Perspective Podcast | Fuel For Your Mind & Creative Grind

How a Side Project Transformed into a Global Platform for Creatives Brooke Robinson is an Austin, TX native who fell in love with letterforms. Over the years she has taken that love for letters and type and transformed it into a global type powerhouse Instagram account called Goodtype. Her love of letterforms started after taking a class in college. From there, she began collecting resources around her, not to mention the art around Austin played a role in her interests as well. This love led to her wanting to surround herself with the amazing work she would find online and throughout social media. She began screenshotting all these beautiful works to come back to later. Her phone began to fill up so quickly that it sparked the idea to unload all of these images onto an Instagram account. She would share those images and credit the artists. It started as a thing just for her but it quickly grew into something much more than that as the #Goodtype hashtag began to take off. There was an evident interest in the

The Powerful Combination of Imagination & Resourcefulness It’s easy to get caught up in thinking you don’t have the best tools, resources and skills at your disposal. It’s even easier to let these “obstacles” hold you back from pursuing or sticking with something that’s important to you. When in reality, it’s rare that someone has the skills or resources right out of the gate. I know I didn’t. At the end of the day, it’s about doing something instead of nothing and realizing you’re doing the best you can. That’s all you can and should expect from yourself. When you stick with it and look back on the progress you made, you'll realize that imagination and resourcefulness are a powerful combination. This episode is a daily reminder not only to you but to myself when I get caught up in letting that inner critic convince me that I’m not doing enough. Figuring Things Out One of the most challenging thing in pursuing something important like your creative career is that you don’t always know the exact direction

The Do’s & Don’ts of Attending Creative South (From My Perspective) Are you feeling a bit stagnant in your work and desperate to get around like minded creatives? If so, then it’s time you attended a conference like Creative South. Here in a few weeks, April 6-9 to be exact, hundreds of people will invade the tiny downtown Columbus, GA area. When you arrive, there is a buzz in the atmosphere as you know you’re around the right people. Shit, the tagline is even “Come as Friends, Leave as Family,” and this couldn’t be truer. In 2015, I attended Creative South for the first time it sparked a massive swing of momentum in my life. There were several reasons I purchased the ticket because I: felt compelled to try something different. needed to surround myself with like-minded individuals who are doing what I strive to do. needed to get out of my comfort zone and get out of my little bubble in Cedar Falls, IA. All three of these were accomplished and Creative South has become an annual affair for me. I’ve buil

Start With a Commitment to Consistency This week I have one of my good friends and role models on the show, Bob Ewing. Bob and I go back a couple years and he’s been someone in the creative community that really shines as an example of one who shows consistency, craftsmanship and is all about building relationships. Currently, he is an Art Director for Element Three, Co-Founder of Inch x Inch, a talented letterer and illustrator, kick-ass dad and husband and you can catch him speaking at Creative South here in a few weeks. Bob is the man and I think you’re going to soak up a lot of gold that he has to offer in pushing your creativity to that next level. You can find Bob online at: Bob-Ewing.com and on Instagram: BobEwing_ Learning to Draw Again The premise of Bob's rise starts with his yearning to get back to drawing again after seeing a raw product turned into a final polished piece from people like Ken Barber and Ryan Hamrick. He committed himself to letter something every day whether it was 5 minutes or 5

Battle Creative Block and Spend More Creating Creative block is the worst, especially when you forget that great idea you had when driving on the highway. How awesome would it be if you never had a shortage of ideas to draw from so you can spend more time creating? (that’s a drawing pun) I can safely say that I rarely deal with creative block because I collect practically every idea that comes my way. Someone on my newsletter recently asked me how I went about this and I felt my reply could make a helpful episode in case you struggle with a lack of ideas. Having a gold reserve of ideas has helped me battle creative block with: episode artwork client work personal work I’m going to give you 4 ways to collect and build up your idea gold reserve so you can spend more time creating. This will help you easily come back to that idea you had when waiting in line at Chik-Fil-A. A Pocket Sized Sketchbook Glued to Your Hip I keep a handy little sketchbook with me wherever I go so I can jot down a thumbnail sketch o

You Can Make Whatever Name You Choose Mean Something Over Time Have you heard of Gary Vaynerchuk, aka Gary Vee before? Chances are you probably have if you’ve been paying attention to the social media / entrepreneur scene. I feel like he is a dude you either love or hate due to his bravado or profanity. One thing is for certain, people know of him because he made his name mean something. As an immigrant from the Soviet Union, Gary helped his dad transform his notable Wine Library business to a powerhouse though YouTube vlogging. From there, he’s gone on to build the multi-million dollar social media business, Vayner Media. Vaynerchuk or Gary Vee wouldn’t mean anything to anyone if he didn’t bust his ass and pour his soul into what he was passionate about. Picking a name for your brand or business can be hard and really frustrating, I can totally relate. I’m here to convince you that you can make whatever name you choose to operate under mean something over time. You have what it takes. The Need for a Name It

