Your Creative Push

Kasey Golden is an illustrator and YouTuber with the dream of illustrating children's books. She shares her illustrations, challenges and process as an artist on her YouTube channel where she has over a million subscribers following her journey.

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

-How her YouTube channel and the schedule she made for it kept her accountable for creating art.

-Why she initially started her 500 Drawing Prompts challenge (and why she decided to tone it back).

-Incorporating her community in her own challenges.

-Her advice for getting past art block.

-Making a schedule and lists.

-The experience of doing challenges such as "how small can you draw" and painting with her own blood.

-What she has learned from her community.

-How she honed in on her style.

-How to get past "same face syndrome."

-Why you shouldn't wait until you're "ready" to put your work out there.

-Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

-Her take on nudity in art.

-How to deal with negative comments and criticism.

-Her passion for sewing.

-How drawing and painting traditionally helps her to embrace her art, her mistakes and her confidence.

-Where she finds inspiration.

"I hate quitting and giving up on things. I will torture myself mentally to finish any art project, it seems."

"I am not unfamiliar with art block, unfortunately."

"My art style is definitely a Frankenstein monster of all the influences and things I enjoy in life."

"If you wait until you're ready, it's probably never going to happen."

"Go for a hike. Go out and see the world. I think the biggest inspiration you can get for your art is having experiences."

"If you're not going to do you, then who's going to do you?"

500 Drawing Prompts Notebook

Nobody cares that you started. They care that you finished

Jake Parker on Your Creative Push

Website / YouTube / Instagram / Twitter / Storenvy / Patreon

Talia Jackson : Spotify / Instagram

Mur Lafferty is the author of Solo: A Star Wars Story and the Hugo and Nebula nominated novel Six Wakes, The Shambling Guides series, and several self pubbed novels and novellas, including the award winning Afterlife series.

She is also the host of the Hugo-winning podcast Ditch Diggers, and the long-running I Should Be Writing. She is the recipient of the John Campbell Award for best new writer, the Manly Wade Wellman Award, the Best Fancast Hugo Award, and joined the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2015, its inaugural year.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/358

-Why she started her podcast, I Should Be Writing.

-Rejectomancy and over-analyzing what a rejection might mean.

-Why she doesn't read comments or reviews.

-Dealing with the self-doubt bully.

-Trusting yourself and trusting "the people in the basement."

-The way in which your creative resolutions never have an ultimate failure or success – they are ways of life.

-Getting more "experience points" for failing than succeeding.

-Not just setting one goal, but multiple specific goals.

-"The Magic Spreadsheet" and gamifying daily word counts.

-The experience of writing Solo: A Star Wars Story.

-How she gets past difficult moments in writing.

-How her creative life didn't start until she started taking care of her mental health.

-Dealing with depression as a writer.

-Taking up the violin as a hobby.

-How she uses a random number generator to help guide her on which task to do next.

"We're always ruder to ourselves than we are to anyone we love."

"What can you accomplish today? Don't worry about tomorrow. Don't worry about yesterday. You can't fix either of those. One is not broken and the other is unreachable."

"Often times if I try to force my brain to think up new story, it will flatly refuse."

"If you think you need to suffer to create art, I wonder why your art is more important than your wellbeing."

I Should Be Writing

Solo: A Star Wars Story by Mur Lafferty

The Secrets: The podcast for serious writers!

Better Than Yesterday

Kameron Hurley

Website / Twitter

Kasey Golden : YouTube / Instagram

Michael Ray was one of the very first students to go through the Evolve Artist Program curriculum. Throughout his education and work with Evolve, Michael has been an inspiration for how to get work done and get it done well.

Michael has a family, a full-time job and many other responsibilities but was still able to thrive with Evolve, and is now looking forward to selling his work at a professional level.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/357

-What his artistic life looked like before signing up for Evolve Artist.

-The stark differences he has discovered between the Evolve program and other online schools and online courses that he has taken.

-The red pill/blue bill moment.

-How everyone starts at the same point in the Evolve Artist Program.

-How the Evolve program teaches you to see first and then apply what you see on the canvas.

-The extraction of variables by giving all students the same high-quality materials and Old Holland paints.

-The freedom to be able to make mistakes.

