65 - Outside my Comfort Zone
Here’s a quote from me:
Everything of value lies right outside your comfort zone.
These words push me to run in the morning. They push me to go out and draw. They help me do new things (like the SneakyArt Podcast), when I have no way of knowing if it will work out. Every week, they motivate me to push the red ‘Publish’ button on this newsletter.
If you enjoy reading this newsletter, pass it forward.
🚀The Importance of Leveling Up
I’ve just completed a set of 4 commissioned drawings for a client in Vancouver. I talked about the final image last week, drawn while sitting on the rocks by the sea-wall at Sunset Beach. It took me 2.5hr to do it but, other than my bum and legs periodically falling asleep, I had no awareness of time passing at all. I love that feeling about the act of drawing. It makes time stand still.
Here are all 4 drawings in this job, each one 11x14”, nearly twice as large as my typical commission work.
The big challenge with this commission was, literally, how big it was.
Working at this scale, not only did I need a lot more time, I was nervous about the little mistakes having big consequences. Yet I suggested 11x14” as the right size myself, when discussing the job with the client.
If everything of value is outside your comfort zone, you have to push against the edges of your comfort zone.
As a self-educated artist, every drawing is a chance to upgrade my skills.
But is it not safer to upgrade on my own time instead of on a job?
In the latest episode of the podcast with Anna Wilson, we talk about her early experience doing freelance jobs as a self-taught graphic designer. Without a formal education in graphic design or digital tools, she would say yes to work before being completely sure of her ability to complete it. Having accepted it, she would then make it her responsibility to upgrade her skills to the necessary level.
It may be a high stakes bet. But every freelancer must bet on themselves. Taking calculated risks in pressure situations can lead to the greatest progress.
🍄The 4-Minute Barrier
Have you heard of the 4-minute barrier? It was long considered physically impossible for a human to run one mile under 4 minutes. Then, in 1954, Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier.
Something that had never happened in the history of athletic achievement suddenly happened. Would such an incredible feat ever happen again? His record lasted … 6 weeks. Since 1954, the 4-minute barrier has been breached by over 1400 athletes.
What then was this barrier? Surely not a physical barrier. Was it a confidence barrier? Was it impossible only as long as it hadn’t been done? Did it become easier to do once someone somewhere had done it?
Whether as individuals or a collective, once we level up, it becomes easier to do again what was once considered impossible.
🔉“The Old Man & the Screen” (Subscriber-post)
Earlier this week, I shared my second post with paying subscribers. It is a passage from my book-in-progress - SneakyArt of Vancouver - and narrates thoughts around a scene at a cafe.
Since this is the first month of subscriber-posts, I am making this work FREE for everyone to read.
Grab this limited time opportunity and check out the post below!
📝Upcoming Subscriber Content
I am crafting an updated bonus commentary for Episode 15 of the podcast with George Butler (Apple | Spotify). The subject is war illustrations and reportage, with a special mention of the recently concluded War in Afghanistan.
My work on this commentary is based on some deep reading - long-form articles on the Afghanistan War, researching the history of war illustration, and William Dalrymple’s fascinating book, “Return of a King”. I am also scanning various 19th century accounts of the 1st Anglo-Afghan War.
Did you know the first instances of war reportage date back to the 1800s? I will talk about the incentives that drove war-reportage for the London Illustrated News then, as they do for CNN today. I will also share some other incredible parallels to help explain why Afghanistan is called ‘the graveyard of empires’.
🤔Why Subscriptions?
The subscription model empowers me to spend more time on work that is the furthest distance outside my comfort zone.
It is work I would otherwise not be able to do. This is because it takes a lot of time and effort - researching, writing, recording, re-writing, and re-recording - to do it!
Plans for future issues include:
👨🏽🎨 Audio posts about the latest SneakyArt
🙋♀️ Podcast discussion threads
🗣 Bonus commentaries from podcast conversations
📕 Draft passages from SneakyArt of Vancouver
🆓 Monthly print giveaways, free portraits, and other goodies!
If you like my writing, or enjoy the SneakyArt Podcast, this is a way to support my work.
Thank you for your time and attention. See you next week.
That Venn diagram of you surrounded by things that terrify you is a) hilarious, and b) an efficient depiction of the human condition. Laugh or cry, take your pick.
Are you taking commissions? If so, what’s the best way to proceed? Thanks!