Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of self loathing - The Inspo Report is back to strike fear in the hearts of the uninspired. Put your foot on the gas pedal of creativity and kick it into high gear. We’re back baby!
It’s Ok to Take Breaks
Letting yourself take a hiatus from the “hustle”
As you may have noticed, The Inspo Report has been non existent the past couple of weeks. To be perfectly honest it is because I fell into a dark hole. A hole filled with crippling self doubt, pizza crusts, and lots of episodes of Showtime’s “Billions”. It’s been hard to get out of bed, let alone write a newsletter to inspire others to create. In my bowl cut adorned youth I used to imagine a caricature of a depressed person. Someone who never smiled. Lots of crying. Basically Eeyore I guess? As I grow older I realize how much anger is a part of the depression pie. (I bet it tastes like shit) I’ve been battling my rage for as long as I can remember. I have high standards for people and even higher ones for myself. When I can’t meet those standards I get angry with myself. More than angry, ENRAGED. In that moment I hate myself for not living up to the dream image of who I want to be. “Hustle culture” is something that I always knew was toxic but I would lie to myself. “That’s not me. That’s a stock market douche. Or someone concerned with wealth of pocket, not of mind.” But lately I find myself meeting my goals and wondering what’s next? Instead of enjoying what I have accomplished. I set the next goal and never look back. It’s just another stepping stone but where does the winding road take me? Once I realized this I became crippled. I started to repeat “What’s the point?” over and over in my head. You are allowed to relax. You are allowed to turn off your brain for a minute and just be. Why do you need to be motivated ALL the time? We all need and deserve a vacation but are currently locked in our little padded covid cells. These times we are living in are unprecedented. Don’t judge yourself for how you are coping. Force yourself to sit down and watch a movie, and throw your phone in a drawer in the other room.
I recently rewatched “Somewhere” by Sofia Coppola, in preperation for her new film “On the Rocks”. Somewhere is a quiet film about a man that had all of his dreams come true. Money, Drugs, Booze, Women and he was more lonely and more empty than ever. It led me to think about my own situation. No not a rock stars life but I am getting paid to make art. A dream I’ve had for as long as I can remember. I THINK I want a lot of things and honestly I’ve been lucky enough to get a lot of them. IT HAS NEVER MADE MY PAIN GO AWAY. Accolades and that dream gig aren’t going to repair your relationship with your father, or heal you of your past trauma, or fill the hole inside of you. That’s up to you, and the only way to know what needs healing is to spend time with yourself. Not you and your phone, not you and your portfolio. YOU alone. Once you spend time with yourself and truly heal, your work product will soar. The myth of the haunted artist is a fallacy. Yes trauma can make for great work, but it’s normally after the fact. Once you’ve processed it. When you’ve seen the ugly monster up close and become friends with it. Love it for what it is and what it has made you. To anyone reading this, Thank you for sticking around and helping me pull myself out of the hole once again. Thank you for not judging me for taking a much needed break and know that if you need anyone to talk to about ANYTHING I am here.
The Art of The DM
Cold Messaging Brands for Freelance Opportunities
For fans of The Inspo-Report, you know how big a fan I am of the DM. It’s a powerful tool that puts you right in front of the client of your dreams. The only thing keeping you away from it is doubt. One of my favorite personality traits is how shameless I am. No not confident, fucking shameless. Shooters shoot, and they aren’t afraid of the result because they know no matter what the end results are there will always be that next shot waiting for them. Just recently I reached out to one of my favorite Ramen spots in Philly, Neighborhood Ramen. A small quiet little shop right off of South Street. Great menu, cooler crowd and a brand that I truly connected with. After housing my first bowl of Shoyu ramen I was greeted with a wing dings smiley face sitting at the bottom of my bowl. I knew I had to work with this restaurant in some capacity, but how? I hit the trusty Insta DM as follows; “Really love what you guys are doing! If there is any opportunity, big or small, to work together in some way please let me know. Keep up the killer work.” (sealed with a heart emoji for good measure). A quick reply later we were in business. It turns out they do artist collabs pretty frequently, and I had no idea! A few more messages were exchanged and before I knew it I was tasked with creating some new merch. Two long sleeve designs and a canvas tote, perfect for stunting at the farmer’s market.
Don’t be afraid to copy and paste my DM and use it at your will. It would help to put your own spin on it and choose brands you truly admire. Smart people can see through the BS. People admire passion and they are willing to pay for it, often in spades. Don’t worry about your follower account, how many likes you get. That’s all bullshit, and it doesn’t sell you to anyone except a few vapid individuals. Show your work and how it makes you special. Build up your portfolio with passion projects, they don’t need to be freelance projects or even paid gigs. What do you make for fun? That’s the most honest representation of yourself. People will connect to that. I dare you to message five brands right now. What are you waiting for? Please let me know how it goes and happy mother fucking hunting!
Resources for Free.99
Get the creative juices flowing
Below is an assortment of a few websites and databases that have a plethora of free image/video assets for you to sink your teeth into. If you are a fan of vintage imagery and illustrations check out the sites below!
The New York Public Library (Nature Illustrations
(vintage videos)
Be sure to share what you make! Until next time I’m Ryan Evans and this has been The Inspo Report.