-The many directions that you can take your skills once you get the fundamentals down.

-The commitment he made to himself to be present and focused on the assignments.

-How he has witnessed the proven process of the Evolve Artist Program through all the students who keep creating art they never thought they'd be able to create.

"There's this creative force and energy inside of me that has to be dealt with."

"The Evolve fundamentals are truly fundamentals."

"There is no shortcut around experience."

"It's a proven process, over and over again."

The Evolve Artist Program (Exclusive 10% Discount)

Evolve Webinar Mailing List

Dorian Vallejo

The Evolve Artist Program Review (w/ Mitch Bowler) [YCP Ep. 354]

Let someone walk you to your artistic dreams (w/ Piper Talladay) [YCP Ep. 355]

Don't go to art school. Evolve instead (w/ Kevin Murphy) [YCP Ep. 356]

Instagram

Mur Lafferty : Website / Twitter

Kevin Murphy is an internationally recognized award-winning portrait painter and illustrator. Since 1993, he's delivered nearly 600 commissioned works within the fields of Illustration and Portraiture.

Kevin is also the cofounder of The Evolve Artist Program, where he teaches all traditional classes. The Art Academy, from which the Evolve program was born, was founded by Kevin in 2009.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/356

-His early education and the mark that it left with him.

-"Burning the ships" of his construction career to create science fiction fantasy book covers.

-Working for LucasArts, National Geographic and The Rolling Stones.

-How he got into portraiture.

-Why he opened his school.

-An overview of The Evolve Artist Program and where it got its name.

-How Evolve Artist works and how you get all of the materials.

-The way in which The Evolve Artist Program hones in on your fundamentals and shows you exactly what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.

-"Midnight Tea" and other student groups that add to the community of Evolve Artist.

-A deeper look into the method of The Evolve Artist Program.

-Why art schools might let their students down.

-Why using quality paints like Old Holland's are so helpful.

"I basically burnt the ships and decided I was going to be a painter."

"I didn't need explosions and dragons in the paintings anymore because I found the people so interesting."

"Art made it possible for me to have a very different life than I was born into."

"The number of things you need to know to be able to make extraordinary art is very small. That information fits in the palm of your hand."

"We're always trying to find ways to make the online program feel more like what it is to walk into the actual brick-and-mortar school where I teach."

"Every time you get a success it makes you bolder for the next one."

"Even the pros struggle. How they deal with the struggle is different."

The Evolve Artist Program (Exclusive 10% Discount)

Evolve Webinar Mailing List

Dorian Vallejo

The Evolve Artist Program Review (w/ Mitch Bowler) [YCP Ep. 354]

Let someone walk you to your artistic dreams (w/ Piper Talladay) [YCP Ep. 355]

Michael Ray : Instagram

Piper Talladay is a contemporary realist painter currently residing in Tacoma, Washington, but working with clients across the United States. Her work is centered around equine portraiture, rendered in oil.

In addition to her own work, Piper is head instructor at Evolve Artist, an online academy that trains students around the world in traditional oil painting.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/355

-The limiting belief that she could not grow up to be a working artist.

-The differences between The Evolve Artist Program and traditional art schools.

-How the technical mastery is missing from most art colleges and schools.

-The foundational artistic skills (and portfolio) that you need to have before applying to an art school as opposed to needing no foundational skills to start The Evolve Artist Program.

-Why she honed in on equine portraiture.

-How her art business began to grow organically.

-Her resistance of not making her personal work a priority.

-What a typical day looks like for her.

-The importance of early success and the instructor accessibility in The Evolve Artist Program.

-How instructors are actually able to watch you work.

-What she would say to anyone who is on the fence about Evolve Artist.

"Being an artist was something that I always wanted, but I didn't think it was possible."

"I have a hard time painting if I know that I have unanswered e-mails."

"When you're becoming an artist you need someone to commit to coming alongside you and walking with you until you're where you want to be."

The Evolve Artist Program (Exclusive 10% Discount)

Evolve Webinar Mailing List

The Evolve Artist Program Review w/ Mitch Bowler (YCP Ep 354)

Website / Facebook / Instagram

Mitch Bowler is the founder of Pencil Kings and cofounder of The Evolve Artist Program.

