Like his other series, “Night Fall Trees” centers on Doyle’s obsession with energy. The swirling tree branches are wound tightly within each other, the tufts of leaves envelop the top branches, and the widespread roots bury themselves into the ground. Inspired by a nighttime glimpse of a well-lit tree last October, Doyle also says this series is about the seasons and the resilience the trees have.

Fall is often associated with colorful foliage, which is best seen during the day. But fall is also a season about transition, heading in for the long nights and bone-chilling cold. Winter is a hard time. Trees get through it, though. These paintings reflect on being ready for what’s to come and like the trees knowing we’ll get through it. There will be blossoming once again in the spring.

Doyle tells Colossal his creative plans include writing fiction and nonfiction. You can keep up with the artist’s latest energized paintings on Facebook. He even has another site for his children’s projects.

Source: thisiscolossal.com

Like his other series, “Night Fall Trees” centers on Doyle’s obsession with energy. The swirling tree branches are wound tightly within each other, the tufts of leaves envelop the top branches, and the widespread roots bury themselves into the ground. Inspired by a nighttime glimpse of a well-lit tree last October, Doyle also says this series is about the seasons and the resilience the trees have.

Fall is often associated with colorful foliage, which is best seen during the day. But fall is also a season about transition, heading in for the long nights and bone-chilling cold. Winter is a hard time. Trees get through it, though. These paintings reflect on being ready for what’s to come and like the trees knowing we’ll get through it. There will be blossoming once again in the spring.

Doyle tells Colossal his creative plans include writing fiction and nonfiction. You can keep up with the artist’s latest energized paintings on Facebook. He even has another site for his children’s projects.

Source: thisiscolossal.com

The artist tells Colossal that she frequently recreates some of the pieces in her sketchbooks on a larger scale after returning home, relying on her earlier representation for the tiny details she otherwise might not remember. “Often when I’m traveling, I have this urgent feeling that I need to capture everything I’m experiencing, the sights, feelings and textures of a place,” she says.

I really enjoy that feeling of walking around a new place not knowing what I might discover around the corner. I often try to recreate the feeling of a place I have visited in my personal work… I really enjoy the experience of looking at a painting and being transported back to that experience. It’s a nice way to escape from your day to day!

The pocket-size notebooks are a crucial component of Mckay’s process, and she utilizes them in both her personal projects and her work for clients. “They just allow me to play with ideas and explore other directions without having to commit to anything,” she says. To pick up one of Mckay’s watercolor and gouache artworks or prints, head to her shop. (via Lustik)

Source: thisiscolossal.com

The artist tells Colossal that she frequently recreates some of the pieces in her sketchbooks on a larger scale after returning home, relying on her earlier representation for the tiny details she otherwise might not remember. “Often when I’m traveling, I have this urgent feeling that I need to capture everything I’m experiencing, the sights, feelings and textures of a place,” she says.

I really enjoy that feeling of walking around a new place not knowing what I might discover around the corner. I often try to recreate the feeling of a place I have visited in my personal work… I really enjoy the experience of looking at a painting and being transported back to that experience. It’s a nice way to escape from your day to day!

The pocket-size notebooks are a crucial component of Mckay’s process, and she utilizes them in both her personal projects and her work for clients. “They just allow me to play with ideas and explore other directions without having to commit to anything,” she says. To pick up one of Mckay’s watercolor and gouache artworks or prints, head to her shop. (via Lustik)

Source: thisiscolossal.com

In a conversation with Colossal, Bogojov answered a few questions about contemporary culture and self-awareness, how they influence self-portraiture, and the ways current conceptions of identity show up in ME.

Colossal: How have perceptions of the self changed since the creation of such a selfie-obsessed culture?

Bogojev: Oh, that is a tough one and I’m certain there are papers if not books written on that subject. But I do feel that a selfie-obsessed culture created more self-awareness on different levels. For this show, in particular, I feel like lots of artists wanted to fight against the popular idea of “self” or what we know now as selfie, by presenting themselves imperfect, flawed, caricatured, even grotesque in some cases.

Colossal: Could you talk a little more about the intersections between psyche, mirror, and others that you see in contemporary self-portraiture?

