The Business of Scientific Art with Sienna Art Studios - Interview 29

Show Transcript

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I would not be able

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to be a professional artist doing.

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I don't haven't worked a day job in 15 years.

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Not at all.

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I haven't been part time with this.

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I have been 100% full time with

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my business since I started in 2008.

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Wow, that's awesome.

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Wasn't always easy.

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There was a lot of ramen in the beginning.

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Welcome to Nerdpreneur where we have

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fun conversations with people making

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money with their nerdy passion. As always,

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I am joined by my co host Frank.

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Hello.

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And today we have a very special guest.

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She's an incredible artist who leads

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a small team in her studio in Portland.

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Sienna of Sienna Art Studios.

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Welcome to the show.

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Hi, thanks for having me.

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So excited to have you on. So Sienna,

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what is your nerdy passion?

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I am a biology undergrad and scientific artist.

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Interest. Scientific artist. What?

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Yeah.

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What is a scientific artist?

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I mean a scientific artist can be many things.

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There's lots of scientific

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artists that I follow that

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like illustrate anatomy or draw birds.

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I follow a lot of people who draw birds.

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What I do,

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I have a technique of art I call numberism,

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which is like pointillism

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where people draw entirely with dots.

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But instead of drawing with dots,

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I draw with data.

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So I'm drawing intricate pieces

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entirely with thousands of numbers

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and equations pulled from research,

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my own research that explains how

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the subject that I'm drawing functions.

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Can you give an example?

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Like I saw one piece on

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your social media that it's a whale.

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Oh yeah?

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Yeah. What numbers and data are

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you using in that example?

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That one's really cool.

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That one's a little bit hard

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to explain but this whale is. No, no. I'LL

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explain it because this whale. Okay, so the.

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A really great introduction

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to my work is the heart.

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So I have a human heart

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that's drawn with cardiac equations. So

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it's drawn with equations for stroke, volume,

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ejection fraction, cardiac output,

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and all of those equations are placed

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in the piece where it makes sense. Like,

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cardiac output is in the aorta.

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I have a cello where the strings are drawn

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with the hertz frequencies of all the notes

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that you can play lined up to finger placement.

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For that, I graphed it out, and probably,

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I think my best work

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is it's a really complicated piece,

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so I'm only going to explain a couple

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pieces of data that I drew it with,

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because the full description is a whole page.

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But it's drawn

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with mechanical properties for tendon, muscle,

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and bone under ideal conditions.

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So it has, like,

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the tensile strength of the tendons,

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active range of motion for all of the joints,

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including the carpal bones,

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because I'm a crazy person.

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And chemistry for muscle contraction.

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So I have, like, ATP and acetylcholine.

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So every piece I draw is drawn with numbers

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and equations that tell its specific story.

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That's so cool.

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Wow.

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So now I got to know what is the whale?

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Okay, so the. The whale is something

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I've wanted to draw for years.

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It's based off of the Lonely Whale,

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which you guys may have heard of.

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It is a whale that the Navy

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has been tracking since the early 90s. It's a.

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An unknown species of baleen whale that

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sings higher than any other baleen whale.

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Its fundamental frequency is 52 Hz,

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which is higher than any other baleen whale.

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But because it's different,

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we've been able to track this one

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individual for several decades. And normally,

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for a whale,

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for one individual in the

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vastness of the ocean and with all

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of the noise that's going on in there, you

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can track an individual for about 30 minutes.

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People call him lonely

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because singing for whales, as in birds, is a.

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It's used for sexual selection.

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And so if you're singing differently,

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you're probably not pairing up and reproducing.

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And they also don't tend to record

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this whale swimming with other whales,

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and so they call him the Lonely Whale.

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When I first found this story,

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it really resonated with me.

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I'm a neurodivergent individual,

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and I have a long history of struggling

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with things like loneliness, especially.

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I think all of us had that during the pandemic,

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and I wanted to capture that,

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to capture that feeling we all, I think, had.

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But over time I started thinking,

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how do we know this whale is lonely?

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That's our projection.

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We are assuming he's lonely

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because he's different and we

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haven't tracked him with other individuals.

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I don't know that he's lonely.

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I don't know what his inner world is.

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You can't really know

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that with most non human animals.

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You certainly can't know that with

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a whale you've never seen and

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you don't even know what species it is.

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What I know is this whale is different

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and because this whale is different,

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we get to track him. Like,

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we wouldn't have even known he was there

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if he sounded like all the other whales.

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And so for me,

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the piece is a celebration

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of him and his weirdness.

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So I don't know. So there's,

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there's theories as to maybe he's a hybrid,

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maybe he has a physiological deformity.

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And I want to propose that

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maybe he likes singing like that. Maybe

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he is capable of singing in different ranges,

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but he just likes

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how it feels or how it sounds.

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Yeah, yeah, I totally get that. There's,

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I mean, you know, the falsetto range,

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Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake,

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like when you get good enough at it,

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it sounds good,

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but if you're not a great falsetto singer,

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it doesn't sound great.

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So I could take a Tom.

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A Tom Waits is an

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amazing singer in his own right,

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but not at all someone you would say

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had a range of voice that was typical.

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Right.

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So I, Yeah, it's

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the Tom Waits of Wales, if you will. Maybe.

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I love that celebration

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of the difference here and, you know,

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finding that that personal story

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is beautiful and that connection to it.

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And I think we all, yeah, like you said,

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we all can relate to

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that loneliness factor that we felt.

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So am I to understand that the

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numberism that you're using here is the.

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Is it more hertz kind of stuff?

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Is it GPS coordinates of where we've seen them?

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What?

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What is it?

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So the numbers I'm

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using to draw this whale with, it's the,

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the main frequency,

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so 52 hertz. Specifically

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because he has a range, it's 51.75 hertz,

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which I like because it's

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more pleasant to draw that number.

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And then I read a bunch of research papers of.

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About this whale tracking him and I took his,

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the recordings of his songs

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and I turned that into numbers.

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So I quantified it and

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so I'm drawing him with his song.

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Interesting. Have you ever done, like. I mean,

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I feel like this might

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fall out of Numberism per se,

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if I understand it at all. Close. But

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it's like the notes that they sing in is that.

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Do you do that sometimes?

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That's actually a plan

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for a future piece on birds,

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but I will put out there.

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I collaborate with

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scientists quite a lot for my pieces,

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and I'm looking for someone to

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collaborate with on these pieces

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that have more of a background in physics.

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And how would you say, like, audio analysis?

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There are some recordings I

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have that I don't know how to

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quantify to the finest detail that I.

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That I need to draw them.

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And I need someone who can take my recordings

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and transfer them into a sequence of numbers.

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So any physicists

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and audio experts that are listening.

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Audio engineers.

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I'm looking for a good audio engineer.

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There we go.

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Awesome.

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So that helps give a pretty

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good idea of what it is that you do.

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Thank you for explaining.

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Yeah, yeah. Now, that

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begs the question to me of, like,

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what came first for you?

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Was it the science or the art?

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And how did that come to be a discovery?

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You should meld the two.

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So I've been an artist

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since I was a little one, and

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I didn't have a background in math or science,

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but I was really interested in it.

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I've always been a big nerd.

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I've always loved school. You

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couldn't get me to stop reading and learning,

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but I felt a barrier between me and science,

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mostly because I had a really bad history

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with math and I didn't do well in it.

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It really stressed me out.

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And so just a wall I was hitting, I found.

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So I started doing drawings drawn

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in with numbers and equations. Originally,

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I was drawing with the

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numbers of the clock 1 through 12,

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and this was my way of

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capturing a moment in time passing.

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This was a meditative process I was using

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to just try to keep myself in the present,

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which was lovely.

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When I started drawing numbers and pieces

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that were coming from an honest place,

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that was the first time that I started reliably

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selling my work and people were drawn to it.

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And I think that the audience

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can always tell when you're being When.

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When you're being genuine,

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when it's coming from a real place.

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But I drew with the numbers of

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the clock one through 12 for two years,

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and then I started

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drawing with scientific concepts.

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And so the first piece was

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Schrodinger's Cat and Fibonacci's Snail.

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I did these for fun and then realized

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after the fact that illustrating a scientific

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concept and numbers in this way helped me

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form a stronger relationship with a concept.

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So When I was done

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with illustrating Schrodinger's cat,

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I had a better understanding of the theory,

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I had a better understanding of the math,

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and I had better recollection of it.

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And so I sort of found out on accident that

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this was a really good learning device for me.

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It was also really helping

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me decrease my anxiety about math.

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And so I think simply drawing

276
00:11:30,810 --> 00:11:32,400
these mathematical equations in

277
00:11:32,420 --> 00:11:34,840
a pretty context helped me approach it,

278
00:11:34,910 --> 00:11:36,610
and so that sort of shattered

279
00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:38,210
my barrier and helped me re.

280
00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:39,070
Approach science.

281
00:11:39,170 --> 00:11:42,380
So you used creativity and art to break through

282
00:11:42,430 --> 00:11:45,980
your barriers that surrounded your academics?

283
00:11:46,630 --> 00:11:49,410
Yes. I found a place for myself with

284
00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:51,330
math and science that felt right for me.

285
00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:52,470
That's so cool.

286
00:11:52,570 --> 00:11:54,240
I have a close childhood

287
00:11:54,300 --> 00:11:56,520
friend who was struggling with math. I mean,

288
00:11:56,540 --> 00:11:58,390
he had all kinds of, like, you know,

289
00:11:58,450 --> 00:12:00,440
just not great teachers and whatever it was.

290
00:12:00,500 --> 00:12:03,180
But this is so awesome.

291
00:12:03,350 --> 00:12:04,880
I wonder how many other people deal.

292
00:12:04,900 --> 00:12:08,300
With that, with anxiety, with math.

293
00:12:08,420 --> 00:12:11,590
Yeah, most of us.

294
00:12:11,660 --> 00:12:11,910
Okay.

295
00:12:11,930 --> 00:12:13,890
Yeah. Yeah. I don't even want

296
00:12:13,900 --> 00:12:16,160
to calculate the tip sometimes. You know, it's.

297
00:12:16,310 --> 00:12:18,310
I personally loved math. I don't know.

298
00:12:18,370 --> 00:12:18,930
I don't know.

299
00:12:19,020 --> 00:12:20,360
I was a theater kid, so I.

300
00:12:20,430 --> 00:12:21,400
I get that I wasn't

301
00:12:21,470 --> 00:12:25,320
super into math on my side, but so when. What.

302
00:12:25,430 --> 00:12:26,800
I love math now.

303
00:12:26,950 --> 00:12:27,790
That's awesome.

304
00:12:27,850 --> 00:12:29,110
Yeah, right? Like, especially

305
00:12:29,170 --> 00:12:31,450
the concepts are so cool. Right.

306
00:12:31,610 --> 00:12:33,390
I think that most of us would love

307
00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,380
math and science if it was presented

308
00:12:35,410 --> 00:12:38,760
in a way that's more relatable and human. Like,

309
00:12:38,780 --> 00:12:41,540
we tend to present math just sort of in this.

310
00:12:41,610 --> 00:12:42,630
The idea is that, like,

311
00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:45,000
math lives and dies on the page.

312
00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:46,620
It's just rote,

313
00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:50,470
and there's nothing living and human about it.

314
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:51,760
But the fact is,

315
00:12:51,900 --> 00:12:54,330
most math we have came originally

316
00:12:54,370 --> 00:12:56,300
from observations of the natural world.

317
00:12:56,410 --> 00:12:58,860
And so if we were instead learning math

318
00:12:58,930 --> 00:13:01,300
from a perspective of engaging with the world,

319
00:13:01,380 --> 00:13:02,910
it would mean something to us.

320
00:13:03,010 --> 00:13:04,490
It'd be much more relatable.

321
00:13:04,620 --> 00:13:06,590
It'd be much easier to learn and remember,

322
00:13:06,660 --> 00:13:08,020
and people would care about

323
00:13:08,070 --> 00:13:10,760
it and maybe have fun with it.

324
00:13:11,070 --> 00:13:11,780
I immediately

325
00:13:11,830 --> 00:13:14,860
think of Newton and the apple, you know,

326
00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,070
that's observing the natural world to help

327
00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:20,440
create that. That. That principle. Is that.

328
00:13:20,470 --> 00:13:22,090
Is that kind of what you're talking about?

329
00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:24,010
Well, I mean, that's. That's.

330
00:13:24,140 --> 00:13:25,550
That story is not real.

331
00:13:25,650 --> 00:13:28,550
But the nerds coming out.

332
00:13:28,610 --> 00:13:30,800
The nerds coming out, actually.

333
00:13:30,910 --> 00:13:33,950
Actually, yes.

334
00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:35,640
All right.

335
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,370
I loved what you said around. Well,

336
00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:38,790
you mentioned you started selling your

337
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,250
art when you started doing this

338
00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,020
thing that really felt authentic to you,

339
00:13:44,090 --> 00:13:48,590
I think is, like, genuine. Is there.

340
00:13:50,610 --> 00:13:53,050
Do you think, as an artist, is it. Is.

341
00:13:53,230 --> 00:13:55,640
Was it something that you felt when

342
00:13:55,660 --> 00:13:57,980
you were doing it, like, oh, this is. Like,

343
00:13:58,010 --> 00:13:59,720
this is really what

344
00:13:59,770 --> 00:14:01,390
I'm supposed to be doing as an artist.

345
00:14:01,420 --> 00:14:02,840
Or this is what feels authentic

346
00:14:02,930 --> 00:14:05,280
and that's why you did it, or was there.

347
00:14:05,370 --> 00:14:06,490
Was there something else there?

348
00:14:06,510 --> 00:14:07,670
Was it just a feeling that you

349
00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:09,460
had that you kind of trusted to go with?

350
00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,430
Or. And is it. Is that now a barometer for you?

351
00:14:12,460 --> 00:14:13,600
Because I find that's

352
00:14:13,650 --> 00:14:14,950
the way art kind of works,

353
00:14:14,980 --> 00:14:16,170
at least for some people. Or

354
00:14:16,190 --> 00:14:18,700
was there more intention behind it than that?

355
00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:20,510
Was there science behind it?

356
00:14:20,930 --> 00:14:22,820
So I started drawing with numbers

357
00:14:22,860 --> 00:14:25,240
and equations because I needed it.

358
00:14:26,270 --> 00:14:29,060
I was in a pretty bad place.

359
00:14:29,190 --> 00:14:31,860
I was struggling with depression and anxiety.

360
00:14:32,150 --> 00:14:34,750
My life had sort of hit a reset,

361
00:14:34,810 --> 00:14:37,220
and I didn't know where I was going next.

362
00:14:38,390 --> 00:14:40,770
And this work helped center me.

363
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,160
I have found that most of my most successful

364
00:14:44,220 --> 00:14:47,500
work is when it is completing something for me.

365
00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:49,480
I think I was hesitant

366
00:14:49,510 --> 00:14:52,410
to do that because you. You're like, well,

367
00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:53,830
this is something that I need. What

368
00:14:53,850 --> 00:14:57,080
about what my clients want or the public wants?

369
00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:58,400
But the fact is,

370
00:14:58,460 --> 00:15:00,040
we're all really similar.

371
00:15:00,180 --> 00:15:01,860
And so when I was creating

372
00:15:01,910 --> 00:15:03,540
artwork about my vulnerabilities,

373
00:15:03,670 --> 00:15:05,900
which I will tell you, while creating those,

374
00:15:05,950 --> 00:15:09,200
it felt kind of scary because I was

375
00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,790
being really vulnerable and soft with the.

376
00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:12,400
With the world.

377
00:15:12,460 --> 00:15:13,030
And at the time,

378
00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:14,860
that was very difficult for me.

379
00:15:15,150 --> 00:15:16,960
And I think people,

380
00:15:17,060 --> 00:15:19,050
when they see work that does that,

381
00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:20,960
it resonates with them, and

382
00:15:20,980 --> 00:15:23,450
it completes something that's missing for them,

383
00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,110
something that they want to communicate,

384
00:15:25,170 --> 00:15:26,950
something that they want to process.

385
00:15:27,130 --> 00:15:28,490
And with a lot of my pieces,

386
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,870
they do actually have a lot to do with

387
00:15:31,010 --> 00:15:35,700
mental health and a personal journey, which,

388
00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,200
nine times out of 10,

389
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,500
is something people can relate with.

390
00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:45,570
So I will say also that with a

391
00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,220
question about when you start being

392
00:15:48,270 --> 00:15:50,200
successful as an artist and how

393
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,250
that relates to creating authentic work.

394
00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:56,930
I know a lot of artists,

395
00:15:57,270 --> 00:15:59,030
and there's a wide

396
00:15:59,090 --> 00:16:01,150
range of how successful they are.

397
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,780
And I will say, first of all,

398
00:16:03,830 --> 00:16:04,520
you don't need to be

399
00:16:04,540 --> 00:16:06,290
a great artist to be successful.

400
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,740
You need to be persistent,

401
00:16:11,630 --> 00:16:14,520
and you do need to finish a project well.

402
00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:17,310
So not just to finish a project,

403
00:16:17,410 --> 00:16:18,960
but to run a business.

404
00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:20,360
So to be a successful artist,

405
00:16:20,390 --> 00:16:22,770
you're running an artist business.

406
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:24,510
You just need to never.

407
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,400
You need to be consistent, keep making work,

408
00:16:27,540 --> 00:16:29,860
listen to your public,

409
00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:32,100
and be willing to make adjustments.

410
00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:34,010
But starting off

411
00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:35,810
with creating work that you love, that

412
00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,600
resonates with you is where you have to start.

