Stay ConnectedThe Side Hustler’s Perspective Podcast is fuel for your mind and creative grind.
Each week, Coach Scotty Russell puts you in a position to get paid to play creating work that lights you up…
All while navigating a day job, family life, the inner critic, and more.
This is for those who want to master the art of healthy hustling while growing their creative business.
You can follow Scotty on Twitter @ScottytheCoach and IG @CoachScottyRussell for all things coaching and art.
Copyright: © All Rights Reserved 2020
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 world in hand lettering and her Instagram page quickly became the hotspot as creatives would make a piece and begin tagging Brooke to catch a feature.
Next thing you know, she has a following of over ten thousand people and that's when I became aware of the account and got one of my first features. From that feature, it sparked the validation I needed to know I could do something with my art and I'm certain it was the same spark that many other creatives received as well.
Doing What Makes You Happy
It's safe to say that starting and curating Goodtype has changed her life.
It's allowed her to:
It's been pretty awesome to watch her build this successful platform that was once just for her. Now she is in a position to give back to so many creatives who are looking to take their work to the next level.
Things haven't always been easy as there is plenty of stress that comes with working a day job and trying to pursue your side project. She's dealt with plenty of issues that usually revolved around time but when you love something, you find a way to make time to pursue it.
One of the most recent struggles was figuring out how to create, curate and ship the first Goodtype Book Vol. 1. She had to figure out how to internationally ship these as sometimes it would cost $60 for global shipping which is insane.
However, she made it happen and is already in the works of creating Vol. 2!
Strength in Letters
At the heart of Goodtype is its motto: "Strength in Letters."
The tagline was inspired by someone who created a quick drawing that used the hashtag and it caught her attention. She marinated on it and knew that it needed to be the motto.
Brooke states, "We truly are strength in letters in our work and communication within the lettering community. The positivity and encouragement that takes place within this lettering world are amazing."
With the growth of this community, it's recently given her the opportunity to bring Goodtype to SXSW in 2017. Here she got to be on a panel discussing "Good Type and its Influence on Style" and how the history of typography and lettering played a monumental role in our modern design.
Along with the panel, she organized two hand lettering workshops which were taught by the homie Adam Vicarel. The panel and workshops were a hit and there will no doubt be a bigger Goodtype influence in future SXSW.
The Future Vision
When asking Brooke what she had planned for Goodtype in the next 5 years, it was clear she had a vision.
Due to the awkward void of accessibility in the education side of things, she wants to transform Goodtype into a physical space where creatives can:
With know Brooke and her drive, I have no doubt this will all take shape.
Words of Advice to Struggling Creatives
In closing, I asked Brooke: "What’s one piece of advice you would give to creatives just starting off or in a creative funk?"
Her answer is one that can resonate with any creative from amateur to pro.
She states, "Stop comparing yourself and focus on yourself and what you’re doing. If it’s making you happy then keep doing it because if you don’t stop, you’re going to improve. Stick with it, and if you have to compare yourself_, do it from a way that you’re learning and improving. If it makes you happy then why would you ever give up?_
Key Takeaways:
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 to go.
What medium should you create?
What style should you share?
What should the name you create under should be?
On the flipside, one of the most exciting things is that you don’t know the right answer.
As a creative, you’re a problem solver and this is what you do best.
You have to experiment and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Most importantly, you’re figuring out yourself along the way too.
Blending it All Together
Something I struggle with is showing the true foolish side I have in my writing and speaking. I feel this is due to my extensive background in sports, coaching and training because I’m a coach and an artist at heart.
Sadly, I’ve had “anonymous” emails telling me that I’m trying too hard and it cuts deep because I am trying. I’ve been blogging for over 2 years now, speaking for 1 year and podcasting for about 8 months. There’s still a ton of room for improvement and I’m far from being an expert.
I’m still figuring out how to inject my humor into my monologs while getting my point across. It’s easy in my art because I don’t have to speak or write and I've been doing it my whole life.
I want you to know the goofy side of me:
You know, I’m a downright fucking fool sometimes but you don’t always see or hear this side of me. I’m still learning how to blend all of this together...but I’m doing the best I can.
The Tools Don’t Make the Artist
I’m guilty of thinking that I needed the best pencils, pens, paper or equipment to get me on the level of the people I look up to.
No longer do I think my drawing utensils are the key to unlocking artistic greatness—I could create a masterpiece with a crayon because the tools don’t make the artist.
However, I’m still hard on myself for not having the money nor resources to have the video / photo equipment and skills I feel I need to stand out.
I have to constantly remind myself I’m doing the best I can right now with what I have.
I saw a post recently that convinced me there are plenty of ways to shine without the fanciest equipment.
Pin Koro posted a video of her writing the word pizza in a simple san serif with a sharpie. She then turned the word into a pizza illustration.
Extremely simple yet extremely creative.
