How much time do you spend wading in your problem pool? Answer, too much. For many people this is the case but those that have learned and are actively working on this skill - solution based thinking can be so incredibly freeing.

In this episode I challenge you to start working on your skill to become a solution based thinker. One great tool is to start using a solution journal. Go wild, think of all the possible solutions out there. I also challenge you to start tracking your time and how you use it. Is there a point where you can confidently say you spend 2 times or 3 times or any number more amount of time thinking of solutions than you do problems, if that is the case then you are headed in the right direction and trust me, you will start seeing results. Momentum!

And always remember:
"Keep your face to the sun and the shadows will always fall behind you."



Music designed and performed by: Doug Wallace

https://domorecoolshit.com/

How do you know when you have found THE "right" thing for you? Well in Matt's case he just did. No sleeping, no other thoughts, only one path forward with nothing to get in your way. This episode is packed with all kinds of amazing motivation and inspiration for you to get out there and do the thing you want to do at any age. Let's get it straight Matt's story took some time and a few detours but that's what makes this chapter such a good one. Matt is doing the thing he loves and never has let anything get in his way. That is how you know, when absolutely no problem or risk or anything is too big. In fact when Matt and I broached the subject of risk he mentioned that his passion and his desire to execute his vision was so strong that to him there was no risk even seen, there was only success. This is the kind of mindset that has served so many people that want to do cool shit well.

On his journey he also found the confidence to find himself a mentor or two along the way. If you have been following along for a while you will know that I'm always preaching that you need to find your crew, your people and mentors absolutely should be in that mix.

I hope you enjoy this episode and find the motivation to get out there and do all the cool shit you want to do.

What is one thing that keeps you up at night? That you can't stop thinking about? Take steps toward that. You will thank yourself.

https://www.instagram.com/toothandnailbeer
https://www.domorecoolshit.com/

All music created by: Doug Wallace

Play is an essential way in which to get some of your best work done. Go out for a walk, throw a frisbee, go to a theatre show instead of doing the dishes one night, you will thank yourself. You will feel that energy.

The idea of playing at something new is even more interesting, the idea that we are challenging ourselves and learning is crucial. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, talks about the flow state and that is when we are truly engaged in a process and one of the ways to find yourself in that state of flow is to engage in play. To have fun.

If you are listening to this episode right now I am certain there is a vast number of you who are already experiencing some form of burn out and you don't even know it. You need to turn to someone, ask them about your level of burnout and how you can introduce a bit of play into your life.

Go find your sense of excitement and challenge again, in any manner that may look like to you.

Doubt can be a huge block for many creatives. Vince introduces us to the idea of a doubt door, how to identify when the door is present and what to do about kicking it open. Vince has been quickly building a great balance between play and work and is finding that MANY people are finding his approach to be a HUGE breath of fresh air. Vince is an animator and social worker creating a world of fun and learning in such a unique and open and honest manner.

One of the main ways to combat a doubt door getting in your way is to truly think about and live an authentic life. Truly knowing yourself, what excites you, what bothers you, all of that stuff and much more can lead to your ability to try more things. The more things you try and the less doubt you have you will absolutely enjoy the journey you are on.

Do yourself a favour and get over and watch Vince and the wild and the serious and the fun that is over on http://twitch.tv/cartoontherapy

As always thanks for the listen and/or the watch. If you would like to connect on any of the cool shit you are doing or anything else please reach out over at: http://domorecoolshit.com

Music created and performed by: Doug Wallace.

Expectations absolutely CAN suck, mainly because they can keep you in that stage or dreaming and idolizing the future for a very long time. Over time if we stay in that state long enough we can become dissatisfied with the now and the reality. We can become unhappy. Hell we can even become depressed. So how do we stop this? Well, we need to truly understand that expectations can suck. There are 3 main reasons that they suck:

1. Everything will ALWAYS take longer than you think.
2. They are NOT reality.
3. They can let you down.

So how do we combat this? How do we stay happy and grateful and moving forward while still trying to get grow and achieve things in our life?

By living in the now. By making sure that you truly understand who YOU are and what YOU want out of life. This will be an ebb and flow, it will almost never be a straight path. But understanding that there is a journey, that it is a long and changing journey, and that in reality there is no true END to our search and our accomplishments will help with this. By living in reality, by pausing, by looking around and seeing how far you have already come and wha t you have and who YOU are right now in this very moment is really friggin' cool. By allowing yourself to sit in that for a moment, you will be happier and you will be motivated, your flame will grow stronger. By giving your spark a bit of oxygen you will be propelled forward each and every day to take the next step. All of these things will help you in your creative pursuits.

