The Ugly Goat

You can’t take him anywhere…

The Ugly Goat — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:05:07 +0000

Seth and I travel half way around the world to Seth’s parents place in California, where they welcome us into their home with open arms.

Last night, the maids have left the house spic and span and we’re standing in the kitchen, just chatting, while Seth’s parents cook dinner… when Seth (for some reason known only to himself) starts turning his pockets inside out, dumping drifts of lint and old paper all over the clean kitchen floor.

Seth’s mum turns to him with a look of ‘What the hell are you doing to my clean floor?’
Seth, ever the gentleman, apologises for the mess and explains:

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to empty lint all over your clean floor. I thought my pockets were full of sand.”

Nice one Seth.

Char Reed Illustration – Helping animals in the gulf

The Ugly Goat — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:39:49 +0000

Char Reed is offering the beautiful artwork above as prints and greeting cards, with 100% of the earnings being donated to these two very worthy charities:

The International Bird Rescue Research Center

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies

It’s a beautiful artwork and a generous offer of help to where it’s most needed right now.
Please visit Char Reed’s Blog to read more about it, and help spread the word.

A Sneak Peak

The Ugly Goat — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:44:24 +0000

I’m finding these days that instead of just being able to upload recently finished artworks to show what I’ve been up to, I have to actually write about what I’ve been up to. It’s very different.

As some of you probably already know, my current project is a large one. I’m illustrating a complete oracle deck of about 50 cards, which means about 50 seperate illustrations.

It’s a BIG job.

And while I’ve worked my way through a fair chunk of the work, I’m not yet able to share what I’ve been doing – I can’t only release the images after publication. So it’s going to be a while still.

The good news with a project this size (aside from the obvious benefit of stable work) is that I can really immerse myself in it. I’m noticing I’m learning a lot rather quickly, and have REALLY learnt a lot about speed and efficiency while working.

And I CAN show you some sketches and half finished paintings that didn’t make it!

And that is what my day consists of at the moment – sketching, painting, sending emails to my client, waiting for approvals, rinse and repeat!

Get off me!

The Ugly Goat — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:43:52 +0000

Nothing says ‘relaxing evening’ like a movie, a long hot shower, a fresh towel dried by the fire and…
a white tail spider emerging from your towel as you dry yourself, and having a wander about on your naked stomach.

I’d just like to point out that me making horrified donkey noises as I flung it across the room, or doing a weird panic dance as I squished it, are nothing more than vicious rumours.
I responded in a restrained, rugged, ‘Crocodile Dundee’ type of way because I am Australian and frankly mate, that’s what we do.
No, really.

There’s chalk everywhere

The Ugly Goat — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:36:15 +0000

Whenever I say this people’s eyebrows shoot up over their heads, they lean in close to me, only to lean back and squint and say
“REALLY?”
And yes. Yes really. Here, I’ll say it:

I’m afraid of chalk.

Yes, I know it’s not going to hurt me. No, a chalk didn’t kill my father.
It started out as just a dislike. Then an intense aversion. Now a fear.
It makes my blood run cold, and gives me the overwhelming urge to lick my fingernails in recovery. (Yeah, I don’t understand that either).

And you know what sucks? REALLY sucks?
Chalk is everywhere!
I swear that almost every movie, every sitcom, even every documentary that I’ve watched in the last 3 months contains at least, at least one chalk scene.
Can’t they put warnings for this sort of thing on the DVD cover? Or in the opening credits? What if I had a seizure and died from seeing chalk?

Seriously, next time you’re watching a movie, take note of how many times people use chalk.
And if the number is zero, drop me a line – it sounds like the very movie for me!

Comfort! Yes! Yes comfort!

The Ugly Goat — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:38:32 +0000

My cat has no issues with comfort

This might seem ridiculous. This might seem blatantly obvious.
But!

I’ve come to the realization that I should never under estimate the importance of comfort on my ability to actually get work done.

I mean, aside from the obvious issues of good ergonomics, I found I tended to overlook simple comfort.
And, often, overlooked good ergonomics too. But shhh! That’s all in the past!

