Be Kind & Don't Be a Dick

Explicit content warning

11/13/16 • 8 min

Side Hustler's Perspective with Coach Scotty Russell

This episode of the Perspective Podcast is about overcoming the divide that the latest Presidential Election has caused. The election of Trump has seemingly compelled people to lash out and treat people like shit due to their differences.

On the other hand, the losing party has lashed out and acted childish as well. It's truly one side against the other and has made the US a breeding ground for teaching and raising the youth up in hate.

I believe it's our human duty to get over our differences and look past the barriers of culture, race, religion, opinions, etc. We have to start playing our roles of putting something positive back into the world to show people there is hope for the human race.

I don't care if we don't see eye to eye or if I agreement with everything you stand for, but at the end of the day you and I are human and I can accept you.

Be kind and don't be a dick. We have enough of them already.

I don't care if we don't see eye to eye or if I agreement with everything you stand for, but at the end of the day you and I are human and I can accept you.

Be kind and don't be a dick. We have enough of them already.

Previous Episode

The Pros and Cons of Being a Consistent and Committed Freak of Nature

Have you heard of Inktober? It’s an awesome drawing challenge created by the talented Jake Parker that requires consistency and commitment.

Throughout the month of October, artists across the globe are challenged to create a daily drawing.

That’s 31 drawings if you aren’t sure how many days are in October. :)

After being heavily involved in the business side of Perspective-Collective for the past two months, I was eager for a drawing challenge. I’m actually surprised I’ve never jumped at a commitment like this before because I’m infamous for piling projects on my plate.

The challenge has recently ended and it solidified that I’m a freakin’ pro at committing to being consistent........at things that aren’t always best to focus on at a given moment in time.

You see, consistency and commitment are great. There are huge benefits to developing these disciplines which I will cover in a bit. On the other hand, there are also consequences when you’re not focused on the right thing at the right time.

I want to show you both ends of the spectrum in hopes you will focus on consistency and commitment in the right areas of your creative career.

The Benefits of Consistency and Commitment

I credit much of any success I’ve had with Perspective-Collective to consistency and commitment.

Both have provided me:

confidence and growth in my art, writing and speaking
a steadily growing audience
great freelance opportunities
a recent successful product launch over at WeeklyContentChecklist.com
a constant stream of new knowledge
great interviews with well-known blogs and podcasts
etc.

I’ve learned that focusing on the right thing at the right time leads to greater rewards and growth. This was the case with a consistent commitment to drawing, blogging, and now podcasting.

The results, routine and discipline you develop far outweigh the initial pain points of getting started.

There’s no question I put the right focus in these areas, but there are other areas I focus on that hold me back from the overall vision.

That’s where you run into problems.

The Inktober Mistake

Back to Inktober—while it was fun, looking back on it now I see it wasn’t the best decision.

Here’s why....

My goal is to make Perspective-Collective a self-sufficient, full-time gig within the next 5 years so myself and my wife can work from home. The problem is that I’ve accrued a shit ton of student loan debt from attending a private college.

Let’s be real, I have over $65,000 of student loan debt I’m being suffocated by—not to mention a mortgage and a car loan.

When you look past the follower count and the life I portray through social media, you can see this life I'm living isn't so glamorous.

I would trade many of you in a heartbeat in order to have the financial freedom and the daily stress off my back.

I’m not making enough at the day job to pay off debt and save at the same time, but I'm determined and will achieve this goal. However, the only way I’m able to this is by pursuing projects that will allow me to knock out this debt quicker.

This means I’ve had to start freelancing again—which has actually been fun and I've worked with some awesome clients. I've also begun building digitally based products like my recent Weekly Content Checklist.While posters, t-shirts and patches are nice to haves, there is too much overhead and time that goes into them that I don't have.

On top of my current freelance and products, I’ve been managing my weekly blog, newsletter, podcast and a featured custom image to go with them all. While these may not be making me money, they are pivotal to where I see my business going.

This isn’t a boast saying I can manage a commitment like Inktober with my current project load—this is me publicly telling you that I’m a fucking lunatic.

Cramming more activities to my already over-scheduled life did more damage than I expected.