Bogojev: Modern-day takes are rarely realistic renderings of one’s mirror image and are often including elements that suggest qualities beyond that. Whether playing with light, formatting, color scheme, or simply going away from realism completely, they often focus on the author’s character, emotions, and such. I like to believe that this show encompasses that really well with the variety of approaches and visual languages presented.

Colossal: So many conversations about identity center ideas of multiplicity, of people not having a singular self. How do you see that relating to the face and to self-portraits?

Bogojev: Exactly! I think this is what most artists nowadays are fully aware of and that is why they struggle to find the “right way” to create self-portraits or they create multiple versions of it. Again, I feel it’s the superficiality of selfie-culture that made them extra wary of how they present themselves without jeopardizing their integrity and practice. With their artwork being the most direct and honest way of communicating with the world, it is not easy for an artist to pick one image, or even concept, as a single representation of oneself. I think this is why the artists in ME built their self-portraits by layering different visuals (Van Minnen), assembling a variety of elements (Shiqing), creating an atmosphere they connect to (Flint, Toscani, Chapin), captured an intimate moment that describes them best (Erheriene-Essi, O’Brien).

ME is on view from January 16 to 30 at High Line Nine in New York. If you’re in the city on January 21, stop by for “The Self-Portrait: Antiquity to #Selfie,” a talk by art and culture critic and author Carlo McCormick, historian and Sotheby’s VP of Old Masters Painting Calvine Harvey, and contemporary painter Jenny Morgan.

Source: thisiscolossal.com

In a conversation with Colossal, Bogojov answered a few questions about contemporary culture and self-awareness, how they influence self-portraiture, and the ways current conceptions of identity show up in ME.

Colossal: How have perceptions of the self changed since the creation of such a selfie-obsessed culture?

Bogojev: Oh, that is a tough one and I’m certain there are papers if not books written on that subject. But I do feel that a selfie-obsessed culture created more self-awareness on different levels. For this show, in particular, I feel like lots of artists wanted to fight against the popular idea of “self” or what we know now as selfie, by presenting themselves imperfect, flawed, caricatured, even grotesque in some cases.

Colossal: Could you talk a little more about the intersections between psyche, mirror, and others that you see in contemporary self-portraiture?

Bogojev: Modern-day takes are rarely realistic renderings of one’s mirror image and are often including elements that suggest qualities beyond that. Whether playing with light, formatting, color scheme, or simply going away from realism completely, they often focus on the author’s character, emotions, and such. I like to believe that this show encompasses that really well with the variety of approaches and visual languages presented.

Colossal: So many conversations about identity center ideas of multiplicity, of people not having a singular self. How do you see that relating to the face and to self-portraits?

Bogojev: Exactly! I think this is what most artists nowadays are fully aware of and that is why they struggle to find the “right way” to create self-portraits or they create multiple versions of it. Again, I feel it’s the superficiality of selfie-culture that made them extra wary of how they present themselves without jeopardizing their integrity and practice. With their artwork being the most direct and honest way of communicating with the world, it is not easy for an artist to pick one image, or even concept, as a single representation of oneself. I think this is why the artists in ME built their self-portraits by layering different visuals (Van Minnen), assembling a variety of elements (Shiqing), creating an atmosphere they connect to (Flint, Toscani, Chapin), captured an intimate moment that describes them best (Erheriene-Essi, O’Brien).

ME is on view from January 16 to 30 at High Line Nine in New York. If you’re in the city on January 21, stop by for “The Self-Portrait: Antiquity to #Selfie,” a talk by art and culture critic and author Carlo McCormick, historian and Sotheby’s VP of Old Masters Painting Calvine Harvey, and contemporary painter Jenny Morgan.

Source: thisiscolossal.com

When it comes to your business or career, you want people picturing specific things when they think of you. But in order to do that, you need to be intentional about establishing who you are and what it’s like to work with you. Think of this as your brand tattoo. It’s something timeless that never leaves you.

1. Only accept projects that are on-brand.

When a new opportunity presents itself, ask yourself: Is this on-brand for me? Will this contribute to the impact I intend to make?

When you’re off-brand, you’ll feel like you’re chasing shiny objects because you’re out of alignment. When you’re on-brand, you’ll feel like you’re in flow because you’re making an authentic contribution toward your intended impact.