But here’s the thing – when I’m uncomfortable, I’m distracted. But when I’m not distracted, I work better.

Simple, yes, but think about how often you’ve overlooked these things yourself.
Do you work when you’re hungry, and would really work better after a meal?
Do you find yourself working in a room too hot, or too cold, and you just lump it? Do you work in clothes that aren’t comfortable to sit in for long hours at a time? Would be happier with that cushion after all?

I always tended to ignore ‘minor’ things. But recently I’ve become fussy, and, actually, it’s worked out rather well.
Seems a get a hell of a lot more done, and produce things of a better quality, when I’m not only not uncomfortable, but actually decidedly comfortable.

So those of you working in sweatpants now have my official endorsement. Lucky you.

Overhaul!

The Ugly Goat — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 13:58:34 +0000

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m doing a bit of an overhaul here.
My apologies for anything not working 100% as it should – I’ll have stuff sorted out in a jiffy!

Strength in numbers

The Ugly Goat — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 05:40:32 +0000

We all know about the importance of being part of an art community for support as an artist, and the importance of customer/client support to keep us going.
That said, some of the best support I’ve gotten didn’t come from other artists or even my clients.

Some of the best support I’ve gotten came from small business owners who know what it’s like to do it tough, and generously offered me a helping hand.

I couldn’t have made it through (wouldn’t be making it through now) without the help, past and ongoing, of these other people.

The gift store owner who let me hang my work on consignment.

Or the couple that owns the new age store in a nearby town and took a chance on buying my earliest work.

The woman who bought out my entire inventory one day, for sale through her small retail outlet, the friend who let me order jewellery from her store and pay in barter, the café owner who put my paintings on her wall and my business cards on her front counter….there’s a long list, but the important thing to note?

All these people were trying to make their own small businesses work too.

They were in the same boat as me.

Sure, of them had first class tickets and I was in the hull of the ship, rolling around with the fish guts and empty rum barrels, but still, my point remains:
It would have been ridiculously easy for any of these people to tell me to walk the plank (What? You don’t want to keep running with this boat theme? But pirates are fun!) and yet, to my surprise, I found so many small businesses (especially local ones) were prepared to give me a go.

And in turn, I think it only fair to be supportive back.

Not to mention a sound business decision!

Realistically, anybody wanting to hang art on their walls could go to Big W and pick up a mass-printed canvas for $30 or so and leave me out of a job. They could pick up any gifts they wanted while they were there, some mass produced silver-toned jewellery and hell, maybe some new age books and clothes and why bother going anywhere else? It’s all right here!

Luckily, there are still people out there who value things that aren’t mass produced, and are willing to pay for something unique or well crafted. And from a shop owner who knows what they sell, and knows their customers, and who takes pride in what they do.

Sadly, in many ways, it’s a niche market.
Every day hordes of people flock to buy cheap, made in bulk options.
Sometimes it’s a wonder small businesses, craftsmen and artists survive.

I guess many don’t.

So the best thing I think we can do to keep ourselves afloat and help keep each other’s dreams of working for yourself alive?

Support each other.

Make friends with other small businesses.

And when a client wants something you can’t provide?
Refer them.

Talk up other small businesses and freelances and sole traders.

Sharing customers won’t loose you business.

In fact, it’ll widen the pool.

Strike up deals with other small business owners.
Sell to each other at reduced costs to save both of you money.
Figure out barter systems.
Encourage each other.
Share relevant information.
Essentially, do what you can to make each other’s lives easier.
Because making your own living like that is hard.
But it’s so much easier when you know you have the support of other people who know what it’s like.

Repay the support given to you! And pay it forward to others who need it.

And to the people, the businesses, the freelancers, the designers, the other artists – all of you who are going it alone too, and have still found it in you to help me out as well?
Yarrr, an enormous thankye me hearties.
I would no nay ne’er ‘ave made it without ye!

