Inspiration in Action with Dameon Williams
This week we continuing with my new favorite series, the Inspiration in Action. You know why this is my favorite?
Because I get to see how people are inspired by other artists, by experiences, by things they read, and people in their life. Then I get to see how that impacted their life and work. And I think that stuff is SUPER COOL.
This week we have my good friend Dameon Williams on to wrap this series up and share who and what has been inspiring him and how his work has changed and how he has grown as an artist. We find out where he does his research, where he finds his tools and brushes, and how his process has been shaped by the illustrator’s he’s studied.
OH and this week is the beginning of my Summer Art Party! Here’s a video to tell you what that’s all about. And why I have to announce it so I actually “do” it. Click on the Summer Art Party link to view the video and see what I have made so far.
Episode 471 LIVE on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 7:30pm GMT / 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 8:30am in Hawaii.
I hope you will join us this Wednesday. We will be LIVE on Wednesday, June 19 2024 at 7:30pm GMT / 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 8:30am in Hawaii. Sign up to get the link at https://creativesignite.com/signup
You can always join us for the live taping experience and be part of the community. Come a little early and introduce yourself in the chat, tell us where you are located in the world and say hey!
Questions for Dameon
- Dameon, can you give everybody a little background about your design/illustration and what you do?
- How has your work changed and evolved over the years?
- Can you see a direct correlation to what you make from who inspires you? in terms of materials? style? process? or is it more subject matter?
- What have you made and what inspired those things, can you show us a link between a person or event or thing that started the spark? I am excited for you to talk about your process of getting ideas and executing on them in ways that are new to you. Do you regularly try out new technologies or new materials?
- If you could tell someone how much their life or work has inspired you (dead or alive) who would that be and what would you tell them or ask them about?
Listen here
Connect & Follow Dameon
https://www.instagram.com/dameon_williams
https://dameonwilliams.com
Other links shared during the episode:
https://retrosupply.co
https://www.glitschkastudios.com/
Transcript
[00:00:00] diane: Hey everybody. Welcome to another episode of, um, whatever I call this thing called used to be sun recharge. Now it’s Creative Ignite and we have had, um, the craziest, uh, beginning. So I am excited to have Maya here and from Norway, we’ve got lots of people. Um, the other, uh, the other country we represented is Brandy is representing Canada.
[00:00:29] So I am [00:00:30] excited and we have lots of other people from America. So, um, Damien, do you wanna tell ’em where you’re located today?
[00:00:38] Dameon Williams: Uh, introduce
[00:00:39] diane: Brad.
[00:00:40] Dameon Williams: I am, um, in a remote location today. I am not home. Because I had technical issues. I found a friend, I phoned a friend, uh, his name is Brad. He has a little company, I think Piedmont Brand.
[00:00:53] You may have heard of it. I don’t know. Little something. Um, Brad allowed me to [00:01:00] come to his, his office studio, uh, is awesome. And do some recording. Since my computer is not playing ball, um, we are trying to make sure everything is working technically. So I am keeping Brad under a lock and key. Right here.
[00:01:17] There’s a hand. That’s all you get. He could come
[00:01:19] diane: and put his face in you.
[00:01:21] Dameon Williams: You want his face? Yeah, a little bit. Alright, you can just
[00:01:23] diane: wave.
[00:01:25] Dameon Williams: Um, there you go.
[00:01:27] diane: Oh, come on all the way.
[00:01:29] Dameon Williams: There you [00:01:30] go. There
[00:01:30] diane: you go.
[00:01:31] Dameon Williams: Slowmo. That’s right. Two nipples. That’s right. He’s in. He’s in. I like it. Awesome. That’s all you getting.
[00:01:38] diane: Okay. Okay. So he’s gonna stay there till we get to the share part. So I just want. It just in case somebody doesn’t know, hasn’t seen you on here before. Can you give everybody a little bit of your background and then we’ll jump into the share so Brad can get back to work? Okay. And happy Juneteenth
[00:01:55] Dameon Williams: and happy Juneteenth.
[00:01:56] Um, all right, in short, uh, [00:02:00] for those that don’t know me, um, Damien Williams out of, I am out of Raleigh, North Carolina, that’s in the United States. Just so people know on the East Coast. Um, I am a illustrator, a designer. I do that full-time. There was a time where I didn’t, but I, these are the times I, I am that person.
[00:02:22] You’re not gonna see a lot of that with today’s presentation. You’re gonna see the early part, but I do that now. Um, branding all the fun [00:02:30] stuff, but work at the print shop and really help a lot of people, um, wear their feelings. Many, many a day. It happens.
[00:02:42] diane: Where, not WAR, right?
[00:02:45] Dameon Williams: Where, yeah. WEAR where, where they are wearing, um, some goods.
[00:02:52] In fact, I’m also here delivering some goods for my friend here. Um, but it’s in the car because I had to [00:03:00] rush up to meet you. So they’re just gonna be in that hot car, uh, hopefully that morning. It be
[00:03:05] diane: morning? Yeah. No. Oh
[00:03:06] Dameon Williams: yeah. They, they, it is warm.
[00:03:08] diane: It is warm, I’m sure. Okay. So one of the questions I’m gonna ask, so you can go ahead and hit share if you want.
[00:03:16] Dameon Williams: I’m gonna hit share
[00:03:17] diane: you, let’s go ahead and share, ’cause I’m gonna ask you this question and then if we need Brad, he can do it and you can answer it without really having to be in your deck. Um, so how has your work changed and evolved [00:03:30] through the years? Have you seen evolution in your work?
[00:03:34] Dameon Williams: Um, yes I have.
[00:03:36] Um, I feel like I have truly, uh. Improved. I’ve gotten better as far as just as an artist. Anyway, there you, you can tell when you’re looking at your old stuff and like, eh, eh, arms, hands, faces, whatever, snouts, they just look better because of repetition. Um, so of [00:04:00] course all that you hope, you, you, you improve there.
[00:04:04] But, um, I want to feel like I’m a little bit more in tune with the client or, um, whoever, uh, is coming to me for a commission or whatever the situation, really listening about, uh, what they are truly in need of. And hopefully not just zooming out and just starting to sketch, but really, uh, breaking down a lot of what they’re saying and what they really mean, [00:04:30] not.
[00:04:30] Some of the things they say, but what they really,
[00:04:34] diane: so one of the things that I’ve noticed is that you will take on projects that maybe you haven’t done something like in the past, right? Um, so that you are stretching, but then you also, when you really are getting better at something you, I know you do in February, um, 28 days or 29 days depending on the year, right?
[00:04:56] Um, you do projects in February that really [00:05:00] help, um, to speed up the process of, uh, honing in a style. And, and I think that some of those deep dives, those quicker, deep dives have helped you. Tremendously because you’re doing certain characters or a certain sort of time period, or even just stylistically you’re doing different styles, um, in that.