413
00:16:37,660 --> 00:16:39,070
I know some artists who show

414
00:16:39,090 --> 00:16:40,990
up at these events all the time,

415
00:16:41,020 --> 00:16:42,100
and I ask them, like, hey,

416
00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:43,780
what is this piece about? Like, oh,

417
00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:45,300
I don't know people like, you know,

418
00:16:45,380 --> 00:16:46,720
these animals.

419
00:16:46,910 --> 00:16:49,460
Yeah, right. We at Emerald City Comic Con,

420
00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:50,270
we definitely saw

421
00:16:50,330 --> 00:16:52,110
people just pandering to like, oh,

422
00:16:52,140 --> 00:16:54,910
these are big superheroes, big names.

423
00:16:54,970 --> 00:16:56,040
I just made it.

424
00:16:56,470 --> 00:16:58,040
Yeah. And they look sad.

425
00:16:59,350 --> 00:17:01,200
So these vendors that I

426
00:17:01,230 --> 00:17:03,110
know who draw and paint things

427
00:17:03,170 --> 00:17:04,980
because they think people will want them,

428
00:17:05,109 --> 00:17:07,740
they look hollow and they're stressed

429
00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:09,680
and they're burnt out and they're not

430
00:17:09,710 --> 00:17:11,530
making the money that they want to make.

431
00:17:12,220 --> 00:17:14,599
I will say that working events

432
00:17:14,630 --> 00:17:17,369
like Emerald City Comic Con is hard.

433
00:17:17,740 --> 00:17:19,560
Running an arts business,

434
00:17:19,670 --> 00:17:21,470
you hit burnout.

435
00:17:21,609 --> 00:17:23,270
This is like I was telling,

436
00:17:23,380 --> 00:17:24,410
I was telling my therapist

437
00:17:24,460 --> 00:17:26,849
the other day that working at event,

438
00:17:26,940 --> 00:17:29,600
you have a 30 second soul pitch that you

439
00:17:29,630 --> 00:17:31,670
do with each person that walks into the booth.

440
00:17:31,730 --> 00:17:33,290
And you do that for 10 hours.

441
00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:33,990
You know, you're,

442
00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,960
you're out there giving yourself and your work.

443
00:17:37,020 --> 00:17:38,230
It's super vulnerable.

444
00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:39,430
So even when you're,

445
00:17:39,530 --> 00:17:41,450
when you're creating genuine work,

446
00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:43,280
it's going to be exhausting.

447
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,860
So if you know it's going to be hard,

448
00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:48,320
do it in a way that's sustainable.

449
00:17:48,380 --> 00:17:50,670
And the only way it can be sustainable, really,

450
00:17:50,710 --> 00:17:52,360
is if it's something you love that

451
00:17:52,380 --> 00:17:54,180
you're willing to put in that effort for.

452
00:17:54,230 --> 00:17:56,060
That you're willing to bleed for.

453
00:17:57,150 --> 00:17:57,830
Amen.

454
00:17:57,930 --> 00:17:59,930
Yeah. That's so much

455
00:17:59,970 --> 00:18:01,860
what Nerdpreneur is about too. It

456
00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:03,580
strikes at the heart of it, is that, you know,

457
00:18:03,620 --> 00:18:05,300
starting a business is not easy,

458
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,890
no matter what business it is.

459
00:18:08,060 --> 00:18:09,970
And it becomes infinitely harder

460
00:18:10,020 --> 00:18:11,820
if you're doing something that you

461
00:18:11,860 --> 00:18:14,010
hate doing or you have no interest in.

462
00:18:14,070 --> 00:18:16,950
And so that's.

463
00:18:17,490 --> 00:18:19,410
That must be, I mean, events.

464
00:18:19,470 --> 00:18:21,030
Let's talk about those for a second.

465
00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:23,040
Because they are, I mean, they're,

466
00:18:23,090 --> 00:18:24,340
they're hard for people just

467
00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,130
going to them and not being a vendor,

468
00:18:26,170 --> 00:18:28,380
even just like getting through three days

469
00:18:28,410 --> 00:18:30,900
or four days of an event can be a lot

470
00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,460
when you're actually a vendor there.

471
00:18:36,090 --> 00:18:37,730
Maybe give us how

472
00:18:37,750 --> 00:18:39,310
many events do you do in a year?

473
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:41,210
And is it something you like? Do you

474
00:18:41,230 --> 00:18:42,700
do because of the necessity of the business,

475
00:18:42,730 --> 00:18:43,810
or is there some things

476
00:18:43,850 --> 00:18:45,660
that you really look forward to it?

477
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:48,080
I do two types of events.

478
00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:51,200
I do art markets and I do Comic Cons and then

479
00:18:51,220 --> 00:18:54,420
I also do open studio events and gallery shows.

480
00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:56,300
The selling at these events

481
00:18:56,370 --> 00:18:57,920
is the foundation of my business.

482
00:18:58,010 --> 00:18:59,980
And most of my clientele actually

483
00:19:00,050 --> 00:19:02,410
comes from meeting them in person, as

484
00:19:02,430 --> 00:19:04,580
opposed to probably most people you interview.

485
00:19:04,690 --> 00:19:05,920
Most of their clients

486
00:19:06,020 --> 00:19:08,980
come from Instagram or online.

487
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,180
But I don't generate them there.

488
00:19:11,250 --> 00:19:13,010
I generate them in public.

489
00:19:13,090 --> 00:19:15,230
Most of my followers are people who have

490
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,340
bought something for me at an event and have

491
00:19:17,410 --> 00:19:19,510
spoken to me face to face at some point.

492
00:19:21,260 --> 00:19:23,970
The number of events. Yeah, yeah, it is.

493
00:19:24,020 --> 00:19:26,410
Right. We actually made the

494
00:19:26,450 --> 00:19:28,300
choice to go to our first event, and

495
00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,890
we met so many great people and nerdpreneurs,

496
00:19:31,930 --> 00:19:32,800
and you were one of them.

497
00:19:32,850 --> 00:19:36,130
But I think that it's like this untapped sort

498
00:19:36,150 --> 00:19:39,060
of place for nerdy entrepreneurs, actually.

499
00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:40,150
People doing what they

500
00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:41,620
love and finding a way to make it.

501
00:19:41,650 --> 00:19:43,880
Make it full time. That's. So. Yeah,

502
00:19:43,930 --> 00:19:44,950
I just wanted to throw that in there.

503
00:19:44,980 --> 00:19:45,890
That's how we met you.

504
00:19:45,950 --> 00:19:47,590
So I will also say,

505
00:19:47,620 --> 00:19:48,630
and I know I get.

506
00:19:48,730 --> 00:19:49,550
You're going to have to keep

507
00:19:49,570 --> 00:19:52,050
me on focus because I have adhd, so.

508
00:19:52,100 --> 00:19:55,320
And I will, like, forget where I. Where I am.

509
00:19:55,510 --> 00:19:58,860
There's a lot of artists at Comic Con, like,

510
00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,670
quality fine artists who are using Comic

511
00:20:02,730 --> 00:20:04,840
Cons as a foundation of their business,

512
00:20:04,910 --> 00:20:06,370
and it is working for us.

513
00:20:06,460 --> 00:20:08,110
And so when you go to a Comic Con now,

514
00:20:08,140 --> 00:20:09,650
it's not all about merch. Like,

515
00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:11,750
look for the artists. There are people, like,

516
00:20:11,770 --> 00:20:13,190
if you're an art collector,

517
00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:15,140
you can find your next artist

518
00:20:15,170 --> 00:20:17,070
that you're just going to follow forever.

519
00:20:18,010 --> 00:20:20,040
Yeah, totally. Well,

520
00:20:20,140 --> 00:20:21,370
I haven't said that to Frank.

521
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:22,480
It was like I was going

522
00:20:22,540 --> 00:20:24,230
through looking for my next

523
00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:25,770
artist that I want to buy. Cause I'm looking.

524
00:20:25,810 --> 00:20:26,480
I have a blank

525
00:20:26,540 --> 00:20:27,880
space on my wall that I've been, like,

526
00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:29,290
wanting to potentially fill with.

527
00:20:29,330 --> 00:20:30,960
Wants to get Dune on the wall.

528
00:20:31,050 --> 00:20:33,110
I was looking for specifically a Dune art,

529
00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:33,880
and there was, like,

530
00:20:33,940 --> 00:20:36,350
no Dune art at acc. It was surprising.

531
00:20:37,050 --> 00:20:38,440
There was, but, yeah.

532
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,130
So I actually saw your booth

533
00:20:41,290 --> 00:20:43,260
last year at Emerald City Comic Con,

534
00:20:43,300 --> 00:20:44,280
and you weren't there.

535
00:20:44,330 --> 00:20:45,820
I believe the person that was at the

536
00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:47,590
booth was saying that you were doing, like,

537
00:20:47,620 --> 00:20:49,910
you had school stuff going on at the time.

538
00:20:50,100 --> 00:20:51,970
And so this year,

539
00:20:52,060 --> 00:20:53,470
when I was going with Chris, I was like,

540
00:20:53,500 --> 00:20:55,330
chris Sienna Studio. Like,

541
00:20:55,350 --> 00:20:58,230
I got the card last time. Like that. Like,

542
00:20:58,580 --> 00:20:59,890
it's like a textured.

543
00:20:59,930 --> 00:21:02,610
It's like a canvas kind of. What is it?

544
00:21:02,710 --> 00:21:03,380
It's on canvas.

545
00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,020
So we print canvas prints.

546
00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:06,440
And whenever we print on canvas,

547
00:21:06,490 --> 00:21:08,430
there's a little strip that's.

548
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,140
There's no ink on. That's just white.

549
00:21:10,210 --> 00:21:11,680
And so instead of wasting that,

550
00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:12,900
we print our cards there,

551
00:21:12,930 --> 00:21:14,280
so it reduces waste.

552
00:21:14,380 --> 00:21:15,110
Oh, that's cool.

553
00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:16,970
We do a lot of that in our business.

554
00:21:17,150 --> 00:21:18,490
I was super stoked that you

555
00:21:18,510 --> 00:21:20,560
were there this time. And, I mean, you were.

556
00:21:20,620 --> 00:21:21,510
You were very busy

557
00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:23,610
when we happened to swing by, but

558
00:21:23,630 --> 00:21:26,530
I was like, yes, she's here. Okay. All right.

559
00:21:26,570 --> 00:21:28,290
Now we're Gonna have to get her on the podcast.

560
00:21:28,430 --> 00:21:29,720
So I was really stoked

561
00:21:29,770 --> 00:21:31,540
to get to meet you in person. Well, thank you.

562
00:21:31,690 --> 00:21:32,520
That was great.

563
00:21:32,620 --> 00:21:34,640
That event was probably

564
00:21:34,700 --> 00:21:37,920
the best we've had, actually, at ecc.

565
00:21:38,020 --> 00:21:39,940
It was a lot great.

566
00:21:40,330 --> 00:21:42,610
I was going to answer your question. You asked.

567
00:21:42,790 --> 00:21:47,810
So we used to do a ton of events in one year,

568
00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,970
and I think we did 12 comic cons,

569
00:21:51,150 --> 00:21:52,890
and we were just doing them back to back.

570
00:21:52,950 --> 00:21:54,100
And so we would fly out.

571
00:21:54,130 --> 00:21:57,020
We've done New York City comic con and C2E2

572
00:21:57,130 --> 00:22:02,000
and MegaCon and some in Arizona. And

573
00:22:02,030 --> 00:22:04,320
so we would produce everything ahead of time.

574
00:22:04,350 --> 00:22:04,870
So you have to

575
00:22:04,940 --> 00:22:07,770
completely print a whole event, and it's.

576
00:22:07,820 --> 00:22:09,800
And then you have to print three

577
00:22:09,830 --> 00:22:13,000
of them so that you can go to one event.

578
00:22:13,070 --> 00:22:16,230
So you. Okay, so go to ecc, come back,

579
00:22:16,330 --> 00:22:17,230
and then next week,

580
00:22:17,290 --> 00:22:18,310
turn around and fly out

581
00:22:18,350 --> 00:22:20,860
to Chicago for C2E2 and come back. You

582
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,320
have no time in between to make our product,

583
00:22:23,390 --> 00:22:25,050
so you have to do it all at once.

584
00:22:25,390 --> 00:22:27,970
And we had a system for flying with it,

585
00:22:29,190 --> 00:22:31,320
and that was good financially,

586
00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:33,210
but it was burning us out.

587
00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:35,340
That was just a bit too much.

588
00:22:35,390 --> 00:22:36,600
And I know artists who.

589
00:22:36,700 --> 00:22:39,120
One artist did 52 events last year.

590
00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:40,890
Oh, my gosh. That's every week.

591
00:22:41,430 --> 00:22:42,820
That's no breaks.

592
00:22:43,670 --> 00:22:45,690
Yeah. And I just value my.

593
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:48,240
I value my time a bit more.

594
00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:49,910
So I pull back now.

595
00:22:49,970 --> 00:22:51,610
I do Emerald City Comic Con,

596
00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:53,110
Rose City Comic Con.

597
00:22:53,250 --> 00:22:54,700
I do Geek Craft

598
00:22:54,750 --> 00:22:56,740
Expo in Portland and in Seattle.

599
00:22:56,790 --> 00:22:58,580
The one in Seattle I love

600
00:22:59,430 --> 00:23:02,520
got to go to Geekcraft Expo in Seattle.

601
00:23:02,660 --> 00:23:04,700
It is billed as the Etsy for nerds.

602
00:23:04,750 --> 00:23:07,330
So it's all handmade art and all nerdy,

603
00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:09,800
and there's nothing else. There's no merch,

604
00:23:09,860 --> 00:23:11,060
there's no actors,

605
00:23:11,150 --> 00:23:13,220
there's no panels. It's just.

606
00:23:13,270 --> 00:23:15,330
You want to go and get handmade

607
00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:17,640
nerdy art to gift people in the holidays.

608
00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:18,450
That is where you go.

609
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:19,580
That is what you do.

610
00:23:20,710 --> 00:23:22,690
I do like all my shopping there.

611
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,950
Very cool. Very cool. So what may.

612
00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,390
So I'm curious for the ones that you do,

613
00:23:28,430 --> 00:23:29,330
you've narrowed it down.

614
00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:30,640
You doing a bunch of them, and

615
00:23:30,660 --> 00:23:33,170
now you've kind of picked the ones that have.

616
00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:34,580
That you want to do.

617
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,430
What goes into you deciding

618
00:23:37,470 --> 00:23:39,670
to do that Con versus another con,

619
00:23:39,730 --> 00:23:41,010
or is it just distance?

620
00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:43,040
Or is there other stuff that goes into that?

621
00:23:43,220 --> 00:23:44,280
There's so many factors.

622
00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:46,710
I don't know how interesting this will be.

623
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,830
We keep spreadsheets. I do.

624
00:23:49,900 --> 00:23:50,740
I do a lot of.

625
00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,080
Already loves it.

626
00:23:52,450 --> 00:23:54,140
I do a lot of spreadsheet math,

627
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,690
and we keep a record of all

628
00:23:55,710 --> 00:23:57,910
of the Sales we've done at any event.

629
00:23:58,060 --> 00:24:02,170
And I do a thing where I compare the sales.

630
00:24:02,230 --> 00:24:03,760
I compare the.

631
00:24:04,820 --> 00:24:07,150
What's the word? The buy rate.

632
00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:09,200
I compare the buy rate for each place

633
00:24:09,290 --> 00:24:11,020
and then the cost and the expense

634
00:24:11,060 --> 00:24:14,230
and the distance and the profit. And I create.

635
00:24:14,300 --> 00:24:15,520
What is buy rate.

636
00:24:16,020 --> 00:24:16,820
So that's.

637
00:24:16,930 --> 00:24:18,410
So you're there for a certain number of

638
00:24:18,430 --> 00:24:20,600
hours and how often are you making a sale?

639
00:24:20,890 --> 00:24:22,310
Gotcha. So that would just be.

640
00:24:22,380 --> 00:24:23,490
We're there for three days,

641
00:24:23,590 --> 00:24:25,500
12 hours each day per

642
00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:27,450
hour we're getting this many sales, roughly.

643
00:24:27,470 --> 00:24:28,630
Is that kind of how you calculate it?

644
00:24:28,660 --> 00:24:28,890
I guess.

645
00:24:28,930 --> 00:24:29,490
I know, I'm 45.

646
00:24:29,510 --> 00:24:32,170
Yeah. I did it because at Geekcraft Expo

647
00:24:32,210 --> 00:24:34,170
we were making a sale every five minutes.

648
00:24:34,310 --> 00:24:35,260
Oh, cool.

649
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,120
And I wanted to know. Yeah, it was amazing.

650
00:24:38,820 --> 00:24:39,660
And I wanted to compare

651
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:40,830
that to Emerald City Comic Con.

652
00:24:40,860 --> 00:24:41,770
And the buy rate for Emerald

653
00:24:41,790 --> 00:24:43,760
City Comic Con was much lower.

654
00:24:43,890 --> 00:24:47,310
But that's a four day show, so it's different.

655
00:24:47,330 --> 00:24:48,370
Like it's a huge event

656
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,400
and realty Comic Con is huge anyway.

657
00:24:52,500 --> 00:24:57,490
So that tells me how efficient is the event.

658
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,160
Anyway, Let me see. So we track our sales,

659
00:25:04,300 --> 00:25:07,500
we also track our enjoyment of the event. So

660
00:25:07,670 --> 00:25:10,760
we've done some events that are poorly running.

661
00:25:10,830 --> 00:25:12,380
And if it's poorly run, if there's

662
00:25:12,410 --> 00:25:14,550
poor communication with the showrunners,

663
00:25:14,660 --> 00:25:17,000
if it's a really misorganized floor,

664
00:25:17,130 --> 00:25:19,940
if it's uncomfortable for us or the attendees,

665
00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:21,130
if it's in a location

666
00:25:21,170 --> 00:25:22,430
that's difficult for people to get,

667
00:25:22,500 --> 00:25:23,590
then it's not something we

668
00:25:23,620 --> 00:25:25,450
want to do because it's stressful.

