Your Creative Push

Ahmed Aldoori is a digital painter and illustrator who has worked on a range of projects from movies, theme parks and video games.

He also has a popular YouTube channel where he shares tutorials, sketchbook tours, critiques and original artwork videos to his 200,000+ subscribers.

Ahmed also has a bustling community on his Patreon page, where he not only shares his art, but also assignments for his patrons.

-How he went to school for Computer Science and quickly realized that art was too big of an obsession.

-Wishing that he hadn't taken the "safe path" and researching the fact that there actually was a path for him to pursue art from the start.

-Whether or not you should go to art school.

-The moment that made him realize how he needed to structure his Patreon community.

-The way that his Patreon supporters and Discord chat mimic the university scenario of going to war with your friends.

-The camaraderie that he shares with his community when he lets his guard down and shares that he struggles with certain things as well.

-How writing things down allows him to be a therapist to himself and address his resistances head-on.

-His advice for those who are scared of writing their "inner-most secrets" in their sketchbooks, where others might eventually see it.

-Gaining clarity from taking a break from his creative pursuits.

-Being able to look back at his life as an outsider and the way that changed things when he came home.

"It works for some people to have something laid out for them. But I think for creative people, we temperamentally tend not to like to be put into a box."

"That's the case for any artist. There's always going to be that thing that you keep chasing. It's like a carrot on a stick, and it's a different carrot every time."

"Look at your flaws head on."

"I looked at my life in America as a movie that I was editing, and when I came back I decided that I was going to let it play out the way I wanted it to, based on the things that I had overcome."

"Vulnerability is the one that shows that you're human and will have that limbic resonance with other people. It is the through-line."

"Every artist got to where they are because of their obstacles, not because of their conveniences."

"Find out where you want to be in ten years and reverse engineer how you're going to get there."

Brainstorm School

Medcast41 - Art Envy

Website / YouTube / Patreon / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest

Lily Hevesh is a professional Domino Artist who produces weekly videos on her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, while also doing professional projects for companies, ad agencies, brands, schools, and others seeking Domino Art.

She currently has over 600 million total YouTube views and 2 million subscribers, making her the #1 most subscribed Domino Artist on the web.

Her videos have been featured on NBC, FOX News, Nickelodeon, CNN, CBS, MSN, the front page of Reddit, the front page of YouTube, and other various sources. She has also worked with Will Smith for the feature film, Collateral Beauty, as well as Katy Perry for the launch of her new album, Witness.

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

-How she first got interested in domino art.

-The video that went completely viral, getting three million views in the first two days.

-The business opportunities that came as a result of her channel growing.

-How much planning goes into her elaborate projects.

-The method by which she makes complicated words, logos and images with dominoes.

-The way that she is able to limit the damage in case disaster strikes.

-The importance of learning from failures.

-How she learned to work the camera during the topples.

-The experience of working on Collateral Beauty with Will Smith.

-Being able to travel the world.

-The experience of working with other domino builders and people who understand "domino language."

-How she decides whether or not to play it safe or take risks with her tricks.

-The love/hate relationship she has with large live events.

-How posting content every week has given her a career (and also allowed her to cut down her perfectionism).

-Her plans for the future of Hevesh5.

"Even though I do plan it, most of the magic happens when I actually start building and I can see it on the spot."

"I'm a mixture of hopeful and nervous as I'm putting down the dominoes."

"Failure is part of the process itself."

"When I have a deadline, it pushes me a little bit more to actually get things done."

"It's definitely important to be consistent, especially when you're posting online."

Insane Domino Tricks

Website / YouTube / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Ahmed Aldoori: Website / Instagram / Youtube / Patreon

Marie-Noëlle Wurm is a multidisciplinary French-American-German artist & illustrator who paints, draws, sculpts, creates puppets, lives at night and loves chocolate.

Her paintings are often filled with whimsical creatures that seem lost, floating in undefinable worlds that are colorful and strange.

She is also a top Skillshare instructor where she shares her skills, tools, tips and tricks.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/320

-Getting her degrees in biology, English literature and film, and puppet theater.