[00:05:24] And I’ve seen evolution in that. Like, but I like that you said, uh, noses or [00:05:30] hands, the things that maybe are hard for lots of people. The more you do it, the better you get. Right. Whether it’s a snout, nose or something else, so. Right. Okay. Um, so I want you to just jump in and, um, if you can, if you’re ready.
[00:05:45] Yeah. Um, and then I’ll ask you some other questions, um, as we go.
[00:05:51] Dameon Williams: Okay, cool. Awesome. So it’s, it’s official. You ready for this?
[00:05:55] diane: I’m ready. And if anybody has a question during, I’m keeping the chat up [00:06:00] so that you guys can type it in, I will ask so that I’ll just interrupt and ask. So feel free to know that you can jump in as we go.
[00:06:09] Okay. So again, this series is inspiration in Action. So this is how your inspiration, your, uh, Damien, your inspiration has. Um, and this, it could be, um, an experience. It doesn’t have to be a person. Often it is, but, or it could be a book or something you [00:06:30] read or something that, um, when you worked at the hospital, that was an experience that Mm-Hmm.
[00:06:35] Um, affected how you, um, drew or how you started processing information, even. So, okay. Right. Back to you.
[00:06:44] Dameon Williams: Back to me. Um, but you’re right, it’s all of these experiences, um, are, are we seeing the inspiration from your past? You’re seeing that.
[00:06:53] diane: Yeah. We see it. I see it.
[00:06:55] Dameon Williams: Cool. Um, that’s because that’s, that’s completely what this [00:07:00] is.
[00:07:00] Um, we are inspired by many things, a lot of present day things, but, mm. Way more things that have affected, affected us or has happened to us, whatever, coming from our past, we may not think about it. Um, ’cause that was my case. You may be too young or whatever the situation. But if you are blessed to live long enough, hopefully, and you’re able to reflect, you’ll see some of these things, um, come [00:07:30] back in a different way and you have a decision to make, am I gonna do something better or not?
[00:07:35] So I want everybody to understand this is how we harness our background experiences to ignite our creative passions. Yeah. Word play, ignite. Never heard of that.
[00:07:45] diane: And you use, uh right. Uh, especially when, I can’t remember what it’s called, but you use the past a lot. Like you really love history and I love that that finds its way into your work as well.
[00:07:58] Dameon Williams: You know what, it is [00:08:00] so appropriate that you said that because you know, I’m a person of history. I love. Weaving that into my work. So why not start with some history, history lesson on Juneteenth? I love it.
[00:08:12] diane: I do too. And not planned right?
[00:08:14] Dameon Williams: Not planned. This was not planned. Um, this on the other hand is this gentleman is John Wesley Winter Sr.
[00:08:23] He was a driven and ambitious man who started his own construction company after years of working service jobs. His [00:08:30] determination not only led to, to business success, but also groundbreaking achievements in politics. Uh, becoming the first African American elected to the Raleigh City Council City. I’m from Raleigh, Raleigh City Council, and later serving in the state senate.
[00:08:46] Winter’s made history as one of the first two African Americans in the state legislature since reconstruction. That’s like since 1900. Wow. Um, he believed in advocating for civil rights [00:09:00] through community building and economic empowerment for African Americans. Winters played a vital role in developing subdivisions like, um, bill Moore Hills, uh, big with African Americans, um, featuring single family homes and streets, honoring notable African Americans as Ralph Bunch, Ella Fitzgerald, Dorothy Dridge, or Kit Jesse Owens, et cetera.
[00:09:29] diane: Did you [00:09:30] know this man?
[00:09:31] Dameon Williams: Um, as it just so happens, um, my grandfather who, uh, was a boxer and a restaurant owner and a whole bunch of things, uh, in Raleigh, he actually worked. I. For him when he was doing a lot of his campaign stuff. So I didn’t know him, but my family does. They’re familiar with him. Um, Biltmore Hills, a significant historic African-American [00:10:00] neighborhood in Raleigh, has played a crucial role in the city’s black history.
[00:10:04] Despite facing, facing challenges such as discriminatory laws and financial constraints that limited land ownership. Fillmore Hills remain one of the oldest intact black communities in the area. The segregation patterns from the reconstruction era persistent into the 20th century with the racially exclusive covenants intensifying the divide between black and white neighborhoods.
[00:10:28] Between 1945 and [00:10:30] 1975, visionaries like John Wesley Winter Sr. Uh, developed Biltmore Hills as a stable middle class African American neighborhood. However, urban renewal projects, notably the construction of the BeltLine highway system, pretty much the highway in our, our area, it’s, you know, the same highway that’s all throughout the United States.
[00:10:53] Um, disrupted longstanding communities like Biltmore Hills and Rochester Heights, cutting through these [00:11:00] neighborhoods while avoiding a lot of the white areas that happened so often throughout the country. Mm-Hmm. So we had a lot of black neighborhoods that were, um, they were all together and then they got cut apart.
[00:11:13] So it, it led to a lot of, as you would imagine, uh, disunity community. Uh, some issues
[00:11:22] diane: for sure. Uh,
[00:11:23] Dameon Williams: as you would imagine. Um. This right here is a clip from one of our local [00:11:30] newspapers showing the little sound barrier they were putting up to, so you could block a lot of the highway noise. Um, but stuff like that is what led to or helped divide that, the area.
[00:11:42] So I’ll drive over that same highway, um, every day, honestly. And I could look over, down in the barrier and see the neighborhood.
[00:11:51] diane: Hmm.
[00:11:52] Dameon Williams: You could kind of see it as you’re driving by. So it’s, it’s, it’s real, it’s a real thing. And, um, we, and those walls
[00:11:59] diane: don’t [00:12:00] really, um,
[00:12:01] Dameon Williams: no, not, not so much
[00:12:03] diane: protect from sound or that much,
[00:12:05] Dameon Williams: not so much.
[00:12:06] Um, let’s see, where am I? Okay. Yeah. So I’ve used my Instagram page over the years to cover various topics like housing. Because as I got older, I started to realize that the enduring impacts of many of our past policies still influenced the way millions live today. I real realized that I too have a voice that [00:12:30] some people actually listen to, sometimes crazy.
[00:12:33] My kids don’t, but other people do. I felt like I had to speak out on, on this subject and many subjects, and I covered this in, in addition to many others. Um, I owe it to my people. Uh, I owe this to my neighborhood of Biltmore Hills, which I actually grew up on. I grew up on the street Fitzgeral Drive. So literally every day I come out my door and I’m looking and I [00:13:00] see the address in front of me.
[00:13:02] So history is all around me. Couldn’t miss it. I literally couldn’t miss it. Um, but first, how did I get here? You are wondering. Into this confusion of missing slides.
[00:13:14] diane: Just so you know, Amy says, Amy Lyon says, I’ve learned so much about history from you, Damien.
