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Over the years I have encountered a few creatures dwelling in my mind that can impede growth. Fortunately, these critters can be trained and kept in check. Below are my field notes from my experiences with the three most common species.

The Ego (Vanus Fragilis)

Habitat: Your mind
Diet: Flattery and attention
Habits: Strictly solitary

The Ego is a sensitive soul. It craves reassurance and takes failure quite personally. Desperate to convince itself that it is valuable, the Ego and will avoid situations where failure might occur. “Don’t enter the contest, don’t send the manuscript!” the Ego will plead, because it’s easier to say I didn’t try than I didn’t succeed.

Unfortunately for the Ego, failure is a necessary part of growth. We learn the most when we push ourselves out of our comfort zones and try new things. The best way to succeed is to increase our failure rate, and the best way to learn is to face our failures head on and look at what worked, what didn’t, and why.

Tips for Tempering an Ego:

• Avoid overfeeding. Egos gorge themselves on attention.
• Cultivate gratitude.
• Remember: The Ego is not you—it just lives in your mind.
• Set up a nice little Ego-cage in the back of your mind where it can stay out of the way.
• Stay away from junk foods like flattery, which lead to a bloated and irritable Ego.

The Critic (Incuso Virosa)

Habitat: Your Mind
Diet: Negativity
Habits: Venomous. Often nocturnal, brings up worries at bedtime.

A wild Critic can lash out at your work (or life in general) with potent venom. “You aren’t talented enough,” the Critic will whisper in your ear. “Look at this other person’s work. It’s so much better.” The Critic will dredge up your mistakes and mockingly parade them before your eyes at your moment of greatest weakness.

As terrible as it sounds, A Critic can be helpful if it is trained to come out only when needed. The Critic is handy when deciding which thumbnail composition is better and why, or editing that manuscript in the second draft. But if it starts telling you that everything you make is garbage or that you’re not nearly as good as so-and-so, it’s time to go back in the kennel.

Tips for Coping with a Critic:

• Use a muzzle to keep it from biting
• Feed it as little negativity as possible.
• Don’t let the Critic’s words become your own.
• It’s okay to tell it to settle down. (Yes, out loud. Try it, I dare you!)
• Critics shy away from laughter and fun. Remember fun?
• Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people.

The Sloth (Choloepus Languidus)

Habitat: Your Mind
Diet: Inactivity
Habits: None

The sloth really wants you to succeed. It does. But it would rather not give up its Netflix marathons and surfing Facebook on its phone.

The Sloth is the creature that will tell you that your first thumbnail is good enough. Why bother trying other compositions? It will discourage you from taking those figure drawing classes you need, because that sounds like a lot of work after all. If you have a feeling that you need to work on your craft but you never seem to get around to doing it, you might be contending with one of these creatures.

Not to worry! Sloths can be trained. When properly employed, a Sloth can stop you from becoming a perfectionist, particularly on the projects that just aren’t worth the time. If you’re getting paid a pittance for an illustration, it probably isn’t time to make the Mona Lisa. All it takes to train a Sloth is a little bit of priority shifting and the adoption of some new habits.

Tips for Training a Sloth:

• Track your time and identify distractions.
• If online distraction is a problem, you can use LeechBlock (Firefox) or StayFocused (Chrome) to limit the sites you can visit during specific times.
• Put your phone out of reach and turn off notifications.
• Force yourself to work on a project for just 20 minutes. Chances are good that the Sloth will slink away as you start to have fun with the project.
• Work at a consistent time. Find a schedule that works for you.

In a Nutshell:

If you have a Critic, Ego or Sloth, don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s normal! Identify the species that is impeding your growth the most, and take a small step this week to help tackle it.

—-

This post was also published on the Kidlit Artists blog.

The post The Enemies of Growth appeared first on .

 IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY…

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    You know the old saying, “Even the walls have ears”?  Well, now they really do.  It’s called the “Social Media Wall”.   And though it has the ability to launch your career faster than someone can say, “Twitter”, not listening to mom when she told you to speak only if you had something nice to say, can cause your words to come back and bite you…hard.

Though Roberta Silman’s ‘tough’ review of NYT’s best selling author, Alice Hoffman, (on her book, ‘The Story Sisters’) is no longer Tweeting HOT news, the sting of her vengful bashing session against Silman not only came back like a raging bull but caused a fury of snarking and slinging all over the internet. 

