Your Creative Push

Writer Ronnie Allen is a New York City native, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York, where she was a teacher in the New York City Department of Education for 33 years. In the early 90s she began a journey into holistic healing and alternative therapies and completed her PhD in Parapsychic Sciences in 2001. Along the way, she has picked up many certifications. She is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner as well as a crystal therapist, Reiki practitioner, metaphysician, dream analyst, and Tarot Master Instructor. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/ronnieallen In this episode, Ronnie discusses: -How she got into Reiki and crystals and how they enter her writing. -Her series of books, "The Sign Behind the Crime." -How she uses her readers to choose which book in the series that she writes next. -There is so much more that a writer can do aside from simply writing. -The importance of giving yourself deadlines. -Her first creative moments, learning how to get her characters on paper. -How readers

Kelly McKernan is a fine artist and illustrator from Atlanta, Georgia, currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kelly has been exhibiting her work with numerous galleries since 2009, including Thinkspace Gallery, Gallery 1988, Young Blood Gallery, and Beep Beep Gallery. She has also illustrated three children’s book to date. Kelly is also a member of the PRISMA Artist Collective.Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/kellymckernan In this episode, Kelly discusses: -What it is like to be a mother and an artist at the same time, and where she finds time to do her work. -She plans out her work much more now. -How going into art without an intention can lead to you searching quite a bit, and planning out a good portion of it beforehand will lead to a final result more quickly. -How sleep is usually the first thing to be sacrificed. -Attempting to determine whether or not mulling around an idea in her head is laziness or simply working the idea out to a more complete form before starting. -How things like "Bi

Gwenn is a full-time artist, portraitist, and free-culture advocate. Her beautiful, unique portraits as well as all of her other work is intentionally free from copyright. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/gwennseemel2 In this episode, Gwenn discusses: -How she deals with what she calls “the stupids,” when everything you do seems to be bad. -How some of her best moments come when she completes a project, whatever it may be. -Art and creativity bring her the desire and ability to be in this world. -How she is inspired by everyone around her, especially the people who she makes portraits for. -To reframe the way you think about mistakes and actually embrace them. -If you are viewing something as a mistake, it means that you are evolving and not remaining stagnant. Gwenn's Final Push will inspire you to embrace the mistake, because the mistake is evidence that you did the thing in the first place. Quotes: “Have those moments of self-love and really stew in them. You stew in the self-doubt so you might

Gwenn is a full-time artist, portraitist, and free-culture advocate. Her beautiful, unique portraits as well as all of her other work is intentionally free from copyright. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/gwennseemel In this episode, Gwenn discusses: -How her personal, creative, and professional life merge all into one. -The pros and cons of separating your personal and creative life. -Her battle with endometriosis and the story behind “Crime Against Nature.” -How things like homosexuality within nature are much more prevalent than is reported scientifically, and how things like dressing flamboyantly, not having offspring, and having multiple sexual partners can be connected to animals. -The origins of her decision to free all of her work from copyright. -How creativity and copyright go hand in hand. -How she got over the question of “am I special enough and why do I think I am allowed to do this?” and how focusing on portraiture helped her to put that specialness onto them. -The importance of show

Baber Afzal is an award-winning fine art photographer and film maker based in Dubai who specialises in creating surrealistic Worlds.   His work has been published in several internationally renowned books and magazines. A New York Film Academy alumni from Universal Studios, he also enriched his cinematography and video editing skills while working with renowned production houses in Hollywood, CA. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/baberafzal In this episode, Baber discusses: -How he started with photography and the journey that got him to his place today. -The struggle of Dubai having less photography work than a place like Los Angeles. -The definition of fine art photography, and what it means to him. -His online tutorials and workshops, which show how each image is processed uniquely. -How promoting other artists on his own page led to him gaining an incremental following on his own page. -How to can gain followers on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media by doing the same type of sharing. -