669
00:25:25,510 --> 00:25:29,260
So we consider the money we're making,

670
00:25:29,380 --> 00:25:31,470
the amount of effort we put into

671
00:25:31,540 --> 00:25:33,670
getting there and the experience

672
00:25:33,740 --> 00:25:35,170
we have when we're there and the

673
00:25:35,210 --> 00:25:37,630
relationships we have with the show owners.

674
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:38,560
That's one of the reasons

675
00:25:38,580 --> 00:25:40,160
we do Geekcraft Expo so much,

676
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:41,430
is the people who run it are

677
00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,690
delightful and they listen to

678
00:25:43,790 --> 00:25:45,700
the vendors and so if we have feedback,

679
00:25:45,730 --> 00:25:47,260
they will make adjustments,

680
00:25:47,450 --> 00:25:48,770
which I appreciate.

681
00:25:48,870 --> 00:25:51,140
ECC is run is run really well.

682
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:53,280
Rose City Comic Con,

683
00:25:53,300 --> 00:25:54,350
I love how they are run.

684
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:55,430
They're very efficient.

685
00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:57,130
The way that they organized Emerald

686
00:25:57,150 --> 00:25:59,760
City Comic Con last year was amazing.

687
00:25:59,900 --> 00:26:01,200
I honestly really appreciated

688
00:26:01,220 --> 00:26:03,060
how quickly vendors can get in. Their

689
00:26:03,090 --> 00:26:05,530
vendor entrance was actually a vendor entrance

690
00:26:05,660 --> 00:26:07,750
as opposed to what used to be to go, okay,

691
00:26:07,770 --> 00:26:09,330
here's your vendor entrance and

692
00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:11,380
wait 30 minutes to get into the building.

693
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,450
I don't know how interesting that is to you.

694
00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:16,720
This is actually exactly where I think

695
00:26:16,740 --> 00:26:18,720
it'd be interesting for people because one

696
00:26:18,740 --> 00:26:20,600
of the gateways we've heard from so many

697
00:26:20,630 --> 00:26:22,670
of our nerdy Entrepreneurs into their

698
00:26:22,730 --> 00:26:26,060
passion is through the guise of events,

699
00:26:26,110 --> 00:26:26,910
whether that be in, say,

700
00:26:26,930 --> 00:26:28,080
a board game industry or

701
00:26:28,120 --> 00:26:30,920
like big comic con type events.

702
00:26:30,980 --> 00:26:32,900
And so I think there is something really

703
00:26:32,950 --> 00:26:35,040
interesting in this for people who might

704
00:26:35,090 --> 00:26:37,450
be thinking about getting into a nerdy

705
00:26:37,490 --> 00:26:39,990
business or going to their first con.

706
00:26:40,340 --> 00:26:42,850
It's definitely a leap that people

707
00:26:42,910 --> 00:26:45,670
need to take to really go to that next

708
00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:47,460
level because they can do only so much

709
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:49,630
from their studio and from their computer.

710
00:26:50,580 --> 00:26:52,890
I can just give you advice as if you were

711
00:26:52,930 --> 00:26:56,090
an artist going to do a first Comic Con.

712
00:26:56,230 --> 00:26:57,860
Yeah, that was going to be. My

713
00:26:57,920 --> 00:26:59,330
next question actually was like,

714
00:26:59,350 --> 00:27:01,540
what would you have told yourself before doing

715
00:27:01,580 --> 00:27:03,670
all these cons now knowing what you know.

716
00:27:04,610 --> 00:27:08,310
Okay, so you need to bring snacks.

717
00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:10,090
Number one.

718
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:11,180
Just like D and D,

719
00:27:11,210 --> 00:27:12,280
you've got to bring snacks.

720
00:27:12,300 --> 00:27:13,270
You won't be able to leave. You

721
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:14,980
won't be able to leave your table often. Yeah.

722
00:27:15,050 --> 00:27:17,420
And the food at conventions is terrible.

723
00:27:17,490 --> 00:27:19,930
So I'm sorry, but it is.

724
00:27:20,030 --> 00:27:21,810
It's snacks for your team or

725
00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:23,490
for people who come to your tables?

726
00:27:23,590 --> 00:27:24,700
No, no, just for your team.

727
00:27:24,770 --> 00:27:25,780
So you need snacks.

728
00:27:25,850 --> 00:27:26,370
You don't want

729
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:27,800
those people hanging out too long.

730
00:27:27,860 --> 00:27:29,920
You want to get that. That buy rate.

731
00:27:30,010 --> 00:27:33,130
Oh, so there's a balance.

732
00:27:33,190 --> 00:27:35,760
I just want to speak to that too. So

733
00:27:35,900 --> 00:27:38,500
I do want to say that the buy rate's important,

734
00:27:38,610 --> 00:27:39,920
but one of the other things I get

735
00:27:39,940 --> 00:27:42,410
from events is a really wonderful

736
00:27:42,470 --> 00:27:45,110
personal connection with people. So my.

737
00:27:46,850 --> 00:27:49,740
Lots of people cry in my booth. Actually,

738
00:27:50,370 --> 00:27:51,210
the work I do,

739
00:27:51,270 --> 00:27:54,920
some of it connects to pieces,

740
00:27:55,060 --> 00:27:56,870
connects to people in a really deep way.

741
00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:58,170
I have some pieces that have

742
00:27:58,190 --> 00:28:00,100
to do with mental health and depression.

743
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:01,620
I also speak with.

744
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:03,950
I get to connect with scientists,

745
00:28:04,620 --> 00:28:07,560
and it can get really nerdy and wonderful,

746
00:28:07,610 --> 00:28:09,900
and that's really fulfilling for me.

747
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,400
So it's not just about making money.

748
00:28:12,450 --> 00:28:14,840
It's also about connecting with my community,

749
00:28:15,820 --> 00:28:17,150
connecting with my people.

750
00:28:17,970 --> 00:28:21,870
So I just want to say that you have moments.

751
00:28:21,940 --> 00:28:23,450
I had a moment with someone

752
00:28:23,580 --> 00:28:24,560
last weekend at Portland

753
00:28:24,610 --> 00:28:28,140
Saturday Market who has epilepsy. And I.

754
00:28:28,220 --> 00:28:30,640
And she is also going into neuroscience.

755
00:28:30,710 --> 00:28:31,880
And she was talking about how

756
00:28:31,910 --> 00:28:33,510
she was going into neuroscience

757
00:28:33,620 --> 00:28:35,090
to better understand her own brain.

758
00:28:35,140 --> 00:28:35,940
And I was like, hold on.

759
00:28:35,980 --> 00:28:38,370
I actually did a drawing for you.

760
00:28:38,660 --> 00:28:40,900
And I pull out this piece that I created

761
00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:42,620
for a collector that was inspired by

762
00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,240
their friend who suffers from epilepsy,

763
00:28:45,390 --> 00:28:48,160
but used it as a way to sort of.

764
00:28:48,830 --> 00:28:50,810
She found beauty in the

765
00:28:50,860 --> 00:28:53,150
experience and her own personal strength.

766
00:28:53,270 --> 00:28:54,900
And he wanted me to capture something

767
00:28:54,990 --> 00:28:56,450
that honored the experience

768
00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,770
of both struggling and sort of persevering.

769
00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:02,030
And I did this drawing called

770
00:29:02,090 --> 00:29:03,540
Storm And I showed it to her. I'm like,

771
00:29:03,550 --> 00:29:04,840
you should just read it.

772
00:29:05,020 --> 00:29:06,860
And she read it and

773
00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,130
it felt like I had drawn it for her.

774
00:29:12,670 --> 00:29:15,880
And that happens a lot where you create

775
00:29:15,910 --> 00:29:18,380
a piece and you don't know who it's for.

776
00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:20,840
And then one day they walk into your booth

777
00:29:20,940 --> 00:29:23,460
and it's complete and you feel complete.

778
00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:25,000
And she cried and

779
00:29:25,020 --> 00:29:28,960
I cried and we hugged and wow, there's the.

780
00:29:29,010 --> 00:29:32,050
And you just can't get that online. You, you.

781
00:29:32,190 --> 00:29:34,730
I get that when I meet people at events.

782
00:29:34,910 --> 00:29:36,890
Yeah, absolutely. Well,

783
00:29:36,910 --> 00:29:38,460
there's the personal connection.

784
00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:40,420
We've got snacks.

785
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:41,680
Yes. Sorry.

786
00:29:41,820 --> 00:29:43,140
What else have we got to do?

787
00:29:43,170 --> 00:29:46,280
For these to be really effective, you.

788
00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:47,580
Need FL floor mats,

789
00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:49,790
lots of them.

790
00:29:49,850 --> 00:29:51,820
Because there's no rugs in convention

791
00:29:51,870 --> 00:29:53,730
halls and you're standing forever.

792
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:56,330
And this is also for people attending.

793
00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:57,930
Walking around on those hard concrete

794
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,170
floors is going to destroy your body.

795
00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:03,280
It's just not sustainable to do it.

796
00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:05,590
So you need snacks, you need padding,

797
00:30:05,650 --> 00:30:06,430
you need water,

798
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:07,400
you need a break,

799
00:30:07,500 --> 00:30:09,300
you need someone who can cover you.

800
00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:12,930
You need

801
00:30:12,990 --> 00:30:15,900
really good signage. Oh, my God. I knew.

802
00:30:15,970 --> 00:30:17,480
I recently saw an artist.

803
00:30:17,540 --> 00:30:18,520
I love her work.

804
00:30:18,580 --> 00:30:20,260
And she sold me the piece.

805
00:30:20,330 --> 00:30:22,110
And there was no card,

806
00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:24,010
no information about her whatsoever.

807
00:30:24,070 --> 00:30:24,650
I'm like, how am

808
00:30:24,670 --> 00:30:26,870
I supposed to find you again? Well, if you ask,

809
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,590
I can hand you this brochure.

810
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:30,030
And I was like, no, no.

811
00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:32,570
Every single person you engage with at these

812
00:30:32,610 --> 00:30:36,720
events is future client. You know, you're.

813
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,010
They get to walk away with your work and

814
00:30:40,030 --> 00:30:42,810
a card or brochure or whatever so they can

815
00:30:42,870 --> 00:30:45,430
share your work with their nerdy community.

816
00:30:47,210 --> 00:30:47,830
Yeah, create

817
00:30:47,860 --> 00:30:50,080
that returning customer, definitely.

818
00:30:50,490 --> 00:30:53,120
And also build that community.

819
00:30:53,780 --> 00:30:55,670
And I kind of wanted to touch on that.

820
00:30:55,700 --> 00:30:59,520
And this touches on the other topic of events,

821
00:30:59,650 --> 00:31:01,760
but how did you build your team?

822
00:31:02,860 --> 00:31:04,860
You've talked with us off mic a little bit

823
00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:06,720
about the people that you have on your team,

824
00:31:06,770 --> 00:31:08,920
but also when we saw you,

825
00:31:09,060 --> 00:31:11,020
you had maybe four,

826
00:31:11,170 --> 00:31:12,200
at least three other

827
00:31:12,260 --> 00:31:14,020
people in that booth with you. It seemed

828
00:31:14,050 --> 00:31:16,310
like that were supporting and helping out.

829
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:18,340
How do you get your team?

830
00:31:18,370 --> 00:31:20,380
How do you collect your group?

831
00:31:21,290 --> 00:31:23,460
So I. Okay,

832
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:25,380
this is a really good question.

833
00:31:27,570 --> 00:31:30,780
So I'm an employer, which is weird.

834
00:31:30,970 --> 00:31:34,070
I've been self employed for most of my life

835
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,320
and being an employer seems unreal to me.

836
00:31:37,470 --> 00:31:39,400
The first time I had an employee,

837
00:31:39,430 --> 00:31:40,900
I did it completely wrong.

838
00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,740
I micromanaged her and I wanted

839
00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:44,890
to make sure she did everything

840
00:31:44,940 --> 00:31:48,010
the way that I did it. And it really,

841
00:31:48,140 --> 00:31:49,720
it just didn't work out.

842
00:31:50,310 --> 00:31:51,550
And I recognized that.

843
00:31:51,620 --> 00:31:54,770
And so the next employee that I got,

844
00:31:55,140 --> 00:31:57,320
I interviewed a lot of people.

845
00:31:57,350 --> 00:31:58,850
I had a lot of preparation.

846
00:31:59,220 --> 00:32:00,940
And when I found the

847
00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:02,310
people who had really good experience,

848
00:32:02,410 --> 00:32:04,190
they had experience in art markets,

849
00:32:04,250 --> 00:32:05,970
they were really clever,

850
00:32:06,070 --> 00:32:07,570
and they were easygoing,

851
00:32:07,610 --> 00:32:08,980
and they were good with people.

852
00:32:09,290 --> 00:32:10,570
I told them, like, look,

853
00:32:10,590 --> 00:32:13,770
I'm going to train you for the first two weeks.

854
00:32:13,950 --> 00:32:15,050
And during that time,

855
00:32:15,110 --> 00:32:15,840
I want you to ask

856
00:32:15,860 --> 00:32:17,500
me all the questions in the world.

857
00:32:17,570 --> 00:32:18,460
And then after that,

858
00:32:18,530 --> 00:32:20,920
I want you to work pretty much on your own.

859
00:32:21,050 --> 00:32:22,160
I want you to come with. Come

860
00:32:22,180 --> 00:32:24,720
to me only when you've exhausted all avenues.

861
00:32:24,770 --> 00:32:25,660
I want you to use your

862
00:32:25,690 --> 00:32:28,420
clever brain to solve the problem. And

863
00:32:28,450 --> 00:32:30,290
if you see that something can be done better,

864
00:32:30,390 --> 00:32:31,450
I want you to do it.

865
00:32:31,540 --> 00:32:34,080
So I want you to know I'm hiring you because I

866
00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,990
trust you to be smart enough to solve these

867
00:32:38,010 --> 00:32:40,050
things on your own and to improve things.

868
00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:41,530
And then I just trusted them.

869
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,690
And so the people that worked with me.

870
00:32:44,150 --> 00:32:46,110
Brianna was one of the people you saw.

871
00:32:46,170 --> 00:32:48,240
She recently actually moved on to another job,

872
00:32:48,340 --> 00:32:50,220
but she worked with us for seven years.

873
00:32:50,270 --> 00:32:51,170
We're still friends.

874
00:32:51,990 --> 00:32:54,860
She worked with us for seven years off and on.

875
00:32:55,030 --> 00:32:58,090
And she vastly improved my business because

876
00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:02,000
I trusted her and my partner, Elle Works,

877
00:33:02,170 --> 00:33:04,180
they create most of the products,

878
00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:05,500
and I trust them.

879
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:07,580
And so I think that the best thing for

880
00:33:07,620 --> 00:33:09,970
having a team is to hire people

881
00:33:10,020 --> 00:33:12,030
that you know you can trust to do

882
00:33:12,060 --> 00:33:13,640
the work and step back and let them

883
00:33:13,690 --> 00:33:16,360
do the work so that you can focus on, for me,

884
00:33:16,410 --> 00:33:18,120
the creative work and the research.

885
00:33:19,410 --> 00:33:20,890
Hey, nerdpreneurs. We're going

886
00:33:20,890 --> 00:33:21,550
to get back to this.

887
00:33:21,580 --> 00:33:23,780
Interview with Sienna in just a second. I

888
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:25,290
just wanted to talk to you for a minute minute.

889
00:33:25,350 --> 00:33:26,570
About something called

890
00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,350
our awesome nerdpreneur board.

891
00:33:29,770 --> 00:33:33,190
We have a mission of elevating these

892
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,480
nerdy entrepreneur stories and finding

893
00:33:35,500 --> 00:33:37,660
and discovering successful nerdy entrepreneurs.

894
00:33:37,770 --> 00:33:39,720
We actually want to help a thousand

895
00:33:39,810 --> 00:33:41,610
people start their own nerdy business.

896
00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:43,900
And so we created this podcast,

897
00:33:44,010 --> 00:33:45,820
and we're actually looking

898
00:33:45,850 --> 00:33:47,480
to go a little deeper with people,

899
00:33:47,610 --> 00:33:49,890
which means we're building a community where

900
00:33:49,990 --> 00:33:53,130
you can be around other people that are also

901
00:33:53,210 --> 00:33:56,380
pursuing their nerdy entrepreneurial dreams.

902
00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:59,600
One of the ways we have been finding bigger

903
00:33:59,650 --> 00:34:02,360
and more successful guests like we have

904
00:34:02,820 --> 00:34:05,630
is that we have been going to conventions

905
00:34:05,740 --> 00:34:09,040
like PAX west or Emerald City Comic Con.

906
00:34:09,090 --> 00:34:10,960
Like, that's how we met Sienna, but we also

907
00:34:11,010 --> 00:34:13,489
met a number of other people. Now, of course,

908
00:34:13,550 --> 00:34:15,500
all of that costs money. And right now,

909
00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:18,250
Frank and I are investing in this business

910
00:34:18,310 --> 00:34:20,340
for ourselves to make these connections,

911
00:34:20,389 --> 00:34:22,320
to garner the great strategies

912
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:23,850
that are going to work and try

913
00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:25,460
to bring that to you guys for free.

914
00:34:25,510 --> 00:34:26,760
That's what the podcast is.