[00:13:20] Dameon Williams: Oh, you know what? Thank you Amy. I appreciate it.
[00:13:23] Uh, hopefully you’re gonna learn a little bit more. Uh, in fact, you’re gonna learn about my history. [00:13:30] That’s right.
[00:13:30] diane: Mm. Take a
[00:13:31] Dameon Williams: look. Um, this is Damien with hair. Um,
[00:13:37] diane: little Damien. How old is that one? Like how old were you in that picture?
[00:13:42] Dameon Williams: Oh, boy. I wonder if I was in fifth, fourth, fifth. Fourth grade. Fifth grade.
[00:13:51] Super
[00:13:51] diane: cute.
[00:13:52] Dameon Williams: Yeah, it was those Catholic school days. Um, my parents worked hard to send both, uh, my sister and I [00:14:00] to Catholic school, where I explored my artistic talents through religious and comic inspired drawings. While the nuns were accepting of my religious artwork, they were less enthusiastic about my Garfield inspired creations.
[00:14:13] Despite this, they encouraged me to pursue fine arts, leading to my admiration for paintings like this famous one, the conversion, uh, on the way to Damascus, one of my favorites.
[00:14:24] diane: Mm-Hmm.
[00:14:25] Dameon Williams: Um, additionally I developed a [00:14:30] passion for political cartoons. You see on the far right, particularly admiring cartoonist Dwayne Powell, his work in the news and observer are local paper.
[00:14:41] diane: Oh,
[00:14:41] Dameon Williams: cool. Um, he, he was awesome and he just kind of, he would give it to both sides, um, politically. That was his thing. I really, really loved how he would just, he’d burn everybody. Um, inspired by him. I became an editorial cartoonist from my high school and college [00:15:00] newspapers.
[00:15:01] diane: Cool. I didn’t know that.
[00:15:03] Dameon Williams: Yep.
[00:15:03] Fun fact. Uh, if I could dug up some of my papers, I would’ve shown some of my, my clips. But, you know, we
[00:15:10] diane: can imagine.
[00:15:11] Dameon Williams: We can imagine. But perhaps that’s our next interview. Right? Um, okay. Yep. Now I found my slide completely outta place. Um, but this is appropriate. This is correct. While attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State [00:15:30] University, so this is a NT in Greensboro, North Carolina.
[00:15:32] Mm-Hmm. Aggie Pride, a historically black university. My influences stemmed from my ex exceptional peers and talented art professors. Among them were Lean or Kennedy. And James Barnhill, who not only imparted their artistic wisdom, but in the case of Professor Barnhill, also sculpted the iconic February one monument.
[00:15:55] You see on the far right? Yeah. Honoring the four North Carolina a NT [00:16:00] freshmen who initiated the lunch counter sit in of February 1st, 1960.
[00:16:05] diane: Wow. Yeah.
[00:16:06] Dameon Williams: Wool Woolsworth. Woolworth. There we go. Yeah. Woolworth, Woolworths,
[00:16:09] diane: Woolworth. Mm-Hmm.
[00:16:10] Dameon Williams: Um, and of course it’s monuments to them and to, to everybody that contributed to the movement.
[00:16:17] Um, this thing, I think they say about 15 feet high. This monuments is crazy. Wow. But it’s, it’s awesome. And he was my professor.
[00:16:27] diane: That’s cool.
[00:16:28] Dameon Williams: Um, great guy. [00:16:30] This is a clip that should have been earlier, but you know more of my, uh, what I’ve done on Instagram, but
[00:16:37] diane: we don’t know. So you can just keep, keep going because we don’t know where it goes.
[00:16:41] Take a look.
[00:16:41] Dameon Williams: See, see this redlining. Come, go back to my Instagram. If you wanna know more, these things are very important. Alright. Um, after graduating, I landed a job designing listings for residences and businesses in a telephone book directory. I mean, it was [00:17:00] crazy word. A lot of typing. Oh gosh. Well, the job was, yeah, I know.
[00:17:04] You imagine that while the job was financially rewarding ’cause they had to pay you for, for that, um, it lacked creative stimulation if you would imagine. Looking back, this period marked the lowest point of my creative inspiration.
[00:17:19] diane: Hmm.
[00:17:20] Dameon Williams: Surrounded by my cubicle computer and endless listings. I’ve soon realized the importance, at least to me, of human interaction and fueling my artistic [00:17:30] spirit.
[00:17:31] My coworkers were an awesome bunch. They truly were a lot of good friends from that, that group. But I still felt like something was missing. Following a stint at a smaller, yet similar workplace, I began to question my passion for creativity and thought maybe it was time to just explore a different career path.
[00:17:47] I was worried that this was about it. This was in in line for me.
[00:17:51] diane: Oh, wow. Um,
[00:17:52] Dameon Williams: already, but it was a couple years of this and this. Yeah. They bring you as a designer, but you [00:18:00] know, it is what it is though. And it shows you how old I am because who’s looking at the phone book now? Um, my dad.
[00:18:07] diane: My dad still looks at the phone.
[00:18:09] Dameon Williams: Okay, well this is for him. Um, let’s see. So, um, I stepped away from design. I decided, you know what, let me just shake things up. So I began a career in security and I was overseeing techno uh, technology plants. They had me at some [00:18:30] really cool places, pharmaceutical companies and college campuses. I mean, security, all these spots.
[00:18:37] It was, it was some serious security. Um, all the while I was lever, leveraging my attention to detail and my personable nature, or that’s what people tell me anyway. I don’t know. Mm-Hmm. You have to tell me. Um, after about eight months in security, um, as great as it was, I had an opportunity to transition to [00:19:00] retail, working in sales and, and stockroom operations.
[00:19:04] Um, and it was in the stockroom that I discovered my passion for helping coworkers and customers organizing inventory and assisting with technical issues. Recognized as a go-to it guy. I thoroughly enjoyed the role. I enjoyed all the attention, but I enjoyed truly helping people. Um, and I discovered inspiration as I came to understand, presented itself in different forms.
[00:19:29] And in this [00:19:30] case it was service, uh, something I never really considered before. And I felt good about that. I was getting closer to understanding how I ticked when it came to what inspired me. Uh, one day a customer praised my personality and problem solving skills, suggesting I consider a position as an in-house equipment technician in healthcare at one of the regional hospitals.
[00:19:54] Um, I was intrigued by the opportunity and eventually I accepted the offer. [00:20:00] Once I got conditioned to my new healthcare surroundings, I started to feel like I needed to revisit my creative approach, or at least my thought when it came to. What I could do in a creative world, the urge to reignite, I love that word.
[00:20:17] My creative spark, even for part-time led me to seek new opportunities outside the confines of a traditional office setting. I didn’t want to go back to the cubicles in the way that was, it just wasn’t for me [00:20:30] determined to pursue my passion on my own terms. I eventually came across a small T-shirt shop called Fuzzy Face Embroidery named after the cat that was looking for a graphic artist.
