Proper Practice Prevents Poor Performance, and Other Obnoxious Inspirational Notions We Really Wish Weren't True

Shut up, chalkboard.

This week's challenge is one of those simple-stupid things that seem so easy, so obvious, that they barely deserve mention. But let's be real -- how many days so far this week have you actually set aside 30 minutes to create art??

If you just had a stream of protests and excuses come screaming to the front of your brain about why you haven't been keeping up, don't worry -- you're not the only one. If you're like me, it's probably because you're busy -- or at least you believe you are. Or maybe it's because you totally set the time aside, but when you sat down in front of that empty screen or canvas, you couldn't think of anything to make.

Let's rewind. When you first read Monday's challenge, did it remind you of anything? Maybe something that involves people clad in spandex with their smiling promise of rock hard abs in six weeks? That's right, we're coming up on Obnoxious Inspirational Notion #1:

1) The brain (and creativity) is just like any other muscle, and can atrophy without regular use.

The good news here is muscles can always be rebuilt - though if you've been away from something for a long time, it's probably going to take longer to get back into the swing of things. That's okay.

The bad news is, the brain is technically not a muscle. So yeah. Take that, stupid metaphor!

Despite its Biology FAIL status, Notion #1 makes a great point -- all that creativity isn't just going to flow out of your fingertips if you haven't been training yourself to direct your creative energy their way. But before you start the artist equivalent of a Rocky montage, I want you to remind yourself that if you're finding it challenging to actually make art everyday, it will get easier as your creativity muscles grow. As that devilish belle Scarlet O'Hara once said, "Tomorrow is another day." Do your best today, and then do your best tomorrow. Don't let one day's failure because the thing that keeps you from trying again. I promise, you got this.

What should I charge with Shane Pearlman

I stumbled upon this really great video by Shane Pearlman creator of Modern Tribe, the other day and thought that this would be the perfect time to share it with you guys.  Not only is this video super duper easy to understand and relate to, Shane actually uses real numbers from his own personal life to talk about how he has evolved his pricing structure to go from charging $25 per hour to about $250 per hour in just ten years.  It's honest, up front and ridiculously helpful.  Enjoy!

 

reblogged from Shane's blog: http://tri.be/what-should-i-charge/

Inspiration About Inspiration -- We're Going Meta, Y'all!

Tuesdays are the days where we try to give you the fuel you need to conquer each week's challenge. Since this week we're challenging you to get out and collect snippets of inspiration, I figure it's high-time we talk about what that whole inspiration concept is actually about.

To begin, a little etymology, anyone? Check it:

inspiration (n.)

 c.1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration," from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin inspirare "inspire, inflame, blow into," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit). Literal sense "act of inhaling" attested in English from 1560s. Meaning "one who inspires others" is attested by 1867.

To put it simply, "breathed from God." As you might guess from the time the word came into being, it was generally used to refer to the concept of the Christian Bible being an accurate transcription of divine will. Unlike the word, the concept has been around much longer. Recognize these ladies?

Those are the Disney-ized version of the Muses, the goddesses responsible for creative inspiration back in the good old days of Ancient Greece. (Humanities 101, I knew you were going to come in handy one day!)

See any similarity of concept?


Back in the day, inspiration was something that came from outside yourself.

We've talked before about how artists tend to put a bit too much pressure on themselves to come up with the next super brilliant thing that no one's ever thought of before. While that's all well and good, it seems a bit like throwing the waterskis in front of speedboat, amiright? Speaking of which, I have a heck of a waterskiing story to tell you all sometime. For now, the TL;DR version is that over the course of attempting to waterski for the first time ever, I realized that I was going to need to stop trying to actively get up on the water, and instead let the forces at play between the water and the boat and the skis go on and push me up there. And I'll be honest -- I didn't actually get up on top of my skis this time. But that's why there's always tomorrow. The point is, I couldn't just make it happen. Instead, I needed to experience all the things going on around me, and find a way to make myself work within that experience.

Do you see what I'm getting at here?

