Skip to content

Tag: creativity

Posted
April 25, 2023
Category
Writing While Black
Tags
, , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Making the Best of a Creative Spring

Flowers are blooming. Birds are chirping. The sun is shining. There’s inspiration everywhere for any creative to craft the best art of their life. However, trying to hit the creative spark while the moment strikes can be overwhelming. Don’t worry about trying to capture the moment. The advice below shows what may work for you in making this best creative Spring ever!

Declutter and reorganize your space

Every artist has an organizational system. But sometimes, you need a little refresher to clear your mind. You can start by getting down to the bare essentials with some decluttering. Your supplies, tools, and a few extras are needed to get those creative juices going. Create organized accessibility with small bins and dividers to make your essentials available. Sketch/notebooks and small calendars are the perfect organizational companions to help you plan your projects.

Photo by Tiana on Pexels.com

Plan out your spring and summer projects

Spring and summer are the prime times to plot out your creative endeavors. Sun, nature, and warm temperatures can inspire you to create art. But don’t forget to plan your projects to prevent being overwhelmed. Grabbing a sketchbook or calendar can help you plan out your next artwork. Plot out every stage, from pre-planning to the final stage, to keep yourself on track. Schedule some days off between projects for rest or catch up on long-term projects.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com

Collaborate with other creatives

Warmer weather always brings out the collaborative spirit amongst creatives. Before jumping into a collab, think about the person(s) you want to spend time with. Discussing with them can make or break if you are the right fit. Joining forces with another artist can yield more comprehensive projects that are time-consuming alone. It can be beneficial for both parties.

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Change up your scenery

Sometimes, working in the same space can stifle your creative juices. Changing up locations may be the solution to get them flowing again. It might be as simple as going to a different corner of your studio. Other times, you need to escape and mingle amongst your fellow citizens. You can sit in another room or area in your home or your favorite coffee shop or have a nice day at the park. You can even make it a meetup with friends or loved ones to spark more artistic inspiration.

Photo by Zen Chung on Pexels.com

Allow those creative breaks

While working on new projects can be cathartic, artist burnout is real. You can tap your creative well dry, which leads to frustration and anger over a lack of progress. You can avoid that by taking mental and emotional breaks from your creative work. Planning resting time between projects usually helps to alleviate exhaustion. If the feeling or mood persists, you might need to take an extended break from your projects until you feel the need to be creative again.

Photo by Mari Korz on Pexels.com

Take what you need from this advice to make this the most creative Spring and Summer of your life.

Posted
January 29, 2021
Category
The Creative Grind
Tags
, , , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Me, Creativity and 2021

My focus has been a little all over the place the past few months. But now, things seem clear.

I did get some work done on Brothas and Losing Valarie as I finished up some interiors and exteriors for both series. Character designs will definitely be my focus going into Spring 2021.

By Summer 2021, I plan on spending my time focusing on my action-adventure series. I want to dedicate my art skills to create a visual representation of that show. I have my sights on starting character and background designs.

Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Along with personal work, this year focus on making my freelance business profitable. Patreon and Etsy are helping my business to grow. Getting more into digital marketing will definitely be the key. I’m still in the process of building my freelance business as I look for representation – finances and law – and acquiring (and creating) the necessary equipment. By Summer 2021, I pray my business gains some serious traction.

Just remember creativity is the key to success.

Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram! Until next time, be your best creative self!

Posted
December 25, 2020
Category
The Creative Grind
Tags
, , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Support These Creators of Color for Christmas!

With the holiday season in full swing, now’s the time to get into the giving spirit! So, here are some you need to get into before the year is over.

Angelica Marie – Filmmaker and Podcast Host

Elizabeth Evers – Young Adult Author

Jasmyne-Nicole Walker – Writer

Jaleesa Mitchell – Young Adult Author and Educator

Ananya Vahal – Writer and Educator

Carlos F. Perez – Comics Artist, Illustrator and Educator

David Heredia – Animator, Illustrator and Entrepreneur

Sasha Williams – Fashion Designer and Artist

KK Nixon – Artist and Illustrator

Lauren Small – Writer

Kelsi Jackson – Artist and Illustrator

Tani Andrews – Manga Artist and Writer

Cdeeq – Animator and Filmmaker

Allyssa Lewis – Animation Professional and Consultant and Creator of “My Animation Life”

Tehniyat Shaikh – Animator

Vinod Krishnan – Animator and Visual Development Artist

Ryan Adkins – Animator and Author

Abdiel Vallejo – Writer

Dominique S. Johnson – Novelist and Educator

Devin Ki’elle – Filmmaker and Entrepreneur

Nikki Igbo – Writer and Editor

Daniel Flores – Multidisciplinary Artist, Entrepreneur and Creator of “Art is King”

Posted
December 18, 2020
Category
The Creative Grind
Tags
, , , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Making My Creativity a Priority in 2020 (and 2021)

My focus has been a little all over the place the past few months. But now, things seem clear.