-How Sandrine Gaudet's class broke down all of her walls that had been keeping her from drawing and painting in a serious way.

-How literally anything can be a source of inspiration.

-The way in which seeing your art simply as information can take some of the pressure off of yourself.

-The importance of seeing all creativity as an experiment.

-Why she has a particular distaste for the word 'talent.'

-Why a fixed mindset is so detrimental to human beings.

-Her attempt to create a space where people can reconnect with the natural world and ask themselves questions.

-What it is like to receive feedback on how others interpret her art.

-How she got involved in Skillshare and eventually became a top Skillshare instructor.

-How she deals with her creative fears, blocks and resistances.

-How the more you create of something takes the pressure off each individual thing that you create.

-Treating yourself with more compassion when you are afraid or blocked.

-Distracting the self-critical part of her brain with podcasts.

-Her "Project Mossweaver" and the importance of juicy goals.

-Predicting potential resistances and writing down solutions so that you are immediately ready to deal with them in the most effective way possible.

"I have an issue with the word 'talent.' I think that it's a huge block to a lot of people's creativity."

"That class is the one that really changed my trajectory in a profound way."

"Anything can be a source of inspiration. And I really believe that. Literally, anything."

"It's more about experimenting. And that's at the root of how to overcome fear that's linked to creativity. See it as an experiment. If you see it as that, then you learn a lot and you also have fun."

"There's nothing more detrimental to us as human beings than a fixed mindset."

"If you cultivate curiosity, then it's only going to bring you to interesting places."

"Cultivating self-compassion is a huge part of overcoming fear or self-doubt."

"The fear is a message and it's telling you that the thing that is scaring you is super-important."

Unleash Your Creativity: Draw Without Fear in 5 Simple Exercises (Marie-Noëlle's Skillshare)

Derren Brown on The Joe Rogan Experience describing hypnotizing a guy who wanted to fight

Dream Plan Do Planner

Project Mossweaver

Life (David Attenborough-Narrated Version)

The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit

Rumi (Wikipedia)

A Tale for the Time Being: A Novel by Ruth Ozeki

Hevesh5: The Amazing Triple Spiral (15,000 Dominoes)

Website / Skillshare / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Youtube / Patreon

Lily Hevesh : Website / YouTube

John Guydo is a New York City based Illustrator working primarily in the traditional medium of pen and ink. Inspired by master engravers like Gustave Dore and Albrecht Durer, John crafts detailed illustrations through intricate line work. Much of his recent focus has been on creating poster prints licensed by Marvel, DC, and Warner Brothers.

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

-How he realized that he missed drawing after doing a lot of work in graphic design and web design.

-The importance of taking some breaks from your creative pursuits.

-The way in which he started sharing his work on social media.

-Why he shares intricate, detailed shots of what he is working on.

-The long-term project that he is working on with poet David Herrstrom.

-His strategy for sharing his work on Tumblr and other social media websites.

-The way that social media not only allows you to put yourself in front of new audiences but also allows you to be the audience to artists that you would have never witnessed.

-Doing alternative movie posters for Blade Runner, Batman, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

-What it is like to work with Bottleneck Gallery.

-Not thinking about his work as a career, but rather as entertainment.

-The challenge that he faced to incorporate so many Marvel characters into the 10-year anniversary poster for the MCU.

-Working digitally and incorporating color into his work for the first time.

-How he sometimes overthinks the business aspects of creating art.

-Dealing with overwhelm when it comes to choosing the version of a piece he wants to create (and how he makes a decision).

-How he spends a lot of time before he even makes the first mark to ensure that he is happy with the composition and the idea as a whole (and then it is off to the races).

-The importance of creating things that you want to see rather than trying to cater to what others want.

"Drawing in your own sketchbook is one thing, but having audience really changes things."

"I'm the type of person that likes to really obsess over things. Sometimes too much, actually."

"One of my resistances is coming up with a final decision on what I'm going to do, because there is only going to be one image at the end of the day."