Hoffman felt that Silman’s review was harsh and gave away too much of the book’s plot, more like a book report rather than a review.  Hoffman immediately struck back on Twitter with fighting words such as, “Roberta Silman in the Boston Globe is a Moron.  How do some people get to review books? And give the plot away.” and “Now any idiot can be a critic.”  And then went on to publish Silman’s phone number and e-mail address in hopes her public would flood the caustic critic with hurling attacks. 

It didn’t work.  The number was wrong and Silman only received eight e-mails from individuals who SUPPORTED with her review!  Ouch.  Can we say, “back peddle?”

So, what’s the big lesson of the day? 

 CHUCK YOUR EGO!  

Hey, we all want great reviews.  We all want that huge pat on the back to confirm our writing genius.  But let’s face it: less than desirable reviews can (and might) happen.  So instead of getting out those sharp little fingers and doing something that you won’t be able to take back, stay professional and move on.  

Remember: your negative retorts to unwanted reviews will only bring…yep you guessed it…more negative press!

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I’m waiting for critiques from four readers on the second draft of my novel. I know what I think needs work, and it will be interesting to see if the readers agree.

Meanwhile:

Between Drafts

Despair v. Hope. I’m vacillating between hope and despair. My gut tells me this draft is a big improvement, but my inner critic is harsh. I don’t know if I should hide my head in shame or tall taller with pleasure in what I’ve done.

Cleaning the office. Yes, that chore got done. Sorta. I’m doing neglected chores, like filing, updating my bio on various websites, planning holiday meals, and actually reading.

Shorter pieces. I’m working on some shorter pieces. I’ve had a nf article accepted by Highlights, I’m working on another short project, and I’m re-reading almost every failed picture mss in my files to see if I know how to fix any of them. I wrote a piece for our regional SCBWI newsletter. These aren’t time-wasters, but important things which just get muscled out of the way by the heftier novel. I’m glad to be playing with the chihuahuas for a change.

Preparing Emotionally for the Next Draft. I’m getting ready emotionally to “kill my darlings,” to give up my attachment to the current plot and form of the novel if needed, and to dig in and work hard.

Related posts:

1. Emotional Critiques
2. Give Them a Sample

What do you do when you’ve got a portfolio full of the most astounding, town-leveling, make-them-throw-their-panties-on-stage artwork ever seen by a children’s publisher anywhere?

You ask someone to critique it.

Yep. You solicit feedback. Ask for comments. Get a fresh perspective (because, as Anton Ego would painfully remark, you’re probably “fresh out.”)

Listen, I get it. You’re awesome. Your work is trippin-dicular, Dude. You rock the casba, rock the casba.

As an artist, a certain amount of confidence in your work is essential. You can’t go around meekly asking everyone, “Is this okay? Do you like this? Do you approve?”

You wont get anywhere and you’ll get smashed down by those people who love to smash meek approval-seekers. On the other hand, well-meaning friends and moms who want you to be happy will pump you up with praise that may or may not be warranted. “Everything you do is art!”

You won’t get anywhere, but you’ll feel better.

What to do, what to do…

One thing you can do is seek out honest feedback from people who understand your market and your industry. Last week, a small group of Portland illustrators got together with the sole purpose of reviewing and critiquing each other’s portfolios. Okay, there was beer, too. Dual-purpose, admittedly.

 Most of us are trying to learn more about the children’s publishing market. This kind of small, focused group is perfect because everyone is speaking the same language. Throw a tattoo artist or animator in there and it wouldn’t be as effective for them. Personally, I got some totally fresh perspective on my portfolio that I was able to apply right away.

Things I didn’t see. Stuff I hadn’t considered. Feedback I needed to know.

We’ve also decided to start meeting on a monthly basis. Another rock-solid benefit of a group like this is, well, simply the people. We now have a small tribe of individuals who share a goal, will cheer each other on, and still be honest enough to say, “I don’t think that’s working for you. Did you try…”

It doesn’t really matter what level you think you’re at as an artist. You think you’re awesome; here’s what you need to work on. You think you suck and don’t deserve to be at the same table; actually, your stuff is pretty cool. Either way, you need someone to tell you.

