Your Creative Push

Jake Parker is an illustrator who has worked for 15 years on everything from animated films to comics to picture books. He is the creator of the Missile Mouse graphic novel series published by Scholastic, and he has worked for Blue Sky Studios, creating sets and environments for feature films like Horton Hears a Who, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Rio, and Epic. He now freelances out of his home studio in Utah.

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

-A bit about his personal life and what he is currently up to.

-Why he started SVS School, who his target audience is, and what you can learn there.

-Some of his earlier memories of drawing.

-How his parents and teachers were very supportive as well as his friend's mom, who was a painter.

-How doubt, comparing himself to others, time restraints, and over-committing to things are the main things that sometimes hold him back.

-How sometimes he compares himself to other people who are doing other careers and making lots of money, but then he remembers the freedom and joy that drawing gives him.

-How he gets through negative thoughts and battles through his resistance.

-The influence that both his wife and God play in his life, especially when he feels lost or discouraged.

-One of his hardest moments creatively, which actually came as a result of accomplishing one of his lifelong goals.

-An e-mail that completely changed his perspective when he was feeling like Missile Mouse was not having an impact.

-If you are taking on a large personal project, making sure that you create an appropriate balance with all of the other things that are important in your life, such as family, friends, and work.

-Making a large project into a marathon, not a sprint, and chipping away at it.

-The importance of rewarding yourself as you reach milestones.

-Finding a way to create accountability with self-imposed projects.

-How he balances his time, by making sure that everyone knows what is expected of them and being able to be flexible.

"For this little artist kid, there was all this opportunity and I just ate it up."

"If I faced any resistance then and now, it's always been self-imposed."

"I think being an artist as your career choice is probably the hardest thing you can do to make money."

"Yea. I could be sitting there on the beach, thinking, Man, I wish I was drawing."

"Life is hard enough as it is with everything that people are doing, and I'm happy to provide a place for someone to escape to when they need. And that's what keeps me going."

"It doesn't work to have accountability to yourself. Because yourself knows all your excuses and sees the validity in them and will give you a pass."

"You need a final product, you don't need a project."

Society of Visual Storytelling (SVS School)

You Need a Product, Not a Project e041 (Jake's YouTube channel)

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Blanca is an artist from the Bronx, New York, but currently residing in Clarksville, Tennessee. She is a RAW Artist and a member of DAC (downtown artist co-op) and she received a BA in Art Studios with a concentration in painting at the University of South Carolina. And she will be showcasing her work as a vendor at three different events during the month of June.

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

-What RAW is and how she became a part of it.

-How organizations like RAW allow artists to spread their wings and show their work in other cities and towns without as much risk.

-The Downtown Artist Co-Op and how she became a part of that.

-The start of her educational journey in interior design, with a program that let her down.

-The next leg of her journey attempting to become a teacher.

-Another barrier that showed up that held her back from being a teacher, but how she was able to pivot in a new direction.

-Her plans to open her own gallery.

-Her advice to anyone who doesn't have the time or can't afford to go to college to be an artist.

-All of the free resources available to everyone, like the library and the Internet.

-How when she was working three jobs, she was unable to "love" her studio because she was too tired.

-Her decision to take her life into her own hands and go get a job having to do with art that she loved.

-Her constant desire to ask, "What's next?" after accomplishing a goal.

"The program let me down."

"I've noticed that a lot of people make you feel silly when you think of going to college to be an artist."

"It's so weird when you try to actually tell a person that you want to be an artist."

"With all these dilemmas in my choices in school, it really affected who I was as an artist."

"This is a beautiful blessing and gift that you have. If you know how to make art, do it and don't let anyone tell you not to."

"If you are an artist, say 'I am an artist.' Don't say 'I'm an aspiring artist' or 'I do this on the side.'"

"Stay self-motivated, even if nobody believes in you."

"I was totally lost. Just making money and surviving."

"If I hadn't taken all those tiny little baby steps, I wouldn't be here. And I'm happy here."

