Originally broadcast May 3, 2019. Jerzy’s begun a new comics project, and it’s been a while since we’ve had an art demo on the LIA Cast, so this week join Jerzy and Rob for a demonstratio...
Ready for another day of work, yet not feeling it. So many valid reasons to be in that situation… yet also having due dates and commitments to meet. Sometimes the work is rewarding and the ou...
Working on the thumbnails for your next comic and discovered you’ve sketched dozens of pages of talking heads? We cartoonists can put the reader’s eye wherever we can imagine, so why don’t ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/5/6/lia-cast-359-viewing-angle-tells-the-story-mws
Posting socially is something most independent creators need to work with. I've often been the show up when I've made something, share it, then mostly hang back and like other folks stuff approac...
When you sit down to write a blog post is that a comfortable creative activity? Are there times when it feels like the words are stuck or just not sure how to say what you’re really trying to s...
We’ve all been there--you start out with the promise of a new day, a reasonably curated to-do list, and a commitment to make your art. And suddenly you look at the clock and it’s the end of t...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/4/15/lia-cast-356-prioritizing-your-work
Frustrated that you can’t find a way to bring the big feelings you get from others’ art into your own? Maybe you just need to train your analytic eye to level up your inferencing skills. Bein...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/4/8/lia-cast-355-training-your-analytic-eye
Clarity competes with other concerns when writing and illustrating - what’s a useful approach to get enough information and emotion into the page? When should you be going for clarity vs inspir...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/4/1/lia-cast-354-creating-clarity-or-inspiring-awe-cwc
Are you in meetings in person or on screen where you’re taking notes in front of folks? When we're listening to learn from a conversation even one other person or to work in a group we use a si...
Every once in a while we feel like we're in over our heads, whether it’s due to the number of tasks we've committed to, ambiguity of the tasks, or just feeling a bigger-than-usual sense of fric...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/3/18/lia-352-feeling-overwhelmed
It’s no big reveal that time tracking and journaling can be invaluable tools to help you find the time to focus on your creative work. But how do you pick the one that’s right for you and how...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/3/11/lia-cast-351-make-your-own-time-tracker-mws
Rob feels he has a variety of advocacy ideas tangled up and thinks it’ll be super useful talking with Jerzy on today’s show - he’s been doing advocacy through comics for years! SPONSORS F...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/3/4/lia-cast-350-advocacy-as-part-of-your-creative-business
Ever wonder what those paneling tools do in Clip Studio Paint? You’ll be surprised by how much they can speed up your work. Join Jerzy and Rob for a Mini Workshop episode where they demo 3 awes...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/2/25/lia-cast-349-panel-tools-in-clip-studio-paint-mws
When we make things, write stories, any creative work needs input. Sometimes that’s focused research, other times it’s the indirect idea fuel of taking time to recharge, play games, watch, an...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/2/18/lia-cast-348-readingwatchingplaying-cwc
Ever think about participating in hourly comics day or similar comics events? Avoid entirely but think about it still? Or try and get stuck? We’re going to take the worksheet my students use in...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/2/11/lia-347-create-a-fast-frequent-comics-challenge-mws
Ever not try an art project because you feel some fear about the work involved? This week Rob and Jerzy look at what they do when they feel frightened about making things. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPI...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/2/4/lia-346-projects-that-frighten-you-cwc
Jerzy and Rob share some tricks in Clip Studio Paint that will make flatting easy for beginners, and speedier for those who have been doing it a while. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Science Comic...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/1/28/lia-345-quick-flatting-in-clip-studio-paint-mws
Join Jerzy and Rob for an exploration of how our relationship with rest affects our work. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Boulder and Fleet: Mining for Trouble Rob's workshops and coaching Lean I...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/1/21/lia-cast-344-getting-and-believing-in-rest
Some frequently shared advice among creative people hoping to build an audience or attract customers is to “post something every day.” Many of us find this plan reasonable, yet difficult to a...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/1/14/lia-cast-343-shipping-every-day
This week Jerzy and Rob look at the Lean Into Art project itself as a case in point. When should you check in on your commitment to a long-term project, and how do you think about evolving it whi...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2021/1/7/lia-cast-342-should-you-evolve-your-long-term-project
SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Four Million Years Later Rob's workshops and coaching Lean Into Art Discord LINKS MENTIONED: Bruce Lee: The Tao of Gung Fu Lynda Barry's Syllabus Stan Bush G...