Artists have the worst time accepting feedback on their work. It’s inherently subjective and tailoring art to appeal to the masses is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible (and why would you want to?). That’s why it’s so important to seek out the feedback. Don’t let yourself get trapped in a repeating pattern of sending out samples that just aren’t working for you. You have a whole lifetime to try new things, improve your skills, learn about your audience.

Are you an animator? Find a local group to compare notes with. Tattoo artist, graphic designer, writer? You have a group out there, too, you just have to find it (and put it together).

My favorite Storyboard Artist Karen J. Lloyd also talks about that most awesome of teachers, Feedback. Learn something from her!

A quick shout-out to my PDX Illustators group. You all rock the casba. Thank you for showing up and telling me what I needed to know.

www.joshfitzart.com
www.cloudcoverstudio.com
www.rebeccashapiroart.com
www.tarareeddesigns.com
www.karynservin.com
www.addiekay.com

A writer recently left the following message:
"Sometimes when I'm writing I feel like someone else is in my head writing it for me. Weird when the characters take over but not uncommon apparently. This doesn't happen when blog writing by the way."

I surmise it is the muse in the form of the characters that is taking over. Somehow, this writer is able to surrender his/her ego (what some call the critic) long enough for the creative force to work through him/her when writing fiction.

I find it interesting that blog writing isn't the same. I wonder if that's true for others???

Perhaps blog writing is so quickly accessible to public scrutiny that the ego (critic) can't let go. Does that make blogs more ego-driven???? The writing more self-conscious???

Any thoughts???

oil on illustration board, 10" x 15".

If you want to do your part for the Baroque cause, remember that the most important part of being Baroque is not to be extravagant, no it's all about rhythm. You have to ask yourself the question: do I have rhythm?

more trying to catch different breeds of house creature, this is a dog like thing

One more in the houses series, as it is, I'm trying to evolve a yarn around the houses, so you can expect more of them in the future

Finally finished with the largest piece to date, I'll stick to smaller formats for a while I guess. Have nice weekends everybody, and perhaps our friends Coca and Coco might make a comeback next week.

This is a city call andria, is from the book: "las ciudades invisibles" written by italo calvino... people is the city... their legs are the buildings jeje

hope u like it! :) thas my first post on MAD.

One more vehicle, self propelled. I'll take the weekend off!

This has nothing to do with them film, (one of my favorites) but just an excuse to fill some blank parts of the paper.

According to new theories the Dinosaurs might have died out because they failed to grasp the advantages of monumental architecture.

Somehow strolling through the Old city in Stockholm always bring out these kind of drawings in me.

Made for this weeks Illustration Friday

Starting my new work tomorrow, this will unfortunately add some more commute time, I hope I will be able to go on blogging as I have done (maybe I'll be able to draw on the train). If not the posts might come in at less frequent pace. My hopes for this week otherwise is that my parcel with drawings will reach Beck Wheeler in time for the exhibition, that starts this Wednesday, I hope the packet is not lost that would be a big blow for me, it's more or less everything I've not sold from this blog during the last year plus three moleskine sketchbooks.

Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn

Coordinates: 40 41 N 73 59 W

Approximate length of tunnel: 2,000 feet (610 meters)

Examples abound of cities built on top of cities and newspapers frequently report on accidental discoveries made by construction crews digging new foundations around the world. And while they may be more common in Europe where dense populations have concentrated for many centuries, other instances exist. Nearly 30 years ago, a young engineering student discovered a forgotten train tunnel that once ran from Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood to the East River waterfront, connecting with a busy ferry link to Manhattan. (more…)

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Break out your walking shoes NYC, it is time for the biggest (and in my opinion) best party of the year, Museum Mile. Head up to 5th avenue and 82nd street for free admission to nine museums, including the Metropolitian Museum of Art. In honor of this summer ritual we have excerpted a piece about the MET from Grove Art Online, written by Eric Myles Zafran. Get some history on this NYC landmark before you hit the jam-packed subways.

(more…)

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You can take her out of the city, but you can't take the city out of her.

Made while going by bus from Paris, still filled with all the crazy baroque building, bridges and churches (the churches tend to be Gothic though). We don't have that elaborate buildings in Sweden from this era, our baroque went through first a dutch filter and then through a poverty filter. Mark that the French tend not to use so much pig themes as I do.

Another moleskine sketchbook spread from the easter weekend, still some left..