Discombobulate

The otherworldly charm of the octopus—a creature that, with its unique intelligence and bizarre anatomy, often seems more alien than Earthly. Some scientists even speculate that octopuses might have extraterrestrial origins, citing their unusual DNA and cognitive abilities as evidence that they’re not like anything else in the animal kingdom. So, I embraced that cosmic mystery in my latest artwork, blending neon hues and psychedelic textures to create my own alien octopus. This is not just an art piece, but an invitation to ponder the mysteries of life—both on our planet and beyond.

What’s your favorite word?

Discombobulate – To cause a state of confusion, upset or disorient.

I think an important trait of a thriving artist is their ability to spend time on social media promoting their work and connecting with their community without becoming completely discombobulated. You know that feeling when you end up watching a parrot riding a skateboard on Facebook and you can’t remember for the life of you what you were trying to do after two hours. Oh that’s right I was posting a ‘work in progress’ illustration from my kids book. You see social media doesn’t care if you consume or create, it just wants eyeballs on their platform for as long as possible, so you can be fed adverts to buy things you never knew you even needed… The state of semi entertained discombobulation.

A thriving artist knows what they want. They go onto social media with a structured timeframe, they post their content, connect with their community and get out. A bit like a perfect bank heist. They go in, get what they want and get out, and most importantly don’t deviate from the plan. Then instead of spending another two hours watching funny parrot videos. They can get back to creating more art and being a thriving artist.