Jerzy and Rob celebrate the end of the year by practicing an Extra Lean episode, which are emergent discussions based on what we've recently experienced in our art. You can download more of them ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/12/24/lia-340-year-end-extra-lean
What happens when you begin to navigate the creative constraints of a project with the needs of the client, the users, and yourself in mind? Are the needs behind a project simply a list of requir...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/12/17/lia-cast-339-service-driven-design-can-make-it-better
Jerzy and Rob get together for another analysis of what they’ve been reading/watching/playing. In the second half they’ll look at how your own experience in the making of the thing can be a f...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/12/10/lia-cast-338-rwp-amp-picking-tools-for-your-experience
Last episode we started exploring creative time strategies and considering capacity as an overall foundation to help with being realistic about creative output. Here we continue exploring to he...
Creative projects need lots of things, different concerns to focus on. Each of those concerns takes time. Where’s the time to create? How can we be kind and realistic in our plans? If we do t...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/11/25/lia-336-where-in-the-blank-is-the-time-to-create
Jerzy and Rob check in on their 2020 Art Soundoff journals. What themes and topics did we choose, and why? What outcomes are we hoping for with this year’s challenge? If you’re participatin...
Last episode Jerzy and Rob talked about note taking on physical media, including a demonstration of taking notes. It’s a big topic, why and how you gather notes, and even how you put notes to u...
Note taking can help with gathering our thoughts and set us up to build upon ideas. Join us in this note taking and note using infused episode of the Lean Into Art podcast. Jerzy and Rob will dis...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/11/4/lia-cast-333-useful-note-taking-for-making-things
Whether digital or analog, favorite art tools have a timeline and a story to them. First you’re curious about a new way or something breaks and it’s time to try something else. Then you explo...
2020 has asked many of us to level up our skills with online teaching, learning, and presenting. Jerzy and Rob check in to see how they’ve been thinking about using a variety of video informati...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/10/22/lia-cast-331-art-amp-video-in-2021
Jerzy and Rob celebrate some of their favorite spooky stories and stories featuring monsters. In traditional LIA fashion, they also ask themselves why these stories appeal to them. Join the live ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/10/15/lia-cast-330-spooky-and-monster-stories
Creating for yourself, no matter your medium, has a power to it. Recently it’d been over a month since Jerzy drew something just for him. He found it invigorating and that’s the kind of thing...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/10/8/lia-cast-329-drawing-for-yourself
Some projects get the bulk of our effort and attention, yet others are those side projects that get less frequent or shorter durations of time and effort. In this episode of the Lean Into Art c...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2018/8/31/lia-cast-245-setting-up-projects-for-whittling-fl6h6
This week Jerzy and Rob are joined by returning guest Gregg Schigiel to talk about the value of keeping the connections between you and your social/professional network active. SPONSORS FOR THI...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/9/24/lia-cast-328-what-is-professionalism
Jerzy and Rob check in on what they’re reading/watching/playing, followed by another entry from the Obstacles series. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Rob's workshops...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/9/18/lia-cast-327-rwp-amp-obstacles-chaos
This week Jerzy and Rob look at the methods and rationale for hiding pieces of original art in public. LINKS TO SITES MENTIONED Jake Parker's Art Drops David Zinn Jerzy's PowerCon art drops...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/9/10/lia-cast-263-public-art-drops-rebroadcast
This week Jerzy and Rob are joined by returning guest Gregg Schigiel to talk about the value of keeping the connections between you and your social/professional network active. SPONSORS FOR THI...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/9/3/lia-326-creative-challenge-season-2020
Jerzy and Rob look at the role curiosity plays in designing, creating, marketing, and acquiring other skills useful to communicating with images. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Four Million Years ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/8/27/lia-cast-325-curiosity-to-level-up
Jerzy and Rob check in and model the big question: why do we do the work we do? SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Four Million Years Later Guitar Fretter Lean Into Art Discord THANKS TO OUR TOP ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/8/20/lia-cast-324-the-big-why
One way to add service to your products is to teach about how they get made. Marketing your work as an artist can be an uncomfortable second skill, though it could be more than that. Marketing yo...
