71 - Unlocking Creativity

3 questions and 2 ideas from the latest podcast episode.

👋 Hello.

In this issue I’m sharing the new episode of the Podcast with art-director, illustrator, skateboarder, and urban-sketcher Tomas Pajdlhauser (aka Captain Tom on social media). After a quick intro to the episode, I have for you 💭 3 questions and 🧠 2 ideas from the conversation.

🎙 Ep 28 - Unlocking Creativity with Tomas Pajdlhauser

Tom discusses his years of work in the animation industry. I ask him about the many responsibilities of an art director, and the hierarchy of workflows involved in the creation of an animated show. We talk about how he sees the relevance of traditional drawing skills in the age of digital art.

Featured, a seamstress in Palestine.

But as a career illustrator, what does Tom gain from the practice of urban-sketching? He tells me about a motorcycle trip through SE Asia when he arrived at the intersection of travel and art, and how it changed everything for him. We also share our respective experiences creating art-books, with reference to Tom's excellent Palestine Sketchbook, and my SneakyArt of Eau Claire.

🎨 Follow Tom's work on IG, or visit his website.

✒ Follow the SneakyArtist on IG, or visit here for a transcript of this episode.

Tap a link below to listen to the conversation -

Spotify | Apple | PocketCasts | Google | Web | Gaana

💡 Questions/Ideas

This is one of the biggest episodes of the podcast. Here are 💭 3 questions and 🧠 2 ideas from our conversation.

💭 “How do analog skills matter in a digital world?”

Although his animation education was on paper, almost all of Tom’s work today is digital. Do analog skills matter to an artist today? In what ways?

Men make zalabia in Nablus, Palestine

💭 “Are constraints always a bad thing?”

Tom confronts various constraints in his work - some external, others self-imposed. Minimal color palettes, deadlines, budgets, portable toolkits - how do such limitations affect his work? Are constraints always a bad thing, or can they help us unlock our creativity?

Tom painted 100 coffee cups in the winter of Ottawa

💭 “What does it mean to make a book of one’s art?”

Before recording the episode, Tom and I sent each other copies of our books. In the final part of our conversation, I speak to him about the experience of visiting Palestine. We talk about the technical and curative aspect of putting together a book of his sketches.

If you're at this stage of your creative life as well, you will find many interesting things here.

A page from Tom’s “Palestine Sketchbook”

🧠 Drawing directly with ink

I love to draw directly with ink, as does Tom. He spoke about it with reference to learning how to embrace imperfections in his line-work, while traveling through India.

There are two big reasons I advise that you draw with ink:

1. Every ink-stroke is a declaration of intent, which is a necessary attitude to conquer one’s fears.

2. Avoiding mistakes is really over-rated, and it is actually a good idea to make mistakes.

Tom and I talked about the delayed reward of analog art - not knowing how good a piece will become until you are actually done with it. Committing to a line with ink means moving only forward, and allowing for more such discoveries.

This is how you level up.

🧠 Accuracy vs Precision

Accuracy is how exactly correct you are. Precision is how consistent you are.

We overvalue accuracy and underestimate precision.

We overvalue accuracy. Unlike 200 years, today there are innumerable ways to accurately depict our world. Beyond a personal exercise, I don’t set much value by high accuracy or hyper-realism.

We underestimate precision. Our mistakes, or biases, or idiosyncrasies, define who we are. It is the authentic version of us that no one else can duplicate.

So we need to shoot for precision, the repetition of similar mistakes, and thus bring authenticity to our work. Authenticity yields unique ideas, and lots of ideas together become our … style.

It was jazz legend Miles Davis who said this -

“Once, is a mistake. Twice, is an idea. Three times is style.”

🔥🔥 Bonus content!

This is the first episode I recorded with a bonus post-script section - where we sit back, relax, and chew on everything we just talked about.

In this nearly 45min of extra conversation -

• Tom asks about my self-publishing experience and I share the circumstances, thoughts & ideas behind self-publishing SneakyArt of Eau Claire. (more details here)

• We discuss the decline of social media and the consequent resurgence of blogs, podcasts & newsletters.

• Tom shares what he learned from self-publishing Palestine Sketches, and ideas for future works.

• We talk about the emerging creator economy and ways we might fit into it.

The Post-Script will go out to SneakyArt Insiders this Sunday.

SneakyArt Insiders are the listeners who support my work. And every month, I think of clever ways to show them my gratitude.

It’s easy to become a SneakyArt Insider. Tap the button to support my work for only $5/month - only one cup of coffee per episode!

I went to the neighborhood cafe to grab lunch and a coffee. In the next post, on Monday morning, I will share some more images of people in cafes, with the question - Why is a cafe?

At the Breka Bakery on Davie St (Instagram)

Thank you for your time and attention. See you next week!