However, the video was not high quality and there was a lot of flickering which can be distracting.
You think that stopped this video from going viral?
I’m literally seeing this all over Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
This is a prime example that you can use your phone and your creativity (resourcefulness and imagination) to stand out amongst the sea of noise on social media.
Right now, I’m a content creator and artist on a budget. I would give anything to have a high-end camera and an amazing rig setup to record my work but it’s not in my budget.
Doing Your Best With What You Have
My ghetto video recording setup consists of my phone tripod / socialite tripod and my cracked screen iPhone 6 Plus.
For my podcast, I have a very basic setup too. I don’t have all the fancy equipment I thought I needed and my office is far from soundproof. However, I put a lot of attention into getting the best audio quality out of my mic and learning how to edit properly so this doesn’t sound like turds on your end. :)
What I do is far from perfect, but I can’t let not having the fancy tools and resources hold me back from starting or sticking with it. At the end of the day, I’m showing up and doing something rather than nothing.
Give yourself permission and accept that you’re doing the best you can with what you have at your disposal. Imagination and resourcefulness are your secret weapons during these stages.
You’re Human and You Got This
Please remind yourself that you’re human. You’re going to deal with these phases of doubt and feeling you need more to stand out.
I deal with them all the time.
During these times where you want to quit or feel like you’re not doing enough, remind yourself you’re doing the best you can.
You got this.
Takeaways
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:
All three of these were accomplished and Creative South has become an annual affair for me. I’ve built so many amazing relationships that I’m actually bringing my wife, Emily Russell, this year so she can see what the hype is about.
If you’re attending for the first time, this post is for you.
Here is a list of Do’s and Dont’s to ensure you experience Creative South like a champ in 2017.
Do’s
The speakers Mike Jones and company bring in are the real deal. They’ve built or are building a name for themselves in their respected industries. Their focus is to provide you with something to act on when you leave the conference.
Each year I’ve made an effort to reach out to several speakers who inspired me. It led to great conversations over lunch, dinner, etc. and resulted in some great relationships.
Some speakers I’m particularly hyped to see this year are Jamal Collins, Dominque Falla, Bob Ewing, Alicja Colon and Ced Funches.
Listening is great, but these speakers are dropping gold and you’re going to want to refer back to some of the bombs they dropped.
You can even take sketchnotes like Emily Carlton who I’ll plug in the workshop section. You can then share your notes on social media with the Creative South #CS17 and let people know what they are missing!
In 2015, I shared my sketchnotes with Jason Craig after his talk. This led to a screen printed coffee poster collab and he also became a great friend and a mentor to me.
He even hung out with me back stage last year to help me prep before my talk.
Thursday’s opening mixer party is absolutely ridiculous and sets the tone for the conference.
They shut down an entire bridge and deck it out for one epic party. There are food vendors, drinks, fireworks, great conversations and Ink Wars…
Ink Wars is held Thursday on the bridge. It’s a setup of about 5 artists who are equipped with only a small sketchbook, a large white canvas and a massive black sharpie to go to war with.
The artists have 1 hour to create something based off a random topic. These constraints unleash some pretty wild concepts that’ll blow your mind.
Alright, this one is new to me and its’s replacing the beloved Type Fight...RIP.
Adobe Creative Jam is an event series where creatives share a behind-the-scene peek into their processes and projects. Meanwhile, teams compete in a tournament that puts their creative skills to the test using Adobe Creative Cloud.
Be sure to check it out wherever it’s hosted. The vendor hall is my best guess.
Some of the best value comes from attending workshops which range from hand lettering, passive income, sketchnotes, etc.
Here’s a little shameless plug. This year I’m actually co-teaching a workshop with the homie Brian Manley called "Crafting Your Killer Talk." If you’re looking to get into public speaking, podcasting, vlogging or videos in general, then this workshop is for you.
Sharing your brilliant and strange ideas publicly can be difficult but our workshop will:
I remember watching people on stage my first year wishing I could grow a pair and do the same. The following year Mike Jones asked to speak and it was the most terrifying yet life changing experience.
It’s since led to me speaking at upcoming conferences like Crop and Weapons of Mass Creation. Hell, it even sparked the inspiration to start the Perspective Podcast.
This workshop is about getting you on this level too as you have something valuable to share and you can make an impact outside of your art as well.
Last year I spent all my money at the Inch x Inch, DKNG and Draplin booths.
You’ll find a ton of other booths sporting posters, t-shirts, pins, stickers, etc. You even will have the chance to screen print your own tee with Real Thread.
I have no doubt you’ll leave with plenty of swag to plaster in your office, on your sketchbooks, laptop, skateboard or pretty much anywhere.
If you want the full experience you gotta ditch your introverted tendencies. Being reserved and escaping to your hotel room will extinguish any chance of having any impactful conversations and epic relationships.
