In part 2 of our “Purple Cow” Case Study with Rebecca Black-Gliko, we talked about her commitment to the craft of stop-motion, and how with deliberate practice, she developed an authentic visual voice which launched her creative career.
Today, our conversation concludes with Beki’s thoughts on improving your craft by thoroughly knowing your tools, seizing opportunities to learn from professionals, and making a habit of experimentation…
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Woo! I’m a bit behind on all my commenting, but I’ve been listening to all these case studies with Beki and WOW. It’s really been amazing, and quite the rollercoaster of emotions, too.
The first part was great, but the second part really hit home for me. I struggled with undiagnosed depression and anxiety for three years of college and a year after I graduated before I started seeing a therapist and getting more or less back on my feet. I used to either lay in bed for long periods of time or I’d just slump across my desk in the middle of working on an assignment and stay that way until I either got hungry or someone found me like that. I’d get nauseated before critiques and I had a few where I had to slink off to the bathroom and cry for a bit, if not because of the critique itself but also just because of the overwhelm of build up I gave myself before hand.
I still struggle with these things now but it’s gotten a little easier. And I *love* how Beki turns “can’t”s into “how”s. That’s a great way of thinking and I’m going to try implementing that into my own thought process from now on. Really some great advice.
And now for this third and final part: Ahhh I love the thoughts on random trivia, and how it can be applied to the work you’re doing! Fantastic. 😀
Beki’s so good at following up and continuing the conversation with people she meets and I admire that so much. It’s definitely something I need to get better at doing. Often times I’m so nervous and feel like an annoyance when I try following up–whether it be an email or a phone call or even a text, it’s really hard for me to do. I need to train myself to be more comfortable doing it.
Do you have any advice as far as finding a mentor goes? I know that’s probably a dumb, if not big, question. D: It’s something I’ve been thinking about and trying to figure out how to go about doing for a while now. I guess I don’t know where to start looking? I really want to try out for some of the mentored classes here ( especially PD and The Spark ), so, that’s one thing!
Thank you so much Beki and Edge! This has been an absolutely amazing case study, and I appreciate everything that was discussed more than I can put into words! Y’all are awesome.
WOOHOO, Hannah! I’m really happy that you got so much out of this series!
I’m really sorry that you had to go through all that pain
I understand what you mean – I also struggled/struggle with depression/anxiety. But I’m really glad that you found ways to fight through it! You’re awesome and you’re doing great 
I also really love Beki’s mentality on turning ‘can’ts’ into ‘hows’ – it’s such a powerful attitude!
Oh man, following up is a difficult thing for me too! I overthink things and end up psyching myself out, haha xD But yeah, pushing outside of your comfort zone is beneficial I think – as you start to do it more and more, you learn how to make it work for yourself, and I think it starts to feel more and more natural
Little steps!
About your mentor question – first of all, that’s not a dumb question at all! Lora Innes wrote a great 2-part blog post on this topic!
Here’s part 1: http://chrisoatley.com/attract-mentor-p1/
And part 2: http://chrisoatley.com/attract-mentor-p2/
As far as the OA mentored courses, I definitely encourage you to go for it! Speaking as a student, they were life-changing for me
I hope that helps! Thanks so much for your kind words – it’s super encouraging!! 😀 <3
I hope you know you’re also awesome and doing great.
Keep it up!!
Aaah, thank you so much, Edge!! 😀 I’ll definitely check out these blog posts the first chance I get! I really appreciate it! <3
Aw, thank you!! That means a lot 😀 *HUG*
Totally agree on the non-art skills and seemingly unrelated studies eventually coming back into your craft. I grew up with the rhetoric that subjects like art, science, history, etc. were mutually exclusive areas of study, and it took until college to realize that way of thinking is erroneous. Art-making happens passively and actively. I had several experiences in college of racing against a deadline to finish an art project, and after critique realizing just how many outside ideas seeped into the final work, ultimately enriching it. So being interested in many things is a great professional advantage! It expands your visual library as well as your technical skills (and trivia knowledge!).