Visual storytelling is a big theme with the Lean Into Art podcast. Also: working with what you have as a storyteller to do a myriad of things that go with not just the creative process but also p...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/8/6/lia-cast-249-ux-bag-of-useful-stuff-rebroadcast
What do you do when you’ve got a product that you can’t find a partner for? Is it time to set it aside and try something else, or is it time to hire yourself to and go it alone? Join Jerzy an...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/7/30/lia-cast-322-maybe-its-time-to-hire-yourself
Is there an easy and useful way to find success criteria for projects in a technology you’re excited about? This week Jerzy and Rob talk about when it’s exciting and tempting to try a new (or...
This week Jerzy and Rob look at ways they’ve sought out more efficient approaches to drawing using digital tools. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Super Comics Challenge 2 Rob and Kate's coaching...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/7/16/lia-cast-320-digital-drawing-hacks
This week Jerzy and Rob take a look at some of the obstacles we encounter in making our art. How do we struggle with finding time for our whittling and side projects while also trying to keep ref...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/7/9/lia-cast-319-obstacles-managing-time-managing-energy
This week Jerzy and Rob are joined by returning guest Gregg Schigiel to talk about the value of keeping the connections between you and your social/professional network active. SPONSORS FOR THI...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/7/2/lia-cast-190-getting-there-being-there-rebroadcast
Uncertainty, unrest, new realities, and managing a side hustle can easily lead to burnout. What do you do to navigate or manage it? How can describing the systems that lead to burnout help us? Jo...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/6/25/lia-cast-318-navigating-burnout
Join Jerzy and Rob as we put our streaming studios through some tests! Work continues on our studios evolving, a couple episodes ago we mentioned working on our studios, learning the OBS streamin...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/6/17/lia-cast-317-drawing-games-amp-setting-up-creative-spaces
A truth for many of us is we have to hold down some other jobs while we hustle to make our art. How do we think about this friction between keeping the lights on and developing new products? Sp...
Instead of our usual exploration of visual storytelling and thinking about creative process, this week we have a brief yet important message to share. Our message is that we’re here to love, ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/6/4/black-lives-matter-1
Rob and Jerzy like to remind themselves to make space for reading, watching, and playing. Join us for an exploration of media we engage with for relaxation and inspiration and even refueling. S...
The tools we use to make and share our art change a lot. Individual tools wear out, digital tools change company hands, business plans change and tools get decommissioned. As makers we are often ...
Join Jerzy and Rob as they explore creating projects and works that are inclusive, think through ways to detect and avoid toxicity, and celebrate practicing/working to be both sensitive and patie...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/5/14/lia-cast-189-inclusive-creative-work-rebroadcast
Back in episode 230 we talked with Jon David Guerra about taking on big projects and hiring collaborators. Jon returns to reflect on his experience and what he learned in creating Nightmare Pro W...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/5/7/lia-314-learning-from-collaborating-with-jon-david-guerra
Continuing our exploration of virtual events begun in the last episode, Rob and Jerzy are joined by cartoonist, narrative designer, and DM of the Big DunJen Show, Jen Vaughn. Together they’ll l...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/4/30/lia-cast-313-virtual-events-pt-2-with-jen-vaughn
Practicing safe behavior during a global pandemic means the cancelation of more and more mass gatherings. Many events and institutions have turned to video conferencing and streaming to pursue t...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/4/23/lia-cast-312-virtual-events
What kind of inspiration do we choose to surround ourselves? Join Jerzy and Rob for a conversation about taking a look around the home creative space, asking what things are there in the backgrou...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/4/17/lia-cast-311-inspiration-nearby
Minicomics are a favorite topic on the Lean Into Art Cast. As Jerzy and Rob have expressed in many episodes, they’re a great format for testing out new ideas or proving to yourself that you can...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/4/9/lia-cast-246-minicomics-preflight-checklist-rebroadcast
Jerzy and Rob are joined by Steve Hamaker, creator of Plox, collaborator on The Pathfinders Society, and colorist of the graphic novels Hilo and Bone. Together they look at how color helps tell a...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/4/2/lia-cast-310-storytelling-and-color-with-steve-hamaker
How do we think about projects and products? Jerzy and Rob recently watched Jake Parker’s video on "you need a product not a project" which prompts our conversation in this episode. Jerzy and R...