[00:20:43] To my surprise, I actually landed the job. I figure, okay, wait a minute. What really? And they said, despite two years away from graph serious graphic design work, I, I noticed that my skills quickly, they quickly resurfaced as I dug into the new role. [00:21:00] So it ended up being better than I thought. I thought I was away from the computer way too long.
[00:21:06] Not that long. It was fine. It started picking up. Adobe doesn’t really change a lot up there. Not like that. Shortcuts is still the same shortcuts. Uh, so balancing part-time work at fuzzy face embroidery with a full-time position at the hospital. I unintentionally blended graphics and illustration into my healthcare routine, [00:21:30] injecting creativity into my everyday life.
[00:21:32] That really wasn’t my goal, but people start discovering that you do stuff, you can draw, you can whatever. Like, hey, can you do something for me? I need a logo or my dog, uh, drawing. So I would do it. Um, I was engaging with folks more than ever though, during this period, and I, it was really cool helping people, both, both physically and creatively.
[00:21:57] Honestly, that whole period taught me [00:22:00] a lot. Um, what I didn’t, I felt like I didn’t have empathy enough. Empathy, the idea of it. Um. Prior to the hospital. So I can do all these things, but where am I really understanding and listening to my clients or the people they’re asking me to do these things. I started really to take a breath and, um, give it a little bit more, uh, spent more time listening, truly listening.
[00:22:28] And in [00:22:30] that, I think I started nailing a lot of, um, the goals when it came to what I was shooting for, whether it’s design or art. Already active on Instagram with a personal account, sharing family photos. I decided to create a separate art page at this point. Uh, initially I followed the trend of many artists on the platform by simply posting my work and following established artists.
[00:22:54] While I had done the same on Facebook and Dribble, Instagram felt different. Uh, [00:23:00] Facebook is still a thing. I’d imagine dribble is still a thing too. Um, it is, I think,
[00:23:05] diane: yep,
[00:23:06] Dameon Williams: it was bigger back then. I dare say. Um, despite the lack of structure, aside from the algorithm, I noticed artistic improvement as more attention to my work grew and, and leading to a gradual re increase in followers.
[00:23:24] What began as random posts evolved into a purposeful planned miniseries [00:23:30] As my artistry developed before establishing my art Instagram account, I had some prior interactions with B Supply. A company that aligned perfectly with my interest, especially at that point in time, growing up in a mid-century influence neighborhood, uh, had already instilled in me a love for that aesthetic.
[00:23:49] So it makes sense. I would like that in my artwork too. Retro Supply specializes in digital retro design tools offering brushes and textures that [00:24:00] accurate, accurately replicate vintage art with an authentic look and user friendly experience. That is a commercial Dustin, that’s a commercial. That guy right there.
[00:24:11] Uh, founder, owner, creator, um, Dustin Lee of Retro Supply, awesome guy. Upon purchasing and using Coder Lab, that thing you see on the far right, a set of retro comic book replication brushes, I quickly [00:24:30] became hooked on their products. I was using a lot of their products prior to, but Color Lab really did something for me and it did something for me because of this, uh, drawing inspiration from my Uncle Raymond’s old comic books that he, he gave me.
[00:24:46] I ventured into creating new characters and replicating classic looks, using similar drawing techniques. Posting my 1970s era Honey Badger Online with the intention of simply sharing. I caught the attention of a [00:25:00] t-shirt company in California. So the honey badger, you see well top right hand side. I just saw some of the ads in that Archie and me comic, I’m like, you know what, hey, let’s pull some elements from here and dah, dah, dah.
[00:25:12] Can I get that same look? Yeah. Kind of, kind of nailed it. But they did all the color work, so thank you. Archie comics. Um, the t-shirt company in California commissioned me to create a similar style for their mascot. Uh, that little skunk character you see, [00:25:30] uh, skunk holding some kind of paraphernalia in his hand.
[00:25:33] So you would imagine what kind of company this is in California, right? I dunno. I’m sure it was health foods. Um. So I created a, a similar style for their mascot leading to another successful shirt illustration. Uh, ’cause I’ve done, I did two for them. Uh, this newfound success reignited my passion for art and the recognition and opportunities moti motivated me to keep pursuing and expanding my creative endeavors.[00:26:00]
[00:26:00] It was great that people wanted to actually purchase and do things and print this, so of course, I’m, I’m all for it. And a retro supply truly, uh, a lot of their brushes, a lot of their, their stuff helped me get to that point a lot faster. So much appreciated.
[00:26:17] diane: They are awesome.
[00:26:19] Dameon Williams: After gaining recognition for my artwork, I was invited.
[00:26:23] After a couple years, I was invited to join Retro Supply Team and appointed as co-moderator for [00:26:30] their secret society community boards. In this role, I helped individuals on their creative paths. Continue to analyze. Uh, I would analyze classic illustrations, kind of helping them, um, replicate the look of that and really paying attention to why, uh, certain things were the way they were and how the media they used, why it did what it did, and how our digital brushes replicate the bleeds and whatever [00:27:00] LGBC, um, happen in those old publications.
[00:27:04] So I demonstrated to members how to recreate the recreate things using the digital brushes to emulate the vintage aesthetic. An example of this is an illustration from the great JP Miller. This is from the Golden Book. What If His is on the left? And I did a little sketch in the middle, you see? And then I used a breakfast supply brushes to kind of do my version of that, [00:27:30] getting as close as I could to what JP Miller did.
[00:27:33] This looks awesome. Thank you. This is the type of stuff you would see, uh, in secret society, us kind of breaking down and looking at, uh, the old things and not only trying to replicate it just to copy, but you know, using it for our current, you know, I do some of these same pictures using the same techniques, but for something modern day.
[00:27:55] Um, so it’s good that we replicate this, but we want to use it for our own [00:28:00] purposes to create our own things. But with that, look, that’s the goal. Great to copy, but we can do our own thing.
[00:28:06] diane: Yeah. It’s good for exercises to Great.
[00:28:08] Dameon Williams: Yeah.
[00:28:09] diane: And that’s how you know what is off and what, where you still need work.
[00:28:13] Right, right. When you’re doing, but it’s, and it is really important. And that’s how the masters, da Vinci, you know, Mytel, that’s how they worked as well. They copied, or people copied them more than likely, but they probably, probably copied other, but then they turn it and make their own work [00:28:30] because now they understand how to do it.
[00:28:31] So I love that you’re really. Uh, take deconstructing, that’s the word, JP Miller’s work to see how you can use and how you can make it like it, and that then you take it and make it your own.
[00:28:46] Dameon Williams: There, there you go. What? She said. That’s perfect. Um, so we do that and it’s, it’s pretty fun and it’s teaching me a lot as well.