"How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself Without Selling Your Soul" by Caroll Michaels

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Alex Hofeldt is a high school science teacher from Illinois and is the creator and host of Beautiful Dust Specks, a podcast designed to show the world the wonder and motivation in Science.

Listen to Part 1 here!

-How spending money on the podcast helped to motivate him to keep doing it.

-The value that can come from scaring yourself a little bit every day.

-How like a cell, you adapt to the situation you find yourself in, and how the people around you can oftentimes bring you down.

-How creative people can resonate with each other because they realize how we need to help lift each other up.

-The importance of holding onto the people that do resonate with what you are attempting to do, and ignoring the haters.

-How 28/30 students can be completely enthralled with what he is teaching, but he will only be paying attention to the one or two that aren't paying attention.

-How his most "astounding fact" is how the deeper and deeper you go into science, the more you see how EVERYTHING is connected.

"There's no greater time to be creative. Period."

"For me the fear of not doing it outweighed the fear of doing it."

"I think regrets have some power that you can muster and you can wield it for good if you don't let it bog you down."

"Just do it wholeheartedly. Whatever it is you're going to do in life, just dive into it."

"Scare yourself. Try to do something every day that's just a little freaky."

"If you move inch by inch, increment by increment, moment for moment towards a goal, you are moving. You are dynamic."

"You have infinite possibilities, no matter what anyone tells you. These cells that make up me, Michael Jordan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, are all the same cells, just put in different environments. So go find your environment. Seek it out. Search for it vehemently. Aggressively go after the things that make you smile."

Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image

Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of Your Being Born (Huffington Post)

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan

The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler

We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot (YouTube)

The Most Astounding Fact - Neil deGrasse Tyson (YouTube)

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Alex Hofeldt is a high school science teacher from Illinois and is the creator and host of Beautiful Dust Specks, a podcast designed to show the world the wonder and motivation in Science.

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

-How he became interested in podcasts and podcasting.

-Some of the fears that held him back from initially starting "Beautiful Dust Specks."

-The students that really encouraged him to create the podcast.

-How one of his missions is to be a better teacher than his bad teachers growing up.

-How the Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image inspired him to go on a rant which led to a yearly speech he makes in his school.

-The inspiration that comes from being his kids favorite teacher.

-Trying your hardest to ignore the haters and embrace the lovers.

-How humans are the only creature in the animal kingdom to have creativity.

-Flow state and the science behind it.

-How everyone has their creative muse or their creative bug, even if it differs from "traditional" art forms.

"The older and older I get, the more and more I dig it, so I just decided to throw that out into the ether and see what goes down."

"I just got out of my own way finally."

"I want science to be a part of people's lives and maybe I'm a conduit for it."

"Part of being a human is running with whatever creative experience you want to get through. If something speaks to you, make it happen."

"One of the best things about being a human is creativity."

"I think that everyone has their Muse if they're willing to look for it."

"What singularity are you going to start? What are you going to kick into motion just to see what happens?"

Hubble Ultra Deep Field Image

Are You a Miracle? On the Probability of Your Being Born (Huffington Post)

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan

The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler

We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot (YouTube)

The Most Astounding Fact - Neil deGrasse Tyson (YouTube)

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Yliana Paolini is a constant doubter, doubting from herself to the universe itself. She is an artist from Luxembourg who likes to create, but doesn’t see herself as a GREAT artist, just somebody who is willing to go beyond her comfortable zone to get more of what she loves, which is passion itself.

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

-How doubt is something that is prevalent with creative people and how it never seems to go away.

-A bit of history in her tattooing career and why she decided to go into music.

-How her tattoos are for pleasing other people, but her art and music is for pleasing herself.

-How she feels after just releasing her first EP.

-How she had to find a balance between the tattoo artistry and the music.

-Her advice for anyone who already defines themselves in one particular field of art or creativity that is thinking about trying a completely different form of art.

-How the main thing that held her back and still does to some extent is her ignorance in knowing what she wanted.

-How her ego held her back from pursuing music because of the imagined limitations it placed on her.