Positioning yourself in an industry/community can involve identifying what makes your art or service distinct. How do we think about developing language to explain what makes our work unique, and...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/3/18/lia-cast-308-your-creative-identity
This week Jerzy and Rob are joined by returning guest Gregg Schigiel to talk about the value of keeping the connections between you and your social/professional network active. SPONSORS FOR THI...
Occasionally Rob and Jerzy like to remind themselves to make space for reading, watching, and playing. Join us for an exploration of media we engage with for relaxation and inspiration. SPONSOR...
Creative process has an objective progression in some ways. There you are with an idea at one point in time, stuff happens, now you are in the future with something you created. Would you do your...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/2/28/lia-cast-305-which-mental-model-for-your-creative-project
Dave.Sri Seah returns to the Lean Into Art Cast for a discussion on his annual Groundhog Day Resolutions plan. Join us for an exploration on finding the work that’s meaningful to you, setting g...
Join Jerzy and Rob for an exploration of the incidental parts of making art and teaching, and how that can be used to develop workshops, presentations, or demonstrations that appeal to hosting or...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/2/13/lia-cast-304-developing-a-workshop-or-event
Ryan Estrada returns to the Lean Into Art Cast! This time we’re talking about the joys and challenges of making things with the people closest to you. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Four Million...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/2/5/lia-cast-303-working-together-with-ryan-estrada
Jerzy shares some of the classroom activities he uses to get students thinking hard about the various design choices presented when designing characters for visual storytelling. SPONSORS FOR TH...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/1/29/lia-cast-302-character-design-exercises
Join Jerzy and Rob as they discuss ways to practice little habits that can feed and support aspects of our art, business, and beyond. They’ll be revisiting the Lean Into Art Quests as a way to ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/1/23/lia-cast-301-2-minutes-to-practice
Constructing a community around ideas we care a lot about and want to help others make use of: pursuing your art, developing it to where you want it to be, even teaching what you’ve learned alo...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/1/16/lia-cast-300-learners-and-leaners-arent-we-all
Last week we reflected on our professional adventures in 2019. This time we look ahead to thinking about what we want to learn and how we want to creatively grow in 2020. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPIS...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/1/9/lia-cast-299-2020-creative-amp-learning-goals
Every year is worth reflecting on, both Jerzy and Rob had interesting professional adventures in 2019 and now it’s 2020! Perfect time to look back and ask what we learned from those adventures....
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2020/1/2/lia-cast-298-learning-from-professional-adventures-in-2019
For many of us it’s the holiday season at the end of 2019, so Jerzy and Rob take a look at what they’re reading/watching/playing to refresh and relax before striking out into 2020. SPONSORS...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/12/27/lia-cast-297-rwp
Making minicomics has been a celebrated topic on the Lean Into Art Cast. They offer a low-risk way to get some practice on your craft, test out ideas for larger works, or explore the emotional jo...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/12/19/lia-cast-296-fiction-and-nonfiction-minicomics
It’s time for a fresh look at why mini-comics are so great. Join us for a discussion on the advantages mini-comics offer when added to your art practice. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Boulder a...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/12/12/lia-cast-215-celebrating-mini-comics-rebroadcast
Continuing our “obviously” series of favorite topics, Jerzy and Rob are discussing what’s so great about journaling and reflection as a habit just for their own sake and especially when you...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/12/5/lia-cast-295-reflection-and-journaling-to-learn-and-plan
Join Jerzy and Rob for a discussion on the role of gratitude in creative endeavors and how being intentional about expressing gratitude changes the way one might feel about the work. SPONSORS F...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2018/2/9/lia-cast-223-gratitude-95xry
Similar in spirit to our last episode about comics we visit another obvious in hindsight topic. It’s been a while since Jerzy and Rob have talked about what’s so great about UX, so if you’r...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/11/21/lia-cast-294-ux-obviously
It’s been a while since Jerzy and Rob have talked about what’s so great about comics, so if you’re in the mood for a joyous discussion on visual communication, this is an episode for you. ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/11/14/lia-cast-293-comics-obviously
Jerzy and Rob look at how they’re finding Art Soundoff , model some of the strategies they use to create audio journals, and celebrate some of the entries by the Leaners this year. SPONSORS F...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/11/7/lia-cast-292-art-soundoff-check-in
