113 episodes
Fork In The Road Andy Marshall
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- Arts
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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Discover what’s at the Fork in the Road between starving and thriving artist.
I’m Andy, and I’m a kids book illustrator obsessed with the concept of how you can change course from that of the starving artist to the path of the thriving artist.
I believe all the answers are out there right in front of us in the artists we know and love. Because as they say success leaves clues, so I’m becoming part detective and part guinea pig. As each week I’ll be interviewing artists that are making money, surviving and thriving. Then I'll be implementing what I learn in my own creative practice.
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The best job in the world
What’s a job you’d like to do for just one day?
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The quote I live by for creative motivation
The one quote that has stuck with me, and driven me as a creator throughout my life.
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Camping on your creativity - getting inspired and overcoming artists block
Discover the benefits of getting out in nature and how it can help you become a thriving artist
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The Unhappy Perfectionist
Ever feel like your blank page or blank canvas is plotting against your happiness? Fear not, fellow artist! Embrace the quirks, work with your imperfections and enjoy the chaos. Because in a future of perfect AI creations, humans are going to be able to provide a little humanity with their imperfections, spelling errors and lived experiences.
Experiment with colors like a mischievous rainbow. Don’t stick to the basics; let your imagination run wild. Remember, even Picasso had his blue period, but who says yours can’t be a technicolor fiesta?
Turn your sketchbook into a comedy club. Doodle caricatures of your artistic struggles, and soon you’ll find that laughter is the best eraser. You might even discover your alter ego.
Transform mistakes into masterpieces. Remember, the Sistine Chapel wasn’t painted in a day. Frame your blunders and create a “Museum of Mishaps.” It’s not a mistake; it’s a happy accident, display it with pride.
Remember, the key to being a happy artist is one that can enjoy the process, enjoy the relaxation and joy you can have living inside your own imagination, it’s an incredible gift that we are given as human beings, so it certainly would be a shame not to use it.
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Using Art to Relax
After buying our cafe/art gallery almost one year ago, I’ve virtually had no time to relax. The business was open seven days a week and open from six every morning. So I’ve been working those hours as well as being a husband and parent to our two young girls. Needless to say my illustration work has been on the back burner for a good part of that year. Only recently I’ve been finding time to get back into my art.
Since getting back into illustrating I’ve noticed a definite shift in my mood. I’ve definitely become happier and more relaxed. I think getting into a drawing or a piece of art uses a different part of your brain than what you’re using all day at work or being a parent. It’s like a form of meditation for me. Realising I need my art to be a relaxed and better person all round, I’ve been making more of a conscious effort to get it back into my life.
Other ways I relax is getting out in nature, walking and meditating. Anything that takes me out of that busy mindset of all the things I ‘should’ be doing. And of course nothing beats sleep. I go to bed not long after the kids are asleep, normally about 8:30 and wake up at 4:30 to get ready for working at the cafe. I virtually never get 8 hours sleep tho as my kids still wake me up a couple of times in the night. But I do treat my sleeping hours as precious and the amount of sleep I manage to get affects my whole day.
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I should make art
I should be finishing my kids book, but instead I’m writing this blog post.
One word I’d like to give up is should, ‘I should really do that’ . The word ‘should’ feels like an obligation to do something that you inevitably won’t enjoy even though you know you’ll be better off if you did it.
I think the words you use externally and internally are powerful and can have you believing something negative that isn’t real. The positive to that is, if you choose your words carefully they may benefit you and help you become more productive.
Probably my second most despised word would have to be ‘gunna’ or ‘gonna’ … ‘I’m gonna make a kids book’. By saying it out loud to someone is releasing the dopamine rush as if you’ve already made the book. But now that you’ve said you are gunna do it, it feels like an obligation and you instantly become less likely to actually do it.
So rather than say you should do something, or that you’re gonna do something… just do it.
There’s a reason why Nike chose ‘Just do it’ as their trademark instead of ‘should do it’
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Customer Reviews
Meaningful and funny
Love Andy’s humorous introspection and process exploration shenanigans. Listening to him always lifts my spirits.