LIA Cast 110 - So You Want to Start a Passion Project?

Talking about spinning up and managing personal projects on the Lean Into Art Cast!

It’s time to start a new personal project! How do you get it underway, keep it going, or know when it’s time to adjust?

How do you keep the load manageable?

This time we explore ways we've spun up to working on passion projects past, how our approaches have changed over the years, and how we might approach such projects in the future.

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Written by Jerzy Drozd On In ,

LIA Cast 109 - Telling Your Story with Color, with Owen Jollands

Coloring comics and designing with color on the LIA Cast!

Is color simple ornamentation in your story or design, or does it carry some expressive or impressionistic storytelling potential of its own? If we accept the latter, then how do you think about color when making a thing, and how do you navigate the various tools (both hardware and software) to most effectively use color?

In this episode of the Lean Into Art Cast we are joined by Owen Jollands, Colorist at Hi-Fi Color Design Studio, who has worked on many comic book titles including Supergirl and Justice League 3000, for a discussion on how thinking hard about color can lead to clarity in your storytelling and design. We'll also explore some of the new coloring technologies available to visual storytellers.

Show notes available at http://leanintoart.com Links mentioned:

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Written by Jerzy Drozd On In ,

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.

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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.

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Written by Jerzy Drozd On In ,

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:

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:

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Written by Jerzy Drozd On In ,