Jerzy and Rob check in late Fall season for a discussion on what they’re reading, watching, and playing for fun, learning, and recharging. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Four Million Years Later...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/10/31/lia-cast-291-rwp
Jerzy and Rob team up with the hosts of the Tell the Damn Story podcast, Alex and Chris, for a two-part discussion on writing, art, and finding your way through this endeavor of creating for an a...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/10/24/lia-cast-290-lean-into-the-damn-story-pt-2
Art Soundoff 6.0 is coming up, join Jerzy and Rob for a discussion on how they plan to make the most of this year and the kinds of things we’re inviting others to explore with this art journal ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/10/17/lia-cast-289-developing-and-journaling-via-art-soundoff
Starting is hard. Shipping is hard. And it gets hard midway through the making of the thing. You hit setbacks, frictions occur, and frustration sets in. So how do you find that momentum again to ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/10/10/lia-cast-288-finding-momentum-midway-through
As we level up at making things, we might be called upon (or feel a calling) to share our knowledge and experience with others. But how do you unpack what you do in order to help others understan...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/10/3/lia-cast-287-designing-a-workshop-experience
Talking about making fast & fun comics on the LIA Cast! What makes mini comics and zines worthwhile to us? In this episode of the Lean Into Art Cast, Jerzy, Rob, and special guest Zack Giallon...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2016/4/22/lia-cast-152-minicomics-carnage-with-zack-giallongo-gmwtk
New projects sometimes require new tools. Jerzy and Rob explore what illustration and design tools we’re finding useful of late and in what situations are we "hiring" them to get stuff done. ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/9/19/lia-cast-286-trying-new-tools-when-and-why
Creative challenge season is nearly here, so Jerzy and Rob turn their attention to thinking about what value they find in creative challenges and how they might hack them to find new learning and...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/9/12/lia-cast-285-hacking-creative-challenges-2019
And old saw we haven’t used on the Lean Into Art Cast in some time is “limitations breed creativity.” What we typically mean by this is that limiting one’s choices in a creative endeavor ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/9/5/lia-cast-201-the-influence-of-constraint-rebroadcast
How does a storyteller use distance and viewing angle to communicate emotion and meaning? Join us for an interactive episode of the Lean Into Art Cast in which Jerzy will take emotion words from ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/8/29/lia-cast-284-what-does-viewing-angle-mean
Getting ideas out of your head, gathering a whole bunch of them all at once is a useful creative exercise in so many situations! Jerzy and Rob explore different ways they use to generate ideas ...
Jerzy and Rob check in at the end of summer vacation season for a discussion on what they’re reading, watching, and playing. In the second half of the show they respond to some messages Leane...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/8/15/lia-cast-282-rwp-amp-leaner-comments
What do I need a mentor for when I have YouTube? Join us for a discussion on the value we’ve received in being mentors as well as mentees. SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE Boulder and Fleet: Minin...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/8/7/lia-cast-281-mentoring
Making things to communicate visually means subjecting yourself to an onslaught of rejection. This week we look at how we react to and engage with rejection and how it affects the work. SPONSOR...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/8/1/lia-cast-280-rejection
Developing and designing video games is something we like to discuss from time to time and it’s been a while. Join Jerzy and Rob for discussion and a tour of Unity game development platform fro...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/7/25/lia-cast-279-unity-game-dev-beginner-thoughts
There are lots of different software options these days for drawing, but one that Jerzy’s been excited about for several years now is Clip Studio Paint. This time on the Lean Into Art Cast, Jer...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/7/18/lia-cast-278-clip-studio-paint-comics-process
Jerzy and Rob check in during the summer vacation season for a discussion on what they’re reading, watching, and playing. In the second half of the show they respond to some messages Leaners ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/7/11/lia-cast-277-rwp-amp-leaner-comments
Things come up, new projects, unexpected challenges with a task, requests from a collaborator that could use your help. Join Jerzy and Rob for a discussion of unexpected problems and a couple of ...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/7/3/lia-cast-276-problem-solving-odds-and-ends
Jerzy’s back from the 10th anniversary Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF) with observations and reflections on his experience. Join Jerzy and Rob for an exploration of planning and executing...
https://www.leanintoart.com/blog/2019/6/28/lia-cast-275-reflecting-on-a2caf