"It usually takes me a long time before I actually put pen to paper. I really need to lessen that and get started on these things quicker."

"To me, the most important part of the process happens before you put pen to paper."

"Give art to others as you would like to receive from them."

"The only type of success that I ever found was when I stopped trying to be successful and just started doing the artwork that I found interesting to myself, and then that little bit of success came along."

John's MCU Poster

Bottleneck Gallery: Website / Instagram

Illustrating the Beasts of the Bible

Incubation, Ideation, and the Art of Editing: Beethoven on Creativity

Store / Instagram / Twitter / Tumblr

Marie-Noëlle Wurm : Website / Instagram

Sandra Busby is a still life artist who paints in a contemporary style using traditional methods. Inspired by the ordinary, she strives to capture the playful light in glass and other still life with her paints.

Tara has been in the Graphic Design industry for over 20 years and is the creator of the hugely popular blog, 'The Idea Medic'. She also has a design website www.roskelldesign.co.uk where you can see an abundance of her quirky creations.

They came together to create Kick in the Creatives, a website, podcast and community where you can find an abundance of existing online creative challenges all under one umbrella and with some brand new ones added to the mix.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/318

-What Kick in the Creatives is all about.

-What it was like to meet in person for the first time.

-Learning some of their resistances such as imposter syndrome.

-Finding ways to detach yourself from your work.

-How to handle the insecurities that arise from listening to your own recorded voice.

-What they've learned from the members of their community via the challenges and discussions.

-The encouragement that is rampant in their Facebook group.

-What they learned from the challenges that they participated in (and the children's book that came out of it).

-Getting past the fear of drawing in public.

-Some of their upcoming challenges, including Art Journal January, Aqua January, February Fables, Five Minute March, Cartoon in June, April Poetry, and Early Rise August.

-Overworking your sketches because you love the process of drawing so much.

-What it was like to interview some of their creative heroes.

-The lessons they learned from Danny Gregory, Jon Burgerman, Joanna Penn, Tracey Fletcher King and Callum Stephen.

-What they learned from Jake Parker about deep and shallow creative blocks.

-Getting past imposter syndrome.

-Finding comfort in the fact that all creative people go through the same struggles as them.

-Some of the various ways in which the members of their community have collaborated and helped one another.

"I don't think either of us knew how much work it would be, but definitely worth it."

"We were standing in front of everyone in that museum and somehow it cured me there and then of that fear of drawing in public."

"I think the reason that I take so much time drawing is because I love that process so much that I actually don't want it to end."

"This whole Kick in the Creatives thing is all about trying to form a creative habit. It does take time, but you do get there eventually."

"Just start. Every day that you don't start is a day further away from getting to where you want to be."

"Unless you try it, you don't know if you're good or not at that thing, even if it takes you a little while to learn it."

"It's like writing. If you just throw in your first draft without editing as you go, it just gets out there on the page. It's the same with drawing quickly."

"It's not just about the challenges. It's about all these people coming together. There are definitely friendships being formed in our group."

"Nobody really knows and nobody should discount you or tell you that you can't do something."

"Even five to ten minutes is enough to do something creative. Don't waste those small moments just because you think that you don't have time."

Kick in the Creatives

Facebook group

Danny Gregory on KITC

Tracey Fletcher King on KITC

Jake Parker on KITC

Joanna Penn on KITC

Callum Stephen on KITC

Website / Blog / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Website / Podcast / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

John Guydo: Instagram / Big Cartel

Help support the show and check out my #Cramuary progress:

http://yourcreativepush.com/patreon

And be sure to tag your own #Cramuary goals and progress!

Philip Ruddy is a Los Angeles-based depth psychotherapist, who previously spent fifteen years as a writer, producer and development executive in Hollywood. He now works with writers, artists and performers, helping them explore and transcend creative blocks, anxiety, depression, and the unique stressors of the film and television industry. He can be reached via his website ActivelyImagine.com.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/bestof12

-His journey getting to the point he is now as a depth psychotherapist.

-His explanation of what depth psychology is.