915
00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,739
We're putting out as much free stuff as we can,

916
00:34:29,870 --> 00:34:32,520
but if you would like to go a little deeper,

917
00:34:32,580 --> 00:34:34,090
or maybe you want to hear

918
00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:36,179
more about one of these interviews,

919
00:34:36,230 --> 00:34:38,210
or maybe you just want to see us go to

920
00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:40,350
more conventions and meet more and

921
00:34:40,370 --> 00:34:42,239
more successful nerdy entrepreneurs

922
00:34:42,300 --> 00:34:44,320
so we get better and better interviews.

923
00:34:44,429 --> 00:34:47,000
Then you can go over to patreon.com

924
00:34:47,179 --> 00:34:48,920
nerdpreneur and become a

925
00:34:48,940 --> 00:34:51,500
member of our awesome Nerdpreneur board.

926
00:34:51,690 --> 00:34:54,179
Not only will you get the full hour of PAX

927
00:34:54,250 --> 00:34:56,860
west interviews that we just released there,

928
00:34:57,010 --> 00:35:00,200
you'll also get access to full uncut

929
00:35:00,260 --> 00:35:03,500
episodes of all 30 plus of our previous

930
00:35:03,570 --> 00:35:05,850
nerdy entrepreneur episodes and a few

931
00:35:05,870 --> 00:35:07,920
other cool bonuses that Frank and I like

932
00:35:07,940 --> 00:35:09,780
to just throw in there every so often.

933
00:35:09,930 --> 00:35:11,990
So thanks a lot for listening,

934
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:13,970
and if you become a board member,

935
00:35:14,090 --> 00:35:15,730
welcome to the board. Now,

936
00:35:15,750 --> 00:35:16,860
let's get back to this episode.

937
00:35:16,890 --> 00:35:19,200
Sienna's about to share

938
00:35:19,290 --> 00:35:21,220
how she does her art commissions, which

939
00:35:21,240 --> 00:35:23,330
is actually my favorite part of this interview.

940
00:35:23,390 --> 00:35:25,030
I think you're really gonna love it.

941
00:35:26,180 --> 00:35:27,070
I did want to talk

942
00:35:27,100 --> 00:35:29,150
about the way I do commissions.

943
00:35:29,300 --> 00:35:31,320
Oh, that's a great idea. Yeah.

944
00:35:32,140 --> 00:35:33,450
So the way I do commissions

945
00:35:33,490 --> 00:35:35,260
is different from most artists,

946
00:35:35,340 --> 00:35:38,400
and I changed it again because of necessity.

947
00:35:38,570 --> 00:35:39,700
So I used to do

948
00:35:39,740 --> 00:35:41,530
commissions like everyone else does,

949
00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:43,860
which is a collector wants to buy your work,

950
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:45,260
and you're like, yes, please. Thank you.

951
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:46,360
I would really like to make

952
00:35:46,390 --> 00:35:48,340
art for money and be able to eat.

953
00:35:48,430 --> 00:35:50,090
I'll do whatever you want.

954
00:35:51,300 --> 00:35:54,970
And they get really involved in the process.

955
00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:57,090
You send them progress photos,

956
00:35:57,140 --> 00:35:58,770
they make changes.

957
00:35:58,940 --> 00:36:00,160
I actually invited

958
00:36:00,270 --> 00:36:02,710
the clients to help me, like,

959
00:36:02,810 --> 00:36:05,900
find the data and change things.

960
00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:08,100
And I found that to be extremely

961
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,060
stressful because you sort of feel like

962
00:36:10,090 --> 00:36:12,300
someone's there to change things all the time.

963
00:36:12,450 --> 00:36:13,560
Really slow down the process.

964
00:36:13,620 --> 00:36:14,810
Slowed down the process

965
00:36:14,910 --> 00:36:18,980
and occasionally ruined the art, right?

966
00:36:19,090 --> 00:36:21,760
Ruined it Just sucked the soul out of it.

967
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:23,530
And I won't say which pieces these were,

968
00:36:23,610 --> 00:36:24,860
but I don't make prints of them

969
00:36:24,890 --> 00:36:27,780
anymore because I don't like them.

970
00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:30,360
And so it became.

971
00:36:30,450 --> 00:36:31,890
I just was really burnt out.

972
00:36:31,930 --> 00:36:33,950
And most artists I know that offer commissions

973
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:35,490
face the same problem because you want

974
00:36:35,510 --> 00:36:38,090
the commission and then you hate doing it.

975
00:36:39,030 --> 00:36:40,300
But I wanted to find

976
00:36:40,340 --> 00:36:43,400
a way to allow my collectors, whom I love.

977
00:36:43,550 --> 00:36:46,450
I have the best collectors. They're nerdy,

978
00:36:46,500 --> 00:36:49,260
enthusiastic science art fans.

979
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,270
They're just brilliant. I love them,

980
00:36:51,410 --> 00:36:54,110
and I want to allow them to collect my art,

981
00:36:54,180 --> 00:36:56,740
and I want to be able to create original art.

982
00:36:56,860 --> 00:36:58,450
So I came up with a plan

983
00:36:58,540 --> 00:37:00,640
that works for both of us.

984
00:37:01,070 --> 00:37:02,730
I release a catalog

985
00:37:02,780 --> 00:37:05,200
of planned works twice a year.

986
00:37:06,180 --> 00:37:08,710
This is also really helpful for work like

987
00:37:08,740 --> 00:37:10,850
mine that takes a long time to prepare.

988
00:37:10,950 --> 00:37:13,040
I can't just draw anything you want.

989
00:37:13,170 --> 00:37:15,430
I will then have to go do research for it,

990
00:37:15,540 --> 00:37:17,410
which takes me at least three months to do,

991
00:37:17,450 --> 00:37:18,980
and in some cases six months to do.

992
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:20,380
If it's something I'm not used to,

993
00:37:20,450 --> 00:37:22,080
that's a huge amount of time

994
00:37:22,170 --> 00:37:23,740
that I need to dedicate to the piece,

995
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,510
which I'm not being paid for, really,

996
00:37:26,700 --> 00:37:28,990
because I love it and I won't stop.

997
00:37:30,430 --> 00:37:31,790
So what I do is twice a year

998
00:37:31,810 --> 00:37:33,770
I release the catalog of planned works,

999
00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:37,860
which is a list of pieces that I want to draw.

1000
00:37:38,510 --> 00:37:40,450
They are pieces and designs

1001
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:42,100
that I've already done the research for.

1002
00:37:42,150 --> 00:37:44,280
So I already have all the data I need.

1003
00:37:44,340 --> 00:37:46,640
The bulk of the research process is done.

1004
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:48,030
I already have a concept

1005
00:37:48,070 --> 00:37:49,320
of the piece I want to create.

1006
00:37:49,420 --> 00:37:50,870
And so sometimes I'll release the

1007
00:37:50,890 --> 00:37:53,270
catalog with a sketch or a reference

1008
00:37:53,330 --> 00:37:54,880
concept of what the image would be.

1009
00:37:54,950 --> 00:37:57,600
And I say I want to draw. Recently, last year,

1010
00:37:57,690 --> 00:37:58,860
I want to draw Mount St.

1011
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:00,490
Helens erupting.

1012
00:38:01,030 --> 00:38:02,610
And so I see these are the pieces,

1013
00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:04,240
or an anatomical climber

1014
00:38:04,270 --> 00:38:05,360
is a piece that I want to make,

1015
00:38:05,390 --> 00:38:07,820
or a DNA piece is a piece that I want to make.

1016
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:10,480
And my collectors look through and they go, oh,

1017
00:38:10,510 --> 00:38:11,970
I definitely want that.

1018
00:38:12,260 --> 00:38:13,590
And so my collector said, okay,

1019
00:38:13,650 --> 00:38:15,320
I want Mount St. Helens,

1020
00:38:15,430 --> 00:38:17,070
and I want it at this size,

1021
00:38:17,210 --> 00:38:19,160
and I want it on this medium.

1022
00:38:19,700 --> 00:38:20,980
And these are colors I love,

1023
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:22,380
and these are colors I hate.

1024
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:24,140
And that is the full amount

1025
00:38:24,180 --> 00:38:27,680
of input that they can give. So you,

1026
00:38:27,730 --> 00:38:28,790
you collect a piece from

1027
00:38:28,820 --> 00:38:30,860
me because you're ordering it from my.

1028
00:38:30,930 --> 00:38:31,960
My catalog of things

1029
00:38:32,010 --> 00:38:33,330
I want to make ahead of time.

1030
00:38:33,390 --> 00:38:34,880
I give people a discount,

1031
00:38:35,010 --> 00:38:36,840
so they get 10% off for pre

1032
00:38:36,850 --> 00:38:39,040
ordering an original that I want to make.

1033
00:38:39,170 --> 00:38:40,550
And then the deal is,

1034
00:38:40,660 --> 00:38:44,010
you just trust me to make the art.

1035
00:38:44,150 --> 00:38:45,650
And so I say on my,

1036
00:38:45,710 --> 00:38:47,320
there's a little artist contract. I'm like,

1037
00:38:47,370 --> 00:38:49,320
this is really only for people

1038
00:38:49,370 --> 00:38:51,410
who know my work and love my

1039
00:38:51,450 --> 00:38:53,610
work and can trust me to do my thing.

1040
00:38:54,430 --> 00:38:56,490
And my collectors have loved this

1041
00:38:56,950 --> 00:38:59,000
because a lot of them have wanted to collect

1042
00:38:59,030 --> 00:39:00,920
my original art for me for a long time.

1043
00:39:01,030 --> 00:39:02,640
They didn't know what they wanted,

1044
00:39:04,340 --> 00:39:06,080
so it simplified things for them.

1045
00:39:06,150 --> 00:39:09,630
And I've been able to focus on my work anyway.

1046
00:39:09,690 --> 00:39:11,810
I have a few artist friends who are

1047
00:39:11,860 --> 00:39:13,500
implementing this for themselves as

1048
00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:15,470
well as the way to take commissions

1049
00:39:15,510 --> 00:39:17,530
in a way that's sustainable for them.

1050
00:39:17,930 --> 00:39:19,860
And so when you say collectors,

1051
00:39:19,930 --> 00:39:21,310
I think that's really cool, by the way.

1052
00:39:21,340 --> 00:39:22,860
And I think that like even for me,

1053
00:39:22,890 --> 00:39:24,510
when I was looking through your,

1054
00:39:24,580 --> 00:39:25,330
doing some research,

1055
00:39:25,390 --> 00:39:26,580
looking at how it was, I was like,

1056
00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:28,050
how does this work exactly? I'm

1057
00:39:28,070 --> 00:39:29,560
so glad you went through that because it was,

1058
00:39:29,610 --> 00:39:31,250
it was interesting to, to

1059
00:39:31,270 --> 00:39:33,610
see all the stuff you were planning on making.

1060
00:39:33,780 --> 00:39:35,550
But when you say collectors,

1061
00:39:36,410 --> 00:39:37,670
is that just like people,

1062
00:39:37,700 --> 00:39:39,030
you know who collect your art or

1063
00:39:39,060 --> 00:39:40,570
do you have like an actual tier of

1064
00:39:40,610 --> 00:39:42,220
people that support you that you

1065
00:39:42,260 --> 00:39:44,250
have like an email list for or like, what,

1066
00:39:44,270 --> 00:39:45,950
what does it mean to be a collector?

1067
00:39:46,780 --> 00:39:48,050
So most of my,

1068
00:39:48,340 --> 00:39:50,420
most of my original work is sold

1069
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:53,280
to patrons on my Patreon account.

1070
00:39:53,820 --> 00:39:55,380
I do recommend Patreon is the

1071
00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:57,320
best way to follow me and support me.

1072
00:39:57,470 --> 00:39:59,180
It's a platform where you can see

1073
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:00,780
what I'm making and actually get

1074
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:02,980
involved in my process without like

1075
00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:05,150
a bunch of ads and scrolling forever,

1076
00:40:05,210 --> 00:40:07,360
which is what I do when I go on Instagram.

1077
00:40:10,950 --> 00:40:14,090
So I have a.

1078
00:40:14,390 --> 00:40:16,640
I keep a list of my collectors

1079
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:18,560
and I actually send them invites

1080
00:40:18,620 --> 00:40:20,500
personally to art events that I have,

1081
00:40:20,550 --> 00:40:22,340
like open studio events.

1082
00:40:22,470 --> 00:40:25,410
I keep in contact with them and I.

1083
00:40:25,480 --> 00:40:28,360
So I've had a long list of people wanting

1084
00:40:28,380 --> 00:40:30,200
to buy originals for me for a long time,

1085
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,680
but I didn't know how to implement it in a way

1086
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:35,300
that worked with my schedule and met my needs.

1087
00:40:35,430 --> 00:40:37,030
And so for a really long time

1088
00:40:37,130 --> 00:40:38,870
I wasn't taking commissions at all. Like,

1089
00:40:38,890 --> 00:40:40,870
I just don't have time for, for that.

1090
00:40:41,060 --> 00:40:43,630
But Patreon and my catalog of planned

1091
00:40:43,660 --> 00:40:45,570
works allowed me to do that sustainably.

1092
00:40:45,630 --> 00:40:46,910
So now I can do upwards of

1093
00:40:46,940 --> 00:40:50,370
six commissions a year like that.

1094
00:40:50,390 --> 00:40:52,180
Does that answer questions on top of.

1095
00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:53,710
The other stuff you already make?

1096
00:40:53,820 --> 00:40:56,350
Yes, on top. Oh, everything I make

1097
00:40:56,380 --> 00:41:00,240
is already pre ordered. It's pre sold. Oh yeah.

1098
00:41:00,370 --> 00:41:01,190
Which is kind of weird.

1099
00:41:01,220 --> 00:41:03,360
So if people want me to do a gallery event,

1100
00:41:03,410 --> 00:41:06,430
like I can't offer anything because I have

1101
00:41:06,460 --> 00:41:09,600
very few originals left that haven't been sold.

1102
00:41:09,690 --> 00:41:12,530
I make it and it's sold. However, I do have.

1103
00:41:12,670 --> 00:41:13,940
One of the great things about being

1104
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,730
a patron is you get to see my studies.

1105
00:41:16,830 --> 00:41:18,490
So because I'm a perfectionist,

1106
00:41:18,630 --> 00:41:20,080
when I'm creating a piece,

1107
00:41:20,170 --> 00:41:22,710
I first make a small. So most artists,

1108
00:41:22,740 --> 00:41:24,550
they make a thumbnail drawing.

1109
00:41:25,300 --> 00:41:28,090
I make the entire thing, but smaller.

1110
00:41:28,180 --> 00:41:30,130
And so like I have a 2 by

1111
00:41:30,190 --> 00:41:31,980
3 foot copper plate etching to

1112
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:35,530
my left right now of the lonely whale.

1113
00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:36,930
And before I did that,

1114
00:41:36,970 --> 00:41:37,760
I wanted to make sure

1115
00:41:37,780 --> 00:41:39,200
I had every part of the process,

1116
00:41:39,260 --> 00:41:41,680
like which numbers go where and the medium and

1117
00:41:41,700 --> 00:41:45,050
the composition and the dissipation worked out.

1118
00:41:45,150 --> 00:41:47,130
And so I drew it twice.

1119
00:41:47,310 --> 00:41:48,960
So I did it once on a

1120
00:41:48,980 --> 00:41:50,970
metallic scratch paper and did

1121
00:41:50,990 --> 00:41:53,200
it another time on copper plate etching.

1122
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:55,260
And so each one of those is 9 by 12.

1123
00:41:55,930 --> 00:41:57,960
So those are available to sell.

1124
00:41:58,020 --> 00:42:00,250
And my patrons are the ones who usually buy

1125
00:42:00,270 --> 00:42:02,200
it because I release it to them before the

1126
00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:05,300
public and they get 15% off my original work.

1127
00:42:05,410 --> 00:42:08,390
So they collect it.

1128
00:42:10,240 --> 00:42:12,020
But in the end I have very few new,

1129
00:42:12,090 --> 00:42:13,170
new pieces to show that,

1130
00:42:13,230 --> 00:42:14,470
that aren't already sold.

1131
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:16,680
I think that's super interesting for.

1132
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:19,180
Especially for artists who might be aspiring to

1133
00:42:20,450 --> 00:42:22,600
actually have their art become their business.

1134
00:42:22,660 --> 00:42:25,590
The idea of having people buy your. Or having,

1135
00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:27,450
I guess a list of patrons

1136
00:42:27,490 --> 00:42:28,770
or collectors or people like

1137
00:42:28,790 --> 00:42:31,040
that you aren't necessarily catering to,

1138
00:42:31,060 --> 00:42:33,070
but you're really serving them at a

1139
00:42:33,090 --> 00:42:35,750
higher level to give them opportunity

1140
00:42:35,810 --> 00:42:37,800
to support you and get what they want,

1141
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:39,390
which is your art. So that's a.

1142
00:42:39,430 --> 00:42:40,640
That's a really cool model that we

1143
00:42:40,660 --> 00:42:42,640
haven't dug into with many artists yet.

1144
00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:43,680
So thank you for sharing.

1145
00:42:43,740 --> 00:42:45,800
I would say that my patrons,

1146
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:48,660
I feel like we're part of a community. So they,

1147
00:42:49,030 --> 00:42:51,240
my patrons are nerds.

1148
00:42:51,300 --> 00:42:54,440
A lot of them are professional nerds. And they,

1149
00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:55,520
they love the process.

1150
00:42:55,620 --> 00:42:57,390
They contribute to the process.

1151
00:42:57,470 --> 00:42:59,320
So they'll actually submit

1152
00:42:59,410 --> 00:43:01,300
reference photos for me to use.

1153
00:43:01,410 --> 00:43:04,690
They'll recommend research papers if they

1154
00:43:04,750 --> 00:43:08,070
have a background in a certain type of science.

1155
00:43:08,200 --> 00:43:09,960
We'll actually collaborate on a piece together.