Despite taking a break from my work, I’ve finally started to carve out time to finish up Brothas and Losing Valarie. For the first time, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. During Christmas break, I will finish my work on the current interiors and exteriors for both series. I hope to start some new ones before Christmas break is over. Hopefully, I’ll be able to reveal the outcome soon. Because by Spring 2021, my focus will be on character designs as I try finishing up some summer leftovers while creating new ones.

By Summer 2021, I plan on spending my time focusing on my action-adventure series. I want to dedicate my art skills to create a visual representation of that show. I have my sights on starting character designs while other designs coming later in the year.

Photo by nappy on Pexels.com

Along with personal work, this year has been all about turning my passions into a steady income. Patreon, Etsy, Fiverr, and UpWork are helping my business to grow. Even though, I have slacked on marketing lately. Operating an LLC has its ups and downs, but I have to remember I’m in my first year. I have to accept the growing pains that come with being a young entrepreneur. I’m still in the process of building my freelance business as I look for representation – finances and law – and acquiring (and creating) the necessary equipment. By Summer 2021, I pray my business gains some serious traction.

In growing my business, I hope more freelance opportunities will start to roll in. I’ve noticed more individuals and some businesses are looking to fill much-needed roles with freelancers and contractors. Again, digital marketing will be the key to making this happen.

On a side note, I have decided to do my annual Black History Month project. Like past years, I will focus on Black superheroes, which I plan to start working on over Christmas break.

Just remember creativity is the key to success.

Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram! Until next time, be your best creative self!

Posted
November 18, 2020
Category
Writing While Black
Tags
, , , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Mixed Feelings Over a Creative Future

As 2020 barrels toward an unpredictable ending, being a Black writer has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Angry. Sad. Anxious. Joyous. Depressing. Exciting. Frustrating. But recent developments have been made me hesitantly optimistic.

Photo by Lum3n on Pexels.com

My creativity as a writer has been tested so many times this year. For me, 2020 was supposed to be my year, but God has other plans (not only for me but the world in general). I’ve witnessed Black body after Black body become viral sensations as the American mainstream finally recognized (not accepted) how racist the US truly is. So many times, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs in frustration and angry. I tried to write about it, but my mind and spirit wouldn’t let me. It was too tiring to use my words to educate or express my thoughts on the Black American experience.

Along with America finally (if only superficially) addressing racism, COVID-19 decided no one was going to have any fun in the first year of this new decade. Again, my thoughts and feelings couldn’t come together to speak on the fun destroyer. I experienced an overwhelming depression that led me to channel my feelings into overeating. Despite being an introvert, I found lockdown to be isolating and anxiety-filled as this pandemic brought this never-ending cycle of openings and shut downs. I’ve been isolated from my family for months with social media and phone calls being the only form of contact. Despite writing for months, I’ve felt no motivation to tend to my personal writing. I hope to change that in the near future.

But the past few weeks have taken the cake. Between the clusterfuck known as the presidential election and an unexpected car accident, I have been having a hard time. Watching this country be divided between red and blue, Black and White, and men and women has been surprising yet typical after the election. Seeing the Orange Man defeated after four years of nonsense was bittersweet. Part of me was joyous to return to a bit of normalcy while the other part of me knew udder chaos was bond to break out. The social media meltdowns were better than primetime television.

On the other end, my car accident left me with mental, emotional, and physical pain I will have to deal with you a while. Despite having an attorney and an orthopedist, the process hasn’t been easy. I still have to deal with things that out of my control. My frustration and annoyance has been on an all-time high.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

Despite all this turmoil, my creativity has never stopped. My mind is constantly filled with ideas of pieces I want to write. Hopefully, my plans for the rest of the year will pan out. Screenwriting is definitely in my sight as I plan on revising quite a bit over Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Working on Valarie, Brothas, and the untitled action adventure will be my main focus before 2020 ends. I feel inspired to work on a piece or two (one fiction and one nonfiction). I will see more coming from me in 2021.