He is an expert in remote art production, having spent a decade building AAA Art Studios in Shanghai, China. Through Evolve, he is realizing his dream to make serious art education accessible and affordable worldwide.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/354

-What he's been up to in the four years since he was last on the show.

-Some of the log jams that he encountered in his creative journey.

-Why he is so willing to help other people in their creative pursuits.

-An introduction to the Evolve Artist Program.

-How typical art schools cost too much money and take too much time, yet a "YouTube education" lacks direction, a roadmap, or guaranteed results.

-How Evolve Artist guarantees that someone at any level of art ability will create professional work by the end of the program.

-How long it takes the average student to finish the coursework.

-The guarantee that each student will get professional results, but there is no ceiling to how far they can take their new skills.

-The type of one-on-one feedback that students get from their instructor.

-What Evolve students can expect in terms of turning in assignments and receiving the included materials and supplies.

-The fast turnaround time of two or three hours for instructor feedback.

"When you help other people, it creates new future possibilities."

"Everyone gets phenomenal results with Evolve, but there's room for you to push things even higher."

"Our goal for each student is that they are improving about five percent with each assignment."

"As a student, you're expected to make mistakes and it's okay to make mistakes. In fact, if you weren't making mistakes, something is probably strange."

The Evolve Artist Program (Exclusive 10% Discount)

Evolve Webinar Mailing List

Youngman on the Pencil Kings Podcast Episode 200

Mitch's 1st appearance on Your Creative Push

Piper Talladay : Website / Instagram

Mioree is a digital artist and illustrator who specializes in stylized character illustrations.

She is also a partnered Twitch streamer who livestreams her art while explaining her methods and thought process to inspire and interact with her growing community.

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

-How she started as an artist on Twitch.

-The differences between Deviantart and Instagram.

-Her advice for artists who want to start on Twitch and how to stream when there will be crickets at first.

-Twitch in comparison to Instagram Live, Facebook Live or any other streaming platform.

-How helpful it is to consolidate your ambiguous thoughts into words as you go through your process of making art.

-Dealing with burnout, perfectionism, imposter syndrome and being too hard on herself.

-How streaming can cure art block.

-The value in spending time to create systems to better your mental health as an artist.

-Setting ridiculously easy daily goals for yourself.

-Using neuroplasticity to start new habits and wean off of your bad habits.

-Using time tracking apps and devices such as Habitica and Timeular.

-Being deliberate about what entertainment she consumes.

-How she deals with perfectionism and negative inner dialogue.

-Flipping her canvas and looking at her art in a different way when she gets stuck.

-Where she goes for inspiration.

"I try to dispel my doubts and think about a younger version of me."

"I never understood my process. I almost felt like it was instinctual before. Now I feel as if it has some reason and I can detect patterns, which is always helpful for improvement."

"I don't want to wake up later in life, not having had a choice in where my life went."

Habitica

Timeular

YCP Ep 342: If it exists, then you've done it right (w/ Dan Berry)

Twitch / Instagram / DeviantArt / Twitter

Dan Ekis is an American comic artist and writer best known for creating the series Odyssey, Inc. and Soul of the World on Webtoons.

He frequently interviews other artists and creators on his YouTube Channel and he currently works as a freelance illustrator doing commissions for various clients from his studio in Pittsburgh.

His Kickstarter, Odyssey Inc: The Twin Bengals is an adventure graphic novel and is live now.

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

-How the "party was over" when he graduated college.

-How he used Craigslist to find animation jobs.

-His advice for artists who are first realizing that they have to be the ones in control of their own careers.

-His battle with depression.

-The importance of gaining momentum in the creative pursuit that you love the most.

-How even the masters were once disasters and every great artist has put out a large amount of bad work to get to the good work.

-His take on art school.

-How to build an audience while your art still sucks by educating, entertaining and inspiring.

-Using the words that are going through your audience's brains.

-How to get past self-doubt.

-Standing on the shoulders of giants (and also realize that at the end of the day, they were just people).

-His Kickstarter campaign for his new graphic novel, Odyssey, Inc: The Twin Bengals and the fortuitous timing of Tiger King on Netflix.

-Doing multiple variations in order to get past art block.