While I’m an extrovert, I still came here all by myself in 2015 and didn’t know anyone. My anxiety was through the roof like a new kid from a small town in a massive high school.
However, I forced myself to mingle and now my best friends who I talk to the most are the people I met here.
You’ll get back what you put into it!
When you arrive, it’s going to be like you’re around hundreds of familiar Instagram avatars. Start connecting names and faces beforehand through social media so you can jump right into a conversation when you meet in person.
Doing this will make getting out of your comfort zone and building relationships that much easier.
Again, the speakers are so down to earth so don’t be afraid to approach them. Oh ya, try not to gush about how great they are—it’s awkward so treat them like the normal people they are.
There is so much great food in downtown Columbus and you have to make the effort to try it all.
My personal favorites were Iron Bank Coffee Co. in the mornings, Picasso’s, 11th and Bay, Tommy’s BBQ, The Black Cow and the Loft just to name a few.
I promise you will not leave hungry.
Dont’s
For the love of everything good on this earth, please do not show up throwing your business cards to as many as people as possible. This isn’t the place for that shit.
Build relationships and hand out some stickers, patches or pins. Get to know people and their story. I’m not even bringing business cards this year but if I did, I would only hand them out to someone if they asked me.
Along with throwing your business cards out to people, don’t go pushing your products and services on people either.
This place is about building community. It’s not a breeding ground for you to sell your stuff. Sign up for a vendor booth if that’s the case.
By hanging back during the day and going to your hotel each night, you can't experience Creative South like a champ.
Even if you don’t drink, that’s totally fine! This is an intimate setting and you will get your full money’s worth by investing in yourself and taking every precious moment possible to engage in deep conversations.
Many people hand out cool things like stickers, pins, patches, coasters, etc. Don’t feel the pressure of needing to go all out on swag to hand out to people. Soak up the Creative South experience instead.
People won’t remember you necessarily for what you handed out — they will remember you from the connection they made with you.
Party away, I know I will be, but don’t miss out on speakers, panels, vendors, conversations, etc. because you were too hungover and need puke in the comforts of your room.
This is a sure bet to waste your money and your experience. I understand taking a nap or recharging for a bit, but being a hungover mess isn’t going to impress anyone.
I was a bit reserved my first year, but last year and this year are far from the case.
There will be plenty of opportunities to embarrass yourself for awesome prizes. You can let loose, do karaoke, hug strangers or dance freely because seriously, no one cares and you’re even weirder playing the “too cool” game.
Experience Creative South
Alright, so if this is your first year then I can’t tell you how excited I am for you. As you can tell, I’m driving home the point that this place is all about the people and the motivation you will take home with you.
Be yourself, but also break out of your shell and do things you normally wouldn’t like introduce yourself to one of your favorite speakers.
Follow these guidelines and you'll be sure to experience Creative South like a champ!
ps. Definitely, make sure to come say hey to me as I have 2 types of pizza stickers to dish out.
Key Takeaways
Finally, if you need some more reasons to attend Creative South in the future, check out my friends Lenny’s Top 10 Reasons to Attend Creative South.
Shownotes:
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 hours—it didn’t matter except that he was drawing and lettering again.
Instagram became his tool of choice to hold himself accountable and to build an archive. His account started off private but eventually, he shared his work every day with the #hashtaglettering tag.
I first discovered Bob as he kept popping up in my feed and the consistency is what I noticed. When I talk consistent, I mean he extended this lettering daily commitment to a whopping 534 days in a row! Incredible right?
He fell in love became obsessed with the process and now everything he does starts with pencil / pen and paper.
Simple, Attainable Goal
Bob's goal was simple and attainable, draw and post to Instagram—that's it. He made it winnable and not complex which so many of us seem to do the opposite when starting off. The continuation of the goal clearly made him better, but there were challenges along the way.
Mainly these issues revolved around:
Many times he reluctantly posted because he wasn't happy with the piece, but the goal was simple: get it posted. This wasn't about perfection.
Finding time was a factor as Bob is a family man with 2 kids and a wife while still trying to squeeze in freelance in there too. However, Bob is a great example of scratching that creative itch while still having a family and day job.
Sometimes he would be searching for words and inspiration which would waste time he could be working. He solved that problem by building an ongoing word list he could pull from each day without thinking. Similar to the Collecting Your Ideas & Building a Gold Reserve Episode 29.
No matter the challenge, Bob stuck with his commitment and it paid off in his craftsmanship and career.
His consistency I feel has skyrocketed him into a household name in the creative community. He now speaks and teaches workshops at conferences and events. He collaborates with some of the biggest names in the industries through Inch x Inch as mentioned in Episode 27.
It all stemmed from a consistent commitment to drawing again.
Quantity Leads to Quality
A theory from the book Art & Fear exclaims that your best work is found by doing your work and doing a lot of it.
This was the case for Bob.
