You're A Better Artist Than You Think

Solve Plot Problems with "Mirrored" Story Structure

Join The Magic Box Brush Club: -------- In this episode: KM Weiland, author of "Creating Character Arcs" and "Structuring Your Novel" reveals how to solve plot problems using "chiastic" or "mirrored" story structure. Plus: Understanding "The Thematic Lie" and building the most important structural "beat" in storytelling! -------- 00:00 Episode Start 02:15 Introduction To "Mirrored" Storytelling 03:04 The Hook And Resolution 03:37 The "Normal" World & The "New" World 05:13 Mirrored Story Structure in "Toy Story" 06:40 Join The Magic Box Brush Club 07:06 How Act Breaks Mirror Each Other...

Can't Find Time For Art? Try This...

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

In this episode of You're A Better Artist Than You Think: Why "time management" so rarely works for artists and four tips for a more effective solution. As creative people, we care a lot about time because our projects require so much of it. Furthermore, many, if not most of us want to spend more time working on our creative projects, not less. Even when we're successful in implementing "time management" strategies, the strategies themselves are not. That's because "time management," as it's commonly understood, is not the solution, but rather, priority management. With these four priority...

12 Tips For Finishing Ambitious Creative Projects (with Victoria Ying)

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

Join The Magic Box Brush Club: Subscribe to this podcast: -------- Victoria Ying, animation visual development artist (Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6) and comics creator (City Of Secrets, Harvey winner Hungry Ghost) joins for today's episode of You're A Better Artist Than You Think! Learn how to avoid overwhelm, burnout and art-related injuries, set realistic deadlines and push through the boredom when attempting ambitious, creative projects. Plus: Why routines aren't for everyone... 00:00 Episode Start 00:22 Tip #1: Start Small 04:04 Tip #2: Accept The Boredom 06:41...

Jim Henson's Creative Legacy

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

The Jim Henson Company Archives’ Director and Historian Karen Falk offers insights into Jim’s creative process, his collaborative style of leadership and the evolution of his characters. If you’re listening on one of the audio-only platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify, I do want to encourage you to check out the video version on our YouTube channel where we’ll feature images from the new edition of Karen’s book titled “Jim Henson’s: Imagination Illustrated” as well as photos and video clips from my visits to various Henson exhibits. Find the link at Get clear,...

Interacting With Color: Insights From Josef Albers

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

In this episode of "You're A Better Artist Than You Think:" How color lies to our eyes and why that matters to artists with author Fritz Horstman of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. PLUS: Changing our relationship to color from "painful" to "playful." -------- Get clear, relevant feedback on your work and personalized career guidance at -------- 00:37 What Josef Albers Means To Present-Day Artists 01:24 Interaction Of Color 02:28 Science Vs Experience 03:51 Color Relativity 04:58 Playing With Color 06:04 Homage To The Square 06:49 The Personification Of Color 07:50 Rothko And Albers...

Did Disney Learn His Lesson? Inside The Animation Strike Of 1941

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

In this episode: "The Disney Revolt" author Jake Friedman surveys the infamous animation strike of 1941, and explains why it matters to present-day artists. We consider the cost of Walt Disney's perfectionism, the painful, personal consequences of his decisions, and whether he ever learned from them. PLUS: The most influential Disney animator you've never heard of... -------- Get clear, relevant feedback on your work and personalized career guidance at MagicBoxAcademy.com -------- 00:49 Introduction: The Disney Animators' Strike Of 1941 04:08 Disney Vs. Disney 06:37 Art Babbitt - The Most...

The ImagineFX "Rising Stars" of 2D & 3D Art [Part 2]

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

http://Linktr.ee/ChrisOatley Nine of my current mentees were named “Rising Stars” of 2d & 3d art by ImagineFX magazine. In this two-part interview series, they’re here to share stories of artistic development and how being selected for the article affected their mindsets. Illustrator Andrea Ivetic Vicai begins the episode with a positive spin on the more frustrating aspects of illustration. Next, animation artist Lucy Ledsam talks about finding an art career that matches your personality. VR artist Elizabeth Person and CG artist Carmen Thora Smith talk about making the...

ImagineFX Magazine's "Rising Stars" Of 2D & 3D Art

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

http://linktr.ee/chrisoatley/ What would you do if you learned that your artwork would be featured in an industry-leading magazine for creative professionals all over the world? …and you only had a few days to select and submit your samples, write a professional bio and a short blurb about each submission, update your website and prepare a series of social media posts to coincide with the publication date? Would you find that inspiring? …motivating? …terrifying? Nine of my students faced this question when they were named among...

Is Your Art Vulnerable Enough? [Part 2] [Graphic Novelist/ Literary Agent Tori Sharp]

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

http://linktr.ee/chrisoatley In part one of this series, graphic novelist and literary agent Tori Sharp shared tips on pitching to publishers, how story guides design, and the challenge of creating honest art. Now, in part two, Tori talks about stories as "sense-making" devices, urges the importance of celebration breaks during long projects, and shares her experience as an autistic artist. Once again, our production coordinator, Mari Gonzalez Curia, who is currently seeking representation for her first original graphic novel, joins me as co-host. Get clear, relevant feedback on your...

Is Your Art Vulnerable Enough? [Graphic Novelist/ Literary Agent Tori Sharp]

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

https://howtobecomeaprofessionalartist.com In this episode: Graphic novelist and literary agent Tori Sharp shares tips on pitching to publishers, how story guides design and the challenge of creating honest art. Our Production Coordinator, Mari Gonzalez Curia, who is currently seeking representation for her first original graphic novel, joins me as co-host. This is the first of a two-part series. Get clear, relevant feedback on your work and personalized career guidance in our mentorship: The Clockwork Heart: https://howtobecomeaprofessionalartist.com/clockwork-heart/ Subscribe to this podcast...

More Episodes

To pursue a career as a professional artist is to expect a lot from your job.

…more, it seems, than most people expect from their own.

Professional artists and those who aspire to the same status expect the work to be both financially sustainable and creatively fulfilling.

Some people seem satisfied, simply, to find a day job they don’t hate and compensate for any lack of creativity with hobbies.

…and others view their vocation as a tolerable compromise that buys time for the art they place at the center of their lives.

Regardless of which takes priority, it often seems that we have to choose: Art or a steady paycheck.

But why would it have to be one or the other?

Why couldn’t our work be both financially sustainable and creatively fulfilling?

Are we asking too much?

Is it even realistic to imagine?

In this first lesson of a course titled You’re A Better Artist Than You Think, we’ll introduce a crucial question that could save your art career (even if you don’t have one yet) and rethink a common belief that often prevents artists from becoming professionals.

But, as with every lesson throughout the course, we’ll begin by looking to history for answers. (History always has answers.)

Today we’ll hear the “origin story” of Mary Blair, a mid-century Disney artist whose “renown in the company,” writes historian Nathalia Holt, “was second only to Walt’s.”

In her life and work (which is on display throughout this post) we’ll find a more vivid picture of what it means to make a living from one’s creative passion, what often blocks many of us from a similar experience and how this fundamental shift in the way we think about the art vs. money conundrum can affect the quality of our work, whether we find it fulfilling, our sense of self, of belonging, of motivation and inspiration.

You're A Better Artist Than You Think

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