Whether you're out walking, or working, or helping a friend clean out their storage, or getting your morning coffee, or driving across the country on an epic roadtrip, or just enjoying how darn cute your furbabies are (okay, maybe that last one's just me), you are always in a position to be inspired. Forces are moving outside of you -- and you, the creative, have the ability to shape yourself to channel those forces and make something out of all the cool stuff you experience everyday.

Now go do it.

Challenge 14: Operation Inspiration

The last couple weeks we have had some pretty intense challenges here on the blog.  We've let ourselves dream about the mountains we'd like to reach with our creative lives, and then took the time to figure out just how in the hell we are going to actually get there.

That stuff is all fantastic and really great for us, but let's face it… for the most part it isn't very fun.

So this week we are shaking things up again and injecting just a bit more fun into the weekly challenge.  And yes, as I'm sure you have so masterfully deduced, it has something to do with a camera.

Here's the thing about inspiration, as much as it may seem like the metaphorical lighting bolt to the brain at times, really it's just a collection of slow hunches.  These hunches simply have had enough time to sit around in your brain getting to know one another until one day all the pieces you've already gathered meet in just the right way, click together and form an idea.  If you don't believe me, Steven Johnson wrote an entire book on the process. We've even talked about this before on the blog HERE if you want to find out more.

So now that Mr. Johnson has so kindly shown us how good ideas come into being we can make two pretty powerful observations:

________________________________________________________________

1) Art and inspiration cannot be created in a vacuum.

2) We actually have to work at gathering thoughts and ideas for our brain to have the fuel it needs to be inspired.

________________________________________________________________

I think a lot of times as creative people we spend WAY to much time locked up in our studios trying to work instead of out gathering fuel for our creative brain.  To be a successful creative we need to have both a strong work ethic and the heart of an explorer/collector, one without the other usually leads to trouble.

So for your challenge this week we are going to simply gather some fuel for our creative flames by going for a walk.

A walk!? Yes a walk.

I know, I know, this sounds more like exercise than a creative project, but stay with me.

Here are your guidelines (because rules are for the man):

1) Pick an area of your town that you have never explored before to have your walk in. 

WARNING: Be smart people, don't go walking around somewhere dangerous. That's not the imagination inspiration we're talking about here.

2) Bring your camera. (Boom foreshadowed camera coming into play!)

DSLR, point and shoot, cell phone cam, it doesn't matter as long as it takes pictures, we're not trying to be Ansel Adams here or anything.

3) Go for a walk, take pictures of ANYTHING that you find interesting.

Seriously, whatever strikes your fancy, photograph it.  Pile of colorful trash? Boom, photograph it!  Interesting architectural detail? Boom, photograph it!  You get the idea.

4) Share the photos you take by hash-tagging them #bravetheabyss!

That's it!  No deep emotional journey, no searching of your soul, just some good old creative fun in the sun, or rain, or whatever the weather may be where you are.

Happy Photo Walking!

And now, for something entirely different -- again.

With all this talk of travel, we figure it's time for a change of scenery on the blog too. Today I'm in Chicago -- and about to go have my mind blown all over again at the Art Institute. The best part about that? I'm taking you along for the ride! 

Come join me over ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE for a running photo stream documenting the vibrant beautiful mess of buildings, people, and energy that is Chicago. When this is what you see outside your hotel window, you know it's going to be a good day.

There and Back Again: A Creative's Journey

Hopefully, your metaphorical mountain
has less metaphorical dragons.

Yesterday, Kadie talked about NeilGaiman's method for finding your mountain. While this sounds fairly simple, much like identifying what you want to be when you grow up, it gets significantly harder to do once you've graduated.

We're here to tell you – it's okay to embrace the process.

In photography, sometimes you have to wait until the light is right. In painting, the canvas may need to dry before you can apply more color. In writing, you can go through drafts and drafts (and drafts) before you come up with something you want to share with anybody. Dance and theater and comedy and music all require hours of rehearsal and preparation.

Why should it be any different in life?

