How to win at art.

[@simonwilsoncreative]

I love listening to you ‘yammering on’ - your conversations always make a lasting impression on me compared to 99% of other content creators who tend to ‘drone’. Always insightful, calming, creative and above all, inspirational. Thanks Danny 😊

[@bu8483]

It became harder and harder to find people actually thinking. Useless to say about people sharing their thoughts! Rarest! I need to listen to someone honest and interesting. I'm hooked. Your essays are useful, insightful and fair. I like them. So. Thanks and... to many more! Adri

[@pedlarspen9876]

YES! this is the correct attitude to making art. It not a competition, if you enjoyed making it & really got into it- Then it was successful ! Art isn't even about the finished piece on the paper, it's all about doing it, so fill up your Sketchbooks with what you feel like doing. Art is a personal thing.

[@barbarastclair9429]

Danny, Listening to you is like a warm cup of tea- invigorating and yet restful too. You have a wonderful way about you. Great ideas and kind words of steady encouragement. Thank you. I enjoy your "Draw with me" segments, cause it's like drawing with friends in grade school...' can I barrow your crayon?...' happy memories. I enjoy your email essays and then listening again to them on Monday. I like seeing your sketchbooks and ideas for our sketchbooks as well. Keep "winning" at life & being your best self. PS I love that you aren't too competitive PPS love episodes when your wife is with you, your a great team!

[@christinesmusic2024]

I needed this message today… well for a while actually. The sketchbooks have breathed life back into my enthusiasm and your videos are a driving force that keeps me going. So appreciative of you.

[@SketchBookSkool]

Yay!

[@SharonFong-e4g]

I enjoy your short videos and your philosophical approach to sketchbook journalling.

[@elisabethseeger5837]

I draw and paint as an appreciation of life - nothing else matters- i only paint what I love

[@JoAnneSmith-di8ok]

Sounds like you have a bunch of good ideas. I really don't have negative thoughts about my art. My teachers instilled in me that this is a growth process.. My father said, "We practice art everyday". It's about expressing who I am through art. I just have a damned good time. Life isn't long enough now that I am 65 years old. Thank you.

[@SketchBookSkool]

I love your spirit, JoAnne!

[@AnoobishManga]

I used to hate my art, I want to become a manga artist, and I would just get frustrated at the process, but now I love practicing and learning techniques. It was a process, though, and I had to rewire my brain to stop being so negative about practice. I agree that we are in a world of contests of sorts, always comparing, thinking of our worth, and what we bring to the table. This is a really competitive world, but it doesn't mean that we can't support one another 😊. I think this is the best message I received from this video ❤ Thank you for sharing.

[@susanshambrook8070]

I love listening to you Danny, it's like listening to a friend and you make so much sense, so please carry on! Thank you.😊

[@SketchBookSkool]

I appreciate that!

[@teelakovacs208]

I appreciate your 'yammering', you have a calm way of communicating your thoughts. In the rat race of life we live in, I like to go to your channel and draw with you, I look forward to it. I can only speak for myself, but as I've been in this weird full life transition from a stable career as an art teacher for 20+ years to, um, something? I see you two together in that lovely space, with a great pup in a beautiful home. You're making it work, somehow. That's aspirational to me, to find a new way to do the best I can and find a way to share what I'm good at with others. I feel far too shy to ever go on camera on a channel, but I love the idea of talking to people or finding the valuable place for my yammering to connect again. Life changes are not easy. I appreciate you both and love your thoughts and insights. Thanks for making the time

[@raisdbywolvz]

I think I would enjoy hearing you yammering on, talking about art. I often respond verbally to things you say in your videos, like I'm talking with a friend, I don't write comments often because, well, I have no idea why. I should do that more. Anyway, wanted to let you know I like the idea of a more conversational and fluid presentation Not sure I could swing a membership, though Fixed income and all that.

[@stevietv321]

I did this thing where I determined to have a website, create a KZbin channel, finish a painting daily while filming, etc., etc. After a short while I froze up and stopped doing anything for almost a year now. It wasn’t about just making art for the love of it. It became a performance that I was holding myself to. As I have begun to realize all this I found your channel!

