Letters About The Creative Process
⬅️ Back to tags
127 / What Do You Actually Want?
It’s one of the hardest questions to answer. Here are some exercises to help you to figure it out!
123 / Make Art, Get It Seen
I’m thrilled to announce my debut short story collection is now on sale!
122 / Hibernation Contemplation
As the nights draw in, I’m learning the value of some intentional wintering.
121 / Goals vs Systems (Part II)
How I use systems to power my creative work and be productive and fulfilled.
114 / Ink and Inspiration
New drawings from my latest sketchbook and inspiring quotes from great artists to spark your creativity.
111 / Taking The Boat Out
The unexpected benefits of writing and drawing short stories and some advice from the masters.
110 / New Shoots
On creative bereavement and new beginnings - plus some important announcements about this newsletter.
100 / Reasons To Be Optimistic
A video every creative person should see about the future of the creator economy.
096 / You Don't Have To Start At The Beginning
Spending time with Hayao Miyazaki has kickstarted my comics storytelling!
095 / Fill More Sketchbooks!
A new year is a perfect time to start a new daily sketchbook habit. Here’s some more advice on how to make it work.
094 / How I Made a Comic Short Story
A step-by-step breakdown of making my four-page comic Negroni With A Twist - with lots of pictures!
092 / Another Story About The Universe
Big Magic is everywhere, if you know where to look. Plus a new film I’ve made is now out!
090 / Don't Make Work Out Of Things You Enjoy
Some thoughts on creativity and work, plus an important announcement about the future of this newsletter.
089 / The Professional Beginner
As we get older, it gets harder to be a beginner - but that is where the adventure lies!
085 / Storytelling Panel By Panel
The third and final guest letter, with some useful advice on plotting out the panels of a comic.
084 / Birds And Words
Continuing a summer of guest letters, Jess shares a personal story from their career in the military.
083 / Get Better Faster
The first in a short series of guest letters from Third Something readers, sharing their own ideas about creativity and visual storytelling.
082 / More Advice On Filling Sketchbooks
I’ve finished three sketchbooks and I have learned a lot about building a sketchbook habit. This letter’s full of practical advice!
079 / A Leap Into The Void
If making a piece of art is transformative for you, then it will be transformative for your audience.
076 / Miles And Miles Of Squares
A fun warm-up exercise for your sketchbook that improves your technical skills at the same time.
074 / Fuck Fish
Why do I suddenly give up on something right when things seem on the verge of taking off?
072 / Maybe It Is Not What You Achieve, But Who You Inspire
Apparently seeing inside my sketchbook has inspired lots of you start drawing again - and that’s wonderful!
069 / What A Good Idea Feels Like
A good idea feels like a visitation and a chain reaction all at once!
068 / Perfecting The Theory
I’ve lost too much time trying to study the craft instead of just getting my hands dirty and making mistakes.
067 / The Sketchbook Problem
Sketchbooks are supposed to be a place for creative freedom. But rarely feel like that. A very long post with lots of pictures!
062 / Spirals
I’ve just finished my first sketchbook of the year! Here are some things I’ve learned.
061 / Once Through, Cleanly
Some solid advice from designer Frank Chimero on how to make the most progress in the early stages of a project.
059 / Ink And Gifts
Your hand-painted postcards are on their way! Here’s a step-by-step process of how I made them.
058 / A Kind of Aliveness I Live For
A crucial distinction for all artists - you don’t think in order to draw, you draw in order to think.
056 / Negative Capability
On the inevitable uncertainty of making art and how filling sketchbook pages is helping me to tolerate it.
054 / Rock, Chalk and Ink
You share your advice on keeping a daily sketchbook practice and I try to do some simple drawing exercises.
053 / Fill Sketchbooks!
My plan for 2020 is to fill as many sketchbooks as I can, starting with filling pages of collage. Plus some advice on keeping a sketchbook.
051 / Banksy And The King
A story about the time Banksy squared off against London’s greatest graffiti artist - and lost.
049 / A Story About The Universe
I believe that when you move towards your dreams, the universe will move with you. I see evidence of this everywhere.
046 / Residency
Artists residencies are a great way to find focus - but you don’t have to wait to be invited to one!
045 / Goals vs Systems
A radical rethink of how to achieve your goals, thanks to James Clear’s new book Atomic Habits
033 / As The Electromagnetic Pulse Ripped Through The City, He Saw It Was All For Nothing
When I’m not scared of losing my life’s work, I think about destroying it.
030 / A New Film I'm Proud Of
A behind-the-scenes look at a new film I’ve made for The New York Times - plus some exciting news about a film I directed last year!
028 / On The Thermodynamics of Creativity
An important message for artists - your work will not exist by itself!
026 / Your Questions, Answered
A Q&A session with Third Something Readers - I answer questions about filmmaking and my creative process.
025 / The Threshold Of Awareness
This diagram helps me tell visual stories that make the audience both think and feel. Here’s how to use it.
023 / A Vague Haze of Malaise
I’ve been feeling depressed lately and I wonder if it’s connected to how much time I make for myself to create.
022 / Looking and Seeing
Here’s a useful exercise in using drawing as a form of meditation and awareness. Try it out!
021 / My Storyboarding Process
A step-by-step look at my previsualisation process for making a video for The New York Times.
019 / Five Miscellaneous Things
There’s a lot in this one! Poetry, filmmaking, graphic novels and visual storytelling - take your pick!
018 / Planned Improv
Notes on the balance between preparation and improv in the creative process, while shooting a film for The New York Times.
017 / Practicing Scales
Some practical advice on how filmmakers can build a daily practice habit that improves their craft.
012 / Musical Interval
Playing around with loops and ossilations, I discover whale music inside a 95-year-old song.
010 / Building A Body Of Work
You’re not just publishing into a never ending stream, you’re building a library of work
005 / The Screenplay Problem
The problem with screenwriting as a creative pursuit, and three ideas to fix it.
