LIA Cast 108 - Leaving the Safety of Your Wheelhouse, with Ryan Estrada

Talking about finding new opportunities & improving your work by taking the "not my thing" challenge on the LIA Cast!

I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer! – Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Given all that goes into being a visual storyteller, it's easy (and understandable) to default to our own realms of comfort and expertise to talk ourselves out of trying new things. Especially things that are "not our thing."

But what if trying such things led to new job opportunities or enhanced your visual storytelling abilities?

We're thrilled to be joined once again by Ryan Estrada, who walks us through how hosting game shows, participating in open mics, and running parody Twitter accounts opened up new professional doors for him and added to his storytelling tool kit.

Links mentioned:

• Ryan's radio show, People and Places
• Broken Telephone
• Pablo Neruda's Book of Questions
• How to Fake Your Way Through a Poetry Slam
• LIA Cast 98: Marketing Art and Artist
• The Whole Story
• Ryan Estrada on Twitter
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

• Lean Into Art Google+ Page
• Jerzy on Twitter
• Rob on Twitter
• Lean Into Art on Twitter
• Support Lean Into Art on Patreon

LIA Cast 107 - Making Non-Fiction Comics, with Dan Mishkin

Talking about the special concerns and advantages to making non-fiction comics on the LIA Cast!

Most comics clarify their narratives through lines on paper. This means that nothing is real in a comic, which means that everything is real in the context of a comic! It also means that everything rendered in a comic has the potential for expression beyond physical representation.

So how do we leverage this expressive potential when making non-fiction comics? Are you honor-bound to capture and express everything objectively? How do you identify the narrative within the series of real events? Once you've identified the narrative, how do you find the balance between what the words and visuals tell?

This we're joined by Dan Mishkin, writer of The Warren Commission Report: A Graphic Investigation into the Kennedy Assassination, a non-fiction comic he created with Ernie Colón and Jerzy Drozd. Together we reveal the special storytelling cards up comics' sleeve when dealing in historical or non-fiction topics.

Links mentioned:

• Dan Mishkin's published works
• Robert Carro's books on LBJ
• Kids Read Comics
• T-Minus
• Scrivener)
• The 9-11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

• Lean Into Art Google+ Page
• Jerzy on Twitter
• Rob on Twitter
• Lean Into Art on Twitter
• Support Lean Into Art on Patreon

LIA Cast 106 - Reflection with Intention, with Ashley Knapp

Exploring more of the benefits of reflection & new reflection strategies on the Lean Into Art Cast!

The value of reflecting on one's work and experience has bubbled up repeatedly on the Lean Into Art Cast. Reflecting with intention helps you:

• Focus on an upcoming task
• Improve memory retention
• Clarify your intended goals and perceived outcomes
• Find valuable insights for career course-correction

We've modeled our own reflection strategies in past episodes:

• LIA Cast 66 - Reflecting on Last Year, Planning for Next Year
• LIA Cast 70: Mastering Your Schedule with David Seah

But what are "reflection strategies?" Is it simply keeping a journal? A private blog? Scraps of notes on index cards? Should this journaling be private, or is there any benefit to be found in sharing it?

This time we're joined by Ashley Knapp, a cartoonist and author who has explored many reflection methods in an effort to reach readers and improve her work. Together we'll unbox how reflecting more intentionally can improve your work and help clarify your message to potential readers.

Links mentioned:

• Ashley's audiobook, Phony Potion Peddler’s Plight
• Ashley's Audioboo feed
• Day One
• Habit RPG
• The Emergent Task Planner
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, by Brene Brown
• 59 Seconds: Change Your Life in Under a Minute, by Richard Wiseman
• Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, by Jane McGonigal
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

• Lean Into Art Google+ Page
• Jerzy on Twitter
• Rob on Twitter
• Lean Into Art on Twitter
• Support Lean Into Art on Patreon

LIA Cast 105 - How We Read and Write Visually

Recorded in front of a studio audience during Kids Read Comics 2014 at the University of Michigan!

Why are some book covers, posters, comics, or even apps more instantly appealing than others? What’s happening in your mind when you find yourself emotionally responding to an image? Is it simply the "magic" of art, or can we unbox the language of visual storytelling to become better educators and creators?

This time Rob and Jerzy explore how we all read visually and how we can all write visually.

Links mentioned:

• Sunni Brown's The Doodle Revolution
• *The Sketchnote Handbook: the illustrated guide to visual note taking *
• Preston Blair's *Cartoon Animation *
• Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

• Lean Into Art Google+ Page
• Jerzy on Twitter
• Rob on Twitter
• Lean Into Art on Twitter
• Support Lean Into Art on Patreon

LIA Cast 104 - Drawing From Memory, with Brandon Dayton

Talking about improving your visual memory on the LIA Cast with Brandon Dayton!

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the best drawings you make are the ones for which you have a very clear mental picture? Have you ever tried to draw something from reference materials and just can't accurately capture it? Is the first situation simply a moment of "inspiration," and the second situation "artistic funk"?

How might things change if we consider the difference between seeing and object and perceiving an object? By improving our visual memory skills, might we one day be able to draw entirely from memory like Kim Jun gi?

This time we have a discussion on the role of perception in illustration with guest Brandon Dayton, who shares some tips on how to improve your visual memory and draw with improved accuracy.

Links mentioned:

• Brandon's Batman 2000 illustration
• Brandon's Quizlets
• The Talent Code
• Stephen Rousar's Memory Drawing
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!

Connect with Jerzy and Rob

• Lean Into Art Google+ Page
• Jerzy on Twitter
• Rob on Twitter
• Lean Into Art on Twitter
• Support Lean Into Art on Patreon