Your Creative Push

Ben Lopez is an artist/illustrator/tattooer from Melbourne, Australia, who creates amazing, visionary work.  Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/benlopez In this episode, Ben discusses: -How he tries not to define himself as an artist. -How psychedelics have helped to inspire him and shape his art. -How he tries to let his art do the talking for him, and how he tries to tap into all of his experiences and put it into the art. -How he had already made the decision in high school to make art for the rest of his life. -The importance of finding your own style so that someone can recognize a piece as yours, just by looking at it. -How an injury changed his trajectory as an artist. -How he wishes he had more time for his personal art. -His plan to come to the United States to do some tattooing/traveling. -What Instagram and social media in general has done for his art and for his career. -How art and creativity has brought him out of a lot of dark places and it constantly brings him happiness and a sense o

Tess Alley is the author of The Divinity Bureau and a Finance Manager for Vacasa Vacation Rentals. She spends most of her days writing and crunching numbers; but when she isn't, she can be found playing 'Resistance' and fulfilling the wanderlust that comes with working for a vacation rental company. Her debut book, The Divinity Bureau, is available now for pre-order. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/tessalley In this episode, Tess discusses: -The difference between being a finance manager as a full-time job and a writer on the side. -Her earliest memories of being creative, and how Harry Potter helped to inspire her creativity. -How she got the inspiration to write The Divinity Bureau. -The things that hold her back the most from being creative on a daily basis. -How you have to sometimes do the "cha-cha" and take steps forwards and backwards to advance your position. -The importance of scheduling programs like Google Calendar to keep you creative pursuits as a part of your daily schedule and at th

Stephen is a singer/songwriter who has just released his first album, "Sincerely."  In his own words: "My album is a story of triumph, of letting go of all the uncertainty in my head and learning to walk the path of my own heart. “Sincerely” is about realizing how much better this world would be if we all loved ourselves, if we weren’t afraid of being vulnerable and honest. It doesn’t matter who’s president or what technology we invent or what extremists we destroy, the only thing I know is this: There will never be peace if we do not all love ourselves." Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/stephen In this episode, Stephen discusses: -A bit about his background and how he came to find himself in Los Angeles. -How he was the first student of the music school at the University of Miami who also played a Division 1 sport. -The promise he made to himself at a young age that he would only pursue the things he was passionate about. -How it's not like doing work, when you are spending time working on things

Cinzia Angelini is a veteran story artist, animator and director with more than 20 years working in the animation industry.  She has worked both in 2D as well as CG and is currently a story artist for Illumination Pictures.  She has worked on films such as The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, and Spider-Man 2. Her latest project is titled, Mila.   In this episode, Cinzia discusses: -A bit about her professional background and how she got to the point she now finds herself in her career. -The inspiration behind Mila. -How she attributes the team of 250 people from 25 countries wanting to work on Mila because of its powerful theme. -How animation artists typically work on happier projects intended to make children laugh, but the chance to work on such a strongly themed project made many of them want to jump on it. -Some of the challenges that come from working with a large team from all over the world in a virtual environment. -How she is happy that she was somewhat ignorant of

Stef Azevedo is a nature-trippin' self-taught artist from Seattle, Washington, who has been gracing the internet with her beautiful art for the past thirteen years. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/stef In this episode, Stef discusses: -The role that nature plays in her life and how it helps her to recharge and find inspiration. -How she used to draw all over her homework, and how a teacher suggested to her parents that they get her more involved in art. -Her realization that she could create and share art at the age of 14, when she found a site where people shared Sailor Moon fan art. -How there was a period of time in her twenties when she explored other avenues and didn't draw for three or four years, but she ultimately came back when she realized that there was nothing else she wanted to do more. -How she handled the transition of quitting her full-time job and not having as much money. -How her break from art led to sadness, but going out on hikes and exploring reinvigorated her creativity. -H

