Gain more followers on the VoiceHQ NFT platform
If you’re an artist selling, or hoping to sell NFT’s on VoiceHQ, I have discovered a great new way to build your audience and get more eyeballs on your creative masterpieces. For a while now VoiceHQ have started to display a followers and following count. Which can be…
Keep readingThriving Artist Interview with Patattoune
I chat with thriving artist Patattoune about the importance of doing the work you love. The benefits and difficulties with running an Etsy art store and why we should be embracing the addictive nature of tiktok. Check out Patattoune on Instagram: Thumbnail and blog portrait photo by: Visiontranquilo…
Keep readingShould you vlog, blog or podcast? Why not do it all?
I’m starting the daily vlog again. I did start one ages ago doing one minute daily vlogs and then I would compile them all at the end of the week and extract the audio to create a seven minute podcast. Then I would use the subtitles from the…
Keep readingThe benefits of old school artist marketing in the modern world
Good old-fashioned paper newsletters, posted in an envelope to a person’s address… Who would’ve thought? It’s just such an amazing idea.
Keep readingHow to break through artists block
If you have artistic creative block then maybe that’s where your creative community can come in. You could start by putting out polls on Twitter and Instagram and get feedback from your community.
Keep readingFan Art and Copyright Law
I totally understand the attraction to creating fan art. When you love other art forms you want to pay homage, and make reference to your influences and the creative work you love. It’s also a great way to gain exposure for your work. Because people probably aren’t searching…
Keep readingA Thriving Artist Needs A Shop
I knocked together a couple of ideas I’ve had for designs and opened a shop that’s now liked from my website. Because I think if you are going to be a thriving artist your gonna need a shop right?
Keep readingDo the things that excite you
With the recent passing of my parents, and being the father to two amazing kids, things get put into sharp perspective. And you realise that your time on this beautiful planet of ours is limited and you need to go for those things that excite you, even if…
Keep readingThe key to success as an artist will make you fail
The very thing which is going to help you succeed as a creator or an artist, the thing that is going to get you exposure in the end is social media. However the problem with social media is that it doesn’t really want you to succeed, all it…
Keep readingEasy Content Creation For Time Poor Artists
I’m trying to come up with a system which best documents my journey with the least amount of effort possible.
Keep readingUse your artist website as your social media hub
As an artist or a personal brand, you may tend to have many interests. You might not just be a kids book illustrator, you might also do oil paintings of dogs dressed in Edwardian style fashion. And it’s probably a good idea to have these separate styles on…
Keep readingTake my art seriously
It’s not a hobby anymore. I need to block in creative time and treat it like a real job. Especially if I want it to eventually be a real job.
Keep readingWhat has manifesting gotten me?
Something… I can now say something. And that’s coming from the most sceptical, critical thinker I know. I was born suspicious and could always smell something rotten a mile away.
Keep readingFinding your creative community
Since I started this documenting my journey thing while attempting to pivot my career towards something creative and something that I love, many great things have happened.
Keep readingWhat’s the most important factor for becoming a thriving artist?
The answer might not be what you think. It certainly took me by surprise. 9% Said that ‘Skill Set’ was the most important factor. It’s certainly heartening when I feel that my personal skill set has a long way to go to be somewhere near where I would…
Keep readingA negative comment on an old vlog
It said that mentioning Gary Vee in my vlog was a promotional tactic that I use in order to gain your following and then he goes on to call me a bottom feeder. So just to clarify…
Keep readingCan one Youtube channel have two goals? Part 2
So Nick Nimmin was suggesting that if I have two goals I should definity have two separate Youtube channels. Those wanting to create kids books and artists wanting to document their journeys on social media.
Keep readingCan one Youtube channel have two goals? part 1
My first goal is to document my journey as an artist (illustrating kids books) and the second is to encourage and help other artists to document their creative journeys across social media as well. As I believe that it’s a great way to become a thriving artist. As…
Keep readingCreating a kids book live on YouTube
The biggest reason to move my Sketchy LIVE from Instagram to Youtube is the ability to be able to share my computer screen as I work in Adobe Illustrator as well. This set up will allow me to share all of my process, whereas Instagram only allowed me…
Keep readingHabits to help me stay consistent
These last few weeks I have been anything but consistent, but all that’s about to change… hopefully. I’m slowly working out that there are a few things that if I do them everyday will help me stay consistent.