We have this narrative in our culture, that once you're an adult you need to have everything figured out – where you're going, who you are, why you're here. We've touched on it before in this blog, here and here. Artist after artist after artist has also challenged this assumption, from Jack Kerouac's On the Road to Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx's Avenue Q, to Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture, to every Adam Sandler movie ever. And that just covers a few of the works from American pop culture.

The reality is, finding your mountain takes time – sometimes a lot of time. I first tried my hand at Jackie Battenfield's exercise about four years ago – and my answers were dramatically different from what I'd say today. I was planning on going to grad school – NOPE – I was planning on becoming a professor (probably not), and I was planning on having all that stuff accomplished by the time I turned 28, so I could get to settling down and having one of those baby things my friends keep talking about, but still keep up with my thriving art career.

While none of those goals are on my horizon today, at least not in the form I originally anticipated (Would someone please tell my 22-year-old self that building a career takes more than a couple of years? Thanks), I'm still glad I travelled toward what I thought was my mountain – again, and again, and again. The reason? Each time I started working towards my then-goal, it brought me to a new perspective in my life – at which point I'd spot a goal that I wanted even more. At 16, I knew I wanted to be an artist, but I had no idea what that looked like. At 26, I still don't really know what that looks like, but I know that it involves having time for my family and friends and making enough money to support my foodie fine dining habits. This is the hill I'm on today, and I think I know what mountain I'm aiming for – but that might change at the next overlook.

And that's okay.

Wreck This Journey - Only 9 Days Till The Launch!!!!!

You might recall us giving away a free copy of Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.

That contest served a purpose -- namely, to get a copy of the book into one of our reader's hot little hands, since starting July 1st, we're going to be off on a marvelous adventure called Wreck This Journey. More specifically, we're going to be vlogging our way through Keri Smith's journal project, and showcasing our favorite bits here on the blog.

But wait, there's more! We want you to be a part of this adventure, not just as silent readers, but with vlogs, pictures, and written responses of your own! We're super excited to see all the cool stuff you create, and feature it here on the blog -- but we can't do it without your help. Here's what you need to do before July 1st (you only have 9 days left!).

Step 1) Order Keri Smith's freaking fabulous book. You can buy Wreck This Journal from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell's Books, or Indie Bound -- or you can even go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy most places (or request they order it for you. They do that, you know?).

Step 2) Brace yourself for the awesomeness.

Simple, right?

BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE!

We know we're excited, but just to get your juices flowing and inspire you for the amazingness to come, here are just a couple examples from one flickr user of the sort of awesomeness ahead!

Hang Time: Balancing Life As A Creative

This week on the blog we are talking about trying to bring a bit of balance to our creative lives so we don't turn into crazy people who end up murdering their husbands...

With that thought in mind, during my random journey into the magical land of the interwebs this week I stumbled upon this awesome video by the amazing people over at Red on Black Productions.  Take one google hangout, a handful of amazingly creative people and give them the topic of how to balance a creative life and you get some pretty awesome stuff.


So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy hanging out with the good folks at Red on Black!

BALANCING ACT: HOW TO BALANCE WORK & LIFE AS YOU BUILD UP YOUR CREATIVE CAREER

How Perseverance Helps Creativity Blossom

Guest Post Time!

Christi is the brilliant genius behind Novel Conclusions. A former English teacher and aspiring author who loves everything related to words and creativity, she currently writes and lives in Southern California. Go check out her blog at NovelConclusions.com - you know you want to. And now, let's get to today's post.

In Kadie’s post last Tuesday, she highlights a talk by Candy Chang where Candy reminds us that “life is brief and tender” and that we must decide what we will do with our lives. We must take action in order to create in our lives. Creativity, the art of creating, the act of innovating, requires decisive action and perseverance in keeping that momentum going. A spark of inspiration is great, but we have to fuel the fire to keep it blazing.

Being a master of your craft and of your own creativity requires perseverance, study, and figuring out what works for you. Anyone can have an idea, but you are the only person who can bring that idea to the world with your signature touch on it. The glory of art is in the execution. Van Gogh and Monet (and honestly, a ridiculous amount of people if you judge by the crazy amount on Google Images) have painted hay stack landscapes, but they look very different in the execution.