"Ask yourself the question: If you could do one thing all day, everyday, if money and the opinions of other people didn't matter, and if anything were possible… what would you do with your time?"

"If it feels right, do it."

"It's going to take you years to get good at art, and it's going to take you years to build your audience, so you might as well build them side by side."

"If you're in a dark place right now, that doesn't have to be the end of your story. You don't have to stay there forever."

Dan's Kickstarter: Odyssey, Inc: The Twin Bengals

Get Clients Now by C.J. Hayden

The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan S. Kennedy

Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson

Ross Draws

How to Overcome Artist Block (INSTANTLY) - Dan's YouTube Video

Website / Kickstarter / YouTube / Instagram

Mioree : Twitch / Instagram / Twitter

Ashleigh Izienicki aka Miss Upacey is a Colorado born illustrator and tattoo artist who works in both digital and traditional mediums. She graduated from Laguna College of Art and Design and now resides in Califonia. Her work often features dark and macabre themes with a cute and feminine touch.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/351

-Early potential career paths as a paleontologist and an animator.

-Her advice for getting over the fear of posting your art online.

-Her biggest lessons and takeaways from teaching her course, "Artists as Entrepreneurs."

-Making a five-year plan and going absolutely crazy with it.

-Neil Gaiman's advice to imagine your goals as a mountain and to continue moving towards it.

-Her advice for pricing original pieces, especially for artists who are just starting to sell their work.

-How she developed her style.

-Her love of the Golden Age of Illustration, Norman Rockwell and Charles Dana Gibson.

-Her advice for getting past the fear of the blank page.

-How she gets past resistances such as imposter syndrome, comparison and being your own worst critic.

-How she schedules and keeps an eye on her time.

-Her to-do lists and calendars.

-Learning how to tattoo from Sara Fabel.

-Running a Kickstarter campaign for her book, "Nightshade."

"You're going to be your worst critic and you're going to hold yourself back more than anybody else is."

"To sell an original, it only takes one person to pay that price."

"As great as social media is, for artists it's also horrible in the fact that you're constantly comparing yourself to other people."

"I would like to have hobbies again, since I turned my main hobby into my career."

"Time management has been the struggle of my lifetime as a freelancer."

Lyfe Illustration

Neil Gaiman - Inspirational Commencement Speech at the University of the Arts 2012

Gibson Girl

Your Creative Push Episode 301 with Sara Fabel

Nightshade: Artbook of Ashleigh Izienicki

Website / Patreon / Instagram / Twitter

Dan Ekis : Website / YouTube / Instagram

James Gurney is the artist and author best known for his illustrated book series Dinotopia. He specializes in painting realistic images of scenes that can't be photographed, from dinosaurs to ancient civilizations. He is also a dedicated plein air painter and sketcher, believing that making studies directly from observation fuels his imagination.

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

-How he started as an illustrator and working for National Geographic.

-How the vast world of Dinotopia was created out of a few simple paintings.

-The wide range of fields that young artists can enter.

-His experience (and take on) art school.

-The importance of artistically challenging yourself, trying new things and seeing how other people solve problems differently than you.

-What he learned by throwing himself into the fire by painting backgrounds for the animated film, Fire and Ice.

-His Department of Art shirt and painting in public.

-Drawing the ordinary and how a sketchbook can be a time machine.

-Why he tries to fail as much as possible (but also experiment).

-The process of creating and maintaining his YouTube channel and blog, "Gurney Journey."

-The experience of seeking out and painting in the most dangerous neighborhood in New York.

-How he gets past "shiny object syndrome."

-Using constraints by using a limited color palette in his painting as well as using a typewriter for his writing.

"I simply started with these realistic paintings of scenes that didn't exist, trying to make the impossible look inevitable."

"I realized that I could learn more by going to the zoo every day and going to the Natural History Museum. So I just sort of enrolled in my own classes."

"Something that motivates me is to just paint ordinary stuff in my own world, within that fifteen mile radius of where I life, instead of going on this endless faraway tour looking for something exotic."

"I try to fail as much as possible."

Dinotopia, A Land Apart from Time by James Gurney

Gurney Journey

Andrew Wyeth

Website / Blog / YouTube / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Ashleigh Izienicki : Website / Instagram / Twitter