Keep readingDo what you love and…
Do what you love and the money will follow… right?… right? I hope that’s true. I think that it can be true but I think there’s more that needs to be added to that classic line
Keep readingPillar and micro content for artists
I’ve had this idea of turning Instagram live into a bit of a show and making it my pillar content. It’ll be where I do my live sketching and creation of my kids books, I’ll talk with other creators and artists at the same time either in the…
Keep readingThe worst things for creativity
This whole documenting my creative journey thing with the Elijah and Crumpet kids book came off the rails at the end of last year. It started with the Australian bushfires and has merged into this global pandemic situation. Depression, fear, anxiety, stress are the worst things for creativity.…
Keep readingCreating a creative community of thriving artists
I wanna do a lot of stuff. But I have limited time, resources, money, you know… the usual stuff. I wanna document my creative journey. I wanna HAVE a creative journey, AND I wanna share the things I learn along the way. So starving artists like myself can…
Keep readingThe Artists Guide to Surviving the Robot Apocalypse
Robots will be able to do everything. We’re pretty clever little monkeys figuring out how to get out of work. ‘Make a Robot’, that’ll fix it, ‘I know, make it a thinking Robot’, even better. In the not too distant future jobs are gonna be completely different. And…
Keep readingIllustrating a kids book on my phone
I had a breakthrough last night which was awesome, while doing the sketches for my kids book. I’ve come up with a style which I’m finally happy with. It it’s starts with me doing a pencil sketch on paper, then using an app on my phone I can…
Keep readingHow much time does ‘Document, Don’t Create’ actually take Gary Vaynerchuk?
There is one last way you can create time that I’m overlooking. You can stop sleeping. However I would only recommend this if you want to become the worst version of yourself, You’ll be grumpy, forgetful, stupid and worst of all tired. So I’m thinking the situation is…
Keep readingYou have time to create… just not much
I’ve been flip flopping all over the place. With the birth of my second daughter. I’ve been taking some time to access this whole career pivot experiment thing, And why it isn’t working. Why isn’t it working? I could get down on myself and say I’m full of…
Keep readingTutorial Vs. Vlog Style Content on Youtube – Creator Chat With Chad Thompson
I talk with photographer, filmmaker and Youtuber Chad Thompson from his channel Chad Everyday In this interview Chad talks about separating his tutorial videos from his vlogs with two separate channels as I contemplate making videos that include tutorial and vlog styles in the same video. There’s no…
Keep readingSeeking patrons to get your artistic career started
Seeking a patron for your artistic work certainly sounds a lot better than going to get a day job. But it’s this mindset shift from Jeff Goins that has moved the needle in making me feel ok with getting a job to allow me to follow my creative…
Keep readingCreator Chat with Entrepreneur Mindset Coach Fred Blumenberg
So I’m trying to build a side hustle that utilises my creative passions, and I’m starting with creating kids books that’s my initial goal. Having kids has given me the drive and purpose to show to them and myself that you can follow your dreams. You don’t have…
Keep readingCreative ways to share your podcast to Instagram Stories
I look at three eye catching ways that you can share your podcast episodes to Instagram stories by using Anchor, Spotify and Overcast. Do you have any creative ways of sharing your podcast to Instagram? If so I’d love to hear from you. You can leave a 1min…
Keep readingThe content marketing strategy that starts with your ‘why’ – Fork In The Road
I’ve decided to fine tune my content strategy to focus more on my creative work in the hope I’ll get more done while documenting my creative journey at the same time. And I have incorporated Simon Sineks ‘Start With Why’ method to help me do it. Do you…
Keep readingInstagram LIVE tips and tricks to grow your following
I’m gonna tell you why as a creator you need to be using Instagram live to build your community. And How to actually go live for the greatest reach. Build your knowledge, build your relationships and we’re gonna figure all this out with some help from a couple…
Keep readingYou are the average of the 5 people you hang out with on Instagram live
I listen to so many self help podcasts and hopefully if I listen to enough of them, some of it might sink in. What a lot of them say is ‘you are the sum of the five people you hang around’. You basically got to hang around positive…
Keep readingMy self published kids book project
Recently I have been uploading some drawings from the kids book and I’m trying to keep a bit of continuity with the amount of work I’m spending on the illustrations as opposed to the work I’m doing on the vlogcast. I’ve set it up so I’m tiling it…
Keep readingA little taste of what a successful career could be like
I’m at the library because… I’m coming here for some peace and quiet to start with, but I’m doing job applications… that’s right, that’s my career pivot experiment, I’m doing job applications. As I said before, my wife is on maternity leave now and I need to go…
Keep readingI still shoot videos
There is nothing better than doing work you love with friends and getting paid for it. That’s exactly what I’ve been up to this weekend shooting a short film. And you know I was so close to sabotaging this whole thing. Because I was unsure I’d be cool…
Keep readingDo I still shoot videos?