What Van Gogh and Monet have in common in this instance is that they painted prolifically to get things right. They painted everything around them over and over and over – and over again – until they couldn’t even look at hay stacks anymore. They persevered to get the lighting and the brush strokes and the color just so. Their creativity, the mastery of their craft, was fueled by persistently pushing forward and experimenting. They kept on working and trying new things when others would have stopped.

Author JK Rowling was famously rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury accepted the Harry Potter manuscript, but she kept on pushing. Pierre-Auguste Renoir suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis, but he kept painting anyway and became one of the most prolific Impressionist painters of his era. Thomas Edison (who reminded us that "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration”) was one of the most prolific inventors in history; his creative innovations in electricity led to the technological advances that allow you to read this blog.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, he expands on this theory and gives example after example of individuals who became masters of their craft after putting in roughly 10,000 hours working on their specialty (check out this really cool detailed infographic about the 10,000 hour theory here). HOWEVER – big caveat coming up here, people – this does not take into account mindless repetition. If you play “Chopsticks” on the piano for 10,000 hours, you still won’t be Beethoven. So what does this take into account?

Perseverance in your craft means:

• Practicing areas of your craft that are (currently) outside your comfort zone
• Checking yourself (where am I at with this skill? How can I expand my knowledge of this aspect?)
• Always devouring ideas related to your field (like reading art-related blogs!)
• Working to create and innovate even when you want to be doing something else
• Not being afraid to fail – every failure is a stepping stone toward mastery

Perseverance can open up new avenues for your creativity. Sometimes when you push through, you find something you never expected. How are you taking action to create in your life? What have you created when you kept pushing? What else does perseverance do to support creativity that I didn’t mention?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.



P.S. Check out this awesome TED talk on grit and how it impacts success:





Want to read more from Christi? Check out her blog at NovelConclusions.com.

The Role Of The Artist Is To Ask Questions

My first semester of art school I was immediately struck by the idea that I was quite possibly the most boring and bland person to ever exist.  My teachers held bold political view points and created art that reflected those opinions.  The other art students around me were passionate activists for one cause or another,  proudly creating art that portrayed their beliefs.  Everywhere around me people were making statements,  yet all I seemed to have was questions.

My teachers kept trying to encourage me to "find my voice", to find something to say, "You're an intelligent girl" they would explain, "surely you must have some opinions."  It was as if my lack of bold statements made me weak in their eyes, falling short of who a real artist should be.  But I had opinions.  I had strong beliefs as well.  I had also learned long ago that simply shouting your viewpoint in someone's face does little to change their mind and I was more interested in affecting people, than I was in spouting off my opinions to anyone who might be listening.  I just wasn't sure how to do that yet.

Now that I'm older and can look back on the situation I wonder if I wasn't going about the whole situation backwards.  Maybe instead of asking what needed to be said,  I should have been saying what needed to be asked.

Isn't that what art is really about, questions?  Doesn't it exist to challenge us and make us think?

If all we give are answers in our work, are we really letting the viewer engage in a conversation with us?  Are we really forcing them to step out of their views and understanding of a situation and look at it from a different angle?

Is simply shouting our opinions as loud as we can enough?  Or does this conversation need to start going both ways if we really want to affect change in our society?  Perhaps the question really is more important than the answer in the end as it is the question which holds the the catalyst for change.

Yesterday when Kate issued this weeks challenge she talked about some of the ways that artists have used their work to ask questions over the years.

As a bit more inspiration for you this week here's an example of a more direct approach by Candy Chang to this whole idea of using your work to ask questions, it's kind of amazing and only about 6min long:

Here's a tiny except from her talk for those who need a little bit of encouragement to push the play button and watch the video :)

"So this neglected space became a constructive one, and people's hopes and dreams made me laugh out loud, tear up, and they consoled me during my own tough times. It's about knowing you're not alone. It's about understanding our neighbors in new and enlightening ways. It's about making space for reflection and contemplation, and remembering what really matters most to us as we grow and change."