-How he is able to tap into his experience as a development executive, screenwriter, and a short story writer in order to understand what other creative people are going through.

-How writer's block is a personal thing that differs for every person that he works with.

-The notion of befriending your creative blocks.

-The idea of Active Imagination.

-How we imagine the harshest of critics will judge our work, but in reality, if someone doesn't like your work, they typically just move on.

-The traumatic effect that negative comments from teachers can have, especially at an early age.

-The importance of seeking out a tribe and a group of peers, and not necessarily rely on the influences that your school district had as art teachers.

-Creating a new persona.

-The interplay that happens between your persona and your "true self," both positive and negative.

-The importance of his clients being sober when coming in for treatment so that they aren't "unconscious" during the process.

-Why creative people rely on drugs or alcohol to subdue their minds from the constant thoughts, and healthier ways for them to disengage.

-An extremely disheartening experience that he went through in the past, which helps him to relate to his clients today.

-The journey that he took after having his original screenplay taken, which led him to becoming a psychotherapist.

-His masters thesis on transcending writer's block based on Active Imagination.

-The concept of the "wounded healer."

-His advice for someone who wants to open a dialogue with his or her blocks.

-How the subconscious part of your psyche that will hold you back from doing work will often have insights that your conscious mind isn't aware of.

-The importance of creating a friendly and welcoming dialogue with your block and treating it like a guest in your house.

"What's the personal myth that you are leading your life by?"

"Writer's block is something that you're probably going to wrestle with for many years to come if you don't make a decision to focus on it now and come up with some ways to navigate it."

"Befriend it so that you can transcend it."

"The idea is not just to exterminate this writer's block but to engage it in dialogue. I actually mean that quite literally."

"Write out a dialogue with this writer's block and see what it has to say."

"Writer's block is often an unexpressed part of ourselves that wants to be heard, so if you actually give it some time and engage it, it will often tell you what it wants of you."

"We're often far worse critics than the real flesh-and-blood critics that we encounter."

"The first creative act is reinventing yourself. Creating your new self as an artist."

"To reinvent ourselves, to become who we are destined to be, takes an incredible amount of strength."

"I found that after that experience, I really began to shut down as a writer."

"I just looked around and I thought I have found my tribe."

"Going into film production is kind of like the French Foreign Legion. You can literally work 24/7. That job is never over."

"I went through it myself — that is why I'm able to help others."

"Sometimes the most effective healers are the ones that have been injured themselves."

"Don't invite your critic in while you're creating."

"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron

"The Red Book" by Carl Jung

"Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up" by James Hollis

"An Evening with Ray Bradbury – 2001" (YouTube)

"The Hero's Journey… For Writers, Artists & Performers" (from Philip's blog)

Sandra Busby on Your Creative Push Ep. 220

Tara Roskell on Your Creative Push Ep. 247

Website / Blog

Sandra Busby & Tara Roskell : Website / Sandra's Instagram / Tara's Instagram

David Kochberg is a musician, a mechanical engineer and the co-founder of Goodnight, Sunrise, an indie-rock-and-roll-superfun-party band based in Toronto, Canada.

David started out in engineering, but discovered a love for music and became a mostly self-taught guitarist, drummer, songwriter and producer.

Goodnight, Sunrise has played almost 300 shows across Canada and the UK and they have started their own label called Rejection Records for their band business operations.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush/317

-How he got into music later in life.

-Why he left his job in mechanical engineering to travel the world for 14 months.

-The perspective that you can achieve by experiencing the rest of the world, especially when you are being intentionally introspective.

-Coming home to Toronto and the experience of making music more of a part of his life by joining a band.

-What makes a successful and "easy" creative collaboration.

-Maintaining a creative relationship despite the romantic relationship working out.

-How to make sense of the puzzle pieces that are floating around creative people's heads.

-The balance of a day job with a creative side hustle.

-Building up confidence to tell other people that he is a musician before any other definition of himself.

-Learning to be happy with the success of creating music as opposed to the "acclaim" that one particular song receives.