He states, "Whatever you’re starting isn’t going to be great, it’s rare you’re going to be great from the start." You can see this in his day 1 #hashtaglettering to day 534.
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="1c1c1c" color="" class="" size="32"]It takes a lot of bad work to get to your best work and by making an effort to improve ever day, you'll get to your best work much quicker.[/perfectpullquote]
Community
It seems like Bob is chopping it up with pretty much every I idolize in the creative industry. He's an extrovert and a people person and it shows in his commitment to building relationships with people in the creative community.
He's in this for the people as he states, "It's amazing the relationships you make in the design world. We are lucky to do this for a living. A lot of good comes from feedback and connecting on a deeper level and building relationships."
However, building relationships outside of the design community are just as important as well. You need those escapes and outlets from the creating world so he puts a lot of time building relationships locally too.
Comparison & Answers
I asked Bob to leave you with a parting word of advice to a fellow creative who get's wrapped up in comparison.
He states, "You can’t compare yourself to otter’s as no one will create or look at work the way you look at it. You have your own experiences that no one else has."
Instead of dealing with jealousy and the envy of comparison, he flips it on its head by celebrating others and their work. He does this by sharing people's work through Dribbble which counterattacks the comparison trap.
A concept he pulled from Chase Jarvis talks about so many of us looking for outside answers to create our best work. When in reality, the answers to our questions are inside of us.
At the end of the day, it all begins and end with you.
Takeaways
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:
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.
I keep a handy little sketchbook with me wherever I go so I can jot down a thumbnail sketch or write an idea on the fly. Usually, I'll roll with Field Notes brand or with something my friends produced like my friends Tinlun Studio or Cuttink Studio.
Keeping it beside my bed at night is crucial as my head is constantly swimming with ideas when I try to sleep. I’m not taking any chances of forgetting it in the morning.
This has been the most productive way of collecting ideas and I can’t recommend it enough if you struggle generating ideas on the spot.
The gold reserve I’ve built up to battle creative block is buried in all these sketchbooks--perfect for referencing when I need inspiration to punch me in the face.
Sometimes you need to be a bit more thorough with your idea through writing and lists--especially if you have shitty handwriting.
In this case, I love using Wunderlist which is a task manager app for desktop and mobile. There are plenty of other things out there like iOS Notes app, Evernote, Omnifocus, etc.
Right now, the free version of Wunderlist is suitable for what I need.
For example, I have a Perspective Podcast category. Here I’ll store an ongoing list with subtasks that contain episode ideas which I can also add notes and dates to. I love that I can add to it on the go when I’m not on my laptop.
Other ways I use Wunderlist are to track a list of maintenance tasks I need to do on my website. I even have a shared list with my wife for things to get at the store because I’m always forgetting shit and lose everything I put on Post-Its.
It’s too easy to forget these things but a Task Manager App never forgets.
If I’m on the go and I can’t draw or write my idea, I turn to my homegirl Siri on my iPhone.
I tell her to “set reminder in X hours for me to write down or draw this specific idea.”
Sometimes she will butcher my idea but gets it close enough to spark the memory for me to collect it.
An example I recently had was, “Remind me in an hour to draw pizza on a skull.”
She came back with, “Remind me in an hour to drop pizza in schools.”
Why the hell would I intentionally drop my pizza? She obviously doesn’t know me that well.
Regardless, she is pretty helpful most of the time so I’ll give her a break.
Finally, I get some of my best ideas in the shower….
I’m usually listening to a podcast or audiobook through my Bluetooth Speaker when inspiration strikes.
It just so happens that I have Aqua Notes in my shower to “never let another idea go down the drain.”
Cheesy tagline but damn it’s the truth. I’m able to make a quick sketch or write a note and then transfer it to my sketchbook or Wunderlist.
Collect & Build Your Gold Reserve
To be honest, there’s really no excuse to why you can’t battle creative block by collecting your ideas and building a gold reserve.
In episode 26, Efdot gave some great ways to stay inspired, and now you have practical ways to collect and store those ideas for a rainy day.
If you’re taking your work seriously, I would recommend utilizing these 4 tactics in your game asap. Especially carrying a sketchbook with you at all times, that’s mandatory.
Collecting your ideas and building a reserve will help you spend less time thinking and more time creating when it’s time to throw down.
Key Takeaways
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 was early March 2014 when I thought my co-partner DMac (DSTN) and I were going to take our clothing brand, Daydreamin’ Clothing to the next level.
We were steadily building for 4 years and had:
However, I was creating so much work on the side and not all of it fit the style of the brand. I needed a way to share this work separately.
During this time, I was getting heavy into hand lettering. I thought maybe I could become a big time freelancer and I needed a business name to house all my work.
The first thing I went to was the typical Scotty Russell Design, Russell Studio, Russell Graphics, Russell Design Co. but they all sounded super douchey.