-The fear that people have to jump into something unknown, but how we should all do it anyway.

-How simply thinking positively isn't enough -- you have to take action.

-Working on and mastering her EP with a Grammy winner.

-How doing art and tattooing gives her balance and a form of meditation, which leads to peace of mind.

"Music is the way I can express myself in the best way."

"Music for me is my healing tool."

"I think I found myself some sort of balance."

"First of all you need to believe that you can do it."

"We all have a different way of learning. We all grow in a different rhythm."

"Just let that little light from the end of the tunnel shine through and guide you to create something."

"How Music Works" by David Byrne

"Who I Am" by Pete Townshend

"Donnie Darko"

Website / Facebook / Crutz / Crutz on iTunes

Pierre is a concept artist born in Paris and currently living in Montreal, Canada. He worked in the video game industry for five years before switching to animation. And after eight years in the industry as a concept artist, his goal is to explore and propose a wide range of possibility in creating universes.

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

-His personal projects and how he finds the time and motivation to get them done while still maintaining his job.

-The importance of finishing a project, and how it is much more difficult to finish something than to start it.

-How he got started with his project "Smokey Town," and how it is evolving.

-How he was contacted by Daniela Fischer and how they were able to collaborate.

-The fact that nobody will know that you might need help in a specific area unless you put yourself out there and ask for help.

-How something you might perceive as a "failure" might really be some other success in disguise that leads you somewhere else.

-His background that led him to want to create universes.

-Setting a timer for five minutes to help motivate him to do work and to take some of the pressure off.

-How drawing and painting is like a sport, because it is in daily practice and training that you can progress and get better.

-A difficult time when he developed a rare disease, and how it made him realize what he wanted to be spending his time on.

-How your worst moments often times end up becoming your best moments.

-How he loves art because of the range of creativity that it can allow, both intuitive and cerebral.

"I think the key with personal projects is to find something you really love to do."

"Starting something is good, but finishing it is better."

"You can tell stories in still illustration in only one picture."

"It's like a sport. You have to practice it on a daily basis to get better."

"I really see drawing and painting as a sport. It's in the daily practice that you see big changes."

"The love of drawing gave me strength and confidence."

"Finding a subject you love is the most important thing."

"I learned from this episode to be confident with my art and not to worry too much about things that don't matter that much. Because what matters is what you love and that is the only thing to be focused on."

"Failing and success is exactly the same thing as long as you learn from it."

"When I struggle with my art, I see it as a way to learn more than a failure."

"What I love about art is that you can go to all of those places with a pencil."

"Smokey Town" Trailer

Daniela Fischer

Website / Facebook / Vimeo / Tumblr

Carrington Schaeffer is a writer of creepy children's fiction and a member of the all-girl vintage vocal jazz quartet, The Tonettes. She is also the host of the podcast “Honestly, Dear Listener,” which is a podcast that aims to seek answers to the question of why so many of us let fear and insecurity keep us from creating.

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

-Her reason for starting her podcast, "Honestly, Dear Listener."

-How she is a mom who needs to have her own creative pursuits, or else she ends up getting frustrated.

-The importance of giving up on perfectionism and control of what other people perceive of you.

-How being honest and open about your struggles allows for true art and expression to thrive.

-How celebrating the small victories is more important than the grand gestures.

-Her intention for publishing her actual voice memos in her podcast, and how scary it can be to put the "owchies" out there.

-The notion of addressing editor/fear that tells you to not do certain things in a kind way, so that it will "take a nap" and leave you alone.

-A transformative experience during a piece of performance art that she performed without a plan.

-Some of the other things that hold her back, including the fear of people pitying her as well as the fear of failure.

-Redefining what failure is, so that you can celebrate the small victories as they come.

-The importance of getting out of your own way.

"I started the podcast because I needed an outlet."

"I'm a mom who really needs to have her own pursuits and identity that is separate from the mom title. And I have found that if I don't honor that part of myself, I get really, really frustrated and I'm actually a worse mom."

"I think the thing that I've had to learn is to be gentle with myself."

