Making What You See, #PortfolioDay, The Magic of Cable Programming, + more!

Hey Past-me,

I borrowed $60k in student loans to go to art school.

(I would not do that sh*t again now.)

If I could do it again, I’d first exhaust all the free resources that I could and try to realize that right now, I don’t have the skills to make the thing that I see in my head yet, but there is a way there, and I’ll figure it out eventually.

Believe that.

Then all you have to do is…put in the time 😬

Heads up for today:

1. Strategy for making what you see

2. Tip for building a creative habit

3. A-ha Quote about your mind

4. Scrollstoppers: Animation, Character Designs, #PortfolioDay

5. Highlight: Nickelodeon History?!

Strategy for making what you see

The Great Kim Jung Gi was well-known for his epic ability almost to draw whatever came to mind on command. The dude could just turn it on, like his hand was just the printer, cause he knew exactly every line or stroke he needed to put down.

​Catch this video by Dr. Draw as he goes over how to train like Kim Jung Gi, by treating your art like a sport.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Don't get overwhelmed with everything you 'have' to learn

• Focus on one art aspect at a time to grow

• Make notes while you're studying to internalize your findings

Tips to get your ideas out of your head

You want to be a prolific artist but can't seem to get the ideas out your head?

You try everything you can but nothing seems to stick, huh?

Here's what I learned after a decade of having to draw and paint all day for money:

Define your default state

What's the thing you do when there's nothing to do?

You pick up your phone and scroll? Watch TV? Search YouTube? TikTok?

What's the thing you wish you could be doing?

Drawing characters, painting backgrounds, making movies, writing stories?

A good way to start getting those ideas out is starting before you're ready and just get in the habit of making things. Easiest way to do it is replace that urge to scroll with a quick sketch of an idea in a journal, or writing a note on an idea you've been ruminating on. Pick a project and work on it little by little. Do the thing you actually want to be doing.

And when you have absolutely no time to dedicate to your craft, just:

Make creative decisions wherever you go.

How could your commute be more efficient, more enjoyable?

How could your lunch be tastier or ready right when you need it?

How could your day get better if its not going so hot right now?

Being creative solves problems. Bring those methods to your art. And the best way to test is to:

Cook more than you eat.

You can't say you're a painter if you don't paint things and just talk about the things you want to paint someday.

Start small and tip your default state more towards 'making things' than 'not making things'.

You'll hear this from me a lot (cause it's mostly a reminder for myself) create more than you consume.

Just one percent better every day...

At least in the beginning.

Get the ball rolling long enough to glide to your destination.

A-ha! I knew it, I can't remember all that sh*t!

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” —

​David Allen​

I never really thought of it that way, until I recognized the value of having idea and making it real, and how much brain power I should reserve for being able to come up with them vs remembering them all and hoping I never forget the good ones.

Do yourself a favor and write them down.

Better yet, build a second brain and you might just be able to make them all.

Scrollstoppers

• Jeremy Polgar posted some tasty animation they did from SPACE DANDY

• Animation Obsessive shared some stylish designs for Bubu & Bubulina. Love those shapes!

• #PortfolioDay was this week too and here's a few artists with some rad work I bookmarked:

Love these compositions by @wiresandtrees

Lost my mind at the detail of these and the tasty color palettes from @zaebucca

Fell in love with these designs from @ppcrotty

Highlight of the week

I went down a rabbithole of Nickelodeon history.

(Nickelodeon was my sh*t, I bleed slime.)

Anyway, I stumbled upon this share by Brian Millar, some snaps of a How To Nickelodeon guide for employees.

It made me think about how much Nickelodeon impacted by taste as an artist and how I may have absorbed some of the his guide through their programming.

How was I incepted?!

And then the rabbit hole continued to this bootleg recording of a 1992 How To Nickelodeon video:

This reminded me of my favorite kid’s programming era on Nickelodeon, the introduction of a Saturday Night block: SNICK.

It was a blast from the past.

It made me appreciate cable programming for television.

The art of "the block".

Later I'd come across Toonami and [adult swim] on Cartoon Network that would change the game once again.

I miss it.

Alright, that’s it for this week. Hope you found something useful in here.

Talk to you soon,

Future-you

Say hi on TwitterX/IG/LinkedIn