That’s the way it is when you are doing creative work. One day it’s there, and the other day it’s not. There’s basically no more work for me to do. But then I get a Facebook message from an actor friend of mine who I haven’t had any…
Keep readingExciting News… things are gonna be different
Plan for your plans not to go as planned and you’ll never be disappointed. As I mentioned this week I received my first pay-check for video editing work. I’ve been working one day a week because I’m still essentially a stay at home dad. But my stay at…
Keep readingWhen do you know you’ve found your drawing style?
As well as research potentially being a massive procrastination tool, another one which is potentially leading me down the path of Procrastination is finding my style. Now I’ve been trying to do drawings as often as I can, hopefully every day, in an attempt to get faster at…
Keep readingIs it Research or Procrastination?
I never would have imagined I could get paid to be video editor but here I am, helping create stories with vision and sound. I certainly love the process of telling stories and working out the best ways to put together the pieces of the puzzle in the…
Keep readingSuccess is a mind game… and hard work
I’m addressing my anxiety now and hopefully I can find my way through. But when so many self helpers say success is a mind game I believe they are 100% right, you’ve obviously also gotta put in the work. But if your head is not right you are…
Keep readingThe Self Sabotaging Cycle
You may have wondered where I’ve been recently. Because In the last two weeks I’ve only created a weeks worth of content. I suppose that’s what happens sometimes when you lay your values out as health, family and career. I’ve had to see a doctor and set up…
Keep readingBreaking through the starving artist mindset
After all this, what am I doing? and why am I doing it? and who is it for? So I suppose this whole vlogcast thing is for me and people like me. Creative people, people with creative urges who have been stuck in the mindset of the struggling…
Keep readingFind ways of making work and life coexist
So my creative work comes in third on my priorities list. Some people might call that a losing plan, but for me if I don’t have my health or my loved ones, then I’ve lost as well. So with these values and priorities in place – health, family,…
Keep readingFinding time for my priorities
Where time restrictions and values intersect is a massive thing for me. There’s are a few ways of looking at time. Most common is not being bothered doing any extra stuff on top of what you are doing already. You are working your day job, you come home…
Keep readingCreating content with your iphone
One of the big things that seemed to surface when I was figuring out my why. Is that I love doing things differently to the mainstream. I’m really inspired by ‘indie’ artists in all fields that haven’t waited for that big breakthrough or deal to come to create…
Keep readingPlaying the comparison game
I’m having to be out of the house today. My wife, she works nightshift, she’s at home trying to sleep. So I’m out with my daughter doing stuff, so she can sleep. We’re going to the library to get some books swapped over, kids books, so a good…
Keep readingGetting clear about my ‘Why’
I guess what my ‘Why’ is, is I wanna help creators like me, and I wanna help me too, in the true definition of self-help I gotta get myself ‘Unstuck’, to get out there and start creating and telling stories and getting paid for it, yes paid for…
Keep readingIt’s time to start doing stuff
This week I’m attempting to get clear on what it is that I’m actually trying to do and get started. I had a few days off the vlogging hamster wheel to ponder, and dangerously that’s when the voice of that lazy couch potato located somewhere in the dark…
Keep readingClarity on my purpose and story
Comments and community are incredible, especially when you have someone like Marilyn McNeal involved. She’s highlighted something to me that I’d subconsciously known but hadn’t acted on because it wasn’t obvious to me, because I was too close to this whole Fork In The Road project. Marilyn wrote…
Keep readingFinding your story in the everyday – Documenting Your Journey
I want to document my journey, I want to create a story, a brand story. The only problem is that what I’m doing is not very interesting. The fact of the matter is, I’m not really doing any of my work at all. I’m not doing illustrating work…
Keep readingProvide value by telling your story
Essentially a good story is one that you can relate to, the ups and the downs. But that becomes a great story when you can project yourself into the protagonist shoes and be taken along for the journey. But no one wants to just see a hero that…
Keep readingStruggling is part of the journey
The great thing about documenting your journey – and I know I’m always banging on about documenting your journey – is that you are storytelling your brand, you’re creating your story in real time. And if you’re being authentic you will be drawing people into that story and…