[00:28:57] So there’s my what if, and [00:29:00] this man. Um, in my discussion I have referenced numerous, uh, sources, methods, individuals, and events that have inspired me with one particular favorite standing out. As I expanded my network and attended more conferences and met people like, um, uh, some Diane Gibbs, I think her name is a really cool person.
[00:29:24] You should meet her one day.
[00:29:25] diane: I’ll try.
[00:29:26] Dameon Williams: You should. She’s awesome. I began to [00:29:30] encounter exceptionally creative individuals that feel. One such person is the creator, creative director, and Illustrator von Glitch, pictured here, whom I came across a few years ago. He offered an online class titled Drawing Victor Graphics Linear Line Illustration.
[00:29:50] Uh, I think it was on LinkedIn learning at first. Um, and it centered on creating illustrations using a single continuous line, [00:30:00] intrigued by his technique. I was captivated and promptly attempted it myself because that’s what I do. I wanna try it, my give it a go. And here’s some examples of how I did that.
[00:30:11] It’s, it is tough and I tell you you want to do it in parts and then eventually get to all your, your lines connected. But it’s super doable and it is truly fun to see. If you can, you can capture likeness is, um, a few more. Do this for a [00:30:30] magazine cover and to the right is, uh, the facade of, um, of Main Street on Disney.
[00:30:38] At, at Disney World, I think, or is Atlanta.
[00:30:42] diane: It’s probably World Hands in California. Worlds in Florida.
[00:30:45] Dameon Williams: It’s one of the facades. But yeah, using that same technique
[00:30:50] diane: and the thing on the left is a, a client saw it and then they were like, we kind of like this style or something, right?
[00:30:58] Dameon Williams: Yeah, yeah, yeah. They saw they would, [00:31:00] they had seen some things, uh, on Instagram and asked, well, could you do that for our people?
[00:31:05] Absolutely. Absolutely. Tell them to stay still and not move, and they stay there for like two days. Um, so there’s that. If you go to my, um, Instagram post, you’ll see a lot of this linear line business happening. So, you know, if you want to get more of your, your, your fill. Come on, bye. [00:31:30] Um, the release of journalist and author Nicole Hannah Jones’s 1619 project essay in the New York Times made a significant, a significant impact to me, uh, for me focus on slavery and the establishment of the United States from a critical perspective.
[00:31:50] The essay explored the lasting impact of these issues on contemporary society, inspired by the diverse subjects and, uh, covered in the essay, I decided to [00:32:00] illustrate some of them. Uh, employee, same technique, uh, was all more black and white. I did not really use color. Um, the different essays covered, um, incarceration, health, uh, the highway system.
[00:32:15] It was just different topics in relation to the United States, black folks in all of us in general, the highways were created, as I’ve discussed, with a certain intent. It wasn’t just, oh, this blah, blah, blah. [00:32:30] Everything. It seems like in our fair country, there’s always another level to it. It’s more than you, uh, would imagine.
[00:32:38] And a lot of this stuff was brought up in the SA, um, with that, I came up with the one line mini series that you’re not seeing. I posted it on Instagram and tagged the 1619 project to it to get the massive amount of eyeballs to it. I never considered that Nicole Hannah Jones would actually catch wind of it, but she did.
[00:32:57] And I got acknowledgement and an invite to her [00:33:00] personal page on Instagram. In my world, honestly, that’s high praise. That was not my goal. But in more than, on more than one occasion, I’ve done different things, whether it’s the ABCs or February, different things I’ve done. And when I’m not covering people that have passed, um, ’cause Harriet Tubman is not gonna, I.
[00:33:19] See my, my posts and get back with me. I do cover a lot of people that are very much with us and you know, I’ll do some tags and whatnot, not really think anything [00:33:30] of it, and in some cases they’ve gotten back to me and shared their thoughts. So that’s, that’s always fun. Admits my lighthearted and I do a lot.
[00:33:41] I’ve also shared content addressing social issues and inequities in the United States. Growing up in a neighborhood that symbolized greatness, I felt compelled to use my platform to shed light on contemporary injustices as efforts to erase or downplay certain histories. Persist and motivated [00:34:00] to persist in amplifying awareness and advocating for justice that our fans is my inspiration.
[00:34:07] So I leave you with this. Developing a curiosity driven mindset is, uh, is is crucial. So do that. Be curious. Finding inspiration in everyday experiences and embracing a spirit of a spirit of experimentation Won’t ever do you wrong? Embrace risk only experiment with new ideas. [00:34:30] Even if the outcome is uncertain.
[00:34:32] Just go forward. Make sure you’re doing things that align with your values. Ensure new projects resonate with personal beliefs and your priorities. You want something that reflects you. If it doesn’t, then maybe you need to leave it be, um, ’cause you wanna put your heart in it. If it’s something that reflects you, then it’s, you’re gonna be way more passionate about it.
[00:34:53] And also, I want you to amplify your impact. Consider how the work can positively influence and empower the audience. [00:35:00] That’s the key. Uh, and that’s what I would do with all of my posts on Instagram. So, uh, that said, I wanna thank you for this, uh, this opportunity. I am sorry that some of my slides refuse to show up.
[00:35:15] But that’s okay.
[00:35:17] diane: It is okay. And come
[00:35:19] Dameon Williams: to my page.
[00:35:21] diane: Uh, Dee says, inspiring. We are working hard on wild routed and we appreciate the good vibes. I appreciate that. [00:35:30] Just that you, you take a different spin. I think. Um, I mean there are lots of people who do retro, but you, um, I love the way you work through different styles or you grow and it’s been obvious to see how when you take on a project, even the map thing that you did for a client, you were like, I don’t really like the map, but I did it.
[00:35:53] And I could do it again. But I could say, Hey, I don’t, this maybe not isn’t the thing that [00:36:00] I want to do in the future.
[00:36:02] Dameon Williams: In the future. Right,
[00:36:03] diane: right, right. Or you may try it a different way. And I think that to me, I love that history comes in so much for you in your work. Um. Do you see, I mean, obviously with the Vaughn thing and then with the history, when you’re, you’re inspired by, like, I remember one of the, um, the February’s you did, um, was based on a [00:36:30] podcast or a book I think that you had listened to.
[00:36:33] Uh, I think, um,
[00:36:34] Dameon Williams: uh, it was, I’m trying to think. There was one on, uh, it wasn’t Reconstruction, I think it was the, um, revolutionary War.
[00:36:44] diane: Okay.
[00:36:44] Dameon Williams: And it was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I think he did a, um, a documentary. Saw Amazon or something, and it covered the blacks in the Revolutionary War. And there was a book, uh, the same name that came out [00:37:00] decades before.
[00:37:01] I had never heard of this book or seen it, but I ended up buying it or finding it on, uh, eBay and read it. And sure enough, I think it may be was in the sixties or seventies when it was put out there. This book, uh, you see some of the people you, you, you, you’ve, you’ve heard about before and people, many people that you’ve never heard about and like, ’cause the Revolutionary War is just not really mentioned.
