In this episode we're going to talk about why your creativity NEEDS constraints! Even though they seem like setbacks, if we can embrace them, they can actually push us forward in our work. In Chapter 1, I'll tell you the story of how a concert went totally wrong — and how that resulted one of the best-selling Jazz albums of all time. In Chapter 2, I'll give you the 4 types of constraints you'll encounter in your illustration work, and how to use each one to push you forward in your own creativity!HOW TO SUPPORTSupport what we're doing by joining me on Patreon at http://Patreon.com/tomfroeseLearn illustration in one of my Skillshare classes. Visit http://tomfroese.com/teaching to find links to all my classes. Use these links and get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare!Join my mailing list: http://tomfroese.com/contact IN THIS EPISODEChapter 1: The Köln ConcertHow everything went wrong for jazz pianist Keith JarretHow Jarret made the most of his setbackConclusion: creativity doesn't happen in the absence of constraints; it happens when we rise to themChapter 2: The Four Kinds of ConstraintsIntro: Constraints help us focus our creativity in a powerful wayWe need to seek constraints on purpose to help us get started01 External Constraints - Those that come built into the project02 Internal Constraints - Those that come built into us03 Constraints that WE CHOOSE - Style, Tools and Techniques04 Constraints that CHOOSE US - AKA SetbacksSummary - The real creativity is not in the constraint, but in how WE rise to them. LINKS FROM THIS EPISODEKoln Concert - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Köln_ConcertA Jazz Night to Remember (Wall Street Journal) - https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122367103134923957‘The Köln Concert’: How Keith Jarrett Defied The Odds To Record His Masterpiece (udiscovermusic.com) https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/koln-concert-keith-jarrett/Strategies for Making Work You're Actually Good At (My talk at Design Thinkers Vancouver) - https://youtu.be/Aa3BZd2JyhcWhen a Client Gives Me Their Sketches - The 6 Stages of Illustration: Leading Clients Through Your Art (Skillshare class) - https://skl.sh/3LxzI4IChoosing Your Style Constraints - The Style Class: Work Out Your Illustration Style in a Daily Project - https://www.tomfroese.com/teaching/thestyleclassPODCAST TEAM/CREDITS Julia Herrick, Script Editorhttps://julesherrick.comMark Allan Falk, Audio/Video Engineerhttps://linktr.ee/semiathleticAll Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk. FIND ME ELSEWHERE http://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese

What’s your point? Sometimes it’s not so easy to say. We ramble. We doodle. We struggle to know exactly what we want to say and do in our art. But once we find it, everything seems to come together smoothly. So how do we find our point? In this episode, I talk about how the power of focus helps us get there, and how we find this focus in the first place. Join my Mailing List at https://www.tomfroese.com/contactThis is a continuation of my exploration of Composition, which we started in Episode 11. While I promised a more straightforward set of ”breakthrough” composition tips, as I wrote this episode, I really got stuck in the weeds. What I ended up realizing is that composition is easier to show, visually, than to talk about. So I will have to save much of what I have to say here in my future Skillshare class on the topic.HOW TO SUPPORTMy team and I work hard to produce each episode for this podcast. You can support what we're doing by joining me on Patreon at http://Patreon.com/tomfroeseYou can also support me by taking my Skillshare classes. Visit http://tomfroese.com/teaching to find links to all my classes. Use these links and get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare!Join my Mailing List to receive updates on the podcast, my classes and other important updates on my work. Visit https://www.tomfroese.com/contact IN THIS EPISODEOpener: What’s Your Point?Main contentThe Power of FocusHaving anINTENTION is the keyThe Most Important Principle of Composition: UnityWhat it means to have more Unity in our artListener MailQuestion from SAA on YouTube: “How do you choose just one style when you work in many?”PODCAST TEAM/CREDITSJulia Herrick, Script Editorhttps://julesherrick.comMark Allan Falk, Audio/Video Engineerhttps://linktr.ee/semiathleticAll Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk. FIND ME ELSEWHEREhttp://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese

In this episode I explore the questions many of us have as illustrators, where it comes to composition: how do I know what to include in the art, and how do I know where to put it? In Chapter 1 we look into what composition might be, and then in Chapter 2, I offer 5 steps you can take to make more confident decisions in your compositions. HOW TO SUPPORTMy team and I work hard to produce each episode for this podcast. You can support what we're doing by joining me on Patreon at http://Patreon.com/tomfroese. You can also support me by taking my Skillshare classes. Visit http://tomfroese.com/teaching to find links to all my classes. Use these links and get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare! IN THIS EPISODEOpenerChapter 1: Composition is EverythingChapter 2: Five Steps to Better CompositionsState your INTENTIONDeclare your CONTEXTDevelop a CONCEPTDecide on your CONTENTWork out your COMPOSITION (based on all of the above)Closing LINKS TO STUFF MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEPete Ryan - http://instagram.com/petexryan/Noma Bar - https://www.instagram.com/noma_bar/If you want to know more about anything I mentioned anything in this episode, please let me know! OTHER STUFFI first heard the The Beverly Hale quote about composition from the Draftsman podcast episode on Composition PODCAST TEAM/CREDITSJulia Herrick, Script Editorhttps://julesherrick.com Mark Allan Falk, Audio/Video Engineerhttps://linktr.ee/semiathleticAll Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk. FIND ME ELSEWHEREhttp://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese

In this episode, I share the experience of showing up at the blank page and coming up with an idea. While this episode is much shorter than usual, it's packed with insights about how I face creative block head on, and how I find my way through it to find the right idea on the other side!SKILLSHARE LIVE | VIRTUAL TRAVEL SKETCHING WITH PAINT PENSBuy your ticket - Eventbrite LinkPromo code for Thoughts on Illustration Listeners: SKLive2023TFHOW TO SUPPORTMy team and I work hard to produce each episode for this podcast. You can support what we're doing by joining me on Patreon at http://Patreon.com/tomfroeseYou can also support me by taking my Skillshare classes. Visit http://tomfroese.com/teaching to find links to all my classes. Use these links and get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare! IN THIS EPISODEOpenerCelebrating the first 10 episodes!Main contentSitting down to write but my mind is racingHow to focus and find my idea?How facing the doubts and negative feelings head on is how I find my ideasWhy it's important to ask, "Who cares?"Resolution: Finding my idea PODCAST TEAM/CREDITSJulia Herrick, Script Editorhttps://julesherrick.comMark Allan Falk, Audio/Video Engineerhttps://linktr.ee/semiathleticAll Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk. FIND ME ELSEWHEREhttp://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese

Today we’re going to talk about how to loosen up in our art. I know a lot of us struggle to have a sense of freshness and energy in our work, especially as we develop a piece from looser sketch to the more finished piece. What often happens is that a sketch starts off feeling loose and promises something better than what we end up with. It’s very common to find that we like our sketches more than the final illustration. Why is that? And how, if at all, can we achieve the same loose feeling of our sketches in our final art?In this episode, I’m going to share my own story of how I wrestled with this question — of having a more spontaneous feeling to my work versus something more planned out — and why, over time, for ME my work has seemed to head more in the scripted, planned out direction — and why I’m okay with that. At the same time, I still try to build in as much looseness as I can, and at the end of the episode I’ll share some tips on how to do that. HOW TO SUPPORTMy team and I work hard to produce each episode for this podcast. You can support what we're doing by joining me on Patreon at http://Patreon.com/tomfroeseYou can also support me by taking my Skillshare classes. Visit http://tomfroese.com/teaching to find links to all my classes. Use these links and get 30 days of free membership on Skillshare! IN THIS EPISODEChapter 1: To be (Scripted) or Not to be (Scripted)?Comparing being scripted in this podcast to planning out my illustrationsComparing my earlier more improvised illustration style to my more planned out style todayWhy I made this shift to more "scripted", in both illustration and podcastingIs there a trick to looking or feeling spontaneous and loose in your work? If so, what is it?Chapter 2: How to Loosen Up in Your ArtWhat does it meant to be loose?How can you loosen up?Looking unscripted doesn't mean literally having no planResisting the temptation to close every shape5 tips for loosening up in your work LINKS FROM THIS EPISODEMy first professional illustration job - Tidings Magazine (link to Issuu — https://issuu.com/ukings/docs/tidings2008summer) PODCAST TEAM/CREDITS Julia Herrick, Script Editorhttps://julesherrick.comMark Allan Falk, Audio/Video Engineerhttps://linktr.ee/semiathleticAll Music, including Theme Song and Cues by Mark Allan Falk. FIND ME ELSEWHERE http://linktr.ee/mrtomfroese