Since taking my break, my freelance work has increased as more and more contract work continues to come in. While it can be overwhelming at times, I won’t want it any other way. I love being busy. I might even have even more work around the corner if some connections work out.

On the school front, the Fall semester is coming to an uncertain close. Dealing with COVID-19’s impact on education has made everyone involved feeling overwhelmed, despondent, and anxious. If recent news and emails are anything to go by, these circumstances won’t be going away any time soon. Hopefully, by Fall 2021, school will have dealt with the “new normal.”

Watch this space for more on my writing journey.

Posted
August 12, 2020
Category
Writing While Black
Tags
, , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Growing and Moving

As an artist, the act of art is all about shifting and growing as one continues to evolve. This year has proven to me that growth and change are necessary when it comes to purpose and dedication.

As a writer, I’ve noticed more and more that my writing needs a purposeful end goal. As evident by some of my recent posts, something has awakened in me when it comes to raising awareness. I feel my job as an artist is to spotlight both the good and bad of the world through storytelling. Writing those pieces on microaggression fulfilled me in a way that I only feel when writing my screenplays. I have to admit only a few news pieces have made me feel that way in recent months. This realization has created somewhat of a crossroads for me.

I highlighted in a past post about the current situation I’m dealing with a current contract job. That job has tested me not only as a writer but as a loyal employee. I took a break to reassess some things, but I feel I may be coming to the end of the road for me. But I’ll reveal my decision at a later date.

I know as an artist my evolution is an ongoing process that will never end. I once heard at a conference that creatives face a career shift every ten years. I’m actually in the midst of mine right now.

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

In regards to purpose, I’ve taken a mini-break from my screenwriting as I contemplate the direction of going forward with some of my work. Writing Losing Valarie has been a roller coaster as I constantly go back and forth about the direction of the story. Lately, I’ve been mulling over some ways to make it more current and update given its target audience. With technology playing a big role in the plot, I’ve tossed around some ideas about my teenage characters and its usage.

The hangup for my other series Brothas has been incorporating the parents more into the story while drawing from my real life. As my parents (more specifically my mother) were an integral part of my childhood, I feel incorporating a good moral base and relatable stories are essential.

As I continue to rewrite and restructure both shows, I’m still reaching out for more feedback on my scripts.

Soon, I’ll be hopping back into my unknown pilot. I want to do one or two more pass-throughs before I feel it is ready for feedback. With that said, it really is all about grinding it out to I get it right.

Photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile on Pexels.com

I’m still working on getting more freelance work as some of my clients begin to get back on their feet.

The final countdown to the start of school has begun. The set-up for my Fall courses is pretty much set as next Monday inches closer and closer. Despite looking forward to teaching on campus, I’m preparing to teach my students online. From my perspective, I feel the school year will be vastly different from last year. COVID-19 has thrown the educational system for a loop just like every other industry.

Watch this space for more on my writing journey.

Posted
July 24, 2020
Category
The Creative Grind
Tags
, , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Working on the Back – The Re-do

So last week turned out to be more writing-focused than anything so here is a repost of last week’s blog. I’m still working and striving to create the environment for my characters.

While I’ve been focusing on my character design work, I decided to concentrate on developing my background designs. I want to develop more of my look and aesthetics for many of my projects. For Losing Valarie, I wanted a simple color palette of pastels and dark colors to reflect the nature and subject matter of the series. I decided to keep my backgrounds limited and monochromatic to fit the characters and style. But ever since I’ve been working on this project, I wanted my characters and world to complement each other in the grand scheme.

My other project Brothas is the opposite of Losing Valarie with a bright color palette centered around primary colors. As seen in my character designs, I wanted the backgrounds to match more with my characters to reflect the style of the series. Whereas Losing Valarie is heavier in tone, I want the children’s series to be brighter and happier for families.

My still-untitled project leans more towards a teenage audience in the same vein of the original Teen Titans and Justice League. I eventually want the color palette to reflect the darker nature of the action-adventure series. I haven’t designed anything yet, but I already know what it may look like. 

While background design will be my focus, for the time being, I will eventually turn my attention to character design for my next set of characters. As I start building up more work, I put some of it on my website (be on the lookout!) while others might be Patreon exclusives.

Working on these projects allows me to tap into my creativity while creating something tangible when I get ready to present my ideas. While I prepare to get these shows off the ground, I’m still a few contests here and there as a way of getting my work seen.