The preface of this episode stems from some recent free work I was selected to create. I feel this could yield some value to you if you ever get stuck in the same situation. Recently, a local pizza joint, Urban Pie, opened up close to me and they put out a call to local creatives through Facebook. They asked for help in designing their massive chalkboard menu as well as their cornerstone quick bake pizza oven. By now you need to know that I’m weirdly passionate about pizza art so I figured why not inquire for more details. It came back as exposure work… If you’re like me then you’re not a fan of crowd sourcing artists and paying them in exposure. A lot of companies do this to try and position it as they are benefiting the artist when in reality; they are the ones who are winning. Before you go rolling your eyes I want you to hear me out. After consulting my mastermind group and asking the question, “When do you think it’s okay to do free work?” I got a ton of great responses. I thought packaging up their answ

Stay Inspired & Pursue Why You Got Into Art in the First Place This week is a very special episode as I’m doing my first interview on the show with my good friend Eric Friedensohn also know as Efdot. He knows how to stay inspired to create for his personal side projects. Eric is a talented hand lettering artist and designer based out of Brooklyn, New York. He’s worked with the likes of Pat Flynn and taught lettering workshops for Vayner Media. He’s work at We Work and is the creator of the Optimist Project. He’s big into skateboarding and traveling and it’s an honor to have him as the first guest on this show. Why Do You Feel Uninspired to Create in the First Place? The Resistance Steven Pressfield - War of Art The resistance: is a universal force that has one sole mission: to keep things as they are. is the force that will stop an individual's creative activity through any means necessary, whether it be rationalizing, inspiring fear and anxiety, presenting distractions, raising the voice of an inner cri

You Are Not Alone & You Are Not Invisible Do you ever get in creative funks where you lack the drive to create while feeling invisible to the world? There are those sinister inner voices that try to convince you that your work doesn’t matter and that you can’t make a difference. I’m pretty sure everyone goes through these phases whether they admit it or not. This episode is me admitting this to you in hopes you don’t feel alone in the times you feel invisible as a creative or life in general. There is light at the end of the tunnel as I’m learning that this is part of the struggle of pursuing something that’s important to you. In due time, it will be important to others as well. It’s okay to feel this way at times, it’s natural. However, you are capable of pulling yourself out of this creative funk and pushing forward to the next phase on your creative path. I say this because I’m pushing through one of these phases myself. Creative Funks & Winter Blues From mid-December through practically the month

Give it Some Time and Enjoy the Creative Process Along the Way It may feel impossible getting exposure when you’re just starting to pursue your creative path. Believe me, I’ve been there. I spent over 25 years of my life believing that having a successful art career was impossible. As I’ve become more intentional with my side projects and have seen the potential, my mindset has drastically shifted. Think about it, technology is in your favor if you start today. It’s so easy to connect with someone on the opposite side of the globe within seconds. Not to mention that more and more people in the world are getting access to the internet every day. I really do believe that you are one scroll or swipe away from having your life changed. Creating the right side project(s) and following these 3 ingredients will aid you in getting more exposure for your work. These ingredients are: Research Consistency Shareability Obviously, you could say there are more ingredients, but I believe these 3 are great to keep top of m

Paying the Price to Get Paid How many times have you saw someone’s work and thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I could get paid to do something like that.” Did it cross your mind how could anyone know to hire you if you’re not exploring the type of work you want to be known for and better yet, get paid to do? This is your queue for starting a side project in 2017. Side projects as Lauren Hom likes to call them are your secret weapon for getting paid for the type of work you want to create. Let’s hit on it a little more on how side projects will help you attract the kind of work you want to get paid for by telling you a bit about good friend Ben Hagarty, aka BenRealVSWorld. The Long Road to Getting Paid By Your Dream Job My friend Ben Hagarty has been creating music and playing with cameras since late junior high. This obsession has elevated him to a level 53 Wizard at producing amazing video content around music. Basically, I’m just saying he is a pro but getting to where he’s at now all started with side proj

This 3 part series of starting a side project is inspired by Lauren Hom's initiative of starting a side project in 2017. She has found massive success in her young career all from creating the type of work she wants to get to paid for with side projects. Her Side Projects: Your New Secret Weapon blog series along with a free mini email course are a great place for you to check out if you need some additional inspiration after this podcast series. Would you believe me if I told you I have a friend who bought a Russian spacesuit on eBay and began photographing himself as just an everyday astronaut in public? What if I told you this silly project is now becoming his full-time business pursuit? The person I’m referring to is my local friend Tim Dodd and he is the creator of the Everyday Astronaut account on Instagram. This was just a little experiment that exploded with creative potential. I’ll get back to Tim later, but the point I’m trying to make is that you never know what side projects can turn into. For

It’s Hard to Appreciate the Good Without the Bad Are you one of those people who is claiming 2016 to be one of the worst years yet? This seems to be the overwhelming perspective judging by the media. Yes, 2016 had some low points: The presidential election Aleppo North Dakota Pipeline protest Racism Terror attacks Celebrities passing away Etc. I could keep going and I’m sure you have a few things on your mind that sucked ass too. However, what are some of the good things happened, specifically in your life? If you reflect long enough I guarantee you could find some high points to balance out the rollercoaster year we’ve experienced. I mentioned it in the previous episode 20 but it’s hard to appreciate the good without the bad. Seeing the horrible things going on in the world like the suffering people of Aleppo should make you stop and appreciate every little thing that you take for granted. How amazing is it to have a roof over your head? How great is it to sleep without having bombs going off all around yo

My Nightly Ritual to Stop Reacting and Eat More Frogs Taking a shot in the dark and guessing you’re someone who likes to get shit done. I know for me, I get my jollies when I’m getting things crossed off my to-do list. First things first, I’m definitely not claiming to be a productivity guru—I’m just a dude who’s trying to be more productive than busy. I strictly want to share with you what’s been working for me as a creative … and of course what isn’t working. What wasn’t working for me was winging it each day. Whenever I go with the flow with no plan: I feel like I’m reacting all day to things around me I barely make any progress in a million direction I make excuses for why I never have the time I go to bed feeling like I got nothing done Eventually, I stumbled across one little change that I began implementing before I went to bed at night: I started planning out the one main thing that needs to get done the next day to push me towards my goal(s). This one main task is going to be called your frog. I’ll

Self-doubt used to be my best friend. Hell, it still is as I continue to become more vulnerable and push my creative career forward. Seriously, I feel like an imposter every day. Why should someone take me seriously and why should someone care? The imposter in me feeds me these objections: You work a day job and am not a proven self-sufficient artist You have student loan debt and no financial freedom You don’t have prolific, big name clients* It's really hard to not let this type of thinking bring me down. Yet at the same time, I realize that none of these things matter if I keep doing what I know and enjoy the most. This episode is dedicated to showing you that you are not the only one facing an inner struggle each day. I want to convince you that you are an imposter and that’s okay—it means you’re going in the right direction. My Current Struggle I’ll be honest; I’ve been in a brand identity crisis since about last year once I got heavy into blogging. Just when I think I have things figured out I begin d

Notify the Universe and Show the Work You Want to Get I can remember way back during the bowl cut and JNCO days as a kid and how lit Friday nights were. I’d lounge on the couch watching TGIF and have a whole frozen pizza to myself. Ya, those were the good days. It sparked my obsession with pizza because I grew up picky with a small desire to try other foods. Don’t get me wrong, a frozen pizza is still a delight, but I’ve graduated to delivery and I’m not talking Digiorno. I’ve been doing little pizza doodles forever yet I never really started sharing them till the past few years. I’m learning to embrace this little quirk of mine because: it reminds me that I don’t always have to take myself so seriously it reminds me to have fun and constantly experiment While the context behind this seems random, I assure you there is a point to this all. I recently came across this sweet Dominoes Pizza box design. The craft and attention to detail blew my mind. You would’ve thought this $10 Large 3 Topping Take Out only p

This episode of the Perspective Podcast is about overcoming the divide that the latest Presidential Election has caused. The election of Trump has seemingly compelled people to lash out and treat people like shit due to their differences. On the other hand, the losing party has lashed out and acted childish as well. It's truly one side against the other and has made the US a breeding ground for teaching and raising the youth up in hate. I believe it's our human duty to get over our differences and look past the barriers of culture, race, religion, opinions, etc. We have to start playing our roles of putting something positive back into the world to show people there is hope for the human race. I don't care if we don't see eye to eye or if I agreement with everything you stand for, but at the end of the day you and I are human and I can accept you. Be kind and don't be a dick. We have enough of them already.

Have you heard of Inktober? It’s an awesome drawing challenge created by the talented Jake Parker that requires consistency and commitment. Throughout the month of October, artists across the globe are challenged to create a daily drawing. That’s 31 drawings if you aren’t sure how many days are in October. :) After being heavily involved in the business side of Perspective-Collective for the past two months, I was eager for a drawing challenge. I’m actually surprised I’ve never jumped at a commitment like this before because I’m infamous for piling projects on my plate. The challenge has recently ended and it solidified that I’m a freakin’ pro at committing to being consistent……..at things that aren’t always best to focus on at a given moment in time. You see, consistency and commitment are great. There are huge benefits to developing these disciplines which I will cover in a bit. On the other hand, there are also consequences when you’re not focused on the right thing at the right time. I want to show you bo

In this episode of the Perspective Podcast, Scotty discusses his current top 3 podcasts that will help you elevate your creative brand. Audio is one of the best formats for learning something new every day on the go. You can consume them while your working, showering, doing yard work or even just relaxing. If you don't have time for books then podcasts are for you. The 3 top podcast Scotty recommends are: The Creative Pep Talk Podcast with Andy J. Miller This podcast is for creatives who are pursuing a career in freelance while making great art for a living. However, it's more than that in my opinion and I believe it focuses on creative personal / professional development. his quirky sense of humor and laid-back approach really elevates his honest advice on building your creative career. He has this magical way of blending metaphors and storytelling to paint a vivid picture that inspires action. His “not taking himself so seriously” approach really helps me articulate my own thoughts and to not be so seriou