Mikey Burton is a part time designer and a part time illustrator—which adds up to a full time Designy Illustrator. He’s been working professionally for about 10 years. He’s done a lot of work in that time for clients such as Converse, ESPN, Target, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and Esquire, among others. Mikey spent his formative years and earned a masters degree from the great Kent State University in Ohio.   Mikey, tell me what I missed there, and maybe give us a peek into your personal life. In this episode, Mikey discusses: -His campaign for Converse and the challenge that it presented to him. -How he gets the courage to take on challenges that might initially scare him. -His first self-motivated work, and how it would yield actual work. -The goal of Barrel Body was to lose weight, but it led to new and interesting client work instead. -How defining your style is a lifelong journey. -The importance of being critical of your own work. -How sometimes your creative life and your "life" life hit a crossr

Alex Cherry is an LA-based digital artist who blurs the lines between art and design.  He draws his inspiration from film, music, and pop culture to make stunning images that will always make you think. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/alexcherry2 In this episode, Alex discusses: -The issue of copying and how we have to get over it. -The importance of thinking about new things every day. -A recent negative experience he had and how it led to an "artistic PTSD." -The story about how he met his fiance through his art. -A rapper suggestion for Youngman Brown to help him with his insecurities about his own monotone voice. -The last words his grandmother said to him, and the impact that it has on his life. Alex's Final Push will grant you permission to create!   Quotes: "I heard that 90% of communication is non-verbal, and it's so true.  We put too much value in words." "It's not the what.  It's the how." "You never know in which ways you influence people or potentially change someones life.  You may n

Alex Cherry is an LA-based digital artist who blurs the lines between art and design.  He draws his inspiration from film, music, and pop culture to make stunning images that will always make you think. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/alexcherry In this episode, Alex discusses: -The story behind his piece, "Starman" a tribute to David Bowie. -Art versus design, and how we don't watch design the way we watch art. -How to pursue your creativity by leaning on what you know, and for him that started with music. -His first creative moments and his creative journey from there. -How incredibly amazing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Nintendo are. -How we are lucky to live in the time of the internet, and we should immerse ourselves in how easy it is to share and find new things. -Kanye West and his polarizing character. -Bret Easton Ellis's idea of "Post Empire." -How many people have separate selves that they put forth on the internet. -How having a character or a persona can give you a confidence

Lisa Call is a self-taught artist who creates bold, geometric contemporary textile paintings composed of richly colored hand-dyed fabric.  Her work is abstract but draws elements from many places -- her love of the geological forms of the Southwest, repetition, pattern, and an attraction to human-made structures for containment, such as fences and stone walls. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/lisacall In this episode, Lisa discusses: -How she became a Co-Active life coach. -The reason her students needed coaching was less about the art and more about getting to the studio. -The idea that both being and doing are important. -How people should identify what matters to them and connecting with that. -How she suffers from the same fear that most people suffer from: the fear of not being enough. -How going back to work 40 hours a week was her biggest Resistance. -How she balances 3 full-time jobs. -Her battle with Neflix! -Sometimes not having a balance is better. -How she associates memories of her boo

Matthew G. Lewis (aka Lostkeep) is an artist whose work is both terrifying and beautiful and mesmerizing.  Born in the Deep South, entangled in the kudzu of ignorance and fear, Matthew seemed destined for a lifetime of servitude and devotion.  However, The Devil had sanctified him for lower purposes.  Our Lord Insubordinate used Matthew's years at Savannah College of Art and Design as a petri dish for culturing a blight of reason and suspicion that would soon wither Matthew's holy heart.  Currently, Matthew festers away in Seattle, WA whilst conjuring images with his loathsome tools of pencil and brush. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/lostkeep In this episode, Lostkeep discusses: -Coming from a fundamentalist Evangelical background and how that affected his upbringing and his art. -His fascination with the Book of Revelation and how that type of imagery speaks to more people. -His fascination with prehistory and language. -Drawing pictures of angels versus demons as a kid. -The conflict of feeling

Thomas is a visual artist and photographer based out of Atlanta, Georgia who has developed a style that he calls "painterly photo montage" - a method he employs in editing software in which he crafts elaborately textured pieces that have a very organic, non-digital look to them. Although his artwork resembles paintings, his pieces are entirely photographic in nature, fusing many images into a cohesive whole. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/thomasdodd2 In this episode, Thomas discusses: -How to realize the conversation you have with your art is actually a conversation with yourself. -How the best art shows us that we are all separate, but we all share the same emotions and struggles. -Why music is incredibly powerful, especially in younger people in their formative years. -The importance of being receptive to new forms of art or music. -If you follow your own uniqueness and put the time in, eventually people will notice you and want you to be YOU. -Communication coupled with social intelligence is

Thomas is a visual artist and photographer based out of Atlanta, Georgia who has developed a style that he calls "painterly photo montage" - a method he employs in editing software in which he crafts elaborately textured pieces that have a very organic, non-digital look to them. Although his artwork resembles paintings, his pieces are entirely photographic in nature, fusing many images into a cohesive whole. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/thomasdodd In this episode, Thomas discusses: -How he got his start in Mod Clubs, learning techniques to make pictures look "painterly." -How artists should always be looking to learn, and spend free time learning from masters. -How combining your artistic journey with making money can sometimes be soul-crushing, leaving you not enjoying the art anymore. -The importance of setting aside time to do your art, if you are getting burnt out from your full-time job, even if it is just 15 minutes a day. -How he originally got into punk music and then as a harpist in Tr

Daniel Flores aka DTM aka Da Creative Genius, is not just a man of many names, but a man of many talents.  These talents include graphic design, drawing, painting, and tattoos.  Daniel also hosts the Art is King podcast, where he interviews other artists about their craft. Be sure to check out Part 1, here! In this episode, DTM discusses: -The importance of branching out and trying new things so that you don't remain stagnant, doing the same thing over and over. -Setting aside time in your calendar to do your creative work. -What he tells his children about art. -Keeping your job but just trying art for the love of it. -How art is not a get-rich-quick scheme. -The value of finding an art mentor. -His most difficult story when he lost a year's worth of art and work. -How he handles it when people steal his art.   Quotes: "Every drawing is just a chance for you to be who you want to be." "I'm dedicated to my gym.  And my gym is pencil and paper."   Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/dtm2

Daniel Flores aka DTM aka Da Creative Genius, is not just a man of many names, but a man of many talents.  These talents include graphic design, drawing, painting, and tattoos.  Daniel also hosts the Art is King podcast, where he interviews other artists about their craft. In this episode, DTM discusses: -Why he started the "Art is King" podcast and what it brings to his life. -How putting a microphone in front of someone is a great way to get them to talk to you. -His creative origins, and his journey until today. -How he kept true to the things that he wanted to draw, however it came to him. -How he came to find an community of artists in Atlanta. -How he didn't have the support for his art from an early age. -Drawing sessions with other artists. -His advice to individuals with TONS of different creative ideas who hasn't started any of them yet. -How you should follow artists that you want to become like.   Quotes: "That passion that nags at you when you're not doing it.  That's Art." "You always feel like

Patty Lesser is a writer and world traveler, and frankly I don’t know if I should put those two in reverse order… world traveler first and writer second, because you have spent so much time in so many different places, which, by the way, makes me INSANELY jealous. Some of those places include Nova Scotia, Israel, Dominican Republic, Australia, England, Holland, and Belgium. In this episode, Patty discusses: -How her dream as a child was to travel, and how she is now living that life. -Her time in Israel and what she learned there. -When she was a young child writing about dragons and how that led to her writing short stories. -How she doesn't write for a specific genre and instead just writes what she loves. -How she wasn't ready to write when she first started, until it finally hit her that she is a writer. -How an operation shifted her focus to her health and diet and how it affected her writing. -The best feeling is when you finish a book. -How she works on multiple projects at a time. -The only thing she