Resolving my issues with motivation

The Ugly Goat — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:15:42 +0000

I’m a little OCD. Ok, a lot.
I analyse everything with the (possibly slightly unhealthy) belief I can apply a system to it, tidy it up, organize it, control it.
And then maybe blog about it a little…

The good news this time, dear reader?
I believe I have finally figured out what, for me at least, causes a major motivation crisis.
Aha!
And, maybe, just maybe, forewarned is forearmed. And I can avoid pounding the desk with my forehead.

It’s all about motivational equilibrium!

‘How so?’, you ask ‘What the devil are you talking about, my OCD friend? And why do you wash your hands so frequently? Do you really number your socks?’

Well, I’ve observed in myself that there are two types of important motivation for me.
Internal motivation
External motivation
Let’s start with internal motivation.

Internal motivation

Internal motivation is the motivation that comes from one’s self.
It’s abstract.
It’s the feeling of personal inspiration.
It’s self satisfaction at a job well done.
Internal motivation is all about how we feel, and seeking out positive feelings of accomplishment, self confidence and satisfaction.
It’s the sort of motivation that you experience when you push yourself to do the best painting you’ve ever done, not so that other people will tell you it’s the best painting you’ve ever done, but so that you personally can enjoy the feeling of growth and achievement.

External motivation

External motivation is the motivation that comes from outside one’s self.
It’s tangible.
It’s a fat paycheck.
It’s a pat on the back.
It’s the sound of applause and praise for your work.
External motivation is about what we acquire. Status, financial benefits, increased work, big name clients.
It’s the sort of motivation you experience when you have bills due, and you need money to pay them. Or you want to buy some super cool thing you found online, or you want a particular company to hire you.

The misery of imbalance

Looking back over periods of time when I felt least motivated, I realise that what I was experiencing was actually a serious imbalance of motivations.

For instance, I found that jobs that provided the external motivation of high pay, and yet lacked any opportunity for me to feel any internal motivation of growth or accomplishment at the end, made me feel miserable and uninspired.
I asked myself: “Am I turning into a sell-out? Do I only care about money now? What happened to my love of painting?”
I felt not only uninspired to paint, but bad about myself both as an artist and as a person.

When the reverse was true, and I had internal motivation and no external motivation, I felt just as bad.
“Why am I excited and doing my best work, and yet struggling to pay bills? Why do I bother when it’s getting me nowhere financially, and yet other artists around me are making a good living? Does nobody else understand or appreciate what I do? If I feel this confident about my work right now, and I’m STILL not making ends meet, is there any future for me?”

The rewards of equilibrium

Once I started to suspect that the imbalance of these two types of motivations was what was making me so uninspired to do anything, I experimented with trying to correct it.
This in itself wasn’t easy, but once I knew what I was dealing with, I was at least able to make some tweaks in projects I took on and when in order to best balance the results I needed.

In practical terms, this meant a few things.

Sometimes it meant setting personal challenges for myself in paid artworks, so I’d not only feel motivated to complete the image for the money I was being paid, but so that I’d also feel motivated to get to work to see if I could meet the challenge.

Other times it’d mean seeking out ways of selling the image when it was done, so I could feel that my artwork wasn’t only for me and that I was actually getting somewhere not only as an artist, but as somebody trying to make a living from art.

I also found that, when the reward of sales weren’t an option, the external reward of a day off, the purchase of a long lusted after book or the watching of a movie worked wonders too.

When each project (or at least, each day of work, or even each week of work) offered potential for both internal and external rewards, I started to feel genuine excitement about my work again.
I also started to feel good about myself not only as an artist, but as a person.

My work offers me personal satisfaction!
My work yeilds real world results!
This is wonderful! I want to do it again!

My motivational issues were, on some level, resolved.

While I have no doubt in future that I’ll experience other types of problems in completing work (I haven’t experienced much artist’s block in the past, so perhaps it’s coming to me in the future?), I feel reasonably confident that through keeping a balance of both internal and external motivations, I’ve given my artistic life a serious boost of longevity.
Thus I can number my socks and arrange my pens exactly 10cm from the edge of my desk in peace and happiness.

What about you? Do you try to keep your motivations balance?
What do you do to keep yourself happily moving forward?

An attractive couple

The Ugly Goat — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:21:19 +0000

Need I say more?