Heads Up: Next week, there will be no newsletter as I’m taking a break with my family as we vacation in Hawaii. It’s bittersweet because we planned on spending some time in Maui, but we’re canceling that leg of the trip.
My wife and I were married on the beach in Maui, so there will always be a special place in our hearts for that island. I’m heartbroken for the people; the devastation is gut-wrenching, but if I know anything about Hawaiians, they are resilient and will come together to make Lahaina more beautiful than before.
Maui nõ ka ‘oi!
You May Be Thinking Too Small
Maybe you can relate to this. As a creative, I’m guilty of viewing the world through the lens of my limited experiences. How people interact with me, both in person and online, becomes my frame of reference for how the world thinks.
If a certain segment of my circle of influence treats my art in a particular way, then that is how the rest of the world will see it, right?
Wrong because that’s only a tiny part of the story. If only 10% of the people in our circle are willing to support us, the answer isn’t to believe that’s the best we can do.
The answer is to expand our circle!
Art Snack: Drew Steinbrecher
I’ve been following Drew on Instagram for a few years, and he’s got me experimenting with gel plate prints. Gel prints can be challenging, but Drew makes the process simple and fun. He’s an accomplished mixed media artist and educator, and the best part is that he can help turn someone from “I wish I could be creative” into “I can’t believe how easy and fun this is.”
Small Bites
What I’ll read on my vacation: Grit by Angela Duckworth.
One of the most critical parts of building an online portfolio is careful curation. There are more things to consider, but in my opinion, what to leave out is as important as what you put in.
Soon, I will be doing a deep dive into those ads we keep seeing for Art Storefronts, the e-commerce solution aimed at artists, but I’ll give you the short story: Stick with Shopify!
A friend and I were talking this week about printing our art prints, and it made me think about buying a new one, but I’m suspicious of most tech review sites because their choices seem motivated by affiliate links. Thank goodness there’s Creative Bloq, the only source I trust.
Based on DJ Kool Herc’s first release, Hip-Hop is 50 years old, and DAZED magazine has been there for most of it. They’re celebrating the genre’s milestone, and I believe hip-hop has a long future ahead.
If you run a creative service business (design, illustration, photography), there are marketing tools that should be non-negotiable to a successful business. Plenty are doing some of these things, but are they being done well?
If you happen to live in or near London, please go to Hypebeast Flea, report back, and tell me what we missed.
Nora Vasconcellos is a badass and can skate better than you… better than most.
Dessert
Do I need to wait for Fall to try this apple cobbler recipe? Yes, it’s actually about dessert this time.