I stressed myself out repeatedly.
I missed opportunities to spend quality time with my wife. (no devices and no drawing)
I missed opportunities to hang with my family and friends.
My split focus hindered me from having the best product launch possible.
My content became diluted in blogs and podcasts.
I lost sleep
I killed my normal routine
I missed days at the gym

Honestly, the only positives were the fact that I had fun developing a new style in my daily experiments. I guess this new refreshing perspective is a plus too.

When Consi...

Next Episode

11 Life Lessons Learned From Loving Pizza

Notify the Universe and Show the Work You Want to Get

I can remember way back during the bowl cut and JNCO days as a kid and how lit Friday nights were. I’d lounge on the couch watching TGIF and have a whole frozen pizza to myself.

Ya, those were the good days. It sparked my obsession with pizza because I grew up picky with a small desire to try other foods.

Don’t get me wrong, a frozen pizza is still a delight, but I’ve graduated to delivery and I’m not talking Digiorno.

I’ve been doing little pizza doodles forever yet I never really started sharing them till the past few years. I’m learning to embrace this little quirk of mine because:

it reminds me that I don’t always have to take myself so seriously
it reminds me to have fun and constantly experiment

While the context behind this seems random, I assure you there is a point to this all.

I recently came across this sweet Dominoes Pizza box design. The craft and attention to detail blew my mind. You would’ve thought this $10 Large 3 Topping Take Out only pizza would’ve cost like $40!

It’s crazy the subjective value art can bring to something and I want the opportunity to do this.

Seeing this pizza box inspired me to create this type of subjective value for a brand.

This is where I’m getting to my point.

How would anyone know to hire me for a custom pizza box design if I don’t show this in my artwork?

I’m a huge advocate for showing the work you want to attract and be known for. I put my money where my mouth is and went on Amazon and purchased 50 pizza boxes to get to work (I’d like to thank Terence Tang of Tinlun Studio for the idea).

This episode is me shouting to the universe what kind of work I want to attract. It may not happen immediately, but if I continue to show how much fun I have in creating clever pizza art, I have no doubt over time it will be seen by the right person who will give me that chance.

Who knows, maybe I’ll even get paid in free pizza for life?

Without further ado, here are 11 life lessons learned from loving pizza.

Fair warning, these can get pretty cheesy. Pun intended.

1. You can’t make everyone happy, you are not pizza

Stop focusing on seeking everyone’s validation. It’s impossible to please everyone and have everyone like your work.

Put out work you’re enthusiastic about and the right people will resonate.

2. Pizza always has my back Life is full of highs and lows. During the lows, it’s important that you have people around you who have your back.

Surround yourself with people of high character and who aren’t assholes. It doesn’t have to be pizza.

3. Don’t step on my pizza Everything holds something of value to someone. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean you can’t accept them and what they like.

And for the love of everything good in life, don’t disrespect someone and step on their pizza.

4. Slice life It’s hard to believe that life isn’t all about pizza, but I’m a strong believer in having something you’re passionate and driven about in life.

What purpose are you fulfilling?

Where can you bring value to yours and someone else's life?

5. Pizza on my mind all the time I don’t know about you but when I have a good idea or riding a lot of momentum in life, I have a hard time turning my mind off.

When you have that one thing you can’t stop thinking about, I feel it’s your intuition giving you an internal pull in the direction you’re supposed to go.

Trust your gut, even if you ate too much pizza.

6. I will draw for pizza

I desperately want you to understand that it’s possible to generate an income doing what you enjoy the most.

For me, this is drawing and I never in a million years would’ve thought it was possible to make a living off it.

It’s possible and you are capable and I’m determined to show you.

7. Little slice of heaven Plain and simple—enjoy the little things in life.

Whether you found a dollar bill on the ground or have a delightful frozen Jacks pizza all to yourself—showing gratitude for the little things in life makes life a lot more enjoyable.

8. Pizza is life Life is all about you, yet it’s not all about you.

First off, I believe you can only help others if you take care of yourself first.

Secondly, I believe we exist to serve others and make a difference.

Cultivate your talents and put them towards a significant need in the world. The more 'good' you do for others the more 'good' comes to you.

It’s called Karma.

9. Pizza lovers unite After experiencing being in the middle of a flood bac...