If you listened to the whole episode I hope you really do try the exercise of changing your expectations into reality. To really figure out what steps TODAY you need to take. If you are struggling with that, let me know. Drop me a note over on: https://domorecoolshit.com/ I love talking about that stuff and helping people move the needled just a wee bit every day. You got this!

Rachel from episode 56: https://www.twitch.tv/babe_rosss
Vince upcoming in episode 58: https://www.twitch.tv/cartoontherapy

Ps. I'm sorry, but I never found that clip of the older make marker being interviewed in his studio when he was talking about "what the hell else would I be doing everyday if I wasn't making marks." If you ever find it or any other great clips please never hesitate to drop me a line or send me a link. I love capturing all of them.

Thanks for listening. Go do some more cool shit!

All music is created and performed by: Doug Wallace.

Rachel Schneider is an incredibly talented artist who has built up a wonderful community, brings hilarity, passion, and wonderful teaching to life through her practice. I found Rachel a few years ago on twitch.tv/babe_rosss and it is always incredible experience being in there.

I was so excited to have this conversation and to bring this conversation to you. We covered so many topics in this episode. We spent a great deal of time talking about the feeling of the first sale, the importance of persistence, the value of just ONE person believing in you, all the way to a much bigger and deeper conversation about expectations vs reality. Rachel has been on a continual path of learning about putting her work on a pedestal and about creating and releasing the work. Rachel shares so many of the lessons she has learned along the way as well as the lessons she is still working on right now.

This was an honour to have this conversation and I'm so excited you will get to be inspired by Rachel. Please make sure and go check out one of her streams and you absolutely have to go and check out all of her art and merch - you will be blown away at her talent.


If you make it to the end - let me know how you did with the exercise that Rachel and I talk about.

As always check out https://www.domorecoolshit.com/ and let me know what you are working on.

All music created by: Doug Wallace.

Thanks as always for listening and for all of the amazing feedback you all are giving along this journey. Happy creating!

I am very passionate about pricing your work correctly because that is what will sustain you in the long run. If you're not making enough money as a creative then you will have to find another form of income to live from and then the world loses another great person putting cool shit in the world. We can't have that, I won't stand for it. So thank you for believing in yourself and listening all the way through on this episode.

The tips in this episode are things that absolutely have to be worked on and practiced over time but everyone can get them and you CAN and WILL make money with your craft. Other people have done it, why not you?

In this episode I talk more about trusting your gut, working backwards, history and experience, how expensive some stuff can be, and most of all HOW and WHY to test pricing.

I wish you all the best of luck and if you listened all the way through on this one, I look forward to being hit someday soon.

If you ever want to talk further drop me a note on the website: https://domorecoolshit.com/

This is the account I was talking about where the welders have to guess what they are worth: https://www.tiktok.com/@westernweldingacademy

Music provided by: Doug Wallace

First, the coolest shit Gareth has ever done is NOT build a website but it was fun to see where those early lessons took him. How about building a great supportive business, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities, supporting a number of causes and so much more.

If you've ever wondered how to make money as a creative this is the episode for you. Gareth Davies has built a truly unique business, MakerHouse, that has supported hundreds of makers and creatives. We talk about the very smart journey Gareth took to building a brick and mortar business. Starting with a pop up shop allowed him and his team to grow into the flourishing business that MakerHouse is now.

I think many of you listening who are making and creating will be so interested to hear Gareth talk about how to get into stores and how to make money with your products. We go over production time, pricing, packaging and everything in between. Gareth has such great insights into how to get started.

We also spent a lot of time talking about traditional paths, small learning steps, failures, how to prepare for failures, how to deal with risk taking, successes, confidence all of which should help motivate you to take your next steps.

So much truly great advice from Gareth. I hope you really enjoy this episode and getting everything out of it that you need.

Visit MakerHouse and see the hundreds of products from the hundreds of other creatives and makers that Gareth gets to work with: https://makerhouse.com/

Of course I would love to hear more about what you are doing so drop me a line over at https://www.domorecoolshit.com/

And if you enjoyed this episode please do give it a like, rate the podcast, share it with a friend. I appreciate all of you folks out there doing cool shit.

Music by: Doug Wallace