Author: Lironyan

People Didn’t Want Me to Become an Artist | Liron’s Podcast Episode 97

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Today I’d like to talk to you about the start of my journey of building a business around my art, and some of the resistance and negativity I experienced on the way.

This is a topic very close to heart. Making the right decisions in that context can ENSURE you’ll have the potential to succeed.

Making the wrong decision? You’re done before you even got started.

When I Started My Business…

I started this art thing towards the end of my military service. I actually got started by writing and publishing books independently on Amazon.

That went well and I think it was a combination of skill and LOTS of luck too.

Resistance and Negativity

I encountered A LOT of pushback from family and friends when it came to pursuing a career in art, and building a business around art.

A lot of it was definitely not ill-intended. Many times people have your best interest in mind (or at least that’s what they think).

But you have to understand that they don’t have your vision, wants and needs. They have no idea what makes you happy, or how important something is for you.

People Just Don’t SEE You

A mind-boggling thing I mention in the episode is how – nowhere between 5-17 was I ever “Huh, you’re actually really good at this art thing, maybe you should do something with it!”.

It’s amazing to really think about it this way, as I was doing quit a good job even when I was around 6-7 years old, copying drawings from one of my Dr. Seuss books.

For some reason I was pushed to learn physics and computer engineering. I found those somewhat interesting, but only to a very limited extent.

Again, I can’t really blame anyone for this. Art isn’t the obvious career path, and computers and sciences were and are still on a pedestal.

But I do think the world will be a MUCH better place if people would at least notice others’ gifts and mention something. A simple compliment can go a HUGE way.

The Positive Note & A Word of Warning

Despite the pushback / resistance / negativity / limiting beliefs – my vision was clear enough for me to follow through. These clouds never really blocked it for me.

But I’m afraid SO MANY people don’t have that clarity, or aren’t as positive to see a way. I’m scared people will allow their dreams to slip away due to negative feedback from their environment.

And THAT’S what I want to make sure you avoid.

If you give up – you’re done. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Conclusion

I know I’ve been all over the place with the TEXT version of the episode. But I want to keep it like that, in it’s raw authentic form.

I hope you got something out of this episode.

Please feel free to let me know – in any of the ways below…

Take care and we’ll talk soon!

— Liron

How to Reach Out

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

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Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

Realistic Painting & Auto-Pilot Impressionism | Liron’s Podcast Episode 96

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Why do I want to experiment with realistic painting? How will it benefit my impressionism?

This is some of what I talk about in today’s podcast episode.

Realistic Painting for Better Impressionism

Lately I’ve been feeling like my impressionism has a couple of weaknesses. Mainly – I sometimes go into “auto-pilot” mode when painting.

And so, I decided to try and mix up some realistic painting into my routine. I believe this will help me further develop my accuracy and observation skills.

I hope this will allow me to better read the reference, and CHOOSE when to simplify and change, rather than “do what I already know”.

By the way – here’s my first attempt art cranking up the realism. A self-portrait based on a pic I took in the mirror, haha!

Tips for Realistic Painting

I also provide a few tips for tackling painting more realistically. Here is the gist of it:

  1. PATIENCE. I cannot stress that enough. That’s, funny enough, the most important component in realistic painting.
  2. Working in sections. In other words, focusing on small areas at any given time, and trying to get them to look as close to the reference as possible.
  3. Working from black and white photo reference! This makes things SO MUCH EASIER.

I hope you enjoyed this one! Here’s how to connect with me…

Reach out to me

Here’s how to contact me:

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

Can Anyone Become a Successful Artist | Liron’s Podcast Episode 95

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Hi there! In this episode I’m discuss the question – can anyone become a successful artist?

My general answer is YES, with a few caveats.

Here’s what we’ll talk about:

  1. Definition
  2. Internal Challenges
  3. Talent and Skill
  4. Financial Success

1. Definition

A big thing to think about, is how do you define success?

I believe success is ultimately happiness. This means that if you have a job you love, and you make art on the side and are happy – you won!

So YES – anyone can become a successful artist if you look at it from this angle.

2. Internal Challenges

Many people I meet and talk to have INTERNAL obstacles only. They don’t believe in themselves, and this prevents them from creating.

Art is ultimately self-expression. I’d like more people to understand that if they WANT to create – they should. The rest doesn’t matter.

3. Talent and Skill

Even talent and skill are in question. You see plenty of artwork that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of skill behind it, that is still successful, and celebrated in museums and galleries.

The word “skill” is arguable in and of itself. Who says, for example, that an abstract painting that took only a few brush strokes to make does’t require skill?

And if so many people say – “I could have done it” – well – why didn’t you?

Food for thought, especially if you feel judgmental of these types of works (which I know can be fun sometimes, haha!).

4. Financial Success

This is a little trickier. I do think different people have different potentials for money-making.

BUT, could almost anyone create SOME financial success around their art? I believe so. You just have to figure out your true gift, and the format.

Are you a good teacher? Manager? Story-teller?