"I'm happy when I can sit down and write a paragraph. To me, that is winning. And that is to be celebrated."

"It doesn't have to be perfect. It just matters that you start."

"Everyone has the editor that screams 'DON'T DO IT, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK YOU ARE AN IDIOT!'"

"Some of our most transformative art comes from spontaneity and is generated by saying 'Fear, thanks but no thanks. Take a nap.'"

"Because of the fear of failure, there's no room for experimentation, which is huge in art and creating art."

"It's almost like you get in your own way and you need to step out of your own way to be able to get the gift that's within you out."

Honestly, Dear Listener

Instagram / Twitter

Clay Cook began his creative career in the music industry, and after 10 years, his passion had leaned towards photography, cinematography and graphic design.

Constantly collaborating with fresh designers, national models, filmmakers and other photographers, Clay has built a reputable name as an award-winning internationally published photographer and filmmaker, specializing in editorial and advertising photography.

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

-How he got started with photography, transitioning from his music career.

-The importance of having a good logo and good flyers for bands, as perception is reality.

-His suggestion for any creative person who is looking to dabble in other creative fields as well as the field they are already pursuing.

-How "playing around" or investigating other creative pursuits can really help to prevent burnout.

-How the pre-production elements that come into play end up taking so much time away from the actual act of taking photographs.

-The parties that he threw when he was just starting out, where he would shoot his friends on a cloth background.

-How the impressive quality of images that he was able to capture with the DLSR got him excited to keep shooting.

-When he started "going for it" with photography, he wasn't completely sure of the exact path he would be taking, only that he would find a way to be successful.

-His advice to just keep shooting, because the more you shoot, the more you fail. And we learn by failing.

-The importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone, because if you are comfortable, you are most likely not growing.

-How he used to immerse himself in YouTube videos and tutorials in order to learn everything he could about photography.

-How to balance a job that you hate with your creative passion.

-His unwavering desire to be his own boss and the sacrifices that came with making that decision a reality.

"Perception is reality in the music business."

"The beauty in creativity is that it covers a whole wide umbrella of different topics."

"For me, photography was just as fulfilling and rewarding as music was."

"I think you have to stick to your passion, but dabbling in those other areas doesn't hurt at all. And it will only improve your self-satisfaction."

"I spend more time in a pre-production state than I do in a production state or a post-process production state."

"I would throw parties just to shoot friends on a cloth background in my little office that was a 5x5 room. It was almost a closet that I was sticking these people in and photographing them."

"I didn't care who I shot or what I shot. It was just so exciting for me."

"The biggest piece of advice I can give to someone just starting out in photography is just to shoot. Because the more you shoot, the more you're going to fail, and the more you fail, the more you're going to learn."

"You have to really be obsessed with your craft."

"I always want to be outside of my comfort zone."

"I've seen a lot of photographers get worse over the years because of the fact that they never truly step outside their comfort zone."

Website / Blog / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube

Suzanna is a painter who lives and works in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where her husband, daughter and dog hang out on the first floor, while she, her paintings, and her cats exist on the second floor. Sometimes they get mixed up, but they all survive with just a few minor scratches.

Suzanna believes that beauty is oxygen. We don’t need to worship it, but to deny it’s vital importance is naïve. Life is sometimes hard, but it is always, always beautiful and her painting is the purest expression of the beauty that exists within her.

http://yourcreativepush.com/suzanna

-Her earliest memories of being creative.

-The time her mother posed the question to her: "What is happiness to you?"

-How happiness for her, is working and staying busy creating.

-Her slow shift into becoming an artist, as her original dream was to be a dancer.

-How everything she had been building in her life disappeared, but how great she actually felt about it after getting over the shock.

-How you can "hack life" more as you get older and how she would never want to go back to her 20's or 30's.

-How there are legitimate things in life that we have to do that can get in the way of our creative pursuits, but too often we use them as our excuse.

-The idea that the subconscious mind is an elephant and the conscious mind is an ant, and no matter how determined the ant might be, it can not move the elephant.