2. Get inspiration from other leaders and influencers who are not in your industry. 

Resist the temptation to focus only on your competitors—you’re likely to fall into the trap of imitating someone else. Instead, seek ideas from outside your industry. Don’t copy, but gain inspiration and strategy that you can uniquely translate into your own work.

For example, I’ve always been fascinated by how comedians brand themselves with a style of joke. I’m not a comedian, but I can apply that strategy to what I do. 

3. Remember: What got you here won’t get you there.

Your brand should be timeless, but the way you translate it will change over time. Think about the brand you visualized at the beginning of this article. Have their product offerings changed? Has their messaging changed over time? Has their aesthetic changed?

Remain open to being taken in a fresh direction while also staying true to your principles and area of impact. 

Now, visualize your own brand tattoo. What do you see? 

Source: success.com

When it comes to your business or career, you want people picturing specific things when they think of you. But in order to do that, you need to be intentional about establishing who you are and what it’s like to work with you. Think of this as your brand tattoo. It’s something timeless that never leaves you.

1. Only accept projects that are on-brand.

When a new opportunity presents itself, ask yourself: Is this on-brand for me? Will this contribute to the impact I intend to make?

When you’re off-brand, you’ll feel like you’re chasing shiny objects because you’re out of alignment. When you’re on-brand, you’ll feel like you’re in flow because you’re making an authentic contribution toward your intended impact.

2. Get inspiration from other leaders and influencers who are not in your industry. 

Resist the temptation to focus only on your competitors—you’re likely to fall into the trap of imitating someone else. Instead, seek ideas from outside your industry. Don’t copy, but gain inspiration and strategy that you can uniquely translate into your own work.

For example, I’ve always been fascinated by how comedians brand themselves with a style of joke. I’m not a comedian, but I can apply that strategy to what I do. 

3. Remember: What got you here won’t get you there.

Your brand should be timeless, but the way you translate it will change over time. Think about the brand you visualized at the beginning of this article. Have their product offerings changed? Has their messaging changed over time? Has their aesthetic changed?

Remain open to being taken in a fresh direction while also staying true to your principles and area of impact. 

Now, visualize your own brand tattoo. What do you see? 

Source: success.com

Structure is crucial. So is flexibility. When you’re first starting out, it’s tempting to test the boundaries of the flexible workday: wake up a little later; meet a friend for a long lunch in the park; opt for a post-lunch nap. These are all the wonderful things that become available when you work from home and have the ability to set your own schedule. For some, the opposite is true. Maybe you’re worried about becoming complacent. Maybe you’re excited about your new business and are glued to your computer late into the night.

None of these things are necessarily wrong, but it’s important not to slide to either extreme of the spectrum. You shouldn’t be working so much that you don’t have time for lunch with a friend or an afternoon nap, but you should also be cautious about a free-for-all schedule that lacks structure. A routine has many benefits. I’ve tried a variety of schedules, and this is the general outline of what works for me:

• Wake up early because my brain is more alert in the mornings, and that’s when my body naturally wakes me up.
• Knock out the hard-hitting creativity work first. This is the stuff that requires more of my focus and brainpower.
• Eat regular meals and use that time as a screen break.
• Add in a quick yoga session or outdoor walk—both if I can manage.
• Work the rest of the day in “pockets.” I’ll explain this further below.
• Set a cut-off time, after which I don’t check email or respond to notifications.

2. Adjust as needed.

I swing more Type A than B, so creating structure has never been my biggest challenge. I struggle with letting go, being flexible, going with the flow. My workday was once as early as you can until as late as you can. During that time, I learned that I truly enjoy early mornings. My body naturally wakes me up around 6 a.m. I also learned that about 3 p.m. is when my brain is absolutely done. But if I work from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. straight, I get eye strain headaches and I’m irritable. Not to mention I’ve missed some of the best parts of the day.

All this to say: Structure is important, but don’t structure your work-from-home life so much that you forget to listen to your body and adjust accordingly. I now schedule my day in pockets of time that best suit me. That includes taking a nap after lunch so I’m not sleepy the rest of the afternoon. It also includes working in short, productive bursts with meaningful and purposeful breaks in between. My way might sound ridiculous to you, and that’s fine. Start building your structure, but remember to check in with yourself and adjust it as needed.