                                                             -Candy Chang

And since this week is all about asking questions, I will steal Candy's amazing question for you guys as well.  Make sure to leave us a comment and let us know your answer!  Good luck on your challenge this week!

BEFORE I DIE I WANT TO: __________________________

Challenge #7: Map Your Creative DNA

"If I were an enzyme, I would be DNA helicase so I could unzip Your genes."

Geeky pick up lines may make me giggle, but understanding how my DNA shapes who I am is something I take very seriously. Last night, this led me to explore something quite different for this blog -- Creative DNA.

We all have that thing that drives us to create -- a passion for a particular subject, a fascination with the way a material works, a desire to share an idea with others, or the need to celebrate/exorcise a personal experience. For me, it's a combination of all four mixed together, and it manifests in a huge array of eclectic influences, inspirations, passions, ideas, and experiences that all feed into and out of each other -- and it's awesome. So awesome, in fact, I made a map of it, just to keep track of all the awesomely awesome ways it makes my creative self light up:

(Click the image if you want to see it at full size)

I'll be honest, once I got started it was hard to stop. The best part is, each time I discovered a new path, I started adding bubbles that then tied into other paths, showing connections in my work I've never thought about before. Which then -- get ready for it -- inspires me to explore some brand new ways of creating art.

So that's this week's challenge: make a bubble graph mapping your creative DNA. Get really crazy with it, and send it into theartabyss@gmail.com, and we'll feature it on the blog. Even grab this week's challenge badge!

What inspiration will you discover? Tell us all about it below!

The Definition of Insanity

You might be wondering, why are we asking you to change things up a bit? Routines can be nice -- they can even help fortify your creative process. So why change?

It's like Mr. Einstein said -- if you keep doing the same thing, you're going to get the same result. While that may be comfortable and dependable, it isn't exactly inspiring.

(It gets bigger after you click.)

That's why this week, we're challenging you to break out of your routine -- it might be exactly what your creative self is craving. Go on, snag this week's challenge badge, and see what you can do to shake things up!!

Challenge #6: Something Completely Different

Remember back a few weeks when we talked about needing to get it on with other creative buddies so our ideas could have sex?  The whole point of that exercise was making new and varied connections in our brains; which in turn inspires us and get our creative juices flowing.  

Most of the time we stick to our own areas of expertise because that is just what we know.  It's safe, it's comfortable... it's like a hug from a giant teddy bear. Getting together with a creative buddy to talk shop can help unlock new ideas and vantage points we might never have seen on our own without something they said having helped put two and two together for us in our brains.

So yeah, ideas having sex for the win.

However, there is actually a way we can do this on our own, without necessarily needing to get together with anybody else. (Oh the places we could go with that statement and this train of thought...  I'll just let your imagination run with that while I continue on... don't mind me...)

The reason getting together with a creative buddy to talk shop works so well is because it lets you see the world from a different perspective.  If we want to accomplish this on our own we can't just keep doing what we've always done because most likely we'll just see what we've already seen.  If we want to see the world from a different perspective, we have to take a cue from Monty Python and do something completely different.  Or simply put, if you want to see the world, you've got to leave your hometown.

Staying where it's safe and warm and comfortable is awesome, but it doesn't always let us grow or help us build our creative arsenal.  To do that we have to mix things up.

Pretty sure this is our best challenge badge yet...
Don't forget to snag it off the blog and share it!

So, your challenge this week is simple: Do something completely different.  It's that easy.  Drive home a way you have never gone before. Bake a random recipe you've never tried. If you're a photographer try painting, if you're a painter try sculpture, if you're a musician try dancing.  It doesn't matter what it is as long as it gets you out of your normal routine and is expanding your wealth of creative experiences.

Have an idea for what you are going to try out this week as part of your challenge? Drop us a line in the comment section and let us know!

