Creativity Archives - Page 5 of 8

My Morning Routine | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 38

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Hi there! Today I want to share with you my morning routine, and talk about how it saves my life on a regular basis.

Morning Routine

My morning routine is something that slowly and naturally developed over the last 2 years.

Here’s what it ended up being like.

I meditate for as long as I feel like it (usually 10-20 minutes). I try to observe my thoughts without judging them.
Then I write down anything and everything that came and comes to mind in my notebook. This helps me revisit memories in a more emotionally detached state of mind, and learn about myself.
I write down things I’m grateful for. This is my daily exercise in gratitude, and I find it to be incredibly important.
I watch a Gary Vee video (usually close it after 5 minutes because I have to start working).

This morning routine is really helpful in getting me started with my day, and organizing my thoughts.

How My Morning Routine Saves My Life

When you are your own boss, there are challenges that accompany that.

I am very grateful for having the freedom in time, and doing what I want. This is not to be taken for granted. But with that, sometimes it’s a challenge staying on the right path. Sometimes it’s a challenge even knowing where to go.

This is what this routine helps me with. It helps me observe myself and understand my patterns, thoughts and fears. It also helps me practice gratitude.

This is crucial when you are the person at the top / independent. It’s a lonely place at times, and you need all the strength you can get.

Artist Corner – Fabio Cambranelli

Today I featured Fabio Cambranelli, who’s an incredible Brazilian watercolor and acrylics painter.

He does many florals, and has a very interesting technique. He lifts A LOT, uses wet-in-wet a lot, and makes the most out of each wash. He works with watercolor the way they were meant to be used, pushing them to their limits.

You can check out his work here:

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

The Secret Mindset for Painting Beautifully | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 35

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Hi there, today I want to talk to you about a magical mindset for heightened creativity.

I’ve been painting for 3 years now, and I noticed that whenever I produce beautiful results I like – I find myself in that state.

The Child-Like Creativity Mindset

It’s worth mentioning this state of mind had nothing to do with outside inspiration.

In fact, it felt like the opposite most of the time. It felt insular. Almost like it was BLOCKING outside inspiration, in order to self-generate it from the inside.

When I hit that mindset, it feels like I’m slowing down naturally. I’m focusing more on the small space where I’m working. I’m very present, and enjoy the movement of my brush across the paper.

It truly is magic, so let’s talk about how to generate it!

How to get into the Child-Like Mindset

Here are several things that work for me. Try them out and see what happens (:

#1 – Developing your skills.

This is probably the most important stage. You want to have mastery over the basics of the medium. If you can hit that intermediate level, it makes things much easier.

I had this happen a few times when just starting out, but it’s not the same. Having skill and knowing what you’re doing is actually VERY important.

#2 – Embrace freedom.

This involves understanding that you don’t HAVE to do anything. You don’t have to paint things exactly as you see them, or use one technique only.

You can “re-invent” yourself every day.

#3 – Let go of the outcome.

A well-known concept. This dictates that whenever you are able to let go of the outcome, it becomes better.

If you can avoid obsessing over a specific result, or trying to control every step of the way, you can become much looser, and have a lot more fun when creating.

This one and #2 are easier said than done, but that’s life (;

#4 – Paint what you love.

This isn’t a sure-fire way of “triggering” that state of mind, but it can surely help.

#5 – Patience.

And that’s the real key. Building skills take time. This is especially true with watercolor. It has so many “moving parts”, and things you need to do in a certain order, and sometimes FAST.

So have patience and keep working on those skills, and applying the rest of the advice here. With time you’ll see that occasionally you start hitting that mindset / state of mind.

I hope this helps. Now let’s move on to the Artist Corner!

Artist Corner

Today I talked about Ray Balkwill.

I highly highly HIGHLY recommend you check his work out in these APV video:
1. Capturing Coastal Moods
2. Capturing Estuary Moods

Ray is a British watercolor painter that works in mixed media. He has this incredible technique of working with graphite for preparatory sketches.

And then he works with watercolor, chalk and gouache for final paintings. The results are stunning and realistic too.

You can read more about him here: Ray Balkwill

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

The Artist Curse – When others LOVE your art, but you DON’T | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 30

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Today we’ll talk about the artist curse, what it is and how to possibly deal with it.