3. When tracking your finances, don’t forget to live.

I love goal setting. I love making a big spreadsheet at the beginning of the year to track my goals. One of my big goals right now is to pay off my student loan debt within three years. I have it all mapped out, and it’s aggressive. With that goal comes savings and retirement account goals. Add that to my monthly bills and self-employment taxes means a big chunk of my cash flow is spoken for before it even reaches my account. I like to manage money that way because it makes me feel more in control of my future. But it can get to be too much. At one point, I was tracking every single daily expense to identify where I spend most. It didn’t leave any room for beautiful, unpredictable life to happen.

My financial tactics are from a mix of personal financial coaches I’ve read and written about. It’s sound advice. But I was forgetting a crucial element: Don’t forget to live. Track your spending, yes, but make sure to leave yourself some fun money—the funds that don’t need to be rationalized or judged. It could be as little as $20 per month depending on your financial situation. The bottom line is that you make room for the unstructured, the benign, the straight-up fun.

4. Understand that money always comes with a cost.

The double-edged sword of working for yourself is that there is always another sale to be made. I’m a writer, so there are always more ideas to send and more publications to pitch. Being the spreadsheet person I am, I know how much an hour of my time is worth at this stage in my career. In other words, I know how much money I could make if I was working rather than taking a nap or playing beach volleyball with friends (one of my favorite hobbies).

One of the greatest lessons I learned is that money always comes at a price. In 2019, I hit a huge financial goal. It was my best revenue year yet. I was living in Hawaii and it felt like my every dream had come true. But I was also at one of my mental and emotional worsts during the summer—my favorite season. I often worked from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Deadlines loomed large, and I often dreamt about my work. Every hobby and fun activity brought feelings of guilt because there was always more to do.

I learned the hard way that every new client and every new gig means more money, but they also come with costs: the cost of my free time; the cost of my mental and emotional health; and the cost of my physical health at times. For me, hitting that financial goal wasn’t worth all the side effects. In 2020, I set a new goal: make enough to be comfortable, and then make time to do anything, or nothing. I’ve had to make some adjustments to my spending habits, but I’ve traveled more, laughed more and created more meaningful memories—to me, those things are priceless.

5. Start new hobbies that don’t have any tangible value.

I cannot stress this enough. I’ve been writing about and practicing some form of personal development for nearly five years. I believe in goal setting, accountability, structure, hustle, self-care, productivity hacks… the list goes on. I’ve also learned that it becomes easy to conflate personal development with some kind of tangible step forward. In other words, every action you take during the 1,440 minutes of the day must move you toward some goal—otherwise it’s useless. For me, it took some flirtation with burnout to realize that becoming the best version of yourself is also about doing things you enjoy, simply because you enjoy them.

Take a break from your Jim Rohn collection to read some romance novels without feeling guilty. Write a short story without worrying about whether it’s good or marketable. In fact, don’t let anyone read it so you don’t feel external pressure. Build a birdhouse so you can look out the window and revel in the simple art of mastery without wondering whether it could turn into a profitable side hustle.

These hobbies round us out as people. They allow us to stretch some creative, competitive muscles while keeping the stakes at a nice, pressure-free zero. If you fail? Awesome. Try something else. If you’re terrible at the hobby but love it? Even better. Keep going and learn to laugh at all the feelings of I should be better at this.

Source: success.com

Structure is crucial. So is flexibility. When you’re first starting out, it’s tempting to test the boundaries of the flexible workday: wake up a little later; meet a friend for a long lunch in the park; opt for a post-lunch nap. These are all the wonderful things that become available when you work from home and have the ability to set your own schedule. For some, the opposite is true. Maybe you’re worried about becoming complacent. Maybe you’re excited about your new business and are glued to your computer late into the night.

None of these things are necessarily wrong, but it’s important not to slide to either extreme of the spectrum. You shouldn’t be working so much that you don’t have time for lunch with a friend or an afternoon nap, but you should also be cautious about a free-for-all schedule that lacks structure. A routine has many benefits. I’ve tried a variety of schedules, and this is the general outline of what works for me:

• Wake up early because my brain is more alert in the mornings, and that’s when my body naturally wakes me up.
• Knock out the hard-hitting creativity work first. This is the stuff that requires more of my focus and brainpower.
• Eat regular meals and use that time as a screen break.
• Add in a quick yoga session or outdoor walk—both if I can manage.
• Work the rest of the day in “pockets.” I’ll explain this further below.
• Set a cut-off time, after which I don’t check email or respond to notifications.

