How To Be An Artist

The final episode of How To Be An Artist. A recap of the journey and some conclusive thoughts. I also finally answer the question posed in the title. Read the Essay, Maybe You're An Artist on my Medium page: https://brandondayton.medium.com/maybe-youre-an-artist-76ea9e54f620

Arran Rogerson is an artist, musician and co-host of the Golden Shadow podcast along with Alyssa Polizzi. In this episode we discuss Arran's artistic background and the urge to create, what the shadow is and the various methods and practices Arran explores for coming in contact the shadow, the dangers of shadow work, the limits of the internet and why Sensemaking needs art.  https://linktr.ee/arranrogerson  https://www.goldenshadow.org/

Phillip Sevy is a prolific artist and writer in the comic book world having worked on various titles and with various publishers such as Top Cow, IDW and most notably, Dark Horse as the artist on Tomb Raider and on the creator-owned title Triage. In this episode we discuss Phillip's experience working with Dark Horse, pitching Triage and producing the book as a one-man wrecking crew. We also discuss the themes of Triage and how they map on to Phillip's own journey of self discovery. Phillip's website: https://www.phillipsevy.com/

Doug Wagner is a comic book writer with a career stretching back to Malibu Comics and passing through almost every publisher since then. Most recently he is known as the writer and co-creator of Plastic and Vinyl from Image Comics. In this episode we discuss Doug's career, finding his voice with Plastic, the benefits of collaboration, when and how to veer away from formulas, the line between a hero and a monster and why you should be very afraid of Daniel B. Hillyard.

Jason Young is the co-creator and co-writer of Pretty Violent with Derek Hunter and one my Draw Night chums. Today he returns to discuss psychedelics, meditation, if life is worth living and what Jason thinks the purpose of art is.

Chuck Marohn is the president and founder of Strong Towns, and the author of the book by the same name. Chuck gives a brief introduction to the work of Strong Towns and then we discuss the myriad ways we shape our human habitat and how our human habitat shapes us. We discuss how humans are like bees and chimpanzees, why everyone should read Daniel Kahneman and Nassim Taleb, the rhetorical style of Strong Towns and how they can address the most controversial issues without becoming partisan, the importance of transcending our corrosive contemporary politics and why fighting isolation may be the most important work any of us can do. We also have a rousing chat about the potential of art, artists and creativity to change the world and why cities need artists and artists need cities. More Strong Towns: https://www.strongtowns.org/ The Book: https://www.strongtowns.org/strong-towns-book Chuck on twitter: https://twitter.com/clmarohn

Ben Simonsen is a master illustrator and concept artist that I've had the privilege to collaborate with from the earliest phases of my career. Ben and I discuss our early days working together at the legendary 8fish as well and his discovery of illustration as a career. We also the benefits of playing with new tools, respecting the idiosyncrasies of the individual artist, the discipline of early study, when to copy and when to go to the source and finding your artistic flow. We also discuss the benefit of being in a collaborative environment, strategies for responding to burnout and Ben's current interest in cinematic realism.  More of Ben's stuff: website: https://www.bensimonsen.com/ youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDp5rH5zLC4eqOOKKDNnd2g instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bensimonsen/

Peter Limberg is founder and steward of the Stoa, a Covid-born "hill on the noosphere" where all the most interesting conversations on the internet seem to be happening. In this episode, Peter shares some delightful and energizing concepts for artists including the idea of the Daemon as an artistic guide, the concept of deathwork and lifework, treating your life as an artistic project and coming into right relationship with fear and other unpleasant things. He also shares a brief history of the Deamon-in-action with the inception of the Stoa, thoughts about journaling as an artistic and spiritual practice and how to be (and not be) a Stoic. The Stoa: https://www.thestoa.ca/ Peter's journals: https://thestoa.substack.com/

