Art Crusade vol. 1
February 22, 2021
Welcome to the first Art-Crusade newsletter. It will be a weekly newsletter covering topics around creativity and making a living from art. Each week I will try to include tips, inspiration, and illustrations. Let's get started.
Things worth sharing this week:
The most important thing you can do as a creative is to get your art out into the world. Nobody will see the ideas you do not share. The ones that are brilliant but it either still in your journal or you think are not ready.
The world is waiting to see your art(whether your art is music, poetry, math, science, or painting). Share it.
Your local library card is more powerful than ever. You can borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free with the Libby app.
Libby: https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/
Kanopy allows you to stream movies for free with your library card. Your library card allows you to view up to six streaming videos each month. Choose from recent movies, documentaries, and TV shows.
Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com
It is easier than ever to create and sell online. With print on demand companies like Threadless, TeePublic, and even Amazon, you can sell your designs on a wide variety of merchandise. Print on demand is an easy way to create passive income. We will dive deeper into this topic in the future, but it is a great place to get started.
The first version of this newsletter was completely hand-drawn and handwritten and I loved it. The problem was that it took far too much time to create and would have been a barrier to producing further newsletters. I intended to release the first newsletter two weeks before you are receiving it.
In addition to the issue of labor, there were technical problems creating links to points of interest. I would have needed to break up the hand-drawn style to insert links. This would have looked strange and been contradictory to the hand-drawn aesthetic I was trying to achieve.
Finally, there was the problem of perfection. I became consumed with a fear that words were misspelled or that lines did not look right, which only made the release delay worse. This fear was also a glaring contradiction to the first topic I wanted to share about just getting your work out there. It was an ironic lesson that took me far longer than it should have to learn.
Look for your own self-imposed roadblocks. Remove them if you can. Get your work out there.
Reading:
The Practice: Shipping Creative Work
by Seth Godin
I have been a long-time fan of Seth Godin’s work and buying his books for years. His latest book will help you get unstuck and find the courage to make and share creative work.
You can also follow smaller ideas and insights on his blog.
The Happy Broadcast: How to Stay Positive, Take Action & Make the World a Better Place
by Mauro Gatti
This illustrated book is filled with stories of people doing good things in the world today, as well as prompts, tips, and how-tos for taking action to make good things happen in your own community.
He also has an Instagram feed, if you would like a regular free dose of happiness. instagram.com/the_happy_broadcast
Listening:
Creative Quest (audiobook) - by Questlove
I’m enjoying this audiobook( and book) about exploring creativity. The book covers topics like what it means to be creative, how to find a mentor and serve as an apprentice, the wisdom of maintaining a creative network, coping with critics, and much more. Questlove’s enthusiasm and curiosity are contagious.
Watching:
“Be curious, not judgmental.” - Walt Whitman
The quote above is just one of the many wonderful moments in this comedy. I honestly did not expect this show to win me over. Every episode was outstanding.
The show is the story of an American college football coach who is hired to coach a premier league soccer team in England. The show is light, funny, yet has these lovely moments of depth and clarity. Season one is out now on Apple TV+, which has a 7 day free trial period.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. The newsletter is free, but it takes time and effort to create. To show your support, you can forward it to someone who’d like it, shop for some of my favorite gadgets and gear (I get a small percentage), buy a t-shirt, or Buy Me a Coffee.
If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can read previous issues and subscribe here.
hugs and thanks,
Andy