Art

If You Can’t Change The Paint…

Garth Beyer

then change the surface.

I was sitting in a café that had some brilliant art hung up on the walls. With closer inspection, I found that its acrylic paint on sandpaper. Yes, on sandpaper.

Why, you ask?

Simple. The painting artist has a limited number of paints she can use. However, the number of items that paint can be used on is endless.

You don’t need to discover a new tool or paint to use, you just need to change the surface.

 

Stay Positive & Use What You Have On Something Different

Garth E. Beyer

The Swap

Garth Beyer

For some, finding/making time to work on their art is impractical. The hassle of time management, task management, and people management is too complicated and, in itself, time-consuming. Nearly counterintuitive.

That is why I often suggest that they swap something they do regularly to work on their muse. The reading sessions at night can be put on a halt for a week. Karaoke night, family scrabble, lunch dates; they can all be post-pined for a week or two.

Finding time to work on your art is difficult. Swapping it with one of your weekly (or, hopefully, daily) habits is much easier to do.

Before you know it, you’ll be able to do both.

 

Stay Positive & Time Will Find You

Garth E. Beyer

Outsiders

Garth Beyer

What do you have on the inside? What’s in style? What’s in store?

The answers are out there. I mean that literally and figuratively speaking.

4317291702_8ed2b46118

The outsiders are the new insiders. In fact, one could go so far as to say that insiders now seek to reflect the trends being created by the outsiders. The outsiders, who are the handlers of grit, gumption, and creative genius, are creating art from the heart.

They are playing with the available tools and blowing raspberries at fear, failure, and malfunction.Outsiders are taking over in all mediums of art.

When you ask an expert what’s new in their industry (any industry!) they’re going to tell you what some person or team recently created, something previously unimagined, something… weird.

Like Sarah Boxer says in the Atlantic, “Out is the new in.”

 

Stay Positive & Now That You’re In Cahootz, What Will You Create Next?

Garth E. Beyer

Photo credit

 

Your Art Is Terrible

Garth Beyer

Right now, think of a movie you have seen that flat-out sucked.

Or maybe a book that was so terrible that you wrote a paragraph long review on Amazon (or just tossed the book without finishing it).

Or think of a play that made you feel terrible for the actors because the film itself was awful?

Now notice that the movie got put into production, the book was published, the play was cast and tickets sold.

Some of the worst art gets accepted by the gatekeepers of success. Why?

Because after getting 100 rejection letters, the author kept sending her book out there. The filmmaker kept pushing his film. And the director kept asking to hold the play at this and that venue.

People have bought into crud before. And those artists who had their “crud” showcased, well, they learned more and faster than the artist who quit 10 rejection letters in.

So what if your art is terrible. If terrible is the only place to start, then it’s the best place to start.

 

Stay Positive & Terrible Should Be A Motivation, Not A Setback

Garth E. Beyer

A List Of 30 Lists

Garth Beyer

Lists

A list of…

  1. What you are thankful for
  2. The moments in life you felt most alive
  3. This week’s goals
  4. Goals to be met within five years
  5. 99 ridiculous things you want to do before you die (no limit on possibility)
  6. What is stopping you from doing what you need to do
  7. What is stopping you from doing what you want to do (yes, they’re different)
  8. Every book you have read (not a list of every book you want to read!)
  9. Sources of inspiration
  10. Places you want to visit (test: can’t be on the first page of a Google search)
  11. Websites/podcasts that you must visit weekly, if not daily
  12. Your top 10 bad habits to break
  13. All the contacts you have made and something special about them
  14. Songs that get you moving
  15. Every source you have been quoted or mentioned
  16. What you want in a significant other
  17. Ideas that have been rejected, laughed at, or you didn’t deem as “good enough”
  18. Things to feel okay about (here is a start)
  19. What you don’t need to make a list for (things you do naturally, habitually)
  20. What you want your kids to know that you didn’t know growing up
  21. Mistakes you have made
  22. What you learned from those mistakes
  23. Things to admit now that you will later, anyway (here’s some ideas)
  24. Hurdles that have stopped you in the past
  25. What you love
  26. How you are different from other people, what makes you a niche
  27. What is happening right now without your effort that is building your brand
  28. People you want to meet in the next 10 years
  29. Your personal bests (running, blogging, audience count, viewers, subscribers)
  30. What is stopping you from making these lists when you know it will only help you

Stay Positive & Get Going

Garth E. Beyer

Photo credit

Landmarks

Garth Beyer

In the 21st century, we’re more about creating landmarks than we are letting anything of old become one. Good or bad is still to be determined.

Worth mentioning, “a major landmark” has become a buzzword in the business of progress. The overuse has earned itself a lesser meaning.

The following photos are of four real landmarks set in the rural settings of Blackburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale districts of East Lancashire, England.

Panopticons

Artists of all kinds are leaving landmarks for the mass to see. The best part about the 21st century landmarks is that few of the creators sit around gazing at their own work. They are off creating more.

To the 21st century-ers, works of art have become known as landmarks simply by being placed around the world for all to see. Sure, earning recognition, but most of the time artists do so for the pure enjoyment of sharing one’s work rather than credibility, reward, or merit.

Personally, my favorite part about creating a landmark is the moment when you think to yourself onto the next one.

 

Stay Positive & What’s Your Latest Landmark?

Garth E. Beyer… better yet, what’s your next?

Anyone Can Design, Right?

Garth Beyer

Untitled

There are so many tools (free and cheap) that allow the most novice of designers to create something better than they can on Microsoft word or Minecraft. Take presentations, for example.

It began with Powerpoint. Outside of academia, I have yet to see someone present using Powerpoint. I have, however, seen users upload their information to Prezi or Haiku Deck, two (free!) fantastic and simply designed presentation platforms.

It makes me wonder why we need “professional” designers if – so it seems – anyone can design an adequate presentation.

Then I come across people like Nancy Duarte and her methodology to designing presentations. From there I visit her portfolio, my jaw drops. I – hopefully you, now, too – am astonished and impressed with her work. It is some of the finest design I have seen.

Sure, anyone can design, but very few can design like Duarte. I suppose that’s why I am so fascinated with design, simply because the moment you think everyone is a designer, someone steps it up a notch and raises the “average.”

I will tell you this: you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by keeping up with the average. I have said it already, design is in everything, no matter what career you have or are pursuing.

 

Stay Positive & Forget The Joneses, Keep Up With The Designers

Garth E. Beyer