Sergio Lopez aka The Main Loop is a North Bay Area based fine artist who specializes in oil landscapes, contemporary nude figures, plein air paintings, and charcoal drawings. He has won multiple awards and has been featured in Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Spectrum, Bluecanvas, as well as many online publications.  He is also the co-founder of the North Bay Plein Air Painters group and has been helping organize monthly paint-outs since 2009. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/themainloop In this episode, Sergio discusses: -How he got into the plein air scene and the differences between painting outdoors and painting in the studio. -How he tries to only paint something that he is seeing with his own eyes or has seen before, as he doesn't trust photos to accurately portray the subject matter. -How his goal is to keep as little distance as possible from himself and his paintings so as to get the most accurate representation of what he sees and feels. -How and why he started the North Bay Plein Air Painters gro

Hailing from New Zealand, Li Chen is the creator of Extra Ordinary Comics (or Exocomics) which is a weekly slice-of-life webcomic based on her life with her partner Jordan, and her cat Shoelace.  With her fun and quirky comics, she has gained a steady following of fans and supporters and has published three collections of her work. Listen to Part 1 here Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/li2 In this episode, Li discusses: -All of the advantages that formats like Patreon and Kickstarter offer to artists and creative people as opposed to the "old way" where he power was in the hands of the few. -How she sometimes goes through periods of creative burnout where she hates everything that she does. -How she handles the stress and agony that comes from bouts of creative burnout. -Her most triumphant creative moment, and even that had its stressful moments. -Her favorite comic thus far, "Fast and Curious." -How art and creativity allow her to communicate with the world in a way that she wouldn't be able to

Hailing from New Zealand, Li Chen is the creator of Extra Ordinary Comics (or Exocomics) which is a weekly slice-of-life webcomic based on her life with her partner Jordan, and her cat Shoelace.  With her fun and quirky comics, she has gained a steady following of fans and supporters and has published three collections of her work. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/li In this episode, Li discusses: -How many children love to draw but eventually lose their passion, but she just kept going. -How and why she started Extra Ordinary Comics. -Patreon and Kickstarter and how they helped her to release her collections. -The notion of authority figures that we envision as the gatekeepers that hold us back from doing what we want to do. -How she still sometimes feels like an imposter who just found herself in this situation. -How her style has changed over the years and how looking back at the older comics sometimes makes her cringe. -How she is grateful that, when she was starting out, she was somewhat ignor

Karan Bajaj is a #1 bestselling Indiannovelist with more than 200,000 copies of his novels in print, bothoptioned into major films. Karan'sfirst worldwide novel, The Yoga of Max's Discontent, will be bepublished by Random House on May3rd' 2016. The book was inspired by Karan's one year sabbatical traveling from Europe toIndia by road and learning yoga and meditation in theHimalayas.  Karan hasalso worked in senior executive roles at companies like Procter& Gamble and the Boston Consulting Group and was named among AdAge's "Top 40 Under 40 executives" in the US. Fullshownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/karan In this episode, Karan discusses: -The "4, 1, 4" rule and how it helped him to thrive, not only inhis career, but in his life. -His "conscious goal-lessness" during his time off, especiallywhen he is so driven during his working years. -His advice for someone who struggles to get to the point ofrealizing that they are already equipped for life and don't need toconcentrate so hard on improvement. -The

Emily is a humble illustrator currently wandering Brooklyn. She was featured in CMYK Magazine as an up and coming illustrator once, and she thinks that was pretty cool. But these days she has been hiding in small venues and drawing the musicians playing there, in attempt to grow roots in the artists community. She posts the drawings on Instagram under the name Narkolator, which is a meaningless made-up word that she should probably change soon. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/emilynew In this episode, Emily discusses: -How she got started drawing musicians during their live performances. -How putting the drawings on Instagram led to many unexpected connections. -How other bars liked her images on Instagram, which led to more venues for her to check out. -Her advice for people who might like to keep their drawings to themselves instead of sharing them on Instagram or trying to sell them on Etsy. -How her drawings of musicians is sustainable for her, and she doesn't need to have a gimmicky thing lik

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 In this episode, Jake discusses: -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

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 In this episode, Blanca discusses: -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 an

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! In this episode, Alex discusses: -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 EVERYTHI

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 In this episode, Alex discusses: -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 "tr

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 In this episode, Yliana discusses: -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

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 In this episode, Pierre discusses: -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 somewh

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 In this episode, Carrington discusses: -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 tha

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 In this episode, Clay discusses: -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 p

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 In this episode, Suzanna discusses: -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

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 In this episode, Ron discusses: -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