-The importance of aligning the conscious and subconscious parts of your brain so it isn't like trying to push an elephant.

-How it is difficult to be in a vulnerable place with your art for multiple hours a day.

-How she teaches the same technical skills to her students, but some of them flourish while others get caught up in the excuses.

-How many of us continue to be uncomfortable in our life situations until it hurts too much.

"I feel that I almost subconsciously took myself to that place where everything had to be ruined so I could start over again."

"Painting is hard. It is really hard."

"'How can I go paint? There's nothing for dinner!' And you're thinking about that at ten in the morning."

"'I don't have time' is the worst of myths."

Seth Godin

"Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Your Elusive Creative Genius" - Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk

"The Art of Asking" by Amanda Palmer

How to Reprogram Your Subconscious Mind to Get What You Want w/ Dr. Cathy Collautt (YouTube)

"RESOLVED: 13 Solutions for LIFE" by Orrin Woodward

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Ron has stood at the crossroads where so many musicians find themselves – at the intersection of record label and independence. In an ever-evolving industry filled with rejection and compromise, he has plotted a new course for his music to reach loyal listeners, taking the industry-road-less-traveled in exchange for the ultimate payback, a league of devoted fans the world over (and I am one of them).

He has sold over 2 million singles to date, he averages 15 million spins a MONTH on Pandora, and his songs have been streamed over 120 million times. His songs have been featured on “The Voice,” “Vampire Diaries,” 90210” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”

His latest album “Ron Pope & the Nighthawks,” is available everywhere music is sold.

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

-His creative origins and how he got to the point he is today as a songwriter and musician.

-His involvement at the inception of “The District.”

-How he writes such a large quantity of songs because he knows that not all of them will be good enough to make a record.

-The belief that if you want to be a songwriter, you just have to sit down, shut up, and write songs.

-How he doesn’t really believe in writer’s block. It is just accepting that some of the stuff you write will be garbage.

-The importance of working harder than everyone else if you want to excel to the highest level of your creative field.

-One of the times that he was having a very difficult time writing a song, and then all of the sudden he was struck with the song in its entirety.

-How doing the hard work every day and getting used to what the work feels like puts you in a better position to capture inspiration and put it into its “physical” form, even in just one take.

-The role that music played in his life when he was younger to make him feel more connected and less alone.

-The profound connection that comes when people play his music during special events.

-How his song "I Do Not Love You" played a special role in Youngman Brown's life as his first dance at his wedding.

-How art is subjective and it doesn’t matter what the artist thinks about it once the viewer or listener has given it his or her own meaning.

-How hard it is to comprehend large numbers of listenership, and the power that comes from one-on-one connections.

-What he has been up to creating and touring his new album Ron Pope & the Nighthawks.

“That songwriting circle was really the difference for me. If I hadn’t joined that group, I don’t know if I would have been able to become a professional songwriter.”

“I just feel like I’m not good enough to sit down and write ten songs and have all ten of those songs be bangers and have that be the record.”

“For my last album, Ron Pope and the Nighthawks I wrote 150 songs. We recorded 40 of them or so to get to the 11 that we have on the record.”

“Really almost everything is like this. If you want to do it, and you want to do it at a high level, you’re going to have to work harder than everybody else.”

“It was like I got hit by lightning. It was into my brain immediately. The song in my bones just existed. The whole thing. The melody, the lyrics, the chords, the whole thing.”

“You put yourself in a much better position to have chance favor you if you do the right kind of work.”

“It made me excited when I stumbled upon music that made me feel something. It made me feel much less alone.”

“I very rarely share the stories behind my songs because I want you to take them home and make them your stories.”

“It’s still a really powerful feeling to know that whatever you’re creating is a part of people’s lives.”

“For me it’s the singular achievement of my life as an artist.”

“You’re going to have to work hard on something eventually whether it’s something you choose or something that people make you do, so if you have to pick, you might as well work hard at something that you love.”

"It's worth it to work hard on things that you love."

Buy Ron Pope & The Nighthawks

East Nashville Spice Company

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