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

LIA Cast 103 - Plotting Your Comic, with Kasey Van Hise

Talking about charting your comic's course on the Lean Into Art Cast!

In episode 97 we talked with Kasey Van Hise about managing the grind of making a webcomic. This time we're digging in deeper to explore how one plots out the direction their webcomic's story will take. 

• Do you write on the fly?
• Do you plan ahead?
• How do we identify when we're procrastinating through planning?
• How do we know when we're diving in without enough preparation?
• What tools and techniques work best for capturing and organizing your writing?

Links mentioned:

• Matt Madden
• Paracite Knights
• Attack on Titan
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!
• The Warren Commission Report: A Graphic Investigation of the Kennedy Assassination
• Writing Down the Bones
• Screenwriting 101, by Flim Crit Hulk
• Art Geek Zoo
• iThoughts HD
• Scrivener
• Evernote

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 102 - Identifying and Naming Your Style

Talking about developing our artistic styles and finding better ways to market them on the Lean Into Art Cast!

Why is it so important to us that we find our own style? Does style refer to something purely aesthetic (cartoony/abstract/realistic), or is there a more holistic way to think about it? How do you identify the elements that add up to your style, and once identified, how do you clearly communicate this unique value to those you wish to serve? 

In this edition of the Lean Into Art Cast we're joined by cartoonist Rachel Polk, who helps us dig into this somewhat tangly topic.

Links mentioned:

• Jerzy's appearance on the Stuff Said show
• Kids Read Comics
• Melvin, the Fat Bird
• The Lean Into Art Patreon campaign, where you can now find Extra Lean episodes!
• The Warren Commission Report: A Graphic Investigation of the Kennedy Assassination
• The Influence Map
• Lean Into Art Quest 2: Harvester of Borrow

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