1156
00:43:10,020 --> 00:43:11,400
Anyone who collaborates on a Piece

1157
00:43:11,420 --> 00:43:16,030
of Mind gets a free print and like, credit.

1158
00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:17,670
But these people, like,

1159
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:19,210
they've been there for many,

1160
00:43:19,270 --> 00:43:20,690
many years and I would,

1161
00:43:20,750 --> 00:43:23,790
I consider many of them friends at this point.

1162
00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:25,050
It's different. It's.

1163
00:43:25,130 --> 00:43:27,080
My Patreon community is different

1164
00:43:27,210 --> 00:43:29,660
than like a normal online platform.

1165
00:43:29,740 --> 00:43:32,970
I don't feel like I'm selling to people or.

1166
00:43:33,030 --> 00:43:36,720
It's a very authentic place of connection.

1167
00:43:38,220 --> 00:43:38,970
On that note,

1168
00:43:39,010 --> 00:43:41,230
how do you curate this sense of community?

1169
00:43:41,340 --> 00:43:41,980
A lot of people

1170
00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:44,120
talk about using Discord, for example,

1171
00:43:44,210 --> 00:43:47,250
as a space to facilitate conversation.

1172
00:43:47,310 --> 00:43:48,170
But it sounds like you're

1173
00:43:48,190 --> 00:43:50,320
doing all this on Patreon, is that right?

1174
00:43:50,620 --> 00:43:52,900
Yes, I do it on Patreon.

1175
00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:55,260
How do you get this conversation?

1176
00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:55,780
How do you get a

1177
00:43:55,800 --> 00:43:58,990
conversation going on Patreon? Or maybe, maybe.

1178
00:43:59,110 --> 00:44:01,600
Let's rewind a little bit further back. Let's.

1179
00:44:01,670 --> 00:44:03,530
Like when you started to

1180
00:44:04,220 --> 00:44:07,760
get your patrons involved in the process,

1181
00:44:08,860 --> 00:44:09,700
what was that like?

1182
00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:10,970
What did that look like?

1183
00:44:12,070 --> 00:44:12,570
I mean,

1184
00:44:12,620 --> 00:44:14,970
I've been blessed with really great patrons.

1185
00:44:15,100 --> 00:44:16,620
There have been times where

1186
00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:19,010
it's really quiet on there, which sucks.

1187
00:44:20,010 --> 00:44:21,740
You put a lot of work into

1188
00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:23,820
making a post and sharing the process,

1189
00:44:23,930 --> 00:44:25,090
and it takes a long

1190
00:44:25,140 --> 00:44:27,240
time to record and edit a video.

1191
00:44:27,700 --> 00:44:29,000
Or to write a piece.

1192
00:44:29,050 --> 00:44:31,610
And sometimes I write essays that go on there,

1193
00:44:31,660 --> 00:44:33,830
and it never feels good to

1194
00:44:33,940 --> 00:44:35,660
release that and then to have

1195
00:44:35,700 --> 00:44:38,030
no one say anything and no responses.

1196
00:44:38,180 --> 00:44:39,490
I found out later when

1197
00:44:39,510 --> 00:44:41,140
I speak to my patrons in public,

1198
00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:41,930
that they read them,

1199
00:44:41,970 --> 00:44:43,200
they just don't comment.

1200
00:44:44,340 --> 00:44:46,820
But I would have a few people who

1201
00:44:46,860 --> 00:44:50,150
engaged and they would ask questions, and

1202
00:44:50,250 --> 00:44:53,190
that sort of helped the community get started.

1203
00:44:53,250 --> 00:44:54,650
It's a different environment.

1204
00:44:54,780 --> 00:44:57,830
So I would say that patrons can actually

1205
00:44:57,890 --> 00:45:00,610
do a lot of good by engaging with us.

1206
00:45:00,950 --> 00:45:01,620
And that is

1207
00:45:01,660 --> 00:45:05,590
also true on Instagram, you know, where people.

1208
00:45:05,730 --> 00:45:06,800
And it's a vulnerable

1209
00:45:06,870 --> 00:45:09,210
thing to share our process online.

1210
00:45:09,300 --> 00:45:12,120
And having hearing you connect with

1211
00:45:12,150 --> 00:45:14,800
the work and the process in a really

1212
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:17,680
authentic way is really beneficial for us.

1213
00:45:17,780 --> 00:45:19,360
It obviously boosts the

1214
00:45:19,380 --> 00:45:21,620
algorithm when you comment and share,

1215
00:45:22,410 --> 00:45:23,980
but it also helps so that we don't

1216
00:45:24,010 --> 00:45:25,820
feel like we're screaming into the void.

1217
00:45:26,720 --> 00:45:29,180
Yes, 100% good at that. Yeah.

1218
00:45:29,530 --> 00:45:30,490
On Patreon,

1219
00:45:30,610 --> 00:45:32,410
I do think that offering the opportunity

1220
00:45:32,470 --> 00:45:34,860
to actually collaborate got people excited.

1221
00:45:35,450 --> 00:45:37,280
So I have something called the

1222
00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:39,400
Patreon Reference Library

1223
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:41,590
that I invite patrons to go to,

1224
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:42,590
and they make their own

1225
00:45:42,610 --> 00:45:44,070
little folder with their name on it,

1226
00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:45,680
and I invite them to say, hey,

1227
00:45:45,740 --> 00:45:48,070
if you have a photo on your phone that you just

1228
00:45:48,090 --> 00:45:50,390
think would make a great numberism drawing,

1229
00:45:50,490 --> 00:45:52,100
drop it in there and I'll look at it.

1230
00:45:52,150 --> 00:45:53,870
And if I agree and I use it,

1231
00:45:53,970 --> 00:45:56,010
then I will just give you a free print of it.

1232
00:45:56,080 --> 00:45:57,050
And so that's kind of a

1233
00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,590
sneaky way for you to get like.

1234
00:45:59,730 --> 00:46:01,640
And you will get the first option to buy the

1235
00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:04,030
original as well as the patron. And so, okay,

1236
00:46:04,050 --> 00:46:05,360
I'll just show it to you first.

1237
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:08,790
A sneaky way to get an original custom

1238
00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:11,840
piece without going through the process. Or

1239
00:46:11,890 --> 00:46:13,480
if you don't have the budget for an original,

1240
00:46:13,540 --> 00:46:15,840
it's a sneaky way of getting a print of the

1241
00:46:15,860 --> 00:46:17,920
piece you've always wanted me to draw. Like,

1242
00:46:17,940 --> 00:46:19,210
maybe an anatomical crow.

1243
00:46:19,270 --> 00:46:20,760
I want to draw an anatomical crow.

1244
00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:23,220
Please order an anatomical crow from me.

1245
00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:25,160
I like crows.

1246
00:46:25,180 --> 00:46:26,990
I might do that. That sounds awesome.

1247
00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,180
It will be on my next catalog of planned works.

1248
00:46:30,930 --> 00:46:33,410
Blocked right now, but yeah.

1249
00:46:33,550 --> 00:46:35,430
And it also sounds like it works for you, too,

1250
00:46:35,470 --> 00:46:36,950
because then you can go and pick

1251
00:46:36,970 --> 00:46:39,250
and choose what you feel inspired to do,

1252
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:40,830
and you can feel authentic doing,

1253
00:46:40,890 --> 00:46:43,320
which is. That's. Yeah, that's really cool.

1254
00:46:43,460 --> 00:46:45,360
And I can plan my next year or two

1255
00:46:45,390 --> 00:46:47,480
of what I'm drawing and stay focused.

1256
00:46:47,580 --> 00:46:49,160
It's hard for me to stay focused. You.

1257
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:51,320
You end up wanting to. To.

1258
00:46:51,390 --> 00:46:52,840
Especially when you're studying science,

1259
00:46:52,900 --> 00:46:54,480
because the world is an amazing place.

1260
00:46:54,540 --> 00:46:55,640
And you, you know, you're like,

1261
00:46:55,660 --> 00:46:56,860
I want to draw bioluminescent

1262
00:46:56,910 --> 00:46:58,420
jellyfish and I want to draw trees

1263
00:46:58,470 --> 00:47:01,040
and mycelial networks and brains and.

1264
00:47:01,220 --> 00:47:03,950
But if I have a plan that I can

1265
00:47:03,970 --> 00:47:06,100
keep myself focused the next year or two,

1266
00:47:06,190 --> 00:47:09,200
it's much better for me and for my collectors.

1267
00:47:09,380 --> 00:47:10,870
I was going to say something else. Hold on.

1268
00:47:10,890 --> 00:47:16,040
What was it? Darn it, darn it, darn it. Oh.

1269
00:47:16,140 --> 00:47:17,330
I'm releasing my catalog

1270
00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:18,970
of planned works in October,

1271
00:47:19,430 --> 00:47:21,130
so that's when it's going to be released.

1272
00:47:21,160 --> 00:47:23,830
I open it for Portland Open Studios,

1273
00:47:23,890 --> 00:47:25,430
which is the second and third

1274
00:47:25,510 --> 00:47:28,510
weekend of October at my studio.

1275
00:47:28,610 --> 00:47:30,450
So Portland Open Studios is

1276
00:47:30,500 --> 00:47:32,620
a citywide event in Portland where

1277
00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:34,690
over 100 artists open their studios.

1278
00:47:34,780 --> 00:47:37,460
And you can come into our creative spaces,

1279
00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:38,840
see what we're working on.

1280
00:47:38,910 --> 00:47:39,770
A lot of artists,

1281
00:47:39,860 --> 00:47:40,810
we all hold live

1282
00:47:40,860 --> 00:47:42,580
demonstrations so you can see the.

1283
00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:43,440
You can actually watch

1284
00:47:43,470 --> 00:47:45,320
me create my numberism drawings.

1285
00:47:46,030 --> 00:47:48,840
And a lot of artists have discounts

1286
00:47:48,870 --> 00:47:51,180
and specials and exclusive pieces.

1287
00:47:51,340 --> 00:47:52,420
I use the event as

1288
00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:54,110
an opportunity to come see my work,

1289
00:47:54,170 --> 00:47:55,750
see the medium in person.

1290
00:47:55,900 --> 00:47:57,400
And you can go to the catalog

1291
00:47:57,460 --> 00:48:00,490
and reserve your next original. Of course,

1292
00:48:00,550 --> 00:48:02,110
patrons get access to the catalog

1293
00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:03,760
a week earlier and most

1294
00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:05,750
of the slots are full up by then.

1295
00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:08,450
There's also like usually a special private

1296
00:48:08,510 --> 00:48:10,680
preview that the patrons get where it's just

1297
00:48:10,700 --> 00:48:13,290
like a few of us in a quieter setting, a

1298
00:48:13,310 --> 00:48:16,550
bunch of nerds in a low simulating environment.

1299
00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:19,780
But yeah,

1300
00:48:20,530 --> 00:48:23,030
that's when my catalog will be unlocked.

1301
00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:24,190
Nice.

1302
00:48:24,250 --> 00:48:25,730
Okay, so early October.

1303
00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:26,590
Yes.

1304
00:48:26,760 --> 00:48:29,490
Awesome. I real quick. Actually this

1305
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:32,330
probably isn't really quick to be fair, but I.

1306
00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:34,480
So I wanted to ask a

1307
00:48:34,500 --> 00:48:38,290
bit about your pricing structure because.

1308
00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:40,930
And I'm gonna give a little preface here of.

1309
00:48:41,040 --> 00:48:44,800
For my day job I make videos and I very

1310
00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:46,930
often deal with clients that you know,

1311
00:48:47,040 --> 00:48:49,290
from wanting me to just do a

1312
00:48:49,320 --> 00:48:51,630
video and then me check in with

1313
00:48:51,650 --> 00:48:54,470
them when it's done all the way to hey,

1314
00:48:54,530 --> 00:48:56,040
let me review your script,

1315
00:48:56,190 --> 00:48:58,070
let me see your first draft.

1316
00:48:58,130 --> 00:49:01,050
Let me like give you notes like whole gambit.

1317
00:49:01,470 --> 00:49:04,250
But the pricing aspect of it has

1318
00:49:04,300 --> 00:49:06,890
varied so much over the years and it's.

1319
00:49:06,940 --> 00:49:08,810
I'm still constantly refining

1320
00:49:08,860 --> 00:49:11,860
it and I wonder in your case,

1321
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:14,680
do you have a set structure at this point?

1322
00:49:14,830 --> 00:49:16,320
Or like for example,

1323
00:49:16,390 --> 00:49:19,290
you mentioned the amount of research,

1324
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:21,330
the type of material,

1325
00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:23,030
the size of the canvas

1326
00:49:23,070 --> 00:49:24,610
that you're going to be working on.

1327
00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:26,370
Do you have a set

1328
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:29,570
rubric or is it very much a. Well,

1329
00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:33,090
I know it's going to take this number of hours

1330
00:49:33,390 --> 00:49:36,930
of research or I know this or that. How do you.

1331
00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:39,530
What are some of the variables that you

1332
00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:41,930
think about when you're pricing something?

1333
00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:48,910
So my originals are priced based

1334
00:49:48,960 --> 00:49:51,560
on the level of detail in square foot.

1335
00:49:51,700 --> 00:49:56,170
So my originals used to be 800 to $2,000

1336
00:49:56,230 --> 00:49:58,680
a square foot based on level of detail.

1337
00:49:58,860 --> 00:50:01,610
It soon became apparent to me that they all

1338
00:50:01,640 --> 00:50:04,430
end up being high detail because that is me.

1339
00:50:06,050 --> 00:50:08,500
And none of it accounts for the research time.

1340
00:50:08,630 --> 00:50:10,300
So I charge $2,000

1341
00:50:10,350 --> 00:50:11,910
a square foot for my pieces.

1342
00:50:12,050 --> 00:50:13,240
If it's a copper plate,

1343
00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:15,390
it's 5% more because them

1344
00:50:15,430 --> 00:50:19,090
is expensive and they are very finicky.

1345
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:19,830
And sometimes I'll

1346
00:50:19,850 --> 00:50:21,820
need to buy another copper plate.

1347
00:50:23,160 --> 00:50:25,700
I will say that the amount of time

1348
00:50:25,750 --> 00:50:29,050
and work that I put into my pieces, the $2,000

1349
00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:29,590
a square foot,

1350
00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:31,200
all that seems like a lot.

1351
00:50:31,340 --> 00:50:33,240
And the piece that's sitting

1352
00:50:33,280 --> 00:50:35,360
next to me I think is $13,000,

1353
00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:37,280
which is a lot, right?

1354
00:50:37,450 --> 00:50:39,310
That doesn't actually cover my time. If

1355
00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:42,260
I were to break it down and go into an hourly,

1356
00:50:42,410 --> 00:50:46,160
I would be scared by how low it is.

1357
00:50:46,340 --> 00:50:47,290
That's what I'm getting

1358
00:50:47,350 --> 00:50:49,680
at is because I can't imagine.

1359
00:50:49,820 --> 00:50:53,010
Because if on your website you say 50 to 100,

1360
00:50:53,140 --> 00:50:55,370
110 hours per project and

1361
00:50:55,390 --> 00:50:57,730
you've already said more than that,

1362
00:50:57,910 --> 00:50:59,450
and I'm like, okay, well,

1363
00:50:59,470 --> 00:51:00,800
the math ain't quite math.

1364
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:02,800
And in my understanding of math,

1365
00:51:02,960 --> 00:51:05,030
so how do you create a

1366
00:51:05,070 --> 00:51:07,050
comfortable cost of living for yourself?

1367
00:51:08,070 --> 00:51:10,570
And so I know we're talking

1368
00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:12,320
about all kinds of stuff and it's awesome,

1369
00:51:12,430 --> 00:51:14,340
but the business side of things,

1370
00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:17,550
how do you keep the business floating

1371
00:51:17,690 --> 00:51:21,780
if this doesn't even cover your time? Prints,

1372
00:51:23,110 --> 00:51:25,540
how big are they a part of your business?

1373
00:51:25,630 --> 00:51:27,180
Like percentage wise, maybe.

1374
00:51:27,310 --> 00:51:28,540
Selling reproductions

1375
00:51:28,590 --> 00:51:30,300
is the foundation of my business.

1376
00:51:31,590 --> 00:51:34,680
So when I. When I.

1377
00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:36,410
That estimate I have for pieces,

1378
00:51:36,480 --> 00:51:38,430
taking me three months to research and 100

1379
00:51:38,470 --> 00:51:40,480
hours to draw is a really low estimate.

1380
00:51:40,620 --> 00:51:42,190
The amount of time that it takes me to

1381
00:51:42,210 --> 00:51:44,320
actually draw these is way more than that.

1382
00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:45,620
But it's a number that's so big,

1383
00:51:45,670 --> 00:51:47,090
I don't want to think about it.

1384
00:51:47,550 --> 00:51:49,760
So I say 100 hours because people are like, oh,

1385
00:51:49,780 --> 00:51:50,800
that's a lot of time. And I'm like,

1386
00:51:50,820 --> 00:51:51,430
you have no idea.

1387
00:51:51,470 --> 00:51:53,160
It's probably 300 hours,

1388
00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:55,490
but we're just not going to talk about that.

1389
00:51:56,110 --> 00:51:57,720
Part of my pricing is to make it

1390
00:51:57,760 --> 00:52:00,090
accessible so people can actually buy it.

1391
00:52:00,240 --> 00:52:01,900
If I were pricing my pieces

1392
00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:04,610
at the rate that I am worth,

1393
00:52:04,700 --> 00:52:06,340
I wouldn't be moving pieces except

1394
00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:08,260
for a really small clientele

1395
00:52:08,390 --> 00:52:10,380
that I'm not sure I have access to.

1396
00:52:10,520 --> 00:52:13,560
And so I created a number that

1397
00:52:13,590 --> 00:52:17,200
will move and that meets what I need.

