Do we really need to sell whatever it is we’re good at?
Author: Matt Shanks
Guarding your ideas is a terrible idea
If all you’ve got is one idea, then you’re always at risk. The best way to protect your ideas is to have so many that no one can catch you.
Dress for the occasion
Could wearing a business shirt when doing accounts, and wearing a painter’s apron while working on your art make you better at both?
Why is doing nothing so hard?
Doing ‘nothing’ is difficult. Try it for a minute, or two, or thirty and you’ll see. So if we have to do something, what’s the best sort of something.
Is it better to be a chameleon or a peacock?
There are two types of illustrators: Chameleons and Peacocks. A chameleon is not instantly recognisable by their work alone. They are regularly playing with mediums, styles, and materials. Trying on new looks. They adapt, whole-heartedly, to the text or environment that they’re given. Their range varies widely. Ann James and Bruce Whatley are good examples… Continue reading Is it better to be a chameleon or a peacock?
Making magic behind closed doors
If the practice makes it into the performance, how will anyone be blown away by the magic?
Safe bets
How do you choose a wine if you’re not into wine? Standing in front of a shelf of over 1200 wine bottles, all of varying prices, designs, flavour profiles or sizes, the choice is overwhelming. If you know nothing about wine, awards help. If something is awarded, and something isn’t, perhaps the awarded one is… Continue reading Safe bets
Manage or Make
The work of illustration is deep work. It’s difficult to chip away at it in-between other things. It takes a while to get into a flow state and to stay there for a period of time. Illustration work requires stretches of time and concentration in the realms of 2-4 hours per session, minimum. Schedule even… Continue reading Manage or Make
Someone else is better than you
What if we forgot about our weaknesses and focussed on our strengths? What if we teamed up with people who had strengths that complemented our weaknesses?
It’ll be slower than you think
Success isn’t slow, we just imagine it to be fast.