Art by Jake Parker
A new year is a wonderful time to set goals, recommit, and make changes in your life. It’s a great time to decide what you want to get rid of and what you really want to be apart of your life. In this episode we take some time to share some successful resolutions from the year prior and also share some of our plans and goals for the upcoming year. Hopefully something that we share will help spark an interest in working towards your own goals for growth and self improvement.
2019:
Lee: worked out, and really stuck with it.
Cut out drinking at night. It took like 2 months to really clear that ritual of having a drink at night.
Will: Healthy eating, cutting down on carbs and eating more vegetables and protein.
Health is apart of being an illustrator, you can’t ignore your health. It is so tied to how much energy you have to create. Ask yourself, “How much energy do have to create?”
Sleep is so important.
Jake:
Focus on identity: i.e. For someone trying to break a smoking addiction: it’s not “I’m trying not to smoke”, instead it is, “I don’t smoke.”
Journal Writing, Jake stuck with it almost all of last year. Highly recommend writing in your journal everyday: even if it’s just 5 lines about what was memorable, or what happened. It will make you more aware of how you spend your time.
How you live your day is how you live your life.
Is there anything you are changing career wise?
Cut out trivial time on the internet: replace it with something meaningful and relaxing. Lee has replaced some of that time with pencil drawings.
Cut back on Facebook time.
Set up life so you can say no to things. Say no to things that take you away from the mountain, say yes to the things that take you towards the mountain.
Goal: Get to the point where you can say no to the things that you want to say no to, and say yes to the things that you do want to say yes to.
Cut back on reference dives: wasting too much time mindlessly researching good art.
There’s so much good stuff out there, you will never feel satisfied.
Be more deliberate with how you spend time online or on social media.
Idea Debt: you get so many ideas that you get paralyzed feeling you need to do them all.
Declare Idea bankruptcy, and cut out the ones that you aren’t feeling like doing anymore, then take the ones that you still are really interested in and get started with one of those.
Prioritize things, and start to really work on one of those ideas, in the simplest way possible. Make it the most simple version of that idea(maybe do one illustration for that children’s book idea, or a 10 page short story instead of a 120 page graphic novel, etc.)
Lee: leaning in on the fine art gallery art. Turning away from contract work.
Things that are already made, and then find the audience.
If you aren’t doing something of your own, get started today.
Start with one fan and build your fanbase from there.
If you are illustrating a children’s book, you should love the story.
Be wise with your time. What are the 5-10 projects that I really want to do in the next 20 years? If you want to be productive and put things out into the world, you need to ask yourself, “What can I eliminate from my work schedule?”
What you want today can change. As you grow as an artist, your goals change and evolve.
Summary:
Cut back on social media. Maybe set a guide for yourself, where you have to post something in order to consume something.
Say “No.” Figure out what you need to say no to, so that you can say yes to other things. “Heck yes” or a flat “no.”
Get out of idea debt. Get started by declaring idea bankruptcy or by choosing a couple of ideas to actually start on.
Control your work and see what you can do to control the things that you are creating.
LINKS
Svslearn.comJake Parker: mrjakeparker.com. Instagram: @jakeparker, Youtube: JakeParker44
Will Terry: willterry.com. Instagram: @willterryart, Youtube: WillTerryArt
Lee White: leewhiteillustration.com. Instagram: @leewhiteillo
Alex Sugg: alexsugg.com
Tanner Garlick: tannergarlickart.com. Instagram: @tannergarlick
Aaron Painter: painterdraws.com. Instagram: @painterdraws
Daniel Tu: danieltu.co.
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