What Am I Making
What Am I Making Podcast
What Am I Making #013 - Chris Piascik on drawing daily, and work begetting work
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What Am I Making #013 - Chris Piascik on drawing daily, and work begetting work

Chris Piascik first made a name for himself as a freelance illustrator by publishing a drawing every single day, for 1000 days! Then, he just kept drawing. 14 years later and he still draws every day.

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Chris Piascik’s inner teacher was what drew me to his YouTube channel. I’d first found Chris as I was beginning to learn the Adobe tablet drawing program, Fresco. Chris’ informal style, conversational tone, and incredible illustration skills had me hooked fat the outset.

As I dove deeper into the tools available in Fresco, I learned more about Chris’ work and life with each successive video explaining some feature of the program, As I learned ways to achiever better results as an illustrator through this program, I also became aware that Chris, much like me, had been diagnosed well into adulthood with ADHD.

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Many of his videos focus on systems or even tools that Chris uses to manage his ADHD symptoms and triggers. Seeing this laid out so plainly was a huge boost to my admiration for Chris’ work and channel, but also made me feel validated as an independent creative struggling to manage ADHD, depression, and anxiety.

This chat with Chris is a great first window into his background and how he got this point in his career. At the center of his success is working every single day. His daily drawing project has spanned more than 14 years and has led him to work with high profile clients like McDonalds, Nike, Nickelodeon, Converse, Cartoon Network, Google and many more.

His work is filled with a playful humor, and lively energy. I especially love his hand lettering work. His videos are not only entertaining and enlightening, but they’re often funny and self-deprecating. Chris is a teacher at heart, in my view. His artistic talent and skills are myriad too, but the teacher is what spoke to me first.

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Listening back to this interview I realized I dropped Chris in a bit blind with no intro or context at all. It’s a part of my show that I would like to improve. Chris handled things admirably and we headed off for a very nice chat about imposter syndrome, being good vs. being an artist, and how recreating the Danzig logo can create an entire style for a young artist.

Much like Chris, I am here churning out this work every day and every week. I am thrilled to have had the chance to talk with another artist who believes so deeply in the power of important work and has enough independent success to prove the effort can be worth it.

Learn more about Chris at the links below.

Cheers,
Matty C

Chris Piascik website
Portfolio
YouTube Channel
Instagram
Facebook
Society 6 Shop

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What Am I Making
What Am I Making Podcast
Hey there. I’m Matty C. For the formally inclined folks in the crowd, the official designation is Matt Carlson.
I am a 50 year old musician, songwriter, and graphic designer that's spent the Covid era pondering deep and meaningful questions about music, film, literature and art in the 21st century.
It seems as though we’re living in age where musicians have to give their music away, content is around every corner and we don’t seem to really value much of any of it the way we used to.
What is it really like to make a living pursuing a life in the arts these days? Why are we seeing a lower percentage of artists in the workforce than at anytime in 100 years?
Now, I’ve reached a point of massive change in my life and I am preparing to spend more of my time, and hopefully, generating a portion of my income from my creative endeavors. That’s a terrifying endeavor, but it’s also incredibly exciting.
I’ll be discussing these ideas and a whole lot more of my own curiosity and creative endeavors on this platform using the written word, videos, podcasts, music and probably some other assets I learn along the way. I’ll be seeking out smart, and fascinating creatives as they build their own lives while fighting an ever-growing series of new challenges and opportunities.
All of these journeys and detours are an effort to share my exploration of culture in the modern world, and to help shine a brighter light on the work I have been doing for years as a musician, designer and podcaster.
This discussion is at the very center of our civilization, what it means to be human andhow to find a meaningful way to connect through that shared humanity in the form of artistic expression. Art is at the core of the relationship. Let’s explore it with that context, and that incalculable value, in mind.
If you enjoy what you hear on the show, please subscribe to my Substack where I also I post this podcast as well as a variety of essays, video and recordings regularly in my search to find out what art really matters to people right here and right now, and they are willing to do to invest in our culture.
Thank you so much for being here. It’s wonderful to have your support.
https://whatamimaking.substack.com
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Matty C