[@donnabuttons1]

What you said about being anxious about doing art Not making one strive to be better, but making one Stop altogether, was an excellent point imo. Re memberships, more and more of the artists I love following are setting up these members only and patreon side channels. While I totally understand the need to have income, I myself am trying to get by on a very low income and while I would dearly love to join many, or even one, channel, I simply cannot afford it. I feel quite sad and upset by the youtubers that give me the hard sell and almost guilt trip me about not being a patreon/member. I always put a like, and frequently comment on videos I appreciate because I hope that at least I may be helping the algorithm to get their videos seen by more viewers. Love your content and hope my thoughts and feelings might be useful.

[@mariapeagler2667]

I would enjoy your essay recordings. As an author and an artist, i appreciate the visual aspect of an idea well communicated.

[@bonbeechler2323]

I like the soft but colorful background behind you. I enjoy your calm demeanor and voice. I appreciate your sketching activity and have shared it to my son who has anxiety and expressed an interest in drawing. Just wanted to let you know.

[@suev4143]

Enjoy the journey...your journey! That truly is the way to win. Thank you for the reminder. We should be proud of our efforts, and of our progress on our path.

[@teriofshalott]

I definitely would love to see more of your sketchbooks, and more sketchbook related books! those are some of my favourite videos of yours ♥️

[@SketchBookSkool]

Yay, thank you!

[@nancydb1390]

I don't have a competitive bone in my body. When I started making art for myself and not to impress others, I found the joy in creating.

[@rosilatressler]

Love dogs, especially pugs she can cohost if you want...lol Danny, you don't need to change anything. Love the weekly drawing sessions

[@stuartfamily6495]

I love hearing your ideas on art. For me I struggle to it consistently and want to not care so much about the result but enjoying the process. That’s my challenge. Also I love the weekly essays. They are fun to read.

[@ednalama4244]

Danny, you are a gem.🎶🌟🙏

[@susanshambrook8070]

And I love your essays when they arrive in my email!!

[@MillennialMadhura]

This exact thought has held me back i think.

[@MattBookbinder]

I love your videos. They really motivate me. Thanks

[@tkikpar4882]

I would love to see sketchbook tours!! You’ve put so much of yourself into them and offer so much inspiration. Homemade sketchbooks are another great idea that captures my attention. I also love how you touch on topics that connect to the mindset of artists. In addition I’ve signed up for your latest class on the illustrated life. Can’t wait for the fun to begin🎉

[@gabrielladan]

Keep "yammering". I learn something every time. Your Sketchbook tour is what got me (a non-artist) started on this journey last November. Now I'm "sketching " every week. My kids say it's becoming recognizable now. Lol More Sketchbook content would be amazing.

[@busysaru888]

I really love everything you share! Thank you!

[@stevie770770]

As a 57 year old man there has been a lack of something in my life , thanks to you I’ve found creativity to see everyday objects differently and to sit, stand or even lay down and put down onto paper my vision of life

[@timothy8017]

I NEVER stop listening to music. You've changed my morning habit to rock and roll. Thanks. Now back to the Allman Brothers.

[@TerriA96]

Thanks so much for these comments. I appreciate your insights.

[@nightingale1488]

I've come to a KZbin when i was 14, 8 years ago, and i was looking for answers. And after long 8 years i found you. Jorny was worth it. Thank you for your work. I'm thinking of starting scratching now when i get a job. And im very exited to dive into your written essays.. It's most authentic thing i saw here on KZbin, and I've been here for w while

[@SketchBookSkool]

That's awesome!

[@Kreative_Rainbow]

Competing against your former self is enough competition! 😉 We are told this often, but shown competing against others is truly the goal in this society. It does lead to anxiety and depression among other issues. We were truly designed to bring out the best in ourselves. You are the only you there will ever be. If you are competing against others, perhaps you are trying to be more like the ones you are competing against. Then the you who you were meant to be will not shine like you should have. My competitive streak came out as a new mom. I would watch the other babies progress where mine wasn't and ask what I was doing as a mom that apparently wasn't enough for my child. Each child has their own path. I was too young to understand that. Trying to be the mom I'm supposed to be is a daunting enough task! 😮

[@CarolynNoblett]

You are one of the few artists I enjoy listening to. Yammering as you call it. Usually, my brain is saying, "Get on with it. Stop talking. Paint already." But not you. Don't change the yammering. It keeps me sane. It got me through a scattered arm during the pandemic. All those sleepless nights were put to good use. Never stop yammering. 🙂

[@juliasuccinct2985]

I listened to you while filling a page in my sketchbook with a non-challenging but charming flower. Not great art and not for comparison, just calming before bedtime. So keep doing what you are doing, be brave , be yourself. (And you have a really good voice for podcasting.) Looking forward to more insights.