-Putting yourself in the position to capitalize on luck.

-Opening for Bon Jovi and how that experience shaped his view of opportunity.

"A big pattern in my life is coming up with really great ideas and then not following up with them. That's something that I constantly still struggle with."

"Set yourself up for luck to strike you. Then if luck does strike, you will actually be able to make the most of it."

"Any time I think that's impossible, I always remember that we did open for Bon Jovi, and that's technically impossible, so anything is worth a shot."

"Look at every opportunity that comes your way as a chance to try something out and learn from it."

"Confidence and self-confidence are much more in our control than we realize."

Remember Now (live, opening for Bon Jovi)

SUCCESS LOVES SPEED (YCP Ep. 239 w/ Maria Brophy)

Website / iTunes / Spotify / Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Felix Semper is a Cuban American painter and sculptor. He gained popularity with his sculpture of the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. which he crafted from thousands of layers of glued paper.

Semper's work has been collected by global corporations and celebrities such as Business Insider, Marriott International, Champs Sports, A$AP Rocky, Wendy Williams, Elvis Duran, Ryan Seacrest, and Kelly Ripa from Live with Kelly and Ryan, as well as numerous private collectors and institutions.

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

-How he describes his unique sculptures.

-Taking a long break from his artistic endeavors.

-How cutting paper in a print shop was one of the seeds that had been planted long before he started his sculptures.

-His career building properties and what happened during the housing crash in 2008.

-Getting back to his creative roots as a means of healing his pain.

-The way that he creates his material by gluing pieces of paper together.

-How time disappears while he is making his art.

-The spontaneous and explosive bursts of creativity that he gets through his painting, which helps him balance the monotonous and long process of creating one of his sculptures.

-The doubt that creeps in as he starts a piece (and the eventual moment of recognition when the piece appears, sometimes weeks or months later).

-The structural integrity of his sculptures and how people have to learn how to handle them.

"I went back to my roots and started drawing to heal my wounds and to heal what was happening on my outside."

"We think that everything has been invented and everything has been done, but in reality it hasn't. There's still so many angles you can take just based on your creativity."

"It was something that I was doing for healing, waiting for the next thing in my life to happen, never knowing that this was the thing that was going to happen."

"I don't want to do anything else for the rest of my life. I want to do art."

"I wake up every morning and go to my studio and start working and I am the happiest person on earth."

Kelly & Ryan Anniversary Mugs [YouTube]

Biggie Stretches [YouTube]

Felix Semper's Frida [YouTube]

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube

David Kochberg of Goodnight, Sunrise: Website / Soundcloud / Spotify

Aimée Rolin Hoover is a contemporary animal painter who is originally from Philadelphia, PA but currently lives/works in southern California.

Whether her subject is a canine, cow or a black rhino, her hope is that her work offers the viewer—in some small way—what animals have the power to do in person: to inspire us to be exactly where we are in the present moment. A space in which we don't necessarily have to think or understand, but instead feel and connect.

Her paintings hang in collections all over the world, from the U.S. and Canada, to Europe and South America.

Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/315

-Her reflections from her Fly Mask series.

-Saying "yes" to Between Worlds despite her fear of collaboration, being on camera and putting herself in an unknown scenario.

-What it was like to work with Black Light King.

-Her earlier lessons on collaboration.

-Why she decided to make her fourth year of 30for30 paintings her last.

-Her dedication to move toward what she doesn't know.

-How she doesn't want her work to be for everybody.

-How she handles her e-mail list.

-The support that she receives from her husband, Scott (especially during the busy times).

"Once I have an idea, I just have to get it out."

"I hadn't been that scared in a really long time. Like truly scared."

"Just go with your gut. I think our heads get in the way of the work that we create or the excuses we give ourselves to not do our work."

"You need to go towards what excites you and pulls you into being creative."

"Follow your gut before your head gets in the way!"

"Do the weird stuff. People out there are waiting for your weird stuff."

Between Worlds: Two Artists Fuse Styles On One Canvas

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Felix Semper : Website / Instagram