25 DIY Business Card Ideas Just For You

It's Wednesday, so by now you've probably had enough time to get completely overwhelmed by work stuff and entirely forget about the challenge for this week.  (Or at least had enough time to come up with a creative excuse as to why you don't need to participate)  Or maybe that's just me…

I have been putting off making business cards for The Art Abyss for weeks now.  I know I need to, I keep kicking myself every time I talk to someone and don't have one to give them, but I still haven't done it yet.  Then the challenge went up this Monday and I thought "Oh right, I should totally do that." and then I thought "I'll go eat a sandwich."  So here I sit, sandwich in hand, but with no business cards.

Sound familiar?

I decided what I needed to kick start my butt into gear was some good old fashion inspiration.  (ahem… inspiration for the cash challenged but crafty entrepreneur that is…)

On that note, here is my round up of some of the best DIY business cards I saw during my search.  Most of these only take a bit of paper, maybe a printer, and some imagination.  Stay creative my friends.

(For more info on how all these awesome cards are actually created, check out the links to the blogs underneath each image)

http://www.ohhellofriendblog.com/2012/02/my-alt-summit-business-cards.html

Colored Paper + Mailing Label Stickers + A Stamp + Kick Ass Paperclip

(RANDOM SIDE NOTE: You can pick up a custom stamp kit at most office/craft supply stores)

http://blog.heylook.fi/2011/08/about-business-card-crafting.html

Small Brown Paper Envelopes + Stamp + Ink Pad + Twine + Confetti

http://grafischeslabor.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-business-cards.html

Old Black & White Photos + A Stamp

http://www.behance.net/gallery/IS-Creative-Studio-business-cards-2nd-edition/3426031

Plain Jane Business Cards + Colored Spray Paint

http://www.rabbitandtheduck.blogspot.com

Paper + Printer + Sewing Machine

http://birdtrouble.blogspot.com/2011/11/diy-business-cards-from-vintage.html

Old Beer Coaster + Ink Pen + Hand Drawn Doodles

http://simplyjanelledesigns.com/big-news-and-diy-business-cards-out-of-paper-bags/

Old Paper Grocery Bags + Printer

http://culturedblog.com/blake/diy-dip-dyed-business-cards

Stamp + Black Ink

http://www.cardonizer.com/business_cards/rene_andritsch

Old Poster + Stamp

http://ricedesignblog.com/2013/04/04/diy-business-cards/

Shipping Tags + Stamp

http://littleredchair.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-business-cards.html

Brown Paper + Stamp + Scraps of Lace + Mini Clothes Pins

Scraps Of Paper + Rubber Stamp

http://www.flickr.com/photos/magda-maciek/4143190609/

Old Film + White Paint Pen

http://guy-field.com/index.php?/design/business-cards/

Card Stock + Brush + Ink

http://design-milk.com/business-cards-by-matheus-dacosta/

Hand Painted Paper + Printer

http://www.tothepowerofeight.com/doodle-jam-the-first/ttpo8-business-cards-doodle-jam-5/

Scraps Of Paper + Glue + Printer

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSecretChicken

Printed Business Card + Dictionary Page + Glue

http://cardgala.com/gallery/elena-baka/

Cardboard + Thread + Clear Printed Stickers

http://www.commarts.com/exhibit/agrie-paint-services.html

Plain Jane Card + Tape + Paint

http://www.behance.net/gallery/MYLENE-POISSON-SOMMELIERE/5106257

Plain Jane Card + Bottle Of Wine + Wine Glass

http://www.mintdesignblog.com/2010/01/mints-new-business-cards/

Paper + Patterned Tape + String

http://creativitea.org/inspiration/graphic-design/clement-de-bruin-bittersuite-hand-drawn-business-cards/

Pen + Ink + Paper + (A lot of time on your hands)

http://kojo-designs.com/2012/04/kojo-tutorial-fabric-backed-business-cards/

Plane Jane Card + Iron-on Adhesive + Fabric

http://www.soshayblog.com/2012/10/diy-business-cards.html

Shiny Paper + Hole Punch + Printed Paper + Clear Plastic Bags + Fun Tape

http://amberzondotcom.blogspot.com/2013/03/business-card-diy-featuring-jess-from.html

Old Record Album Covers + A Stamp + A Sharpie Marker