[@JohnTravena]

I use to carry a sketchpad and pen with me everywhere and I’ve been trying to form the about again. If you’re a sports fan you will have noticed that people are often more concerned with the guarantee result of a match than the experience, missing the point of it there too. Seems to be the zeitgeist.

[@wesleydouglas5278]

@DannyGregory thank you for this video and your transparency. I find your chats like a Daily Devotion of sorts for artist and I love them. Keep on keeping on!

[@Suzi77]

I like your channel and all that you talk about. I also enjoy drawing with you and JJ. Hope that continues. What you say is so encouraging and keeps me drawing and making art. Thanks so much. 🙋🏼‍♀️🌻🇨🇦

[@Foodcraftsmen]

One thing that came across to me as an exciting opportunity is for you to share the art in your sketchbooks and tell us a bit of the story around the work, how you may have been feeling etc. I’d find that interesting and worth watching.

[@louisapdjones]

Humans are born to compete (against others and ourselves) its how we assure our survival. You are right, of course, that the competition is often counterproductive to our individual/collective survival. There needs to be room for growth that is absent from competition. In my experience this is when I succeed the most.

[@connieebinger6343]

Hi Danny! I think what I love about your videos, is that you are very down-to-earth and real. I would like to have the time to read your essays and comment and have that dialogue but I just can’t squeeze that into my current schedule. It becomes part of my to do list rather than just enjoying it. I usually watch your videos when I’m doing lunch at work so the 15 minute segments where I learn something are my favorites. I’m not a big fan of looking through sketchbooks. I don’t mind if it’s in reference to something That I’m then going to do. It’s fun to see some, but just not a lot I guess. I’m not sure why I would do a membership. Membership sounds like commitment and there again time is an issue right now. Mostly I like your insights and your encouragement about doing it whether it’s good or bad or Just creating what’s inside you rather than for any other reason. Thanks a lot, Danny! You inspire good thinking.

[@SketchBookSkool]

Thanks for telling me. I appreciate the time you put into this comment!

[@johnseddon2955]

Danny, I enjoyed hearing your essay today. Thank you. Keep doing what you do x

[@SallyB_Garden]

I like your thoughts on the microphone being in shot. Seems to be a common but unnecessary thing.

[@jackbutler3273]

Danny, i love your artwork your ideas keep up good work. I'll keep watching your videos.

[@IntrepidFraidyCat]

I always care about what Twiglet has to say as well 😉

[@LynTreloar]

I here you.... great conversation

[@marleneedmunds4588]

Honestly it's not blathering. I can relate to what you are saying. To be honest, I'm using some of your tips to try to get through a writing block I seem to have. I made my living as a writer (journo) and then as a consultancy that involved a lot of writing, Since I've retired, I can't seem to get over some of the hurdles. I retired late in life...74...am now coming up on 78. Anyways, very interested in what you have to say and the chatty way you do it. I have the feeling I'm not being sold something but rather being asked to participate in creative growth, yours, mine, everybodys. I'm enjoying the essays and I am doing your art course. For years an artist friend of nine has been nudging me to do sketching and painting to free up my mind a bit...so I'm now on lesson 4. I think it is good for me. .Thanks again, You seem to be in the United States. I live in the Netherlands.

[@GrimsStation]

I love getting the notification fo tou videos, watching your videos always puts me in the mind set of want to create. Over the years of come to relize that most people dont like their own artwork. We all compare ourselves to others and see how great others artwork is. We don't relize the people who look at our stuff and wish they could draw like thag. I think the best person to compare your artwork to is yourself. You can see what you've improved on what still needs work and what styles or things stay the same even after growing as an artist.

[@radioactivebabushka]

Your way with words, my friend 😍, thank you for sharing it with the world.