With so much going on in the world, my social media presence has increased its importance in my work as I try recruiting more clients. My freelance work is coming slowly but surely, but I am definitely put in the work to expand my income.

Just remember creativity can lead to a lasting legacy.

Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram! Until next time, be your best creative self!

Posted
July 17, 2020
Category
The Creative Grind
Tags
, , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Working on the Back

Working on my personal and professional creativity has been an amazing outlet for my mental health.

While I’ve been focusing on my character design work, I decided to concentrate on developing my background designs. I want to develop more of my look and aesthetics for many of my projects. For Losing Valarie, I wanted a simple color palette of pastels and dark colors to reflect the nature and subject matter of the series. I decided to keep my backgrounds limited and monochromatic to fit the characters and style. But ever since I’ve been working on this project, I wanted my characters and world to complement each other in the grand scheme.

My other project Brothas is the opposite of Losing Valarie with a bright color palette centered around primary colors. As seen in my character designs, I wanted the backgrounds to match more with my characters to reflect the style of the series. Whereas Losing Valarie is heavier in tone, I want the children’s series to be brighter and happier for families.

My still-untitled project is leans more towards a teenage audience in the same vein of the original Teen Titans and Justice League. I eventually want the color palette to reflect the darker nature of the action-adventure series. I haven’t designed anything yet, but I already know what it may look like. 

While background design will be my focus, for the time being, I will eventually turn my attention to character design for my next set of characters. As I start building up more work, I put some of it on my website (be on the lookout!) while others might be Patreon exclusives.

Working on these projects allows me to tap into my creativity while creating something tangible when I get ready to present my ideas. While I prepare to get these shows off the ground, I’m still a few contests here and there as a way of getting my work seen.

With so much going on in the world, my social media presence has increased its importance in my work as I try recruiting more clients. My freelance work is coming slowly but surely, but I am definitely put in the work to expand my income.

Just remember creativity can lead to a lasting legacy.

Keep your eyes peeled on my Instagram! Until next time, be your best creative self!

Posted
May 10, 2019
Category
Screenwriting While Black
Tags
, , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Planning and Working Towards the Future

Beginning of the journey to employment

As evident by the images above, I put my future career first and decided to participate in SCAD’s Out to Launch.

It was definitely an out-of-body experience for me as I has step out of my introvert mindset and put on my extrovert mask. All those years of retail customer service paid off in a major way. I was able to network and connect with companies I would have never thought (along with a company or two I had looked up online). Keeping contact with some individuals from the event has started building some relationships as my career goes into full swing.

I did learn that having a printed materials on-hand was a great idea, and LinkedIn is your best friend when business cards are non-existent.

Besides all the great things, there were a few things that could have been a little better. Being a time-conscience person, the dis-concern for people’s time was a somewhat off-putting. But considering the institution I mentioned beforehand, it’s really no surprise.

Then, there was the lack of space for the participants. All that preparation – business cards, resumes, portfolios, etc – had to be crammed into this plastic bin. Any overflow had to be placed in a small gray box (mind you that came in hand as the event commenced). From undergrad, I can remember each participant getting their own booth where they could spread out. But given the space and location we had, that would have been impossible to accomplish.

Speaking of the location, I feel the layout didn’t work for what the school was trying to accomplish. Having the split between different floors and the placement of the classrooms made for a flow problem. Being in a back corner room doesn’t exactly entice prospective employers to visit your station. I felt a little shafted as some employers I wanted to see never came to my floor (despite asking for some help from the staff).

Ulterior motives was another problem I felt undermined the purpose of a reverse career fair. I don’t let certain companies and organizations come in trying to mine for prospective employees for their low-wage jobs.

Other than those gripes, I found the event to be very rewarding (along with tiresome and mind-numbing at times). Hopefully, this event has pushed my career in the right direction.

Come back next week for more on my life as a creative.

Don’t be a stranger! Comment below.

Posted
May 3, 2019
Category
Screenwriting While Black
Tags
, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments
0 Responses

Words of Wisdom with Gabby Rivera

Last week was a great week as a writer. SCAD-Atlanta hosted novelist and Marvel Comics writer Gabby Rivera for a keynote presentation on pushing against adversity in the entertainment industry.

 

Come back next week for more on my life as a creative.

Don’t be a stranger! Leave a comment below.

1 2
%d bloggers like this: