All my best art advice in one post

Something to listen to while you're swatching, sketching, or color mixing!

When Giuseppe invited me to be a guest on

The Illustration Department

podcast, I thought maybe someone hacked his e-mail. After rereading his email 5 times and seeing no request for my social security or bank routing numbers, I said “SURE!”

Listen to the interview here, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To save time and make my voice sound very silly, you can listen at 2x speed! Enjoy! I share highlights and follow-up thoughts below.

Pay more attention to what you’re doing than what other people are doing.

If you’re struggling in your practice, it could be a sign you need to reduce digital input. For me, this means making sure my calendar is BURSTING with offline activities, like dog walking, yoga, or drawing gorillas with my phone switched off.

Never leave home without art supplies.

It can be a simple as pencil and few pages of printer paper. You don't have to make drawing practice your life, but you need to put your life into your drawing practice. Here’s what I carry.

Do not underestimate the tiny moments you take for your practice.

I sketched the Human Intelligence badge in five minutes, and it’s been my most celebrated work to date. Creativity is a powerful habit!

You can (and should) keep drawing through the worst times.

Last year’s career blow left me feeling mentally shattered, but I found comfort in my creative practice.

Don’t make selling your primary goal.

It’s hard to get better at drawing. When you’re worrying whether someone will buy, share, like, follow, or subscribe to it, it’s EXTRA hard. I’m always happier with my work when there’s less pressure to sell it. Read more about that here.

Make a bunch of art, have fun experimenting, and share your favorite bits!