Yuko Shimizu is a Japanese illustrator based in New York City and instructor at School of Visual Arts.  Newsweek Japan has chosen Yuko as one of “100 Japanese People The World Respects in 2009. You may have seen her work on The Gap T-shirts, Pepsi cans,  VISA billboards, Microsoft and Target ads, as well as on the book covers of Penguin, Scholastic, DC Comics, and on the pages of NY Times, Time, Rolling Stone, New Yorker and  in many other publications over last ten years. If you missed Part 1 of the interview, click here. In this episode, Yuko discusses: -Trusting your intuitions.  If you really want to do something, then do it. -How something that you go through that doesn't make sense at the moment sometimes makes perfect sense five years later when you look back at it. -How hindsight can make you see that you loved something, hated something, or anything in between, but either is better than never having done it. -There are people in your life that will try to discourage you to try to help you, but this

Yuko Shimizu is a Japanese illustrator based in New York City and instructor at School of Visual Arts.  Newsweek Japan has chosen Yuko as one of “100 Japanese People The World Respects in 2009. You may have seen her work on The Gap T-shirts, Pepsi cans,  VISA billboards, Microsoft and Target ads, as well as on the book covers of Penguin, Scholastic, DC Comics, and on the pages of NY Times, Time, Rolling Stone, New Yorker and  in many other publications over last ten years. To hear Part 2 of the interview, click here. In this episode, Yuko discusses: -Her "mid-life crisis" at the age of 22 and how she decided to go to art school after 11 years of work. -How it took hitting rock bottom to inspire her to finally make a shift and go to school. -How she was able to make it work money-wise when she made the change. -The process of leaving Japan to study in the United States and how she made it work for four years. -How there is a transition period between a hobby and a career in art and there are no set rules as to

DZO Olivier is a self-taught painter and illustrator from France. The simple, three-letter alias of DZO represents a divergence from his career in graphic arts and into the noosphere, which is defined as a postulated sphere or stage of evolutionary development dominated by consciousness, the mind, and interpersonal relationships. His work is both haunting and awe-inspiring and feels as if it could come from either religious or occult texts. A few moments with one of DZO’s unique works will make you wonder where you’ve seen such chilling beauty before, and make you wonder if maybe it was within your own mind. Today, DZO answers some of our questions about what drives him and how he maintains his creativity. Read the full interview: http://yourcreativepush.com/dzo

Hjalmar Wåhlin is a Swedish artist who loves to create. His background is in commercial retouching, and he has worked with clients such as Ford, Coca-cola, Läckerol and DN. Recently, he has moved towards illustration and design.  And that work is seriously awe-inspiring. In this episode, Hjalmar discusses: -The joy that the imaginative nature of illustration brings to him. -How long each of his pieces takes him to do. -Starting with the fundamentals. -Find a teacher or other resources online. -His piece "Heaven At Last," and the personal story behind it. -One of his first creative moments as a child. -How his laziness and fear are two factors that used to hold him back. -How he stopped drawing from ages 8-18. -How his FEAR OF SUCCESS sometimes still tries to stop him. -The roller coaster ride that is the process of creating something. -A difficulty that arose during a collaboration and how it affected him and his motivation. -How receiving comments on his work is what motivates him. -Art and creativity bring

Richard Gaston is a 26-year old photographer from Glasgow, Scotland. His landscapes are completely breathtaking are some of the most inspiring that you’ll ever see.  Richard uses the camera to explore what is important in life. In this episode, Richard discusses: -How he started taking photographs as a hobby with his friends. -How he and his friends all started around the same time and how nice it is to see their organic approaches as well. -How people really tune into the idea of a small man in a vast landscape. -The research that goes into many of his photographs in the outdoors. -How using a camera is not that difficult.  You just have to be there to take the photograph. -Going to university or college for photography is unnecessary.  You can easily learn on Youtube.  Photography is just about putting yourself in that scenario and taking pictures. -A tricky situation that he got himself in The Lost Valley. -The story behind his photographs of the Aurora Borealis. Richard's Final Push inspires you to just