[00:37:27] People may think of black folks hanging [00:37:30] around or, but they would have been, uh, maybe enslaved at that point or whatever the situation was. But you don’t really hear about ’em. And there’s so many situations as it is in many things when it comes to American history. Certainly every war, um, there are people there.
[00:37:50] Now you may not hear their stories, um, but I assure you they’re there and there’s plenty of evidence of that. So, yeah, that I think inspired one [00:38:00] of my years of, um, the ABCs of February.
[00:38:03] diane: Right. Okay. So then I see a direct correlation from who inspires you or the topic, right, that is inspiring you or things that you learn.
[00:38:14] Right. How about in terms of materials? I know you’re inspired by retro, uh, the Archies and things like that, and so retro supply has been a big, um, but what about like doing digital or working digitally? Is that, [00:38:30] um, was, you know, is part of what inspires you also in the materials you use?
[00:38:38] Dameon Williams: Um, yeah. It, it, it is.
[00:38:42] I, um. As much as I do enjoy working digital, I was still, uh, brought up and taught with the traditional, um, analog methods. I was on the cusp. We were kind of on the cusp of knowing all the [00:39:00] analog stuff, but then the computer age was coming for us and we weren’t really into it, but we were learning to become.
[00:39:07] So we are, many of us are of two worlds, but I’m still very much in getting my, my hands started because Penn and Ink is what, uh, that was my, my choice, uh, my weapons of choice in college and and beyond. And I still love it. I still like to use, um, and maybe not the Quill, but you [00:39:30] know, a lot of the things now, the new technology.
[00:39:32] But still it’s a very analog, it’s not digital and you can’t undo when it’s on your paper. Um, and it’s great. That’s a good thing. I encourage my kids to. You know, using eraser or not be messy or not, but you know, it’s, it’s, it’s all good. Um, so yeah, I like using material as well. Digital is great, but there’s sometimes nothing could replicate tearing paper like what you were doing with your birds, [00:40:00] right.
[00:40:00] Um, and just the look of that you can do that stuff in a digital way and make it look, or you can actually just tear the paper up, tear it up, and, and build that way.
[00:40:12] diane: What about, so one of the things I love is, um, in secret society on retro supply, you, you break down, uh, deconstruct those, uh, old great people who have inspired you, right?
[00:40:26] Um, or looks of theirs, but then [00:40:30] it’s also the, your ideation. I’ve seen some just ’cause we’re friends and I see some of your sketches in your process. Um, what about your. The process of actually coming up with ideas. Um, ’cause maybe it’s maybe less. I just love that you’ll watch something on TV or listen to a podcast and then you get an idea for something else.
[00:40:54] Mm-Hmm. You start looking for visual references, obviously, but Right. I think you’re ideation. [00:41:00] Can you talk a little bit about, um, your process of getting ideas or experimenting with different ideas for a certain project?
[00:41:11] Dameon Williams: Um, what I’ll do, and you know, I’ve discussed it, discussed this before. It starts with a shower.
[00:41:21] There’s always a shower. That’s where I can clearly think. And it gives me a moment to kind of just parse through everything and, and try to work it out, [00:41:30] um, with no pressure. And if I come to whatever agreement or just whatever, it’s kind of like with sleep. Same as when I wake up and it is maybe early morning, I feel like, okay, I gotta get this on paper.
[00:41:44] So I’ll run to the office and jo stuff down. Same in the shower. Um, and you go with any and everything. I’ve discussed it before, just put it all out there. No one’s gonna know behind the scenes what’s, what’s happening and where this originated, [00:42:00] where it started. They won’t know all that. They’ll just see the end result.
[00:42:03] Um, so for me it really is just jotting everything down and then coming back to it. And some things may work, some may not. That’s okay. I’ll talk to my wife and kids about different things. Um,
[00:42:20] diane: you also run, you have meditation practice, like you’re Yeah. All the different things. You’re not just work, work, work, work.
[00:42:26] Get, you know, and like,
[00:42:28] Dameon Williams: yeah. So you be a sponge. [00:42:30] Do, do everything. Let everything, ’cause any and everything could be the inspiration. You don’t know what Mm-Hmm. There was a time when I was younger where I would dismiss things. That’s silly. Don’t dismiss anything. You don’t know what a lot of the things that you’re into now were, they did not originate the way you think they did.
[00:42:49] I, I assure you, the potato chip right. Came about by accident. It truly did.
[00:42:56] diane: Even cereal.
[00:42:58] Dameon Williams: Cereal, I mean, [00:43:00] you know, you just don’t know. So don’t dismiss anything. Put it all out there and um, one thing could truly lead into another. So I do want to take those breaks and I do want to game ’cause. When I, I get a clear mind when I’m gaming, but you also get ideas, um, when you’re doing that,
[00:43:21] diane: some web results.
[00:43:22] Dameon Williams: Um, we
[00:43:22] diane: can show them if you ask again on phone.
[00:43:25] Dameon Williams: Okay. Thanks.
[00:43:26] diane: Series like talking to you. Okay. So what [00:43:30] about, um, so sometimes when we’re working in our own, our own method, our own process, mm-Hmm. One thing that I am inspired by you to do is to, you try new technologies and hard technologies all the time.
[00:43:47] Like, you don’t seem to get, um, oh, I’m overwhelmed by that. I’m not gonna try that. Like, it actually becomes, it’s fun for you and you don’t put as much pressure. I don’t know [00:44:00] really how you’re able to do that. I really haven’t taken on some of the things that you’ve taken on and it seems like it’s nothing to you.
[00:44:07] Um, but. For somebody who does like to do things by hand, right. You also will embrace new technologies, um, like animation or, um, even just the iPad or you doing different styles on the iPad, right? How, how does that play in and and why is that important to you? [00:44:30]
[00:44:30] Dameon Williams: Um, because I am super curious about how things, how it happens, how it’s made, how you, I, I just wanna know elements of how things have come together and we don’t have to copy that.
[00:44:48] I’m not great with After Effects, but I’m not afraid to take a class or two in it because I am better in procreate dreams when it comes to some animation [00:45:00] techniques, and I can implement some of those things I see here and bring it over to that and you’ll never know. Um, just because you may not be big or cool or great at one particular thing, doesn’t mean that you should dismiss it or just, eh, I’m not gonna implement any of that stuff in my workflow.
[00:45:18] You don’t know. Some of those things may actually work for you, but you just have to take elements of it and just put it over here. So don’t, uh, I’m not great at everything. I’m not [00:45:30] interested in being great at everything, but there are a lot of things I’m curious about. I wanted to see for this, um, presentation, how certain things would animate.
[00:45:39] So I use procreate Dreams to animate that opening sequence, um, and then put it into keynote, just outta curiosity to see how certain things play with each other.
[00:45:51] diane: Yeah.