I despised having my name a part of it as it didn’t have a nice ring to it. All my colleagues I knew at the time had their names a part of their brand but to me, it never clicked.
I decided to explore a more abstract route instead.
Massive Brain Dumps
I had a massive brain dump session (I love using that phrase) and began throwing words I liked on paper. Anything that came to mind I put it down and started to make connections.
The words Collective, Collection and Perspective kept coming up.
First, I was sold on the word Perspective first for 2 reasons:
Next, the word Collective and Collection sounded cool as it could mean all my drawings fell in this collection. Otherwise, down the road, it could mean I have a team under me.
After a month of throwing ideas around, Perspective-Collective was born in April 2014. However, it wasn’t until a month later in May when I gathered up the courage to announce it publicly with the branding I had created.
There Will Always Be Doubt
When you’re just starting off, it’s easy to feel stupid and doubt yourself.
If you’re like me, more specifically the old me, you want everyone to love your work and you’d be crushed if someone thought it was stupid.
I feel that’s what holds so many of us creatives back is we are afraid to have someone not approve of what we are doing. We see it as failure and that we don’t deserve a slot within the creative community.
I hesitantly began sharing through this moniker on Facebook and Instagram. This was the same time that my partner and I had some issues coming to agreements with shares and the future of Daydreamin’ Clothing.
Reluctantly, I stepped away from the brand and began putting all my spare time into Perspective-Collective. In the early days, I heard crickets when I posted my work. It sucked but I was having a lot of fun pursuing my work with no limits.
Over time, things began to pick up.
Make Your Name Mean Something
After posting consistently and studying how to utilize the former platform of Instagram (pre-algorithm days), I started catching some features on Goodtype, Calligritype and The Daily Type.
The obsession took over from there.
I started noticing that my increased quality of work and consistent dedication to the creative process is what was making my name actually mean something.
My point in sharing my story is that you can make whatever name you choose to operate under mean something through the enthusiasm and dedication of your craft.
You never know what it could evolve into.
When Your Name Becomes More Than You Think
Looking back on it now, it blows my mind what’s happened in the course of 3 years. Hell, a lot can happen in one year when you decide that you’re going to commit to something no matter what others may think.
I vividly remember my girlfriend (now my wife @theoilshelf) and my parents questioning my pursuits of self-employment as an artist.
Why couldn’t I work a safe job like everyone else and relax in the evenings?
In my head, I knew that I’m not like everyone else.
One night, I remember balling to my wife the day I decided to step away from Daydreamin’. I felt like a quitter but I remember telling her that, “I have this feeling that I’m meant to do something special with my life and my art. I don’t know what it is but I feel it.”
3 years later and both her and my parents see what I saw in myself in that moment. I feel it, even more today as Perspective-Collective has turned into something more than just a name to house drawings.
Perspective-Collective is the main side project that houses my other side project geared towards encouraging creatives like you.
These channels of the brand are:
Once I thought the Collective portion could mean future employees and I could scale it to be something huge. Now I realize the collective is really my best friend and me together.
Recently, it dawned on me that I would be nowhere without my wife’s support, ideas and constructive criticism. She is what makes this a Collective now as we slowly carve a role for her to do what she does best…which is pretty much everything I suck at!
Having her officially on the team fuels my ambitions to push this project even further.
Make a Name For Yourself
If you’re like me, it’s going to feel super awkward putting yourself out there when you decide your name.
You’re going to overthink it and feel dumb, especially if you don’t get the response you want.
Shit, leading up to this past year my dad was still calling it Collective Perspectives. People are going butcher it or not understand where you’re coming from and that’s okay!
[perfectpullquote align="full" cite="" link="" color="1c1c1c" class="" size="32"]As long as it means something to you and it allows you to pour your soul into your work, that’s all that matters.[/perfectpullquote]
Gary Vee didn’t mean shit until he made it mean something.
Perspective-Collective didn’t mean shit until I made it mean something.
Now, it’s a part of me and I love it…aside from the fact that its length makes it non-username friendly across all social media. (Hence the name PRSPCTV_CLLCTV)
Regardless, you have the power to make a name for yourself no matter the name you choose.
Don’t let doubt and fear rob you of that opportunity.
Key Takeaways
y.
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 answers would make a great episode incase you ever got in this position yourself.
Safe to say I took the job. I couldn’t be more excited about it because of several factors that I share in this episode that benefited me in doing free work.
Free Work Can Lead to Bigger Breaks or Help Someone in Need
I get it, you want to build a career of doing the work you love. Why would you ever want to do work for free?
I’m at a point in my creative career where I’m making a big transition in taking my freelance game to the next level. There are plenty of bills and loans laying around that need paid and my time is sacred outside the day job.
A part of me tells myself that I shouldn’t be donating any of my work for free as it’s not paying the bills.
Then again, there is another part of me who sees the value you in it…depending on the situation of course.
