Hi, I'm Matt. Here are some slash pages to help you navigate... You can learn about me or read the blog. If you'd rather check out the posts by dat...
I know what to do but I can't bring myself to do it. I keep coming back to my thoughts on how the value of creativity for the creator is in the work itself and despite that, I find myself frozen with fear at the thought of trying to create something and failing. I'm sure we've all had that feeling of guilt, knowing there's something you want to do but being unable to push through and do the thing.…
As a creative, I find it incredibly easy to get caught up in trends and the latest bits of kit. Treating them as though if I have that latest pen, a different brand of paint or the latest iPad, I’ll be able to create so much better. Deep down, I know it’s not true. I know I have to learn the basics, have them become so ingrained that there is no real difference in the tools towards the quality of…
The older I get, the more I realise how much I want money and my creativity to align. The advice for creatives who want to 'earn' is to pick a niche and then suck that well dry. If you don't want to do that? Then the advice is that creativity doesn't need to earn you money and you should do it for the fun of it. The problem is I want to have my cake and eat it to. I shouldn't have to compromise on…
I believe the worst thing we've ever been told as creatives is that we have to 'pick a niche'. You have to optimise and focus on that one group of people... Your group of people, like there's this magical circle of people waiting for your creativity to welcome you into their exclusive club. Visibility is important. I understand that and you want people to care about your work, I understand that…
I've been reading 'Steal Like an Artist' by Austin Kleon once again. With how much I'm struggling with where I'm at in life, I've been trying to distract myself with books that give a decent pep talk. It's mentioned in the book to choose what is the 'best story' when it comes to life and even your career. It also mentions that you should put out the work you want to see done, the stories you would…
My partner pointed out to me today that my mental health has clearly been suffering since I got promoted back in January. Not because of the stress of the actual job, but because it's highlighted all sorts of other problems. I'm good at my job, I like the people and I'm paid (fairly) well. I genuinely feel guilty that despite those things, I'm still miserable. I know I shouldn't compare with other…
I never had any intention of having a theme or 'niche' when it came to blogging, it was a personal blog and I liked that fact. Over the last couple of days though, I'm realising that perhaps I'm slightly more vain than I'd like to admit and that my sharing of what is essentially nothing isn't what I actually like. I want the freedom to post whatever I want, but that doesn't mean I have to do so.…
If you didn't know, I have an art page, I set it up a while back to add some of the previous pieces of work I'd done. I had tried to distance myself from art, thinking that it 'wasn't for me' and that it would never amount to anything and so there was no point to it. Silly? Absolutely. The reasons behind why that is are a topic for another time but I have found myself being drawn back to creating…
When all else fails, share what you've learned right?
Never miss more than a single day was what I wanted to stick to, so now what?