1398
00:52:18,470 --> 00:52:20,040
I also know that

1399
00:52:20,110 --> 00:52:22,020
I can make prints of these pieces.

1400
00:52:22,160 --> 00:52:24,260
If you want to get an exclusive drawing for me,

1401
00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:25,570
it's twice that much.

1402
00:52:26,110 --> 00:52:27,730
Sure. Yeah.

1403
00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:29,690
Because then I can't make prints of it.

1404
00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:30,790
And so I have.

1405
00:52:30,850 --> 00:52:32,240
I own the rights to the image,

1406
00:52:32,300 --> 00:52:34,890
and I can make reproductions however I want.

1407
00:52:34,920 --> 00:52:35,580
I can make shirts.

1408
00:52:35,630 --> 00:52:37,570
I can make paper prints and canvas prints.

1409
00:52:37,680 --> 00:52:39,330
I can do whatever I want with it.

1410
00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:42,870
Most of my income. Please hold.

1411
00:52:43,050 --> 00:52:44,340
I'm doing math.

1412
00:52:45,390 --> 00:52:47,200
I'm doing math real quick.

1413
00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:48,780
Calculators are out.

1414
00:52:50,390 --> 00:52:53,280
Okay, so 27% of my income

1415
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:55,140
from last year was from originals.

1416
00:52:55,720 --> 00:52:56,510
Okay.

1417
00:52:56,890 --> 00:52:59,200
The rest of it was almost a.

1418
00:52:59,240 --> 00:53:01,040
Third, Pretty closer to a quarter.

1419
00:53:01,140 --> 00:53:02,320
I had a really good year last

1420
00:53:02,340 --> 00:53:06,620
year for originals, so that's. That's high.

1421
00:53:07,090 --> 00:53:09,070
The rest of it is all prints.

1422
00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:12,990
But that also. I mean, if you. You can also.

1423
00:53:13,120 --> 00:53:14,400
I imagine there are some

1424
00:53:14,460 --> 00:53:16,840
prints that keep selling like you.

1425
00:53:16,860 --> 00:53:18,570
That you made four years ago, five years,

1426
00:53:18,610 --> 00:53:19,480
or whatever it was,

1427
00:53:19,540 --> 00:53:21,670
that are just like they.

1428
00:53:21,850 --> 00:53:23,990
You've probably reaped the rewards from

1429
00:53:24,050 --> 00:53:26,890
that investment of time and energy well

1430
00:53:26,940 --> 00:53:29,010
beyond that in order to have it. But it's like.

1431
00:53:29,060 --> 00:53:30,470
It's like a great song, right? Like,

1432
00:53:30,490 --> 00:53:31,470
if you make a hit song,

1433
00:53:31,510 --> 00:53:32,060
you could have

1434
00:53:32,080 --> 00:53:35,300
an entire career off of one song, you know,

1435
00:53:35,340 --> 00:53:38,110
but you have many hits in your art.

1436
00:53:38,250 --> 00:53:40,160
And so by doing that, you're gonna have.

1437
00:53:40,230 --> 00:53:42,110
Have ones that continue to sell. Which.

1438
00:53:42,210 --> 00:53:44,140
Which makes sense. Which makes sense.

1439
00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:44,930
I actually.

1440
00:53:44,980 --> 00:53:47,590
I used to keep track of how much.

1441
00:53:47,970 --> 00:53:49,070
In the beginning,

1442
00:53:49,660 --> 00:53:51,050
I kept track of how much

1443
00:53:51,110 --> 00:53:53,110
I made in prints for each image.

1444
00:53:53,820 --> 00:53:55,450
And I don't do that quite as

1445
00:53:55,470 --> 00:53:57,430
well now because there's too many images.

1446
00:53:57,620 --> 00:53:58,980
But I had an example

1447
00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:00,640
with my anatomical heart piece,

1448
00:54:00,690 --> 00:54:03,110
which that was a really big sell for me.

1449
00:54:03,180 --> 00:54:05,470
It was to a nurse and a doctor,

1450
00:54:05,580 --> 00:54:07,020
and it was a huge piece,

1451
00:54:07,160 --> 00:54:08,480
and it was a really big deal.

1452
00:54:08,530 --> 00:54:09,670
It was the largest amount

1453
00:54:09,700 --> 00:54:11,800
I had made on an original then.

1454
00:54:12,220 --> 00:54:13,460
And I was like, wow,

1455
00:54:13,520 --> 00:54:17,060
I've made it and I don't know what this means.

1456
00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:19,450
And then in three months,

1457
00:54:19,610 --> 00:54:21,110
I made the same amount

1458
00:54:21,260 --> 00:54:23,160
after I released it in prints.

1459
00:54:23,860 --> 00:54:25,790
What, in just three months?

1460
00:54:25,900 --> 00:54:26,990
In three months.

1461
00:54:28,300 --> 00:54:29,620
That was continuous.

1462
00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:30,270
Be one of my

1463
00:54:30,300 --> 00:54:32,210
most popular pieces that I've drawn. That

1464
00:54:32,230 --> 00:54:35,280
piece is still doing really well. But if you.

1465
00:54:36,260 --> 00:54:38,330
I can tell you that I would not be

1466
00:54:38,350 --> 00:54:40,930
able to be a professional artist doing.

1467
00:54:41,020 --> 00:54:45,050
I don't haven't worked a day job in 15 years.

1468
00:54:46,620 --> 00:54:47,290
Not at all.

1469
00:54:47,340 --> 00:54:48,840
I haven't been part time with this.

1470
00:54:48,870 --> 00:54:50,580
I have been 100% full time with

1471
00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:53,020
my business since I started in 2008.

1472
00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:54,300
Wow, that's awesome.

1473
00:54:54,340 --> 00:54:55,640
Wasn't always easy.

1474
00:54:57,660 --> 00:54:59,610
There was a lot of ramen in the beginning,

1475
00:55:00,820 --> 00:55:02,730
but I would not be able to do this if

1476
00:55:02,740 --> 00:55:05,030
I was relying on selling originals alone.

1477
00:55:05,180 --> 00:55:07,010
And so as an artist,

1478
00:55:07,320 --> 00:55:09,390
make reproductions viable for you.

1479
00:55:09,510 --> 00:55:11,830
I make all my reproductions myself. Like,

1480
00:55:11,850 --> 00:55:12,780
it's all in a house,

1481
00:55:12,830 --> 00:55:14,040
which does keep costs down.

1482
00:55:14,100 --> 00:55:16,170
However you need to produce it and sometimes

1483
00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:17,660
that means you're going to need help.

1484
00:55:17,750 --> 00:55:18,930
So there's different ways to do it.

1485
00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:20,300
I know artists who outsource all

1486
00:55:20,310 --> 00:55:21,620
their prints and that's great for them.

1487
00:55:21,670 --> 00:55:22,510
They don't have to deal

1488
00:55:22,530 --> 00:55:24,090
with it or worry about it all.

1489
00:55:24,200 --> 00:55:26,280
They have print on demand and that's an option

1490
00:55:26,320 --> 00:55:28,530
for you if you're not a perfectionist like me.

1491
00:55:29,110 --> 00:55:30,770
Control of the whole

1492
00:55:30,880 --> 00:55:32,410
process and what it looks like.

1493
00:55:33,720 --> 00:55:35,450
We do prints and we do shirts.

1494
00:55:35,550 --> 00:55:37,720
And when I do Emerald City Comic Con,

1495
00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:40,220
my biggest product is an 8 by 10,

1496
00:55:40,370 --> 00:55:42,860
which I have really great profit margin on.

1497
00:55:43,320 --> 00:55:44,320
And then the shirts,

1498
00:55:44,380 --> 00:55:46,350
which I have not as good of a profit margin on,

1499
00:55:46,400 --> 00:55:48,200
but people walk around wearing it.

1500
00:55:48,340 --> 00:55:49,690
Hey, that's like advertising. Like,

1501
00:55:49,710 --> 00:55:53,530
I'm wearing one right now, so. Yes, exactly.

1502
00:55:53,710 --> 00:55:54,720
And I get compliments on.

1503
00:55:54,740 --> 00:55:55,600
I love wearing it.

1504
00:55:55,620 --> 00:55:57,000
It's like a really subtle,

1505
00:55:57,140 --> 00:55:59,170
nice piece with like,

1506
00:55:59,240 --> 00:56:00,160
like a leather jacket

1507
00:56:00,190 --> 00:56:02,930
or anything else on. It's like, oh, what,

1508
00:56:02,980 --> 00:56:04,640
they don't notice it's Star Trek right away?

1509
00:56:04,670 --> 00:56:05,860
And then like, oh, that's Star Trek.

1510
00:56:05,910 --> 00:56:07,590
It's actually more than just Star Trek,

1511
00:56:07,620 --> 00:56:08,120
let me tell you.

1512
00:56:08,150 --> 00:56:10,760
Yes, it's like nerd chic.

1513
00:56:11,140 --> 00:56:12,350
Exactly. Right.

1514
00:56:12,450 --> 00:56:13,800
The kind of stuff I want to

1515
00:56:13,830 --> 00:56:16,020
buy from nerdy artists aren't like,

1516
00:56:16,040 --> 00:56:18,300
I don't want to get like a Darth Vader thing.

1517
00:56:18,320 --> 00:56:20,130
I'm not really into Star wars anyway,

1518
00:56:20,300 --> 00:56:21,390
but I'm more

1519
00:56:21,410 --> 00:56:24,900
of a Star Trek girl myself. But like, I don't,

1520
00:56:24,960 --> 00:56:27,340
I don't want something that's just like a,

1521
00:56:27,470 --> 00:56:30,020
a copy and paste of my fandom.

1522
00:56:30,090 --> 00:56:31,890
I want something that's nerd chic.

1523
00:56:31,970 --> 00:56:34,270
I want something that is like an original take

1524
00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:37,530
on like the firefly that you love or, you know,

1525
00:56:37,610 --> 00:56:38,760
a really beautiful

1526
00:56:38,820 --> 00:56:40,780
original concept of a dragon.

1527
00:56:41,120 --> 00:56:42,540
That's kind of what I'm trying to achieve

1528
00:56:42,570 --> 00:56:45,340
with my pieces where it's like nerd cheek.

1529
00:56:45,720 --> 00:56:48,030
There's. Yeah, just. We.

1530
00:56:48,890 --> 00:56:51,860
Our last interview was with Hero Within

1531
00:56:51,930 --> 00:56:55,290
Clothing and they do a very. Their. Their

1532
00:56:55,310 --> 00:56:58,450
whole thing is like classy nerdy outerwear,

1533
00:56:58,530 --> 00:57:00,490
you know, streetwear. And,

1534
00:57:00,570 --> 00:57:02,170
and so I have the same shirt of

1535
00:57:02,190 --> 00:57:04,850
yours that Chris is wearing right now,

1536
00:57:04,910 --> 00:57:07,430
the prime directive. And,

1537
00:57:07,580 --> 00:57:08,490
and I have worn

1538
00:57:08,530 --> 00:57:10,870
it with that Star Trek jacket. It's

1539
00:57:10,900 --> 00:57:16,650
the strange New Worlds jacket. And it's, it,

1540
00:57:16,710 --> 00:57:18,680
it's just one of the best feelings.

1541
00:57:18,770 --> 00:57:21,710
Just like it's not, it's.

1542
00:57:21,820 --> 00:57:23,720
I have plenty of nerd clothes,

1543
00:57:23,850 --> 00:57:26,920
but these combined felt like a whole new level,

1544
00:57:26,970 --> 00:57:28,730
especially with some nice black slacks.

1545
00:57:28,790 --> 00:57:32,680
And I'm ready to go down on a way mission.

1546
00:57:33,180 --> 00:57:34,740
Yeah. Because like if you're wearing

1547
00:57:34,880 --> 00:57:36,990
actual Star Trek clothing out,

1548
00:57:37,100 --> 00:57:39,420
you have to be in a Star Trek

1549
00:57:39,480 --> 00:57:41,270
convention to be cool or sound cool.

1550
00:57:41,300 --> 00:57:43,270
But I could wear this like anywhere and

1551
00:57:43,300 --> 00:57:45,730
people will be like, oh, that's cool. You know,

1552
00:57:45,790 --> 00:57:49,280
So I think that, yeah, you.

1553
00:57:49,460 --> 00:57:52,420
The elevation of this nerd clothing and

1554
00:57:52,450 --> 00:57:55,610
making cool nerd clothing is a really awesome,

1555
00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:57,160
awesome thing that we

1556
00:57:57,180 --> 00:58:00,540
have been seeing at these cons. So Frank,

1557
00:58:00,570 --> 00:58:01,890
what do you think? Is it time?

1558
00:58:02,070 --> 00:58:03,240
Let's do it.

1559
00:58:03,360 --> 00:58:03,890
All right, let's

1560
00:58:03,910 --> 00:58:06,050
get to our random rolls.

1561
00:58:06,200 --> 00:58:07,830
We get to roll some dice now.

1562
00:58:07,920 --> 00:58:08,970
So random rolls.

1563
00:58:09,150 --> 00:58:10,490
It's a less serious,

1564
00:58:10,570 --> 00:58:11,850
less business focused,

1565
00:58:11,910 --> 00:58:13,900
more fun system.

1566
00:58:14,000 --> 00:58:15,740
So what we're going to do is

1567
00:58:15,800 --> 00:58:17,610
we're going to go back and forth. Chris and I.

1568
00:58:17,670 --> 00:58:19,890
You roll a D100 and we've got

1569
00:58:19,910 --> 00:58:21,570
a list here of different questions

1570
00:58:21,630 --> 00:58:22,930
based on the number that you roll.

1571
00:58:23,010 --> 00:58:24,240
So take it away.

1572
00:58:24,610 --> 00:58:26,460
Okay, I'm ready make

1573
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:30,350
my little rolling spot here. Well,

1574
00:58:30,380 --> 00:58:31,840
now I want to play dd.

1575
00:58:33,260 --> 00:58:35,930
Yeah, I know we, a lot of our guests, we

1576
00:58:35,950 --> 00:58:37,550
keep on saying like we should start a

1577
00:58:37,580 --> 00:58:39,840
nerdpreneur game just like with

1578
00:58:39,930 --> 00:58:41,430
some of the neuropreneurs that we've had.

1579
00:58:41,480 --> 00:58:43,450
Yeah, yeah, that'd be fun. My current

1580
00:58:43,510 --> 00:58:44,530
character is in the Fate

1581
00:58:44,590 --> 00:58:47,720
system and she's a science druid.

1582
00:58:47,890 --> 00:58:49,670
Oh, I've been wanting to play Fate.

1583
00:58:49,720 --> 00:58:50,380
I got the book,

1584
00:58:50,410 --> 00:58:52,510
but I haven't actually played Fate yet.

1585
00:58:52,560 --> 00:58:53,870
So it's fun.

1586
00:58:53,920 --> 00:58:56,510
It's really low rules and high roleplay.

1587
00:58:56,600 --> 00:58:57,840
It's hard for me though because

1588
00:58:57,890 --> 00:59:00,270
you have very few boundaries and my,

1589
00:59:00,400 --> 00:59:03,290
my creativity knows no bounds and

1590
00:59:03,310 --> 00:59:08,080
so it's hard to like narrow anyway. 53.

1591
00:59:08,500 --> 00:59:11,220
53, wow.

1592
00:59:12,680 --> 00:59:15,740
Right on the money here in Star Trek there are

1593
00:59:15,810 --> 00:59:19,990
six divisions. Science, medicine, Command, Con,

1594
00:59:20,120 --> 00:59:22,070
security and Engineering.

1595
00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:25,140
Which division would you train into?

1596
00:59:26,120 --> 00:59:26,910
Science.

1597
00:59:28,010 --> 00:59:31,670
Yes. I was going to guess that that Treks.

1598
00:59:31,770 --> 00:59:32,530
That makes sense.

1599
00:59:32,580 --> 00:59:34,500
Are you sure you wouldn't want to do con?

1600
00:59:34,560 --> 00:59:35,740
You don't want to pilot the

1601
00:59:35,760 --> 00:59:38,100
ship and all the lives on it?

1602
00:59:38,280 --> 00:59:39,060
No, I don't like

1603
00:59:39,080 --> 00:59:40,130
having that much responsibility.

1604
00:59:40,220 --> 00:59:42,030
Although I would like to go onto

1605
00:59:42,090 --> 00:59:46,020
planet and explore new worlds. Xenobiology.

1606
00:59:46,080 --> 00:59:47,300
That would be fun.

1607
00:59:47,480 --> 00:59:50,430
Yeah. Did you have a favorite science

1608
00:59:50,510 --> 00:59:53,280
officer in any of the shows?

1609
00:59:55,070 --> 00:59:58,390
Oh, God, my brain is failing me. Right now.

1610
00:59:58,700 --> 00:59:59,890
Give me some options.

1611
01:00:00,030 --> 01:00:03,220
Yes. Seven of Nine is a popular one.

1612
01:00:03,260 --> 01:00:04,510
That was Voyager.

1613
01:00:04,970 --> 01:00:06,880
Deep Space Nine would be Dax.

1614
01:00:06,970 --> 01:00:08,030
Dax, yeah.

1615
01:00:10,740 --> 01:00:11,730
Jesse attacks.

1616
01:00:11,750 --> 01:00:13,430
I wanted to be Jadzia Deck.

1617
01:00:13,460 --> 01:00:15,650
She is a badass, so.

1618
01:00:15,710 --> 01:00:20,690
Such a badass. Intelligent, you know,

1619
01:00:20,710 --> 01:00:22,680
gives Klingons a run for their money.

1620
01:00:23,700 --> 01:00:25,190
She's great and respected

1621
01:00:25,220 --> 01:00:27,600
by everybody all over. Yeah, she was awesome.