Michael Eliason is a Seattle based architect advocating for housing reform across multiple dimensions. In this episode we discuss the various technologies, standards and systems that are quickly being adopted in Europe but are still seen as a novelty in the US. We discuss the German model of cooperative housing (Baugruppen), the energy efficiency standards found in Passive House, the emerging possibilities of mass timber and other decarbonization technologies, zoning reform and the key role finance plays in determining the shape of our cities. Michael on twitter: https://twitter.com/holz_bau For a deeper dive into all of the above you can check out Michael's writing at the Urbanist and on his medium blog: https://www.theurbanist.org/author/mike-eliason/  https://15kwhm2a.medium.com/ Other stuff mentioned in the show: Aeroseal: https://aeroseal.com/aerobarrier/ Eco cocoon: https://ecococon.eu/ Cohousing in Berlin: https://www.cohousing-berlin.de/en Mass timber website in German: https://www.proholz.at/  Passive House: https://naphnetwork.org/ Books (if you can find them!) Self Made City Cohousing Inclusive The Vienna Model

Jerzy Drozd is a cartoonist, teaching artist and prolific podcaster. In this episode, Jerzy returns to talk about the art of podcasting among other things. We spend the first half talking about podcasting and Jerzy's podcast roll call including Lean Into Art and 4 million Years Later. We talk about Jerzy's approach to teaching and how that informs podcasting, engaging with a podcast community, and podcasting as performance. As we discuss the building of online communities we take a turn towards the archetypal as we discuss the archetype of the Good King, when it is time for things to die, and what type of wizard you might want to be.  Jerzy's current podcasts: Lean Into Art: https://www.leanintoart.com/ 4 million Years Later: https://anchor.fm/4my Some of Jerzy's legacy podcasts: Comics Are Great: http://comicsaregreat.com/ I don't normally do much with show notes, but we reference so much stuff here I thought listeners would appreciate it: The Emerge Podcast: https://anchor.fm/emerge Jerzy's Nerd Nite talk on 80's storytelling: https://youtu.be/_vxvcyhvlk8 Great Courses -- King Arthur: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/king-arthur-history-and-legend Rob Stenzinger's "Listening Like a Coach": https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Listening-Like-a-Coach-for-Creative-and-Design-Leaders/1249058671 Legacy of the Heart: https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Heart-Spiritual-Advantages-Childhood/dp/0671797840 This Jungian Life: https://thisjungianlife.com/ The Good King: https://thisjungianlife.com/episode-147-the-archetype-of-the-good-king/ Peace Pilgrim: https://youtu.be/6CAsjZqYPME

Jason Snyder is an interesting guy to follow but hard man to describe. He is a self described doomer optimist, homesteader, memetic mediator and co-host of the Both/And Podcast along with Jared Janes. He also holds a PhD from Michigan State in Economics. In this episode we journey from the interior of the mind outward to our planetary limits and make lots of little stops along the way. We discuss embodied cognition and Jason's bespoke meditation practice, manual labor, localism and bio-regionalism, problems that have to be addressed at a planetary scale and how cosmo-localism and metamodernism might tie it all together. It's a fire hose of fascinating topics with interesting clues about how they all might connect. Jason's discussion on Doomer Optimism at the Stoa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDtDoiITi0g Jason on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cognazor The Both/And Podcast: https://podtail.com/podcast/both-and/ Jason's meditation system: https://thesideview.co/journal/decentralizing-cognition/

Gregg Schigiel is a cartoonist, author and illustrator and creator of the graphic novel series PIX from Image Comics. In this episode we have a frank discussion about the realities and ups and downs of self-publishing and working with a publisher like Image. We also talk about how making comics is like baking, why you need an audience and why hanging out is the best part of conventions. We also take a moment to talk about Gregg's Jewish-Cuban heritage, swap recipes and Gregg shares his passion for Alice in Wonderland.  You can learn more about Gregg at: https://greggschigiel.com/

Geoff Shupe is one of the artists that has shared multiple art communities with me. He's part of Draw Night SLC, but we also are the only two concept artists (that we know of) that worked both at EA Games Salt Lake and Disney Interactive. He's also wide ranging in his artistic skills, constantly curious and very careful thinker about art and life.  In this episode we talk about working jobs you hate, classic fairy tale illustrators, using digital and traditional media together, and specializing vs. generalizing. We also discuss Geoff's passion for Ninja Warrior, "functional dad strength" and why it's a good idea for artists to get out of their heads and into their bodies. Check out Geoff's work here: https://www.instagram.com/jef_schnabadue/ https://chromiumash.artstation.com/