Keep readingBe authentic about your personal brand story
You need to have your story come through in all the personal brand content you do. Much like your ‘Why’ and your values. And just to be clear, when I’m talking about creating and structuring your story I don’t mean making things up or adding explosions and orcs…
Keep readingCreate a blockbuster brand story
All stories can be distilled back to a few common types. There’s the Hero’s journey, the quest, the reluctant hero to name a few. All of these common types of story structure you’ll find in movies and books and if you look at your personal brand story from…
Keep readingStorytelling your brand to build community
Storytelling your brand to build community #ForkInTheRoad Vlog 165 The great thing about brand is that it’s a story, where as niche is a thing. You can niche down on a thing, and pinpoint your market and you can attract people who are gonna be interested in that…
Keep readingCriticism of your personal brand
So how do you know when you’re doing your personal brand right? I i don’t really know, but I do know one thing is that you obviously can’t keep everyone happy. And if everyone is liking everything that you do, all the posts that you do, then I…
Keep readingWhat is a personal brand?
Up until recently if you’d asked me what brand was I would’ve thought It’s all your logos and the style of your business and It kinda Is I suppose. But something that I heard recently, something quite interesting which was ‘brand is what people say about you when…
Keep readingI chose not to choose niche, I chose something else
So if your an artist, creator or lone entrepreneur of some kind I think the personal brand approach is the best way to go, over just niche. Unless you can do both and promote your niche product, service or whatever you are offering at the same time. But…
Keep readingCan personal brand be a niche?
If I’m the mobile cinema guy, or I was the mobile cinema guy, I just couldn’t all of a sudden turn around and start making crocheted cat nappies for inner-city felines living in apartments and expect a market straight off the bat. But if I already built a…
Keep readingNiche or a personal brand?
Niche, nitch or whatever you wanna call it, should I have it over having a personal brand? or should I have both? I kinda had this dilemma kicking around in my head for a very long time before I even started to document my journey. I had all…
Keep readingI got a video editing job
I’m driving to work… I’m driving to work, that’s funny. Because, you know, it’s funny, you put yourself out there you do all this work as your documenting your journey and building your personal brand and stuff and by putting yourself out there a mate of mine who…
Keep readingWho needs a personal brand?
I want to talk about personal brand, I think it’s important for solopreneurs, creators, entrepreneurs, people working by themselves basically, artist, because that way people get to know your personality, your personality is your brand. They know what they’re getting, and people recognise your work by your personal…
Keep readingWill I be using the ‘Don’t Break The Chain’ method?
Yesterday I posted the Vlog with the thumbnail that said ‘no excuses’ and today I spent, pretty much, the whole day with my dad in the emergency department of the hospital. Now I think everything is okay, this is with my dad. And you know it’s funny, as…
Keep readingExcuses don’t get you an X
So it’s my first day of ‘don’t break the chain’, productivity method where you gotta get all your tasks in a row, keep on going, keep yourself going, keep yourself motivated and I must say It’s about 1 o’clock today so far and I think I’ve only done…
Keep readingAccountability for your productivity
So can I do the ‘don’t break the chain’ productivity good habit method without a physical calendar for everything I want to turn into a habit? I think the best solution is to incorporate it into something that you do already. Which for me is the daily vlog.…
Keep readingDon’t break the chain and create good habits
So the ‘Don’t Break The Chain’ method for creating good habits and being productive is pretty simple. You get a calendar, like a wall hanging calendar with puppies on, not a virtual one on your phone. And then start marking out big crosses on on every day you…
Keep readingHabits that move you toward your goals
Why do I always brush my teeth at the same times everyday? Eat popcorn while watching movies – not that I do that anymore? Constantly check my phone? Use the same public toilet cubicle when i’m at the shops? Because I know it functions, usually, it’s clean and…
Keep readingMy top 10 daily hacks to success
What have I discovered to be the most useful daily tips and hacks for me? What ones are gonna move the needle and get me one step closer toward my goals? 7-8 hours sleep, pretty basic but it’s essential. Creative writing in the morning. Run or yoga everyday.…
Keep readingHow do I create good habits that stick?