1622
01:00:27,650 --> 01:00:29,930
I want that remake of DS9

1623
01:00:29,970 --> 01:00:31,600
where they get the gang back together,

1624
01:00:31,690 --> 01:00:34,240
and I really want her to come back. Yes,

1625
01:00:35,260 --> 01:00:37,100
that'd be great. All right,

1626
01:00:37,160 --> 01:00:38,300
please roll one more.

1627
01:00:38,450 --> 01:00:40,240
Okay. Only one?

1628
01:00:41,010 --> 01:00:42,430
We'll do three more, actually.

1629
01:00:42,580 --> 01:00:46,280
Okay. 96.

1630
01:00:46,550 --> 01:00:52,360
96. All right. Ooh. Name one person that

1631
01:00:52,430 --> 01:00:55,530
you would like to interview for 60 Minutes.

1632
01:00:57,660 --> 01:00:58,280
This seems

1633
01:00:58,310 --> 01:01:01,770
like a really serious question. 60 Minutes.

1634
01:01:01,940 --> 01:01:04,720
Oh, we can cut the time down

1635
01:01:04,870 --> 01:01:07,030
or increase it if there's too much.

1636
01:01:07,090 --> 01:01:09,410
If 60 Minutes is too much.

1637
01:01:09,950 --> 01:01:10,900
I mean, honestly,

1638
01:01:10,960 --> 01:01:12,990
right now I'm really focused on birds. So

1639
01:01:13,050 --> 01:01:15,510
anyone who's an ornithologist for 60 Minutes,

1640
01:01:15,550 --> 01:01:17,280
who'd let me ask them questions,

1641
01:01:19,220 --> 01:01:20,610
there's a problem with

1642
01:01:20,660 --> 01:01:22,510
being my kind of nerd is you. You want

1643
01:01:22,530 --> 01:01:24,700
to talk about your special interests forever,

1644
01:01:24,820 --> 01:01:26,800
and not everyone is into that.

1645
01:01:26,870 --> 01:01:28,910
Being at Comic Con is great for that because

1646
01:01:29,010 --> 01:01:31,100
you just sort of filter people with your

1647
01:01:31,160 --> 01:01:34,070
special interests and you can talk with them,

1648
01:01:34,110 --> 01:01:36,450
which is great. An ornithologist.

1649
01:01:36,500 --> 01:01:37,160
I'd like to interview

1650
01:01:37,190 --> 01:01:39,090
an ornithologist for 60 Minutes.

1651
01:01:39,820 --> 01:01:42,240
Someone on the level of, like, Jane Goodall.

1652
01:01:44,860 --> 01:01:45,490
I mean, she's not

1653
01:01:45,500 --> 01:01:47,780
an ornithologist, but. Yes. Okay. Jane Goodall.

1654
01:01:47,840 --> 01:01:48,330
Right? Right.

1655
01:01:48,380 --> 01:01:49,780
Yeah, Jane. Jane Goodall.

1656
01:01:49,880 --> 01:01:51,470
I'll take that one. Good one. Yes, please.

1657
01:01:51,510 --> 01:01:53,500
Oh, that one instead. I was just saying, like,

1658
01:01:53,520 --> 01:01:54,550
on that caliber. Okay.

1659
01:01:54,590 --> 01:01:56,050
All right, I'll take Jane Goodall.

1660
01:01:56,340 --> 01:01:57,150
Okay.

1661
01:01:57,330 --> 01:01:58,530
She is a gem.

1662
01:01:59,740 --> 01:02:01,050
Please roll one more.

1663
01:02:03,660 --> 01:02:04,650
I'm gonna have, like,

1664
01:02:04,700 --> 01:02:05,530
six new answers

1665
01:02:05,580 --> 01:02:07,400
to that question once we, like, hang up.

1666
01:02:07,470 --> 01:02:08,490
You can. You can ping

1667
01:02:08,540 --> 01:02:09,980
us later and be like, oh, my God, I should.

1668
01:02:10,000 --> 01:02:12,360
Should have said this, actually. Also,

1669
01:02:15,110 --> 01:02:17,760
my brain will give me the names now.

1670
01:02:18,700 --> 01:02:22,620
Ali Ward of Ologies.

1671
01:02:22,740 --> 01:02:23,800
How do I know that?

1672
01:02:23,910 --> 01:02:25,190
Oh, my God. How do you guys not

1673
01:02:25,210 --> 01:02:27,040
know Ali Ward of Ologies?

1674
01:02:27,230 --> 01:02:29,060
I'm gonna Google now.

1675
01:02:29,160 --> 01:02:30,350
It sounds familiar,

1676
01:02:30,410 --> 01:02:32,000
but I can't place it for my.

1677
01:02:32,070 --> 01:02:33,620
For me, myself, Ologies

1678
01:02:33,700 --> 01:02:37,270
is a science podcast where Alie Ward, who's

1679
01:02:37,290 --> 01:02:39,890
a science communicator and super big nerd,

1680
01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:41,320
interviews different

1681
01:02:41,380 --> 01:02:42,750
scientists from different ologies.

1682
01:02:42,810 --> 01:02:47,870
Like biology and phonology. Yeah,

1683
01:02:47,890 --> 01:02:48,910
that was the last one.

1684
01:02:49,010 --> 01:02:51,510
She doesn't like the term phonology.

1685
01:02:51,640 --> 01:02:54,100
She usually finds a word that is

1686
01:02:54,150 --> 01:02:55,990
actually used in scientific discord

1687
01:02:56,050 --> 01:02:59,550
as the ology and that one existed,

1688
01:02:59,640 --> 01:03:00,540
she had to use it.

1689
01:03:00,590 --> 01:03:02,530
But that was actually a really good episode.

1690
01:03:04,320 --> 01:03:05,890
I'm rambling again.

1691
01:03:06,030 --> 01:03:08,060
I have been trying to work on and figure

1692
01:03:08,090 --> 01:03:10,100
out what it is I like to do for fun.

1693
01:03:10,210 --> 01:03:12,220
Because what I like to do for fun is different

1694
01:03:12,250 --> 01:03:13,540
than what other people like to do for fun.

1695
01:03:13,570 --> 01:03:14,370
And what people like to

1696
01:03:14,390 --> 01:03:16,480
do for fun sounds terrible to me.

1697
01:03:16,660 --> 01:03:18,520
And so I'm like, what is fun? You know, like,

1698
01:03:18,540 --> 01:03:19,430
I'm asking my friends, like,

1699
01:03:19,440 --> 01:03:22,310
what do you do for fun? You know, like fun.

1700
01:03:22,440 --> 01:03:22,990
They're like,

1701
01:03:23,040 --> 01:03:24,610
I know what fun is. I'm like, I know,

1702
01:03:24,640 --> 01:03:26,680
but I don't think I know what fun is.

1703
01:03:26,800 --> 01:03:28,120
So what do you do for

1704
01:03:28,180 --> 01:03:30,070
fun and what does it feel like?

1705
01:03:30,470 --> 01:03:33,480
So it was really great to hear that episode

1706
01:03:33,540 --> 01:03:35,930
because the Scientologist. Not Scientologist,

1707
01:03:35,960 --> 01:03:38,510
the ologist being interviewed

1708
01:03:38,530 --> 01:03:40,860
was asking those same questions, like,

1709
01:03:41,160 --> 01:03:43,410
what does it mean for fun?

1710
01:03:43,520 --> 01:03:45,140
With an exclamation point.

1711
01:03:45,270 --> 01:03:46,300
What is that?

1712
01:03:47,840 --> 01:03:48,860
And I think

1713
01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:54,050
as an entrepreneur and an artist and a student,

1714
01:03:54,160 --> 01:03:55,360
it's really important to figure it

1715
01:03:55,380 --> 01:03:56,840
out what it is you like to do for fun

1716
01:03:56,880 --> 01:03:59,200
and actually interact that in your life,

1717
01:03:59,240 --> 01:04:01,260
which I don't tend to do. So, yes,

1718
01:04:01,310 --> 01:04:02,340
watch that episode.

1719
01:04:02,800 --> 01:04:04,790
I would love to interview Alie Ward

1720
01:04:04,850 --> 01:04:06,770
because she's always interviewing other people,

1721
01:04:06,840 --> 01:04:08,740
and I feel like we could be friends.

1722
01:04:10,320 --> 01:04:11,700
She's my kind of person.

1723
01:04:12,160 --> 01:04:13,620
I wanted to go back to birds

1724
01:04:13,670 --> 01:04:15,590
for one second because I just.

1725
01:04:15,640 --> 01:04:17,900
I couldn't remember the name of this Instagram,

1726
01:04:17,950 --> 01:04:19,540
but I wondered if you followed it already.

1727
01:04:19,590 --> 01:04:22,950
But it's Corvid research. Okay. She.

1728
01:04:23,010 --> 01:04:23,590
Oh, yes.

1729
01:04:23,690 --> 01:04:25,430
Yeah. You know, I'm talking about. Okay.

1730
01:04:25,490 --> 01:04:26,990
Yes. I also know her research.

1731
01:04:27,160 --> 01:04:28,220
Oh, awesome. I was gonna

1732
01:04:28,240 --> 01:04:29,960
say she's like a full on, like, doctorate.

1733
01:04:30,010 --> 01:04:30,970
And I've been like, I.

1734
01:04:31,010 --> 01:04:32,520
We should get her on the podcast.

1735
01:04:32,570 --> 01:04:34,180
She'd be really fascinating to talk to.

1736
01:04:34,220 --> 01:04:38,940
So, yeah. Her life is a dream. I love her.

1737
01:04:39,080 --> 01:04:39,530
Yeah.

1738
01:04:39,610 --> 01:04:40,680
And her world.

1739
01:04:42,220 --> 01:04:43,500
And I thought, great,

1740
01:04:43,560 --> 01:04:45,210
great name for her Instagram.

1741
01:04:45,350 --> 01:04:46,430
Great timing and

1742
01:04:46,460 --> 01:04:48,610
all of the content around crows. Really. Yeah.

1743
01:04:48,660 --> 01:04:51,410
So, yeah, she did her thesis,

1744
01:04:51,470 --> 01:04:53,220
her doctorate thesis, I believe,

1745
01:04:53,320 --> 01:04:54,990
on crow funerals.

1746
01:04:55,450 --> 01:04:59,110
Yeah. It's a weird phenomenon that crow.

1747
01:04:59,160 --> 01:05:00,810
Crows have a lot of weird phenomenon.

1748
01:05:00,870 --> 01:05:01,550
Which is makes them,

1749
01:05:01,600 --> 01:05:03,860
I would say, interesting phenomenon.

1750
01:05:04,360 --> 01:05:05,460
Well, maybe interesting

1751
01:05:05,490 --> 01:05:06,910
is better than weird. Yeah.

1752
01:05:07,410 --> 01:05:08,220
I love crows.

1753
01:05:08,250 --> 01:05:10,150
I have a tattoo of a crow on my arm.

1754
01:05:10,280 --> 01:05:11,770
So another story. Sorry.

1755
01:05:11,910 --> 01:05:14,710
When I went back to school after 15 years

1756
01:05:14,800 --> 01:05:18,990
in 2020 to get my degree in biology,

1757
01:05:19,280 --> 01:05:23,690
it was my in school has been blessed by crows.

1758
01:05:23,780 --> 01:05:26,400
On the very first day of going back to school,

1759
01:05:26,430 --> 01:05:28,370
it was math Class for the day one.

1760
01:05:28,420 --> 01:05:30,350
After 15 years of being away,

1761
01:05:30,490 --> 01:05:32,920
I was eating breakfast on our back

1762
01:05:33,110 --> 01:05:36,590
balcony patio deck and a random crow

1763
01:05:36,660 --> 01:05:39,200
came down and shared breakfast with me.

1764
01:05:40,070 --> 01:05:43,530
Ate some of my egg and then ate from my hands.

1765
01:05:43,700 --> 01:05:44,400
Wow.

1766
01:05:44,550 --> 01:05:46,610
And hung out for like 20 minutes.

1767
01:05:47,160 --> 01:05:47,610
Wow.

1768
01:05:47,680 --> 01:05:48,430
Crazy.

1769
01:05:48,570 --> 01:05:48,960
Yeah.

1770
01:05:49,020 --> 01:05:51,250
Which is why I feel like I need to draw birds.

1771
01:05:51,360 --> 01:05:53,140
Because they've blessed my.

1772
01:05:53,680 --> 01:05:56,910
I owe them one of the muses.

1773
01:05:57,050 --> 01:05:58,470
Well, enough of this really,

1774
01:05:58,550 --> 01:06:00,030
really nerdy deep stuff.

1775
01:06:00,090 --> 01:06:02,160
Let's talk about some other silly things with

1776
01:06:02,200 --> 01:06:04,930
quick questions in our rapid fire section.

1777
01:06:05,000 --> 01:06:05,890
Good luck.

1778
01:06:06,280 --> 01:06:07,920
So, yes, exactly. These

1779
01:06:07,940 --> 01:06:09,800
are rapid fire questions. There.

1780
01:06:09,860 --> 01:06:11,990
We will provide short questions,

1781
01:06:12,070 --> 01:06:14,090
you provide answers.

1782
01:06:14,230 --> 01:06:15,840
And whether your answers are right or wrong,

1783
01:06:15,890 --> 01:06:18,460
we will tell you. And starting off.

1784
01:06:18,600 --> 01:06:20,210
Oh, wait, I can be wrong. I can be.

1785
01:06:20,230 --> 01:06:21,280
I'm being tested.

1786
01:06:23,050 --> 01:06:25,040
I did say that to a student.

1787
01:06:25,090 --> 01:06:26,260
I'm terribly sorry.

1788
01:06:26,380 --> 01:06:27,810
Someone currently in school.

1789
01:06:27,910 --> 01:06:29,190
That might be traumatic.

1790
01:06:29,300 --> 01:06:29,970
So instead,

1791
01:06:30,050 --> 01:06:31,510
I love being tested.

1792
01:06:31,700 --> 01:06:33,650
Okay, you're being tested now. Who is

1793
01:06:33,670 --> 01:06:36,320
your favorite captain in Star Trek?

1794
01:06:38,090 --> 01:06:43,640
Oh, God. Oh, God. I guess Picard.

1795
01:06:44,070 --> 01:06:45,300
Okay, very good.

1796
01:06:45,360 --> 01:06:47,110
That is the correct answer. Actually,

1797
01:06:47,180 --> 01:06:48,700
it's a very good answer.

1798
01:06:48,840 --> 01:06:51,400
Picard is fantastic. As I re. Watch it.

1799
01:06:51,470 --> 01:06:53,680
He's just got great one.

1800
01:06:53,750 --> 01:06:56,110
He's also my first, so. My first captain.

1801
01:06:56,260 --> 01:06:58,490
There you go. Yeah, there you go.

1802
01:06:59,140 --> 01:07:00,530
Coffee or tea?

1803
01:07:01,300 --> 01:07:03,280
Tea. Now used to be coffee.

1804
01:07:04,390 --> 01:07:06,990
I drank tea for a while

1805
01:07:07,030 --> 01:07:08,650
to try to cut down on my caffeine,

1806
01:07:08,720 --> 01:07:10,700
and now tea tastes better than coffee.

1807
01:07:11,910 --> 01:07:13,890
How many cats is too many cats?

1808
01:07:15,720 --> 01:07:16,510
I mean,

1809
01:07:16,640 --> 01:07:18,050
depends on the environment.

1810
01:07:21,070 --> 01:07:23,800
The point at which the effort

1811
01:07:23,880 --> 01:07:26,700
to keep the cat boxes clean is an issue.

1812
01:07:27,240 --> 01:07:29,350
Is too many cats, like, it takes.

1813
01:07:29,370 --> 01:07:31,580
Too much time or it's too stinky or.

1814
01:07:31,650 --> 01:07:33,600
I can smell the cat box. Yeah.

1815
01:07:33,740 --> 01:07:35,550
Yes. If you can smell the cat box,

1816
01:07:35,720 --> 01:07:37,030
it's too many cats.

1817
01:07:38,010 --> 01:07:38,660
Very good.

1818
01:07:38,730 --> 01:07:39,360
Yeah.

1819
01:07:39,500 --> 01:07:41,000
Unless it's your cats and I can

1820
01:07:41,020 --> 01:07:43,680
come visit them and then leave. Then no end.

1821
01:07:43,740 --> 01:07:45,120
You can have 20 of them. That's great.

1822
01:07:45,140 --> 01:07:46,700
I'll get my snuggles and leave.

1823
01:07:48,120 --> 01:07:50,990
Do you have a Go to karaoke song?

1824
01:07:52,120 --> 01:07:58,570
I have several, so for. I do. Yeah.

1825
01:07:58,740 --> 01:08:00,970
Good to mama from Chicago.

1826
01:08:01,150 --> 01:08:02,280
Okay. Yeah.

1827
01:08:02,700 --> 01:08:05,240
Tenacious D. Wonder Boy.

1828
01:08:05,660 --> 01:08:07,180
That's what. That's mine too.

1829
01:08:07,280 --> 01:08:08,660
I sing Wonder why. That's awesome.

1830
01:08:08,740 --> 01:08:10,800
I kick ass on Wonder Boy.

1831
01:08:11,090 --> 01:08:14,220
If you can do Wonder Boy, people are impressed.

1832
01:08:14,300 --> 01:08:16,260
It's a good crowd pleaser. Yes.

1833
01:08:16,380 --> 01:08:18,600
Yes. Those. Those two.

1834
01:08:18,979 --> 01:08:19,560
Awesome.

1835
01:08:19,649 --> 01:08:20,140
Awesome.

1836
01:08:20,240 --> 01:08:20,970
Let's see.

1837
01:08:21,069 --> 01:08:23,840
I'm probably gonna go with one last one here.