Jeff Speck is a city planner and walkability advocate who also happens to be the author and co-author of two of my favorite urban planning books of all time. In this episode we talk about Jeff's trajectory from Art History major to city planner, his convergence with the architecture firm DPZ and the subsequent creation of the legendary Suburban Nation. We also discuss the four elements of walkability, the relationship between aesthetics and function and the connection between urban design and civic engagement.  Assigned reading for this episode. There will be a quiz! Walkable City  Walkable City Rules Suburban Nation You can find additional resources on walkability and Jeff's other work at jeffspeck.com 

Dustin Hansen is a writer, illustrator and creative director with decades of experience in video games and writing credits that span genres. He's the author of Game On!, a brief history of video games, the Microsaurs series and most recently The Video Game Ate My Homework for DC Comics. He also recently made the bold claim that he grew 70% of his food in the summer of 2020! In this episode we investigate this claim and talk about why chickens are magic, goats are great and how food independence makes for better art. We also talk about building art and food cultures that might some day replace the ones we currently have and why it's a good idea to think of art as a very long term project. Dustin on twitter: https://twitter.com/DustHansen Jeffrey Howard's conversation with Ashley Colby on Damn the Absolute: https://erraticus.co/2021/01/20/subsistence-agriculture-united-states-collapse-industrial-capitalism-ashley-colby/

Michael Bishop is the human thrall of GWAR's Berserker Blöthar who also happens to hold a Ph.D. in Music Ethnography from the University of Virginia. As a teen, Michael was one of the early members of the Slave Pit, an art collective based out of Richmond, Virginia that gave birth to GWAR. In this episode he recounts his first-hand experience of participating in the formation of the Slave Pit and describes the values of self-sacrifice, DIY culture, and chaos that generated its magic. We also discuss how "pure" art can become elitist and the value of popular, mainstream art. We also talk about how to think about money in relationship to art.  Michael's Tedx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbQdUJILSPI GWAR: https://gwar.net/ The Slave Pit: https://www.slavepitinc.com/

Ken Keys is a master animator and art director with a legendary career than took him from Saturday Morning cartoons with Hanna-Barbera, 2D feature with Amblin Animation, and 3D credits on Shrek, Iron Giant and Lord of the Rings. In this episode we discuss Ken's journey across mediums and around the world and how he ended up making video games with me at EA Salt Lake. Ken shares the mindset of discovery and adventure that led him through his diverse journey.  Ken's website: http://kenkeys.com/illustration-visual-development.html Can You Catch One -- a crowdfunded short: https://canyoucatchone.com/  Wildlife Demo trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7uQh25d3-c

David Habben is an illustrator and professor of Illustration at Brigham Young University. In this episode we discuss using values and intuition as a guide for your artistic path, as well as what it means to have faith in the path, escaping all the "shoulds" that can mislead you, and how finding your path is like playing an old out-of-tune guitar. We also talk about the importance of playfulness, breakthroughs, finding your voice and making the art you want to do. More about David: https://davidhabben.com

Dave Durocher is the executive director of The Other Side Academy (TOSA), a therapeutic community based in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this discussion Dave shares his history of drug addiction and crime that led him to serve over 15 years in prison before being accepted into Delancey Street (the therapeutic community that TOSA is modeled after). We also got into details about the innovative approach TOSA takes to teaching morality, sustaining itself financially, and providing a realistic path out of drug abuse and crime. In particular we delve into the practice of "The Games" at TOSA as a tool of learning accountability, trust, vulnerability and a way to let off steam.  The Other Side Academy: https://www.theothersideacademy.com/ David Brooks on the Nuclear Family: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-nuclear-family-was-a-mistake/605536/ Delancey Street: http://delanceystreetfoundation.org/

Daniel Ingram is the author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (MCTB), a team member of The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium, and proprietor of the Dharma Overground. In this episode we discuss the impact of MCTB on my own life and meditation practice, the evolving landscape of high level practice in culture and research, how A Wizard of Earthsea describes the development of meditation practice, the varying ways that meditation can effect creativity, and why Jack Vance is rad. More on Daniel can be found at: https://www.integrateddaniel.info/