After 150 vlogs and 20 podcasts I’ve uncovered a lot of tips, strategies, mindset tricks and hacks. And I’ve actually found some of them quiet useful, but how many am I using right now tho? One, maybe two a day when I think of them, but certainly not…
Keep readingCan you self-help your way to success?
Tomorrow I’m going to be – Instead of just listening to podcasts watching and YouTube tutorials and getting all inspired and worked up about stuff about, you know, all the things I can do and how I can have a successful career. I’m gonna start implementing each of…
Keep readingHow to promote yourself as an artist
So I want to piece together a useful book for creative people. That promotes, promoting yourself as an artist and how to do it. And by promoting yourself hopefully creating a successful career, where you can earn enough money to spend more time doing what you love. And…
Keep readingPivoting towards passion and purpose
So where’s my pivot? As SimpLee Beth on YouTube asks. The pivot has mainly been a mindset shift for me. I had created 143 vlogs and 20 podcasts while I was just finding my feet. I knew the kind of thing I wanted to be doing and just…
Keep readingTurn your passion into a successful career
This vlog, podcast and blog is going to be my book, written and recorded out of order as life happens and then reassembled into something that’s hopefully useful for storytellers and creative people, who just never thought it was possible to earn a living from your passion. It’ll…
Keep readingThe only thing stopping you, is you
If you are an artist, an entrepreneur, storyteller, or as Gary Vee would say ‘ a smurf collector’, you need to be documenting your journey now. Because your hobby, that thing you enjoy the most, and know ridiculous amounts of stuff about, could become how you earn a…
Keep readingGetting paid doing what you love
Mid last year I quit my dream job, because I realised my dream job wasn’t my dream job, I just thought it was… my dream job. but it turns out my travelling cinema business was a pivot away from the work I was truly passionate about, which was…
Keep readingA pivot within my midlife career pivot vlogcast
It’s time to pivot again, a pivot within a career pivot. Because now I finally think I know what I’m doing. That’s the thing with just starting without knowing the full picture. I would have never seen the full picture without starting. The key is starting, doing the…
Keep readingWhere do I find the time to be creative?
I know I look at my phone a lot, I’m a human being, and these things have been created like designer drugs for the masses. But it’s time to stop being a slave to the screen and turn your screen time into creative, productive, dream job time. So…
Keep readingApplying the Pomodoro technique to screen time app limits for maximum productivity
I’ve got no time in the day when in actual fact, what parts of the day? like washing dishes, you can be listening to podcasts, you can be watching YouTube videos learning up on stuff. There are all these ways of utilising your time better. So that’s what…
Keep readingUse your mobile device to create time, not suck time
This week I want to be talking about your goals, you have made your goals, but how are you gonna achieve those goals? I’m gonna look at a slightly different method than usual because I found this screen time thing in my phone which allows me to down…
Keep readingWhen is the best time for me to post on Youtube?
The biggest thing for my new years resolutions week is to have consistency, to build in consistency and to have a backup plan for when everything goes wrong. Because without backup you can’t have consistency and I think to have consistency I need to be doing something called…
Keep readingSetting myself up for success and consistency as a daily vlogger
The important thing as well that I realised is that to not only have backup for what you’re doing so you don’t miss a beat and you don’t miss that consistency with your vlogging or the content that you’re putting out but to also have worked in a…
Keep readingMy constant battle with the ‘other’ for iPhone storage
Just about a week ago starting on the all humans struggle subject, ironically I was struggling with my phone then. Because I’m shooting on an iPhone 6 Plus it’s got 16 GB of storage and every day I’ve got to be going through deleting stuff and all that…
Keep readingConsistently working towards your goals
Everybody cracks on about consistency, and the thing about consistency is that it’s a muscle that you build up over time, speaking of New Year’s resolutions, it’s like going to the gym. You know you just can’t go to the gym one day and expect to be super…
Keep readingWhere do I find the time to achieve my goals in 2019?