[00:45:51] Dameon Williams: And you know, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but why not? Let’s see. And then you may see it and like, okay, that looks just like any other, okay, [00:46:00] mission accomplished.
[00:46:00] Great. Then that does work. And so it’s about experimenting really. Um. And
[00:46:07] diane: not being afraid
[00:46:07] Dameon Williams: thing,
[00:46:07] diane: one thing that you used to do when you were at the hospital is Uhhuh. During your lunch you would do Skillshare or take some class. Oh, yeah. Or, and that I think it was so, um, instrumental to me it’s like, wow, I have this, I’m not using this.
[00:46:26] And I actually started using Skillshare [00:46:30] more. I could just see how much you were learning just because of classes you were taking
[00:46:37] Dameon Williams: and it was the
[00:46:38] diane: practice every day, you know? Right,
[00:46:40] Dameon Williams: right, right. I mean, you know, and that’s the joy, one of the joys of the hospital when it was downtime and I’m not running all over the place.
[00:46:49] Um, I did have a moment to kind of sit and, and, and watch a video or watch five minutes because they break it up, you know, in little, uh, segments. So I could [00:47:00] watch five minutes here and then go and help that patient poop or do something within wheelchair. And then come back and do five minutes and, you know, um, and it was really cool.
[00:47:12] They’re smart to do it that way because we can’t all sit for an hour and do that thing. Um, and I knew that if I was, um, if I would do it, then I would either encourage you to watch a video or more importantly, we [00:47:30] together can go over some of the stuff, concepts I learned and then we’ll do our Sunday draw or whatnot.
[00:47:37] Mm-Hmm. And that’s fine too. We need to get
[00:47:38] diane: back to,
[00:47:39] Dameon Williams: we do need to get back to that, but I’m okay with that. You don’t have to. Hopefully. So I’m paying attention to it, not just for me, but with the, uh, in hopes that I can, uh, implement this for myself, but also hopefully teach you maybe a thing or two, uh, to encourage you to do it.
[00:47:57] Or at least for us to play [00:48:00] around and say, Hey, let’s cut out thing. It’s pretty cool. That’s. Maybe do more with it.
[00:48:06] diane: Mm-Hmm.
[00:48:06] Dameon Williams: Um, so it’s just a mindset of sharing. All right. Sharing the, the service stuff.
[00:48:13] diane: Yeah. All right. So you always have it in your mind to be able to synthesize it down to help Right.
[00:48:20] Somebody else, whether that’s in secret society or whether that’s in just life and friends and or your kids. That’s a goal or anything. Right. Because you’re very community [00:48:30] oriented. One other thing I wanted to make sure I do before I asked you the last question was Yeah. Uh, community is important to you and collaboration is important.
[00:48:38] Can you talk about that just a little bit?
[00:48:40] Dameon Williams: I have, um, yeah. Uh, you know, this better than anybody. Um. There was a point, and I didn’t discuss it in this particular presentation. We talked about it before. We have a lot of friends. And prior to me getting into, seriously getting into my art, I really didn’t have the [00:49:00] community.
[00:49:00] I was searching for the community. And it just so happened, um, again, through LY there was a newsletter, and in the newsletter they introduced this guy named Lenny Lenny. Lenny Zi Lenny, um, had a t-shirt shop in Durham and was super engaging, uh, in their article and whatnot. I’m like, well, okay, well he’s close in.
[00:49:26] Durham is close to Raleigh. So I figured, well, let me travel [00:49:30] to this place and meet this, this man. So we sat and we talked and he got me to come to, because at that point he was a president of A IGA. Um. I went to meetings and got to meet more people and dah, dah, dah. And then he’s suggesting something called Creative Self.
[00:49:48] I’m like, what is that? And there’s this person named Diane. So you just have to keep going in. Uh, it’s, that’s how it works. You know, you pull in the thread and all of a sudden you’re unraveling a spiderweb [00:50:00] or somebody’s sweater. Um, and it’s fun. But this is how we, we learn. And for me, I noticed that my artwork, my skills really just shot through the roof.
[00:50:11] When community was involved, whether it was listening to what they had to say or just feedback, all these different things helped me become, uh, a better artist. Maybe it was because of pressure of more eyeballs or whatever the situation, but community to me is super important. So you want to find [00:50:30] one. Um, they’re out there, I promise you.
[00:50:33] Um, that’s community and then collaboration. I love collaborating with people. This is how we grow. I’ve done some awesome things with my friend Josh Lewis, and um, of course I’ve done some stuff with Charlotte, our mutual friend. Um, stuff with you. Just, I’m cool with collaboration. I encourage people to do it.
[00:50:57] This is how you learn, [00:51:00] um, when it comes to working with someone else. And it will be tough at times, but something, some of the greatest things. Um, you know, they’re not supposed to be easy, but when you pull it off, as I did it with Josh and some of our history things on Instagram, when you pull it off, it ends up being super, super awesome and a lot of people respond to it, and that’s the goal.
[00:51:24] Yeah. Collaborate.
[00:51:26] diane: Well, even where you are today is community and [00:51:30] collaboration. You’re like, Brad, hey, can I come
[00:51:32] Dameon Williams: right, just right here? Yeah. It embodies I, my computer is acting up. I’m asking a friend and I couldn’t go to your house ’cause you’re not super close. We could have done this video
[00:51:45] diane: 15 hours away.
[00:51:46] Yeah,
[00:51:46] Dameon Williams: yeah. Uh, next time I will fly out, but this time I had to find somebody closer and Brad was there and he is super like, Hey, you know what? Come to my spot. This background is cooler than my, my background. I mean, take a picture of [00:52:00] this is cool
[00:52:00] diane: too. That one is cool.
[00:52:01] Dameon Williams: I’m gonna take a picture of this and then just post it.
[00:52:05] diane: Be your when I go
[00:52:05] Dameon Williams: home.
[00:52:06] diane: Yeah. It’ll be like background,
[00:52:07] Dameon Williams: virtual background from a virtual background.
[00:52:09] diane: So the last question I’m trying to ask people in these, and sometimes I forget, but I’m gonna ask you this and then we’ll wrap, is if you could tell someone, um, how much their life or work has inspired you, this person could be dead or alive.
[00:52:22] Um, who would that. B. And what would you tell them or ask them about?
[00:52:29] Dameon Williams: [00:52:30] I know I mentioned, um, I always try to get their, their names Alice and Martin Robinson. Robinson. Robinson, I think. Mm-Hmm. They ended up doing, uh, during this, the period of mid-century. So much. And this is a, a, a couple creating some just awesome, awesome work.
[00:52:56] Um, I’m trying to think of one of the books. I have this book, I [00:53:00] have it on my shelf and I see it all the time, but I can’t think of the title. I see all the, um, so it’s really two fabulous artists. How do they work? And they explained, they did an article one point and talked about how, you know, maybe one will walk away and other one with da da.