How I learned about the artist curse

I initially came across this phrase in a video by Mark at Draw Mix Paint channel. Mark is a fantastic oil painter I highly recommend you check out. ESPECIALLY if you do watercolor.

In any case, he described this concept in several of his videos.

The artist curse is when you don’t enjoy your art the same way others do. You don’t see it the same as others see it. You sometimes don’t understand why others like it.

Why I’ve been thinking about the artist curse

Lately I’ve been experiencing more and more of this.

I think I’m a bit of an oddball. I am able to enjoy some of my art, and see the beauty in it. But only to some extent, and only some of the time.

Because I was so lucky to build a following of amazing people on YouTube and Instagram, I receive lots of feedback.

Even ME, as someone who enjoys their art, is constantly blown away by the feedback.

This also happens when I paint outside. Passerby’s comments are many times positive, while I feel lie “I have no idea what I’m doing” haha.

Why the artist curse occurs

I believe there are several reasons for why we (for the most part) simply can’t enjoy our art in the same way others can.

Process – We slowly see our painting come together. During the process, it’s easy to lose track of the vision. It’s easy not to be able to see how this mess in front of us is supposed to turn into a beautiful piece of art.

Others come by and see it for the first time with fresh eyes. They quite literally see it better.

Lack of objectivity – Because we are the artist, the creator, it’s hard being objective about our work, and seeing it for what it is.

This also connects to…

Familiarity – Not being able to “smell ourselves”. It’s hard for us to recognize our own style, strengths and tendencies. We are simply too close to the picture.

Many have commented about how they loved my style, and how it’s really distinctive. But – to this day I don’t really see it. All I can do is create as best as I can. But on the other hand – it does appear to have its own style.

The funny irony

Mark pointed this out, and it made me laugh as I was able to relate.

Usually, the artists who have the most doubts and shyness around their skills, are the ones who make among the most beautiful kind of art.

I would assume this isn’t 100% true, but from what I personally experienced so far it’s darn close to that.

On the other hand, artists who seem to have this blind confidence, also tend to have some series weaknesses in their style, technique or skills.

Living with the curse

There are several solutions to alleviate the artist curse. I suspect that due to the nature of objectivity, it never completely goes away. But you can definitely ease the symptoms.

1. Use second hand impression. Share your are with others in a manner that allows them to be objective. Instagram is great for that.

This way you’ll slowly learn what others respond to. You still won’t be able to necessarily enjoy your art as much as others, but you’ll definitely learn more about how it’s accepted by others.

2. Find OBJECTIVE criteria. Judge your art based on objective criteria and signs. Here are some good examples from the visual art world – “Is my drawing accurate? Is this angle correct? Is this the right value? Does the color express what I wanted it to?”

There you have it! Well, that last one may be a little more subjective haha. But you get the point.

And if you come from a different artistic background – try and find your objective criteria!

3. If you are very shy and unconfident about your art – I would suggest learning to become better at ACCEPTING compliments and taking them at face value (gee, looks like someone DOES like your artwork!).

4. If you feel like you have nothing more to learn, and your work is fabulous, I’d suggest asking for some opinions by others and seeing if they match your beliefs. If they do – mad props!

5. Finally – have fun! Art isn’t perfect. We all express what we want, in the ways we can. Above all I want you to enjoy what you produce (:

And with that being said, time to move into the artist corner!

Artist Corner

Today I talked about John Constable, a renowned British oil painter who lived from 1776 to 1837.

He was a landscape painter who worked in the traditional oil style. Among his best works is “Wivenhoe Park”. This is also the first painting of his that I came across.

John wasn’t financially successful. He gained more popularity after he passed away. His work was embraced in France even more than in the UK.

He mostly painted scenes from the Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home. It is now known as “Constable Country”.

You can read more about him on Wikipedia: John Constable
And also check out “Wievenhoe Park”

As a side-note, I also recommended Alvaro Castagnet – as an artist who does seem to enjoy his own art like others, with lot’s of confident. Check out his work here: Alvaro Castagnet.

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

Perseverance & Giving Yourself a Chance | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 28

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Today I want to share with you my thoughts and perseverance, and why it’s one of THE MOST IMPORTANT things.

Perseverance & Giving Yourself a Chance

I usually plan out my podcast episodes, or I have something specific to say.

This time I was preparing to start recording, and suddenly perseverance popped into my mind.

I immediately thought of it in the context if – success takes TIME. If you are not willing to persevere and try again and again, you’ll never make it.