[@SketchBookSkool]

So nice of you

[@trudyjohns9229]

Very much appreciate your channel. I am time challenged and your tips are so helpful. Sometimes my only creative input for the day is listening to your videos which constantly remind me I can and give me great start points for my next free drawing moment. Love your work and your patient soothing manner. Thank you

[@TTTTTT-ix6tu]

Like these little sessions of sharing.

[@SketchBookSkool]

More to come!

[@Buddhabellie]

I wanna thank you. A few years back, I stumbled upon a sketchbook video of yours and like in your video, my life was changed by starting a sketchbook. Just completely redirected. It doesn't matter. Do you, while we learn how to do us. Much respect.

[@SketchBookSkool]

Wonderful!

[@nocturnus009]

Sinclair McKay made the point that “Alan Turing was not especially good at chess.” In Bletchley Park Brainteasers. I wonder if sometimes we make progress in every loss. We regress to progress. The iteration is the lesson. In a world of page rank where “Best” has lost meaning [thank you SEO gurus]. The downstream revision cracks the code [Thank you Alan] and encodes something good enough.

[@SketchBookSkool]

Love that!

[@hafizmazuki2443]

I've a paralyzing fear when starting on my art journey in warhammer 40k. Forcefully i overcome that fear & start to draw again. Right now i have completed 3 out 5 drawings of a squad of battle sisters 🙂

[@J.Dibble]

I think your desire for conversation is a reflection of what many of us are feeling as the pendulum in the digital space is swinging back to the desire for personal interaction and real relationships. But what does that community look like in the digital world???

[@metalchemik]

I don't know how to win at art, but I know how to lose at art. Because I did lost in my art. I've wasted years now trying to learn how to draw and yet my skill level is similar to a chimpanzee with crayons :( And I'm not exaggerating a bit, I even have some bite marks on my wooden pencils, because I bite them out of frustration. I've tried make it better on my own and I've failed. I've asked many talented artists for help, and I haven't receive any. Now I'm tired of this, I've hit the wall too many times and I'm about to quit art for good, burning my drawings and sell out my art stuff. I failed even with something such obvious like a hand writing, which literally nobody (except me) can read. I am a failure. And I am tired of it.

[@MyLifeInTheDesert]

Does it matter if it’s “good” though? I think for me the act of creating is meditative and more important than how it turns out - maybe try out a different mindset. I am taking classes through New Masters Academy and there are some fundamental drawing classes on there.

[@jerrygill4828]

I understand what you’re saying. I did give away and throw away a lot of art supplies. The answer for me has been to change to acrylics because you have the chance to “do over”. I painted for years with watercolors where, what you put down is it. Now I have a different mindset…just keep on keeping on. I’ve found that the smearing of the paint is very satisfying.

[@metalchemik]

@@MyLifeInTheDesert Of course it has to be "good enough", I meant it has to be recognizable to other people. Beides, this "medtative" thing in psychology is called "the flow state". It is a state of mind, when you have medium-to-high level of skill and you working on medium-to-high level task respectively. It is well known thing and it's appear in every craftmanship, from art to music to cooking to repairing a car engine. The thing is, you have to have this medium-to-high level of skills. Which I do NOT have! And I am pretty sure I was clear enough of this. I terms of art my skills are about two yea old child who has pencil in his hand for the very first time in life.

[@metalchemik]

@@jerrygill4828 To me adding color means adding another lawyer of problems I don't know how to deal: what color I need to use, what shade to use, how to made shade I need, and many other things I don't even know I don't now.

[@MyLifeInTheDesert]

I’d love for you to do live classes on zoom for a fee

[@katherineelizabethco]

I post my art on fb where I’ve developed a modest following. They have an expectation of what they’ll see from me. They enjoy wholesome drawings, like sweet children, darling dogs and fashion girls. I have sketchbooks full of this type of art. In order to branch out I try to put the expectations of others aside. Many of these types of drawings I’ll never post to fb.

[@SketchBookSkool]

If you’re concerned, you could also set up a separate account for other types of art.

[@karenrockwell9838]

Do it . 😊

[@sallycapotosto6927]

Interestingly (and strangely) Miss Betsi was just talking about the same thing.

[@rene.rodriguez]

Great content. I found you on ConvertKit’s channel. I enjoyed your essay. Liked and sub’d.