I’m not telling you to do free work all the time and get taken advantage of—I respect the creative hustle.
Not everyone is going to agree with me on these and that’s alright.
This is about the 7 ways free work may be in your best interest. I’m looking for the win-win scenarios here.
A great time where free work helps you out is when you’re just beginning to pursue your work seriously.
During this time, you’re still developing a style and name for yourself. It’s rare that people are going to throw a lot of money at someone who doesn’t have a body of work showing what you’re capable of. You have no leverage.
Doing projects for friends, family or other acquaintances can help you:
You have to start somewhere, and that means doing free work in the beginning.
If there is a specific style of work you’re already doing in your spare time, this could be a great opportunity to show what you’re made of in a more professional setting.
For me, I already create pizza art on the regular and the project I took on gave me a chance to do this with more intention.
This was a driving factor for why I chose to take on the project.
I have a list of goals written down and it just so happens this projects hit 3 birds with one stone:
When something aligns with your goals, I’d take the opportunity as you don’t know what it could lead to next.
This plays off #2 & #3.
If you aspire to do something and you’re already doing it for yourself in your spare time, doing it for free could open the window to do more of this same work, but paid.
Getting an opportunity to show off my pizza / mural skills in a highly trafficked public setting could lead to bigger pizza or mural projects (as of this writing, I’ve already received 4 local requests for murals and it has only been a week since I completed this project).
For even larger reach, I highly recommend:
This will dramatically improve your odds for attracting similar clients that will pay for this style.
Sometimes having complete creative freedom can be a mind fuck.
Restrictions have a way of breeding creativity, but sometimes having the freedom to do whatever you want within reason is amazing.
It circles around to showcasing your skills that you’ve been crafting behind closed doors in your sketchbook. Now you can let your creativity explode on whatever canvas you’re asked to create on.
In my case, this was a chalkboard and oven.
There may be times where you believe in the cause that a charity or organization promotes. In this case, your work could serve a larger purpose that surpasses the value of money.
A great example of this is my brother Terance Tang of Tinlun Studio. He donates his time and artwork to a local Chinese Youth Camp in Houston, Texas.
Terance states, “The first year I volunteered at CYC, I immediately saw the enormous positive impact it has on the kids - personal growth, teamwork, leadership experience, social skill building, and most of all, unforgettable memories. I knew then and there that this is a special organization that truly makes the world a better place. I definitely want my kids to have the CYC experience.”
Another great example of how artists donate their work for a larger, and in these case a smaller cause is with Inch x Inch.
This is a monthly button club operated by Bob Ewing and Drew Hill that features well-known artist’s work. The duo believes small things (like buttons) can make a big difference. 65% of the proceeds of each monthly subscription go to funding youth art education programs.
Some of the design juggernauts they’ve featured include Draplin, Allan Peters, Clark Orr, Brian Steely and Kendrick Kidd. What’s even better is that is that they recently donated $5,000 split between Art with a Heart (Indianapolis) and 826CHI (Chicago).
Creating free work for a good cause makes a bigger impact than you think.
When you become a known design source, your friends and family will inevitably hit you up for work. You can’t help everyone—saying no is just as important as saying yes…unless it’s your mom asking then you have to say yes.
However, sometimes you may be in a position to help someone get that break they deserve.
A great example of this is Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co. and his logo design for Cobra Dogs. Cobra Dogs was a food cart that used a copyright logo and was on the verge of losing everything. DDC came in and created a new logo for them, helping the entrepreneur recover and do what he loves: selling dogs from his food cart.
There will be random opportunities when you could doodle on a kids cast, create a logo for your little cousin in-law’s youtube channel or create some branding for your friend's music festival.
Making time to lend your time and gift could be another person’s blessing.
Conclusion
You see, there are times where doing free work can be a win-win scenario.
I feel when you look at an opportunity from this perspective, it can be worth doing it for free.
Again, I’m not saying to do this for every project. You have bills to pay and exposure doesn’t put food on the table.
As an artist, you have to pick and choose those right situations where it makes sense.
Consult people close to you if you’re unsure like I did. It brought a lot of clarity which let me package this up and share with you if you get in this situation.
Not all free work is created equally, but sometimes that exposure or person you’re helping out just may be worth it.
Key Takeaways
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:
Steven Pressfield states, "The best way to fight the resistance is to do you work."
He encourages the artist to "Go Pro." This mean going from being an amateur hobbyist to becoming a professional because pros don’t make excuses—they do the work.
Many search for motivation when Motivation comes from the act of doing, but one may need inspiration in the first place.
Eric’s POV On Resistance and Feeling Uninspired to Create
Refusing to give into the resistance and doing the work isn't always so simple and straight forward.
Everywhere you look there are endless things to pursue and they are designed to be addicting distractions.
I find myself uninspired to create when I:
It's important to always remind yourself why you got into creating art in the first place.