[00:53:18] I’m curious in how, how people, how creative people, I’m curious how couples work, honestly. So creative couples, even more so. I have questions I want to know. [00:53:30] Um, mostly because, you know, I would take some of those lessons and kind of implement it into my own relationship. You don’t have to be creative to, you know, it helps, but when you work well with somebody, it’s just, I’m, I’m always curious about that and how I can help my own situation.
[00:53:51] It’s not a bad situation. We’re cool, but always, um, shoot to, to make it better.
[00:53:57] diane: Yeah. But even how you work with, [00:54:00] um, Josh, or how you work with another, even a client, you know, collaborate sometimes when you’re reading about Allison Martin, that might Right. Um, have some of the. Have some good suggestions for how creative people can, um, work together and collaborate in, um, another way.
[00:54:20] So it’s just one of the areas that you’re curious about, which I love
[00:54:23] Dameon Williams: collaboration, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s a thing. I appreciate it.
[00:54:28] diane: All right, well, I am gonna make [00:54:30] sure everybody knows how to get in touch with you. I’m gonna make sure I’m not rolling over my dog. Um, on Instagram, you can go to instagram.com/damian.
[00:54:39] D-A-M-E-O-N. Mm-Hmm. Under Williams, W-I-L-L-I-A-M-S. Mm-Hmm. Or you can go to damian williams.com and these links, both of those links will be at the very top of, if you’re watching on YouTube or in your podcast settings, they’ll be at the top. They’ll [00:55:00] also be at the top of the page on the site where this lives for me on Creatives Ignite.
[00:55:06] So. Damian, thanks for doing this. Finally. We get it and we, a little, I appreciate everybody staying, hanging in there for us, um, since we started a little late. Not that anybody in the recording will know that, but, um, my bad
[00:55:21] Dameon Williams: everybody. I, my bad.
[00:55:23] diane: It was your bad. Um, I am very thankful that we got this done and [00:55:30] just, um, glad that we could do this finally, and I could see where some of your inspiration comes from.
[00:55:39] And I love just the history and that you took it back to the, you know, the, the making a road, the belt line through the belt neighborhood. Right,
[00:55:52] Dameon Williams: right, right, right. It, because it’s all connected, it’s all connected. I wasn’t aware of that stuff as a [00:56:00] kid, but as an adult you realize, okay, this is where, so, and if we want to improve things in the world, honestly we need to listen to each other and really dig into our history, our shared history.
[00:56:13] Because the answers are, are there, if we are actually cool enough and big boy and big girl enough to accept, um, some of the not so great things, yeah. But it wasn’t us. We need to learn from that [00:56:30]
[00:56:30] diane: and we need to just be able to have some conversations that may be awkward.
[00:56:34] Dameon Williams: Right.
[00:56:35] diane: With, I know you and I have had plenty of conversations where I was like, I didn’t know, and you were like, okay, well this is maybe offensive and you could say it in a different way.
[00:56:47] Or Here’s, think about it from this. And I really appreciate, I. That, that role that you have in my life as well, just for Of
[00:56:54] Dameon Williams: course. Of course. You’re not gonna know until you learn and um, I don’t [00:57:00] mind. We have that relationship, so I can’t do that for everybody. But I love you, so I want you and all my friends to, to be aware and vice versa.
[00:57:11] Same for me.
[00:57:12] diane: For sure. Well, thank you and I love you too. And next week we are, um, talking about sketchbooks and I’m gonna share a little bit, um, of my sketchbook. I know we’re kind of kicking it off, but we had kind of a weird month. So the sketchbook [00:57:30] series is for sure kicking off, and then I take all of July off.
[00:57:33] So I will be having lots of YouTubes that are going up in July that will really be. Focusing out on or focusing on the summer art party, which anybody still can join. We did meet yesterday and it was great. It’s gonna be every other Tuesday. It’s totally free. You’re just coming on Zoom and sharing something that you’ve made or you want to make and, um, what you, something good you like about it and [00:58:00] something that you don’t.
[00:58:00] And it’s just for an hour. And if you wanna get on that list, you can, um, email me back. There’s a link, um, on all the pages, a link to the summer.
[00:58:13] Dameon Williams: How often do you, how often do you do Summer art party? It,
[00:58:16] diane: it’s only in the summer and summer art party. We’re gonna meet, we meet at, I’m trying to post every day on Facebook.
[00:58:22] I’m gonna try to find the link really quick. The Facebook group. I’ll leave it at the top underneath your links, [00:58:30] but if anybody wants it, um, it’s right here. And then we’re meeting every other Tuesday for an hour. Um, Eastern time. It’s right at lunch. So it’s at noon Eastern time. It’s at nine Pacific. So that means it’s at six?
[00:58:46] Nope, at five. Um, um, British Standard Time, is that what it is? BST. I don’t even know what the B British, summertime, I think British summertime anyway, [00:59:00] whatever. In England or in Europe. It whatever your GMT is. Um, I think it’s a, anyway, if you get on that list on the Facebook group or there’s a link, um, you can sign up for the link and that one is right here.
[00:59:16] You can find, I. Is that where this is? Oh yeah. You can sign up for that one here if anybody wants to do that. Um, and then we’re just talking, uh, and sharing and [00:59:30] holding each other accountable. And it’s totally free and it’s helping me to be accountable and you guys to be accountable. So it was really good and it was really fun to meet.
[00:59:42] And, um, hopefully Summer Art party will continue July, I take July off from the podcast. Not like I’m not doing other things. I will be continuing to post things. Um, and then we start back with sketchbook series in August and then we’ll do this inspiration series [01:00:00] again, uh, part of the end of August and part of September.
[01:00:03] And then we have a couple other series that we’re gonna be doing. And I’m excited and I’m getting the fall schedule all booked in. And um, we have a product design series that I’m gonna do, so I just have to get. Get things going. So if you guys have suggestions, um, that’s, that’s what this is. But Summer Art Party could be that you’re just trying to do more art or do something outside of [01:00:30] using your computer, or it could be doing it digitally.
[01:00:33] It’s not that it’s analog only, but, um, anyway, that’s it. That’s what Summer Art Party is. And if you wanna see, I’m just trying to post weekly to the blog, so we’ll see. Um, but hopefully maybe if you have a lunchtime, Damien and you wanna join us, um, I hope you get to,
[01:00:55] Dameon Williams: I think that would, um, be actually that would be pretty [01:01:00] cool.
[01:01:00] I may encourage us to do some of the things we talked about today.
[01:01:05] diane: I. Yeah. Alright, well I will see you guys next week for the second kickoff of the sketchbook series and hopefully maybe you’ll use July to work on your sketchbook and work on creating that habit. Hopefully. Anyway, I’ll see you guys next week and Damien, thank you so much.
[01:01:29] Dameon Williams: Thank you [01:01:30] Diane. I appreciate you.
[01:01:31] diane: Appreciate you.