I’m loving all this EAJ content! I’m looking forward to more. 😀
Yesss! I think it’s really amazing & freeing when we start to see the connections between different areas of study, rather than treating them like separate little boxes. I think it leads to a lot of really unique viewpoints and expressions of those viewpoints
I love that subtle mixing of influences that happens in our work without us realising – it’s such a fascinating thing! What sort of influences do you find seeping into your work?
Thanks Asthrea! It’s really awesome to hear that you are enjoying EAJ! 😀
I never thought my experiences fishing at the ocean pier would ever become part of my work, yet it did in a comic I recently finished! http://www.streaac.com/theforthfable.html Other things like Japanese rock, having to read up on Greek myths for high school English class, and even just poetic or proverbial things I hear in passing tend to come up time and time again.
Working at a my campus’s print shop also influenced the way I organize my computer files, the way I talk on the phone, the way I write emails, and the way I mentally prioritize tasks. 😀
How about yourself, Edge?
Oh wow, your comic is gorgeous!! I’ll definitely need to finish reading it 😀
That’s also really cool, the way your experience in the print shop is influencing other aspects of your life 😀
For me it’s all over the place, haha. Botany – I love the complexity & beauty of plants. I realllyyy love deep water & the creatures that inhabit it, and those elements definitely influence my work…
I love to watch/read/learn about random things and bits of those things usually end up in my work – things like architecture, outer space, fashion, ornaments (like charms, jewelry, etc), music, circuses/carnivals, decoden, video games, tattoos, horror, nail art (a more recent interest), etc. Then, when combined with the randomness of my mind, I find these ifluences show up in ways that I find fascinating 😀
I can’t believe I almost missed this!! Another good one. She’s so inspiring
I particularly loved the part about how sh followed through with emails, and then meetings with the ladies at the costume dept. That kind of pro-active energy seems to be common among people who ‘make it’.
It’s great to see her having so many varied interests in non-art related skills. I always kinda feel guilty when I spend the time on non-art related learning ( but I really enjoy it!) so this kinda gave me permission to not feel that way
Thanks for the podcast guys! 😀
Woohoo! Thank you Ramya 😀 Yes, I love her ‘go-getter’ attitude! It’s really inspiring and (in my opinion) really demonstrates a large part of why she’s accomplished what she has ^___^
I’m glad this episode has helped you feel better about enjoying your non-art interests – I totally understand what you mean about feeling guilty. In my opinion, having a wide range of influences really enriches people’s art!
I also think it’s important to realise that we’re not betraying our art, or who we are, by also enjoying other things
I personally find it really exciting when I see how my non-art interests are expanding the possibilities in my art.
This series was so fun to listen to! Thanks guys!
So much encouragement and inspiration. <3
Yay! Thank you Jennifer <3 I’m really happy you enjoyed it and found it helpful! 😀
Looooove this series so much !!!!
Thanks ladies for the inspiration, encouragement. And also the kick in the butt to keep at it and being pro active (which I’ve always found difficult about art because of lack of confidence in my abilities. I’ve no problem doing it with my day job though… )
I could relate so much to it, and not only because I’m also into costume, but at deeper level. I’ve enjoyed hearing about your journey Beki and seeing how all of your interests connect the dots to where you are now and where you’re heading towards.
I do agree about non-art related skills feeding the art-making process ! we don’t always realise how helpful it can be.
Thank you so much for sharing !^^
oh and yeah, who ever gives me food on set also becomes my favourite person. Being well-fed (or fed of sweety things) is so important 😉
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you Anouck 😀
Regarding being proactive – do you mean that you have no problem creating art at your day job? Or did you mean being proactive at your art vs. being proactive at what your do at your day job?
Ooh! I’m really interested to hear more about what you mean by ‘costume at a deeper level’
Hahaha! Yes! I totally agree with you – food is definitely the way to my heart xD
Thank you guys again! I liked the part about being able to use your other interest in your work like gardening, cooking, sewing, etc.
So nice to listen to you guys while I work. Its very calming.
Thanks for this awesome interview! It’s my dream to work at Laika, or anything really stop motion related and hearing someone as passionate about their craft and life in general is really great!