How to Stay Inspired 1. Vary Your Intake
If you're always in taking in the same stuff, you're going to end up outputting the same stuff too.
If you’re feeling really uninspired to create art, find something to create totally different like a wild recipe.
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 of January, I’ve been in a depressed state of mind and it’s been physically and mentally draining.
There are a lot of variables in play here:
While I still kicked out some uplifting art during this phase, every drawing carried a dark undertone which I feel was me crying out in creative pain.
Scroll through the episode artwork at PerspectivePodcast.com to see what I’m talking about.
During this stretch I felt invisible, like what I created and said through my podcast landed on blind eyes and deaf ears—the new Instagram algorithm doesn’t boost self-esteem either.
I doubted everything I was trying to build with Perspective-Collective and was even attacking my physical appearance.
Growing up I got picked on often for being chubby and those hateful voices still haunt me today. Looking in the mirror during this stretch disgusted me after no gym sessions and polluting my body with holiday shit.
This self-pity mode I was in was really self-sabotaging. I’m not saying this for your pity, I’m saying this because I realize this was a phase and I am able to climb out of this hole.
Here is what helped me.
Talking About It
Usually, an inspiring podcast, audiobook or YouTube video can snap me out of this “woe is me attitude.” Honestly, during this stretch, I could give a fuck less about these forced remedies.
The emotions were too strong and overpowering.
If you’re like me, you’d rather bottle up all your emotions as showing any type of weakness will ruin your “perceived reputation” as a badass.
I’ve come to realize I’m no badass and openly talking about the things I struggle with helps me push through these creative funks—hence the reason I started this podcast.
About 3 weeks into this state of mind, I sought out my best friend which is my wife of course. I told her I just didn’t feel like Scotty and that I’m not sure what’s going on with me.
It was relieving to share what I was going through to someone who cared, even if it didn’t change how I felt.
Next, I consulted a few close members of my mastermind group. Again I was met with encouraging words as they shared their creative funks with me.
The more I talked about it and heard other people admit they deal with this too, the better I began to feel.
Once my nose and throat were almost fully healed, I turned to my Instagram stories to show my face and share what I’d been dealing with.
This wasn’t a cry for help tactic, it was meant to let whoever the hell was watching know that they aren’t alone in these dips of depression.
I didn’t expect any responses as it was more it was therapy to get it off my chest. Surprisingly, there were waves of replies I got from strangers that deal with the same feelings of invisibility.
Your replies are what inspired this show to compile my thoughts and struggles into something more personable and transparent with you.
Sometimes Encouragers Need Encouragement
Sometimes people need to know that they matter and are making a difference.
This brings me to Diane Gibbs. She is an amazing individual who does so much for creatives whether it’s through the Design Recharge show or by teaching her design students.
She showed me the importance of how encouragers need encouragement too.
Outside of creating art, I know I exist to serve and encourage people like you. After sharing my work and receiving support from others, it showed me my potential and it’s my duty to pass that opportunity on to someone else.
It’s a powerful feeling when you know someone took a time out of their existence to reach out and let you know that what you do matters.
This is what Diane did and I think it was the final measure that pulled me out of this dark place. She first text me then called me out of nowhere on a Saturday and it really made my day.
She could’ve been a distant onlooker of my art or listener of my podcast. Instead, she lifted my spirits and shared her own creative struggles as well.
My point here is that you have the ability to boost someone’s spirits when they need it the most, whether they are a friend, family or a stranger.
Sure, your words of encouragement may land on deaf ears. I can’t tell you how many of my “heroes” I’ve sent an encouraging message to and get no reply back. Then again, you should see some of the replies I’ve gotten in return.
Sometimes encouragers need encouragement to pull themselves out of a creative slump and to not feel invisible.
If you’ve had an urge to reach out to someone, then act on your intuition and do it. I’m serious; you could make a lasting impact on someone like Diane did for me.
You’re Not Invisible
I want to force this into your head every episode, you have something to offer even though you may feel like no one is listening or watching.
You could be affecting that one person that stats and analytics fail to show. All it takes is one person at a time to make an impact.
You also have the power to impact others through encouragement. There’s enough shit going on in this world and you can be a part of the solution.
Everyone deals with creative funks and feeling invisible whether they admit it or not. You are not alone and I’m in your corner cheering you on.
If you need someone to talk to hit me up at Scotty@Perspective-Collective.com. I’m happy to listen.
Please don’t give up pursuing something that’s important to you. You are not invisible.
Key Takeaways
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:
Obviously, you could say there are more ingredients, but I believe these 3 are great to keep top of mind.
You might get lucky and stumble across an audience waiting to devour your style. However, I’d recommend doing a bit of research to have a plan.
I feel the best, yet the most saturated market out there is Instagram for getting your work noticed. It’s the top platform for engagement right now and I’ve seen many friends blow up and create a thriving creative career from it.