2. Adjust as needed.

I swing more Type A than B, so creating structure has never been my biggest challenge. I struggle with letting go, being flexible, going with the flow. My workday was once as early as you can until as late as you can. During that time, I learned that I truly enjoy early mornings. My body naturally wakes me up around 6 a.m. I also learned that about 3 p.m. is when my brain is absolutely done. But if I work from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. straight, I get eye strain headaches and I’m irritable. Not to mention I’ve missed some of the best parts of the day.

All this to say: Structure is important, but don’t structure your work-from-home life so much that you forget to listen to your body and adjust accordingly. I now schedule my day in pockets of time that best suit me. That includes taking a nap after lunch so I’m not sleepy the rest of the afternoon. It also includes working in short, productive bursts with meaningful and purposeful breaks in between. My way might sound ridiculous to you, and that’s fine. Start building your structure, but remember to check in with yourself and adjust it as needed.

3. When tracking your finances, don’t forget to live.

I love goal setting. I love making a big spreadsheet at the beginning of the year to track my goals. One of my big goals right now is to pay off my student loan debt within three years. I have it all mapped out, and it’s aggressive. With that goal comes savings and retirement account goals. Add that to my monthly bills and self-employment taxes means a big chunk of my cash flow is spoken for before it even reaches my account. I like to manage money that way because it makes me feel more in control of my future. But it can get to be too much. At one point, I was tracking every single daily expense to identify where I spend most. It didn’t leave any room for beautiful, unpredictable life to happen.

My financial tactics are from a mix of personal financial coaches I’ve read and written about. It’s sound advice. But I was forgetting a crucial element: Don’t forget to live. Track your spending, yes, but make sure to leave yourself some fun money—the funds that don’t need to be rationalized or judged. It could be as little as $20 per month depending on your financial situation. The bottom line is that you make room for the unstructured, the benign, the straight-up fun.

4. Understand that money always comes with a cost.

The double-edged sword of working for yourself is that there is always another sale to be made. I’m a writer, so there are always more ideas to send and more publications to pitch. Being the spreadsheet person I am, I know how much an hour of my time is worth at this stage in my career. In other words, I know how much money I could make if I was working rather than taking a nap or playing beach volleyball with friends (one of my favorite hobbies).

One of the greatest lessons I learned is that money always comes at a price. In 2019, I hit a huge financial goal. It was my best revenue year yet. I was living in Hawaii and it felt like my every dream had come true. But I was also at one of my mental and emotional worsts during the summer—my favorite season. I often worked from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Deadlines loomed large, and I often dreamt about my work. Every hobby and fun activity brought feelings of guilt because there was always more to do.

I learned the hard way that every new client and every new gig means more money, but they also come with costs: the cost of my free time; the cost of my mental and emotional health; and the cost of my physical health at times. For me, hitting that financial goal wasn’t worth all the side effects. In 2020, I set a new goal: make enough to be comfortable, and then make time to do anything, or nothing. I’ve had to make some adjustments to my spending habits, but I’ve traveled more, laughed more and created more meaningful memories—to me, those things are priceless.

5. Start new hobbies that don’t have any tangible value.

I cannot stress this enough. I’ve been writing about and practicing some form of personal development for nearly five years. I believe in goal setting, accountability, structure, hustle, self-care, productivity hacks… the list goes on. I’ve also learned that it becomes easy to conflate personal development with some kind of tangible step forward. In other words, every action you take during the 1,440 minutes of the day must move you toward some goal—otherwise it’s useless. For me, it took some flirtation with burnout to realize that becoming the best version of yourself is also about doing things you enjoy, simply because you enjoy them.

Take a break from your Jim Rohn collection to read some romance novels without feeling guilty. Write a short story without worrying about whether it’s good or marketable. In fact, don’t let anyone read it so you don’t feel external pressure. Build a birdhouse so you can look out the window and revel in the simple art of mastery without wondering whether it could turn into a profitable side hustle.

These hobbies round us out as people. They allow us to stretch some creative, competitive muscles while keeping the stakes at a nice, pressure-free zero. If you fail? Awesome. Try something else. If you’re terrible at the hobby but love it? Even better. Keep going and learn to laugh at all the feelings of I should be better at this.

Source: success.com