So it’s clear you all love The Hungry Artist, just not as much as I love it, and that’s ok. I’ve heard you, and I’m leaning into cool things for both the casual and the devout.
Wild Flowers Grow Even in Drought
Humor me for a moment, but what if the answer to the pervasive problem most artists deal with is to be BOLD AF, shake your butt on camera, and give the middle finger to the art establishment?
Years ago, I had the pleasure of talking one-on-one with Ashley Longshore about her meteoric trajectory and bold approach to art, and it was a transformative moment for me. Since then, she’s only flown further into the heavens (with one foot planted in New York City).
I believe it’s fair to say that every creative person would love to have Longshore’s success, but a very small percentage have the balls (her words, not mine) to do it.
She’s loud, dances unapologetically on camera, talks about genitalia a lot, and relishes in extravagance. She’s not for everybody, and she’s ok with that.
She’s not David Choe successful, not Kusama successful, and definitely not Murakami successful, but she will be, and I love watching her trajectory in real-time, and the media loves talking about that trajectory, but for every Longshore, there are hundreds of artists who are making a strong effort, yet nobody talks to them.
Imagine if we could see into the lives of creative people who are quietly killing it and find out how they make their businesses work. What would that be worth?
Message Received…Less Frequently
Last week I created a poll asking about how you all felt about multiple emails per week. I’ve sent this poll in the past, but I’ve had an influx of subscribers recently from different sources, so I wanted to see how everyone felt about it.
The numbers lean slightly higher for yes than no (I skewed the data by voting on accident—my bad), and the gap is too small to ignore, which means I’ll be returning to the once-a-week schedule effective today.
The thing about The Hungry Artist is that it’s malleable, and this is what to expect going forward.
Monday - Weekly Makercast exclusive audio and links for the Maker members
Wednesday - Blog post, which may include some commentary, creative profile (see above), or random soapboxing about the state of the industry, some of which will be exclusive to Makers.
Friday - Regularly scheduled programming like this update here
For those who wanted fewer emails, you can breathe a collective sigh of relief, and for those who wanted more, consider becoming a Maker.
NOTE: The price of becoming a Maker goes up on July 1st and will never again be its current price. This is the best deal you’ll ever get.
Tasty (AOTD): Wotto
Craig Watkins, or Wotto as he’s known in the streets, is an artist/illustrator with a fun approach to character design. What I dig most is the immersive aspect of his work, where I find myself looking for secrets, inside jokes, and easter eggs. He’s also one of the best examples I’ve seen of having a tremendous focus on how to brand himself as an artist, where all the work is cohesive, and there’s no doubt you know his art whenever you see it again.
Small Bites
Showing Up with Michelle Williams is an art movie about the rest of us.
Have you seen any of these art documentaries (I’ve seen about half)? If you know of one that should have been added to the list, drop it in the comments.
Get unlimited product mockups for your print-on-demand biz for cheap.*
I’ll be hanging out with Basquiat in L.A. next week.
This might be the most relatable and human approach to growing an Instagram account (I can’t verify its effectiveness, but it seems doable).
Conversely, here’s a solid approach to growing Twitter.
I had a short conversation (that got cut short) with my friend and artist Cody Lusby about how to approach marketing art that doesn’t serve a general audience. This article essentially shares where I think the conversation was headed.
This is why Saatchi Art is built different.
Seonna Hong’s landscapes feel like a waking dream.
I write a newsletter, so of course, I’m going to say that content marketing is important, but yeah, it’s important, even if you don’t consider yourself a writer.
Dessert
It’s like DUNE except the opposite.
If you enjoyed this edition, make sure to tell your friends.