So here you are setting your 2019 goals and getting really ambitious and looking at really big things and going wow! That would be fantastic to achieve. But then reality kicks in after setting goals and you go ‘Oooo’ I don’t think I’ve got enough time to do…
Keep readingJanuary first is the worst – time to set goals
Look at the end of year, where you wanna be at the end of year and reverse engineer it, down to every day. I know that’s a lot of work and it’s gonna need a big piece of paper or a whiteboard but you’ll know what you need…
Keep readingThe key to setting achievable goals in 2019
Happy 2019, I hope you had a good one and that your head doesn’t hurt too much, or should I really call it international goalsetting day? I think a surefire way of having all your goals fail is by setting them too big, making them too grand, I’m…
Keep readingTurning my struggles into positive action
Rather than getting depressed or getting bogged down or getting fixed on the struggles and living your struggles. I think it’s good to be able to try and embrace them and see what good can come out of them, see what those struggles can teach you and make…
Keep readingDreaming of making a living as a creator
A big struggle of mine at the moment is creativity, and I’m not talking about your normal creative block struggle, I’m talking about I need cash for creativity. Because sure it’s nice – wouldn’t it be nice to get paid for doing what you love well I kind…
Keep readingAll Humans Struggle: Anxiety
My third struggle, major struggle, is with anxiety. Now I wouldn’t have classified myself as an anxious person because I’d do movie screenings in my business, my travelling cinema business, I’d do movie screenings to thousands of people without getting too worked up. But I think it’s a…
Keep readingAll Humans Struggle: Dementia
My second big struggle that I’ve had, personal struggle, is with dementia and grief. I don’t suffer from dementia myself, although my mum did for the last five years of her life. And I’d argue that anyone who has had a loved one or family member that suffers…
Keep readingAll Humans Struggle: Back Pain
Can a human being, me, hold up a 30 foot wooden boat all by myself? The answer is yes and no. Yes I held it for about three seconds and no, it dropped on the floor and broke. and the problem is is because I tried to save…
Keep readingAll Humans Struggle: Strengths
Instagram provides a perfect, glossy photo, coffee table book version of your lives which I think is great, the only problem is it creates this thing where other people look at your lives and just go, their lives are so great why can’t I have that? They don’t…
Keep readingAll humans struggle
If aliens are monitoring our Instagram feed from outer space somewhere, they would definitely be planning their invasion, apart from the fact that we are all doing weird duck bum smiles. From outsiders point of view our lives are fantastic – we are on the beaches, we are…
Keep readingI lost my podcast sponsor
Just filling you in on the latest, greatest and not so greatest details about the Anchor podcasting platforms sponsorship thing that they’ve got going on. They’re promoting it that’s it’s available to everyone, but it’s actually not really available to anyone that is living outside of the U.S.…
Keep readingShooting coverage for your daily vlog
So that wraps up my reinventing of the documenting my journey process which is primarily the daily vlog which I find quite difficult to get out each day, even though it is a minute but you know it it takes a lot more than a minute. when I…
Keep readingThe benefits of batching your vlogs
I’ll be documenting my ideas as they come together in a line and maybe that will pan out to be a weeks worth of vlogs and it’ll still be documenting my process, documenting my journey. I’ll be able to add Little extra bits on the day if I…
Keep readingDaily Vlog vs Daily Upload
Right now I think I’m stretching time because I would go out and I would record a daily vlog every day. I love that idea, It just really appeals to me. The only problem is with daily vlogging is that one day you feel like crap and be…
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Discover what’s at the Fork in the Road between starving and thriving artist.
I’m Andy, and I’m a kids book illustrator obsessed with the concept of how you can change course from that of the starving artist to the path of the thriving artist.
I believe all the answers are out there right in front of us in the artists we know and love. Because as they say success leaves clues, so I’m planning on becoming part detective and part guinea pig. As each week I’ll be interviewing artists that are making money, surviving and thriving on my ‘Fork in the Road’ Podcast (The fork in the road between starving and thriving artist) that is.
Then i’ll be implementing the key take aways from each interview and road testing them in my own creative practice to see if it can move the needle and direct artists on to the road to success.
Kids Book Illustrator Andy C Marshall 