061: An Open Mind

This is the most important thing….

(No graphics this week because I’m literally in a car driving home 😂, but I have a lot to share this week. Stay tuned.)

Hands down The topic I get asked the most about is making money with your art.

Is it still possible to make money as a cartoonist or illustrator? Like not just as a side hustle, but a full-time work or career?

The answer is “Yes, BUT…”

How can YOU do it? Are their tips or tricks? Shortcuts? Well, MAYBE.

I’ll be doing a series of shorts exclusively on my YouTube channel that show at least 30+ different ways you can make money with your art. If you don’t want to miss that, make sure you’re sub’d to the channel and hit the bell to alert you when they go up. https://youtube.com/djcoffman

So Is it even still possible to start from nothing and make a full-time career? It is. I’ve seen it happen with unknown artists of any skill level, genre or style.

I just met a 16yr old who killing it in the digital collectibles world. (More in a sec)

Or maybe you’ve been spinning your wheels like I was. You do some paid work occasionally but it’s always feast or famine.

The one thing you really need is an OPEN MIND.

There’s never been a better time for artists on the planet, but instead, we are polarized by topics like NFTS, AI replacing us, or corporate control making sure artists stay poor.

I just spent 4 days at VeeCon, which is centered around, entrepreneurship, digital collectibles and NFTs.

I know, I know, “NFTs are a scam”…. But when I see artists like Bobby Hundreds (founder of the Hundreds) approaching the space, I think it’s important to keep an open mind to NEW opportunities.

He echoed my feelings on the space… that it feels like the old school DIY street art, mini comics. It’s actually RIPE for us oldies to roll in and show em how it’s done.

No, this isn’t me saying I’m dropping an NFT project. Dear god, I wouldn’t have the time, money or understanding of all this…. But… I’m willing to explore and learn.

I’m keeping an open mind.

An admission… I actually feel bad now for judging the NFT space. It was just something I didn’t understand, or maybe I was judging the art styles as not “real” artists.

This week was a big reminder to me to set aside judgement. Especially on things I don’t fully understand. It creeps in.

After all, I remember how webcomics were judged. I remember how if you didn’t work for Marvel or DC you weren’t considered a REAL comic artist.

I remember how the fine art community still judges comics and cartooning as “not real art”

I wish we as artists can all stop judging each other.

We’re all in this together.

One of the creeds of Draw or Die is “we’re all in this together” … that’s ALL artists. Old school and new school.

It’s why there’s a classic pencil and a Apple Pencil in the logo.

The struggles I heard from the NFT artists are the same we all feel. Honestly, it felt like talking to the indy comics creators I know.

This all seems pretty alien to me.

I know these topics are not easy to follow or grasp. It’s hard to wrap our old brains around what this could be, or what it currently is.

It occurred to me that maybe I should learn more and understand what’s going on in a deeper way.

Maybe I could be the bridge to help educate other traditional artists to a new path.

To the future.

And we might learn along together.

Okay enough of that for now…

Let’s draw something!

🔥This Week’s Drawing CHALLENGE!

Old School vs New School

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Keep your minds open out there!

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