

Gwenn is a full-time artist, portraitist, and free-culture advocate. Her beautiful, unique portraits as well as all of her other work is intentionally free from copyright.

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

-Making political art and tapping into the power of anger.

-Attempting to make art for an anti-audience.

-Being aware and cautious of scams in the art world.

-Her tips for promotion and social media.

-The power of taking photographs of yourself doing the work and documenting the act of doing the work.

-Her promotional calendar and the importance of posting something every day.

-How your surroundings and your physical setting affects your art and how you see the world.

-Her advice to people who find themselves disappointed when a potential opportunity doesn't work out.

-Discrimination in the art world.

"I believe that a truly successful artwork is one that people feel belongs to them more than maybe to you."

"Location affects us, but it doesn't have to rule us."

"You are this new, completely unique thing in the world. Never forget it."

How to avoid art scams (from Gwenn's blog)

Mark Anthony Martinez

Your Creative Push Episode 26 w/ Gwenn Seemel

Gwenn's article about discrimination

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Daniel Reyes : Website

Shayla Maddox is an artist who uses Light as her medium, along with acrylic, sand, salt, crushed glass, sea shells, garnet, quartz, candle wax, and even cinnamon to create what she calls "light reactive paintings." These paintings change appearance throughout the day, season, and year, and also react into the UV spectrum so that they continue to glow into the night.

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

-How she decided to make one painting while she was an actress, and how she never looked back.

-Her decision to stop showing at traditional galleries and start throwing her own.

-Some of the things that surprised her when she decided to throw her own shows.

-Her advice for anyone thinking about throwing their own show.

-How she started with her "light reactive paintings."

-How she is intentionally experimental in her art and always trying to find new materials and new ways to create in order to challenge herself and keep her feeling uncomfortable.

-Her interest in exploring the intersection between science and spirituality and "thin spaces."

-Some of the frustrations that she encounters when trying to share her work on the internet.

-Her experience with Patreon and how it has encouraged and enabled her to communicate with her audience in a new way.

-The idea of throwing your hat over the fence and then figuring out how to get it.

-Her experience of becoming sick and taking a break from her art (and how she got through it).

-Attending Patrecon and what she learned there.

-The value in following people in other genres and other art forms and gaining inspiration from them.

"I found that the shows that I was throwing for myself were far and away more successful than the shows that the galleries were throwing for me."

"I loved being my own director and I loved being in charge of my creative vision for my own shows."

"I'm intentionally experimental in my art and I don't like to master anything."

"Go completely nuts. When you have that opportunity when nobody is watching you, you can do anything."

"The difference between successful artists and unsuccessful artists is that the successful ones just keep going. If you stop, you've guaranteed that you failed."

Patrecon

The Long Game Part III: Painting in the Dark by Adam Westbrook

Gwenn Seemel on Your Creative Push

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Gwenn Seemel: Website / Instagram

Legendary tattoo artist Freddy Negrete is best known for pioneering the black-and-gray tattoo style, honed while serving time in a series of correctional facilities during a youth mired in abuse, gang life, and drug addiction.

Freddy was honored with the Tattoo Artist of the Year Award in 1980 and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Body Art Expo in 2007 and his new book, Smile Now, Cry Later recounts his story.

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

-How he was a "troubled youth" and involved in gangs and incarceration.

-How the Chicano subculture influenced him from a young age.

-His experience at Youth Authority and then at Tamarack.

-Working with Good Time Charlie, Jack Rudy, and Ed Hardy and how they influenced his mindset and his art.

-How he approached his tattooing career after incarceration.

-The experience of winning the Tattoo Artist of the Year Award in 1980.

-The mindset of trying to get better with every single piece you create.

-Some of the harder times that he went through and learning from the mistakes that he made.

-Coming back to the tattoo scene with a new focus.

-His renewed commitment to be teachable in all the things that he had missed out on.

-How rehab changed his life.

-The way in which meditation helped him to maintain focus with his art.

-The experience of meeting Steve Jones and writing his new book, Smile Now, Cry Later.

"Ed Hardy's objective, which became our objective, was to get the world to see that tattooing was a form of art."

"I came back with this new focus, and I realized that things had really changed."

"That was the commitment that I made. To be teachable."

"It's almost like a new beginning for me."

"Nothing comes easy. Everything requires hard work and determination."

"Always fight. Always work hard. And always push forward."

Smile Now, Cry Later; guns, Gangs, and Tattoos - My Life in Black and Gray by Freddy Negrete and Steve Jones

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Shayla Maddox : Website / Instagram / Patreon