MISTAKES ARE YOUR FRIEND (Best of YCP: Gwenn Seemel)

Gwenn Seemel is a full-time artist, portraitist, and free-culture advocate. Her beautiful, unique portraits as well as all of her other work is intentionally free from copyright. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/gwennagain In this episode, Gwenn discusses: -How her personal, creative, and professional life merge all into one. -The pros and cons of separating your personal and creative life. -Her battle with endometriosis and the story behind “Crime Against Nature.” -How things like homosexuality within nature are much more prevalent than is reported scientifically, and how things like dressing flamboyantly, not having offspring, and having multiple sexual partners can be connected to animals. -The origins of her decision to free all of her work from copyright. -How creativity and copyright go hand in hand. -How she got over the question of “am I special enough and why do I think I am allowed to do this?” and how focusing on portraiture helped her to put that specialness onto them. -The importance of showing your work and connecting with other people, because it adds responsibility and accountability. -Art can be self-expression or communication, and the differences between the two types of people, and how she tries to move between those two things. -How marketing can be a creative outlet. -One of her first creative moments and how a compliment from her brother (during intergalactic travels) really inspired her. -How sometimes all it takes is just that ONE compliment from someone who gets it to keep you going. -What it is like to make a portrait for someone and then give it to them. -How she deals with what she calls “the stupids,” when everything you do seems to be bad. -How some of her best moments come when she completes a project, whatever it may be. -Art and creativity bring her the desire and ability to be in this world. -How she is inspired by everyone around her, especially the people who she makes portraits for. -To reframe the way you think about mistakes and actually embrace them. -If you are viewing something as a mistake, it means that you are evolving and not remaining stagnant. Gwenn's Final Push will inspire you to embrace the mistake, because the mistake is evidence that you did the thing in the first place. Quotes: “The work is what’s valuable to the world and it should be done in the best way possible.” “I am the only one who can do it anyway, so I might as well completely release it into the world and have it be used.” “Creativity is about taking elements from the world around you and from inside of you and mixing that all up and making something of it.” “Any time you take risks, you’re going to have this crippling self-doubt sometimes.” Resources mentioned: “Crime Against Nature” Creative Commons Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz & Kathryn Bowers What It Is by Lynda Barry Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity by Lawrence Lessig “Rip, A Remix Manifesto” (movie) All About Love by Bell Hooks Give And Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant The Myth of Choice: Personal Responsibility in a World of Limits by Kent Greenfield Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights by Kenji Yoshino Connect with Gwenn: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Uncopyright / Patreon On the next episode: Clark Huggins : Website / Reckless Deck