No matter the social platform you choose, research the best ways to utilize the strengths of the platform as you share your work.
I started using Instagram seriously close to 3 years ago when I first became addicted to hand lettering. It started off with me throwing work out randomly until I noticed there were specific accounts and hashtags that surrounded this type of style of work I was producing.
For example, there is the monstrous account of Goodtype that has well over 725K followers curated by my friend Brooke Bucherie. I remember when she had under 10K!
Just to note, Goodtype started off as a side project and has evolved dramatically to become more than just an Instagram account.
I noticed that she featured people’s lettering work who used the profile hashtags of #Goodtype and #strengthinletters on their lettering posts. I began using those hashtags and pushing my skills every day and ended up catching my first feature.
Safe to say I was hooked.
There were other accounts that were similar to Goodtype such as The Daily Type, Typespire, Type Gang and Calligritype that helped me build my account and get exposure through features as well.
Tools for Social Analytics
Another way I approach my research is with analytic tools such as Business Page Insights through Instagram and Iconosquare. These tools show you metrics such as your:
Understanding these metrics lets you know what type of work people are engaging with and when you should be posting.
With some research and experimentation, you can begin formulating a strategy while creating your own style that speaks to you and your future audience.
We live in a microwave era where people expect instant gratification and get discouraged when they don’t see immediate results.
The reason many creatives get exposure is because they are consistent and people know what to expect.
I follow people or accounts on social media strictly because they post work I’m inspired by and are posting daily or at a consistent time weekly.
2 friends, I follow due to their consistent quality work are Bob Ewing and Charli Prangley. Being consistent has boosted their creative careers outside of their social presence.
#Hashtaglettering With Bob Ewing
Starting with Bob, he began hand lettering around the same time that I did as he took on the 365 daily challenge. Meaning he hand lettered a word for every day of the year.
Not only did he reach his goal but he ended up extending it to a whopping 534 consecutive days!
Not only did he improve his lettering skills, but he is now considered one of the revered names in a thriving lettering community. This has led to him getting great lettering projects, public speaking and workshop opportunities while building amazing relationships within the creative community.
Video Content With Charli
The other great example of consistency is Charli. She built her career on Youtube by pumping out insightful content targeted to designers on her Youtube Channel: CharliMarieTV. Over this period of time, she’s amassed a following of over 40K subscribers.
She’s been posting 2 videos a week for over 3 years! Oh ya, did I forget to mention that she also co-hosts the Design Life Podcast with the talented Femke for over a year now too?
On top of her drive, she is just a genuine and funny human being. Her hard work has landed her major opportunities such as her recent job of joining Nathan Barry’s ConvertKit staff.
As you can see, being consistent over time can make some pretty incredible things happen.
First off, I’m not talking about focusing on creating trendy work to go viral.
What I’m referring to is creating genuine work that is:
Instead of worrying about expensive targeted ads to force feed people your work, product or services; focus on creating something that can spark an emotion.
If you can immediately make someone stop and:
You know you’re doing something right.
Ketchup Calligraphy Sharing
Awhile back I posted a video called Ketchup Calligraphy. I made a quote saying “You’re the Ketchup to my Fries” while spelling ketchup with a ketchup bottle and fries with actual fries.
I use a lot of ketchup and this was just a funny concept to express my love for it.
This ended up getting featured by million follower accounts like Art Worldly and by the entrepreneur influencer Tai Lopez. What made it even better is that they prompted people in the description to “tag” someone who is the ketchup to their fries.
Next thing you know you have hundreds of people getting tagged to see this post and then all the traffic directs back to my account.
Here’s a quick tip, when you catch on to your work that is getting shared the most on Instagram, you can start giving prompts for people to tag someone who can relate below in the comments.
I think you’ll be surprised with the results if you experiment.
By focusing on work that is shareable, it may very well go viral across social. However, don’t create solely to go viral as you’re setting yourself up for defeat. Don’t force it—create work that resonates with you that can leave an emotional impression on an audience.
Getting Exposure Takes Time
I’ve seen people blow up over a year and then there is people like me who have been chipping away over the course of years.
These things take time but I’ve noticed that the ones who blew up more quickly than I knew their research and audience and they posted more shareable work more often than I did.
More power to them, but I’m learning more and more as I go and sharing with you what I learn along the way. I wish I would’ve had these 3 ingredients top of mind when I started sharing art under my side project of Perspective-Collective and that’s why I share it with you now.
It’s rare to watch a side project blow up over night. That’s why I stress the long game as I’ve found the most fulfillment within the creative process and I enjoy the daily challenge of building this into something greater than myself.
So what’s that project you’ve been wanting to pursue?
What’s holding you back?
There’s never been a better time than now to start and technology is playing in your favor down the road.
Scratch that creative itch and start your side project today.
Key Takeaways
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