Perseverance is Important in Both BUSINESS and ART

The reason why I talk a lot about these topics is that, this is really what’s on my mind most of the time. This has been the case for the past 1-2 years, if not longer.

In my watercolor journey, I can really sense the importance of persevering. There were MANY times I got punched in the face by the medium.

I was on a roll (painting a few nice artworks), and then found out I suddenly have ZERO control over the paint.

I went through tough challenges.

Had I not continued regardless, I could never win. And I’m only just now starting to win.

Business is TOUGH

That’s another thing I’m coming to terms lately. Building wealth, financial and business success is hard. It takes a lot of effort, making mistakes along the way and continuing regardless.

This is something I had to learn the hard way. I’m not sure how to put it in words, so I’ll just say this: There is no finish line.

There’s never that point that you get to – that you can really say – I’m done and can rest now. Work always continues, and it’s all a part of one long process.

Hedging it!

I’d like to give one caveat.

I think it’s important to do things smartly. If you’ve been doing something for a LOOONG time and you don’t see results, maybe it’s a good idea to try something else.

Or, at the very least – realize you may not achieve everything you wanted in that area. But if you enjoy it – I’ll be your biggest supporter.

I think this requires looking inside and figuring out what you want, what the results are and what the best course of action is.

I Got Lucky!

The first book I published on Amazon started selling the next day.

That’s insane.

I don’t know what would’ve happened had that not been the case.

Would I have published three more books? Would I have continued? Or may I’d just quit and “go get a job”.

Who knows? For now, all I can do is be super-grateful for the success I WAS able to achieve so far.

And that’s a good note to move onto the Artist Corner (;

Artist Corner

Today I presented Stanislaw Zoladz. He is a Polish painter living in Sweden.

His style is realistic, with some expressionism thrown in on some of his work. I absolutely love it.

Here’s one of my favorite painting of his.
I also found this interview I recommend you check out – Stanislaw Zoladz Interview.

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and PERSEVERE ON!

– Liron

Inspiration Sources For Artists | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 25

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In this episode we’ll talk about different inspiration catalysts and sources, and how to hone inspiration using them!

Inspiration Catalysts

I recently meditated on the idea of inspiration catalysts. These are events, places, and “things” that make us feel inspired.

After visiting Italy last week I arrived at several insights regarding these catalysts that awaken the flame of inspiration, and I’d like to present them here.

Novelty, Quirks & Subjects

Novelty – This is anything that’s new / foreign to us. I realized this while I was traveling around the beautiful Florence.

I found myself thinking – why is THIS inspiring to me, and not my hometown? What’s so attractive about this place? And I immediately answered – because it’s new and foreign to me.

Novelty can play an important role in creativity and inspiration. When something’s new to us, we see it in a purer manner. It’s a little like a baby that experiences the world for the first time.

Quirks – It’s funny how this word is the particular one I felt to best represent this idea. Quicks are anything specific you like, visually speaking.

For me, that would be strong contrasts and a multitude of colors (mainly reds, yellows and greens).

For you it’ll be different things.

Subjects – Here I’m referring to specific subjects that interest you. This is something I mentioned in one of the earliest podcast episodes, when we talked about dealing with lack of inspiration.

I mentioned how some subjects can spark inspiration for me. Those are mainly cars and buildings (and architecture in general). I love painting things with well-defined, geometric shapes.

It All Connected In Florence

While preparing for this episode I realized how all three of these connected for me in Florence.

I had novelty (a new place I’ve never visited before). I had the interesting contrasts and light conditions (especially in Florence’s narrow streets, that create interesting light angles). I also had my favorite subject – architecture (and European at that!).

This can probably explain why my sketches from the were so inspired. I felt this especially in the first day visiting. I immediately sat down to sketch, and loved every minute of it. This particular first sketch happens to be my favorite from this trip.

And that’s all I wanted to share today. I hope you enjoyed this! (:

Artist Corner

Today we talked about Nita Engle. Nita is an American watercolor painter. Her work is amazing in my opinion.

She combines realism with atmosphere. She is probably one of the only artists I’ve seen that can do that so well.

She allows the water and paint do what they want, and really exploits it to create realistic effects.

I highly recommend her book: How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself

If you want to see a review I did of this book, you can see it right here.

And I’d also recommend watching this video of hers.

Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3