Perhaps you are SO OFF THE CHARTS when it comes to art, that you should focus ONLY on that, and hire people to do the rest (which for most people would mean have friends help out, as not a lot of people can actually really hire someone when just getting started).

In Conclusion…

Yes, that is my answer. If you are having doubts, or are unsure – use this podcast as permission to AT LEAST believe it’s POSSIBLE.

And let me know if you have any questions or there’s anything I can help you with.

Here’s how to contact me:

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

Dangers of Learning Painting From Others | Liron’s Podcast Episode 94

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In this episode I discuss the dangers of learning painting from others, whether it’s teachers, YouTube videos, DVDs and so on…

The Dangers of learning painting from others

Here’s a quick list of some of the dangers of learning painting from others.

Narrowing our perception – One of the main problems. By seeing other artists, following them and imitating their work process, we narrow our perception of what’s the “correct” way of doing things.

We end up doing things they way, without realizing there’s a HUGE spectrum of other possibilities we haven’t even considered yet.

Losing / not discovering your authenticity – That’s the most tragic problem. Learning painting from others can distract you from your unique gift.

I truly believe anyone has a 100% unique way of creating and viewing the world. The artists who are most appreciated have usually discovered their version of that.

By “copying” other peoples’ art and approach, you run the risk of never finding out what your gift was – the one you were the only one able to give.

Copycat – Talking about copying, there’s always the risk of becoming a copycat with no originality.

The solution

I’ll offer three main solutions.

Learn the rules – Physics – Watercolor does have rules – those bound to physics and water and paint.

You do have to learn that when you use more paint, the mixture gets darker. It is important to know and experience how a wetter wash flows more.

But once you learn that – it’s pretty much time to strike out on your own. The rest are things you can figure out.

Detox / Isolation – If you’ve been highly affected by others, it may be a good idea to go completely detox. This means to avoid looking at ANY artwork by other artists for a while.

This is a temporary solution only, you can’t live your artistic life in complete vacuum (well, you can… but I don’t think it’s fun or practical!).

I’m seriously thinking of going through such a detox myself. Could be interesting.

Balance – On a regular basis, try keeping a balance of how much external art, tutorials and guides you consume, as opposed to the time you spend creating purely, not worrying about anything else.

Conclusion

I hope you found this info useful! I’m still learning these things too, so I’ll keep you updated regarding my experiences and findings (:

Want to Reach Out?

Got any questions? Want help with your paintings? Feel free to reach out to me in any of the platforms I’m on, and I’ll be happy to help (:

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan

I’m Back from New York & November 2019 Plans! Liron’s Podcast Episode 93

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Hi there! In this episode I want to give you a quick update on my New York experience (that’s been awesome by the way!). I’m also talking about my plans and focus for November 2019.

Here’s a VERY QUICK conclusion of what I talked about…

New York (and Ohio) Experience

  • Had a great time and visited most important spots.
  • Ate a lot of bagels and pizza!
  • Visited most of the museums (MET, MOMA, Guggenheim, Frick Collection, The New Museum, The Natural History Museum and some more…).
  • Visited different neighborhoods in Manhattan, as well as in Brooklyn and a bit of Queens.
  • Met a couple of friends we made in the past.
  • Took 2 walking tours in the south of Manhattan and Chinatown.
  • Saw the statue of liberty by taking the ferry to Staten Island (then immediately ran inside to catch the ferry back – we spent literally 43 seconds on the island!)
  • Went to see the Joker movie in a really cool, “vintage”, hipster theater.
  • Then visited my uncle and family in Ohio, which was a GREAT way to wind down after NY.
  • Then had a really horrible experience with American Airlines on the way back.

Overall this has been a great experience, and I definitely plan on coming back in the future.

Plans for November 2019

  • One of my main focuses – The Plein-Air Challenge – Starting every day with a plein-air session.
  • TikTok! Posting TONS of content there!
  • Starting to build a proper online gallery for selling my artwork
  • Sleep, health, workouts and nutrition
  • Brainstorming a new course
  • Experimenting with finalizing watercolor paintings without glass

Excited for this one. Not much left for 2019, and I want to make the most out of it!

Going Back to Work

Coming from a month-long vacation is an interesting experience. I’ve had it last year too (spent August in Ohio).

This time, however, it was more of a mix. On the one hand I felt happy to come back.

But on the other hand – it started getting dark earlier, which always makes me sad for the short transition period between seasons. I also felt like I’ll miss some of the freedom.

This is why I decided to not go back to work immediately, but rather spend a couple of days easing into it, and feeling again what it’s like to be on VACATION, but while AT HOME. It was actually a really smart move, and helped me get back on track better.

I’m now really into the routine, and despite working longer hours for the past couple of days – I feel connected with my goals and vision.

I’ll definitely keep you updated on how it goes.

Take care, and I’ll talk to you again soon.

Want to Reach Out?

Got any questions? Want help with your paintings? Feel free to reach out to me in any of the platforms I’m on, and I’ll be happy to help (:

YouTube – Liron Yanconsky Art

LinkedIn – Liron Yanconsky

Pinterest – Liron Yanconsky

Instagram – @LironYanIL

Twitter – @LironYan