1838
01:08:27,029 --> 01:08:27,830
You know what?

1839
01:08:27,930 --> 01:08:31,569
I'm gonna take it back to Star Trek. What is.

1840
01:08:31,910 --> 01:08:37,450
Who is the best first officer in your opinion?

1841
01:08:40,310 --> 01:08:43,430
The first officer Is Number One right?

1842
01:08:43,490 --> 01:08:47,130
That's right, yeah. Riker, Chakotay,

1843
01:08:48,149 --> 01:08:51,450
Una. Sorry. Yeah, Una.

1844
01:08:51,510 --> 01:08:53,350
In strange was Odo.

1845
01:08:54,050 --> 01:08:57,010
No, he's a constable. Security. Yeah,

1846
01:08:57,149 --> 01:08:58,970
he's dope, though. Totally agree.

1847
01:08:59,069 --> 01:09:02,189
Yeah, he's great. I mean, Kiro is great.

1848
01:09:03,120 --> 01:09:05,910
I'm also thinking of strange new worlds.

1849
01:09:06,080 --> 01:09:07,350
What is his name?

1850
01:09:10,890 --> 01:09:13,470
Of the guys, there's Spock, there's Pike.

1851
01:09:15,380 --> 01:09:15,899
Oh, no, I'm

1852
01:09:15,920 --> 01:09:17,359
not thinking strange new worlds. I'm looking.

1853
01:09:17,410 --> 01:09:19,529
I'm thinking of. God damn it. So many.

1854
01:09:19,590 --> 01:09:19,970
Discovery.

1855
01:09:19,990 --> 01:09:20,609
Enterprise.

1856
01:09:20,710 --> 01:09:21,500
Discovery.

1857
01:09:21,640 --> 01:09:22,300
Discovery.

1858
01:09:22,380 --> 01:09:23,830
No, not Enterprise.

1859
01:09:24,020 --> 01:09:24,649
Sorry.

1860
01:09:24,770 --> 01:09:26,109
I hate that show.

1861
01:09:26,220 --> 01:09:28,200
Everyone just turned on me right now.

1862
01:09:28,290 --> 01:09:30,670
That is the worst captain, by the way.

1863
01:09:30,779 --> 01:09:32,050
Yeah, he was.

1864
01:09:32,149 --> 01:09:33,920
Bakula was like,

1865
01:09:34,050 --> 01:09:36,270
the beige of captains.

1866
01:09:36,300 --> 01:09:37,279
He was just like.

1867
01:09:37,410 --> 01:09:40,300
I don't want to commit to any sort of, like,

1868
01:09:40,420 --> 01:09:43,000
personality for my captain.

1869
01:09:43,109 --> 01:09:44,660
Safe as. Like,

1870
01:09:44,700 --> 01:09:46,529
the way they wrote him, he played.

1871
01:09:46,620 --> 01:09:48,729
It was such a safe character and I.

1872
01:09:48,819 --> 01:09:51,210
We could go into it like. But

1873
01:09:51,340 --> 01:09:53,899
Saru is the one you're thinking of. He's the.

1874
01:09:54,040 --> 01:09:55,000
Oh, yeah.

1875
01:09:55,300 --> 01:09:56,120
Yeah.

1876
01:09:57,540 --> 01:09:59,080
Unless you're counting Michael Burnham before.

1877
01:09:59,110 --> 01:10:00,160
Michael Burnham was a pretty

1878
01:10:00,190 --> 01:10:02,020
cool first officer when she was.

1879
01:10:02,060 --> 01:10:03,320
Yeah, well, you know,

1880
01:10:03,350 --> 01:10:05,940
the time that she. Yeah. Mutiny.

1881
01:10:06,060 --> 01:10:07,160
Not one time.

1882
01:10:08,400 --> 01:10:09,890
I mean, this is something I haven't actually

1883
01:10:09,930 --> 01:10:11,210
thought about this question before, and

1884
01:10:11,230 --> 01:10:13,470
I think of lots of questions about Star Trek.

1885
01:10:15,120 --> 01:10:15,750
You didn't ask me

1886
01:10:15,760 --> 01:10:16,940
who my favorite character ever was.

1887
01:10:16,970 --> 01:10:18,100
I have those two.

1888
01:10:20,090 --> 01:10:21,270
I think it's Ododo.

1889
01:10:21,320 --> 01:10:22,430
That's just a guess.

1890
01:10:23,010 --> 01:10:25,870
Well, Odo is one of them. So I think

1891
01:10:25,920 --> 01:10:28,150
characters like Odo and Data,

1892
01:10:28,520 --> 01:10:30,120
they are the characters that are the

1893
01:10:30,140 --> 01:10:32,160
most human because they're the

1894
01:10:32,180 --> 01:10:34,100
ones who are trying to figure it out,

1895
01:10:34,200 --> 01:10:36,260
and they're being authentic

1896
01:10:36,340 --> 01:10:37,850
and genuine about being like,

1897
01:10:37,900 --> 01:10:39,440
I don't know how to human.

1898
01:10:39,570 --> 01:10:40,530
And I'm trying to learn

1899
01:10:40,550 --> 01:10:44,640
how to human. Whereas. Or person. Or humanoid.

1900
01:10:45,020 --> 01:10:46,900
Whereas all the other humanoids who

1901
01:10:46,920 --> 01:10:48,690
have been humanoid their whole life are

1902
01:10:48,710 --> 01:10:51,070
just pretending to know how to. And they don't.

1903
01:10:51,570 --> 01:10:52,130
And we're all

1904
01:10:52,150 --> 01:10:54,450
trying to figure out how to, you know,

1905
01:10:54,510 --> 01:10:56,180
make romantic connections,

1906
01:10:56,240 --> 01:10:57,180
how to socialize,

1907
01:10:57,240 --> 01:10:59,630
how to work within, you know, your industry,

1908
01:10:59,780 --> 01:11:01,550
what your purpose in life is.

1909
01:11:01,620 --> 01:11:02,760
And those characters

1910
01:11:02,790 --> 01:11:04,600
are the only ones who are honestly.

1911
01:11:05,020 --> 01:11:06,030
And Seven of Nine,

1912
01:11:06,090 --> 01:11:07,110
those are the only characters who

1913
01:11:07,130 --> 01:11:08,710
are honestly saying, like, hey, I don't know.

1914
01:11:08,730 --> 01:11:09,910
And I'm trying to figure it out,

1915
01:11:10,010 --> 01:11:11,740
and I'm trying to get help from everybody

1916
01:11:11,820 --> 01:11:14,050
around me and using all of the resources

1917
01:11:14,100 --> 01:11:16,150
that are at my disposal to figure this out,

1918
01:11:16,190 --> 01:11:19,090
which is why I love those characters totally.

1919
01:11:19,180 --> 01:11:21,320
But who is your favorite number one?

1920
01:11:26,230 --> 01:11:27,200
I can't.

1921
01:11:27,990 --> 01:11:29,230
I want to say Kira.

1922
01:11:29,270 --> 01:11:31,140
Just because she's awesome.

1923
01:11:31,760 --> 01:11:34,570
She feels like she would be your,

1924
01:11:34,760 --> 01:11:36,990
like a really great best friend

1925
01:11:37,150 --> 01:11:39,380
in that she would tell you what is up.

1926
01:11:40,680 --> 01:11:44,760
She is really honest and direct,

1927
01:11:44,880 --> 01:11:46,560
which I really appreciate and

1928
01:11:46,600 --> 01:11:51,500
she's willing to disagree with you, so.

1929
01:11:51,630 --> 01:11:52,260
And also I like

1930
01:11:52,270 --> 01:11:56,060
that I'm choosing a female character, so.

1931
01:11:56,100 --> 01:11:57,570
And I was just talking about Jazzia Dax,

1932
01:11:57,620 --> 01:11:58,220
whom I love.

1933
01:11:58,280 --> 01:11:59,110
So I guess I'm going to stay

1934
01:11:59,130 --> 01:12:00,930
in the same world and say Kira.

1935
01:12:01,700 --> 01:12:04,460
We had a comedian on who

1936
01:12:04,520 --> 01:12:07,410
does a Star Trek podcast and he's,

1937
01:12:07,460 --> 01:12:09,420
he's gotten even more into the Star Trek world

1938
01:12:09,440 --> 01:12:12,200
and he's met a lot of the actors and he met

1939
01:12:13,510 --> 01:12:15,700
the actress that plays Karen Reese

1940
01:12:15,720 --> 01:12:17,910
and he says that she is such

1941
01:12:18,010 --> 01:12:19,910
a very present and vulnerable

1942
01:12:19,970 --> 01:12:23,770
woman that she. It's like, it's, it's so.

1943
01:12:24,110 --> 01:12:25,640
It's overwhelming at first,

1944
01:12:25,700 --> 01:12:27,660
but then like, so just, wow,

1945
01:12:27,710 --> 01:12:28,800
this human being is

1946
01:12:28,880 --> 01:12:30,880
really here with me right now. And it's.

1947
01:12:30,980 --> 01:12:31,260
It.

1948
01:12:31,310 --> 01:12:33,940
You can see that in Kira at times.

1949
01:12:34,110 --> 01:12:34,610
Yeah.

1950
01:12:34,680 --> 01:12:36,870
And. And it's. And especially when she's with

1951
01:12:36,890 --> 01:12:39,150
Odo and they're more open about their romance.

1952
01:12:39,210 --> 01:12:40,990
Like one of the best romances on tv,

1953
01:12:41,030 --> 01:12:42,580
by the way. Holy smokes.

1954
01:12:42,710 --> 01:12:44,480
Just like such. Yeah. Anyway.

1955
01:12:44,540 --> 01:12:45,870
And you see that and it's like, wow,

1956
01:12:45,930 --> 01:12:47,850
she's like that in real life. Like, what a.

1957
01:12:47,950 --> 01:12:49,610
What a vulnerable human being.

1958
01:12:49,790 --> 01:12:50,780
That's awesome.

1959
01:12:53,360 --> 01:12:56,660
So my final question will be

1960
01:12:57,120 --> 01:13:00,860
fear the AI or embrace the AI.

1961
01:13:02,690 --> 01:13:05,260
Oh, man. That's your last question?

1962
01:13:05,410 --> 01:13:06,680
Yeah. Controversial, man.

1963
01:13:06,740 --> 01:13:08,230
Rapid fire.

1964
01:13:08,930 --> 01:13:09,720
All right,

1965
01:13:09,860 --> 01:13:14,820
so when AI is being used to create art,

1966
01:13:17,470 --> 01:13:21,820
destroy the AI. AI,

1967
01:13:21,860 --> 01:13:22,940
when it comes to art,

1968
01:13:23,020 --> 01:13:27,260
is stealing from artists hard work,

1969
01:13:27,320 --> 01:13:28,780
labor and creativity without

1970
01:13:28,840 --> 01:13:30,770
any credit or benefit for them,

1971
01:13:30,900 --> 01:13:34,560
and is providing honestly non creative

1972
01:13:34,630 --> 01:13:37,700
people this sense that art is a push

1973
01:13:37,760 --> 01:13:40,160
button process that doesn't involve

1974
01:13:40,230 --> 01:13:42,100
all of the processes I was printing,

1975
01:13:42,140 --> 01:13:43,940
perhaps talking about with my work or any

1976
01:13:43,970 --> 01:13:46,060
of the artists I know who dedicate their

1977
01:13:46,130 --> 01:13:48,730
lives and livelihood to figuring out

1978
01:13:48,770 --> 01:13:52,380
how to make art artfully and skillfully.

1979
01:13:52,530 --> 01:13:54,060
And so I think it's a disservice to

1980
01:13:54,090 --> 01:13:57,230
artists and to viewers because it

1981
01:13:58,400 --> 01:14:01,150
takes the magic out of it.

1982
01:14:01,200 --> 01:14:08,050
That's not the right word.

1983
01:14:08,650 --> 01:14:10,890
I think that without AI,

1984
01:14:11,030 --> 01:14:13,580
the public is already distanced from

1985
01:14:13,680 --> 01:14:16,310
the hard work that goes into creating art,

1986
01:14:17,450 --> 01:14:19,100
into all of it,

1987
01:14:19,220 --> 01:14:21,300
all of the work and effort and energy.

1988
01:14:21,450 --> 01:14:23,110
And AI makes them

1989
01:14:23,140 --> 01:14:24,810
a little bit further away from that,

1990
01:14:24,850 --> 01:14:25,900
so they're a little bit more

1991
01:14:25,980 --> 01:14:28,500
disconnected to the humanity in art.

1992
01:14:28,640 --> 01:14:31,660
And then when it comes to AI photography,

1993
01:14:31,800 --> 01:14:34,390
that's even worse because you.

1994
01:14:34,450 --> 01:14:37,920
We have a population in America that's really

1995
01:14:38,020 --> 01:14:41,130
disconnected from the scientific world and

1996
01:14:41,160 --> 01:14:45,850
the biological World nature is far and away.

1997
01:14:46,150 --> 01:14:47,480
It's extended from us,

1998
01:14:47,520 --> 01:14:50,370
and we don't have a real relationship with it.

1999
01:14:50,480 --> 01:14:53,610
And there's a lot of sort of science.

2000
01:14:54,990 --> 01:14:56,020
What's the word?

2001
01:14:57,600 --> 01:15:00,100
It's sort of what. What's the. Dang it.

2002
01:15:00,130 --> 01:15:00,840
What's the word?

2003
01:15:00,940 --> 01:15:02,620
We have a lot of people who are

2004
01:15:03,360 --> 01:15:06,780
disbelieving scientific conclusions,

2005
01:15:06,970 --> 01:15:09,980
which is really bad for the general.

2006
01:15:11,010 --> 01:15:12,850
With our population's integration

2007
01:15:12,910 --> 01:15:14,860
with science and data and reason,

2008
01:15:15,010 --> 01:15:18,990
and being shown these false images

2009
01:15:19,160 --> 01:15:24,350
of flagrantly incorrect birds and.

2010
01:15:27,310 --> 01:15:30,380
And animal life further distances them

2011
01:15:30,430 --> 01:15:33,820
and removes the sense of awe that we have.

2012
01:15:33,870 --> 01:15:35,300
It's what I'm experiencing.

2013
01:15:35,350 --> 01:15:38,760
When I see images of wild,

2014
01:15:38,880 --> 01:15:40,810
amazing animals online.

2015
01:15:41,310 --> 01:15:45,450
My response used to be, wow,

2016
01:15:45,990 --> 01:15:47,490
that's in our world,

2017
01:15:47,600 --> 01:15:50,570
like crazy that you have these amazing

2018
01:15:50,640 --> 01:15:54,100
deep sea creatures and these, like, brilliant,

2019
01:15:54,180 --> 01:15:55,190
beautiful birds,

2020
01:15:55,260 --> 01:15:56,530
and all of these animals I've

2021
01:15:56,550 --> 01:15:58,580
never seen before are incredible plants.

2022
01:15:58,640 --> 01:15:59,970
The biological world

2023
01:16:00,070 --> 01:16:02,140
is incredible enough as it is.

2024
01:16:02,220 --> 01:16:05,330
We don't need to bring.

2025
01:16:05,390 --> 01:16:07,070
Make it any more incredible.

2026
01:16:07,220 --> 01:16:11,730
But now when I see images online instead of, I

2027
01:16:11,770 --> 01:16:15,800
begin and then I stop and I say, is this real?

2028
01:16:16,610 --> 01:16:17,980
And so I have.

2029
01:16:18,120 --> 01:16:21,400
I don't trust the images I see online,

2030
01:16:21,550 --> 01:16:23,360
and I feel disconnected from it.

2031
01:16:23,390 --> 01:16:26,330
And I think all of us are losing that sense

2032
01:16:26,380 --> 01:16:28,900
of awe of the natural world and of art,

2033
01:16:28,960 --> 01:16:30,060
because you see incredible

2034
01:16:30,120 --> 01:16:32,810
art that's posted online, you go, I don't know.

2035
01:16:32,860 --> 01:16:34,150
That's pretty incredible.

2036
01:16:34,270 --> 01:16:38,770
Is that AI and that's creating a hole in us.

2037
01:16:39,190 --> 01:16:42,480
We are losing something from AI,

2038
01:16:42,900 --> 01:16:46,420
AI art that I'm not sure we can get back.

2039
01:16:46,600 --> 01:16:50,000
So no to AI in that respect. However,

2040
01:16:50,100 --> 01:16:51,230
for your rapid questions,

2041
01:16:51,280 --> 01:16:54,500
I have something to say about AI Used. Well,

2042
01:16:54,650 --> 01:16:56,910
so AI is currently being used

2043
01:16:57,000 --> 01:17:01,760
in trying to discover cetacean language,

2044
01:17:01,860 --> 01:17:05,080
so how whales speak, for instance,

2045
01:17:05,260 --> 01:17:08,240
and being able to track individual whales.

2046
01:17:08,280 --> 01:17:11,160
And so you have huge

2047
01:17:11,300 --> 01:17:13,390
data processing abilities with AI

2048
01:17:13,440 --> 01:17:15,590
that can far exceed what we can do with.

2049
01:17:15,690 --> 01:17:17,190
With talented scientists.

2050
01:17:17,230 --> 01:17:19,410
And so instead of them spending, you know,

2051
01:17:19,460 --> 01:17:21,880
dozens and dozens and dozens of hours

2052
01:17:21,990 --> 01:17:25,510
processing images they can be working on,

2053
01:17:25,620 --> 01:17:27,780
they can be spending their time actually

2054
01:17:27,820 --> 01:17:30,190
making conclusions and doing valuable work.

2055
01:17:30,370 --> 01:17:31,530
And so AI,

2056
01:17:31,660 --> 01:17:35,150
when it is used to improve the efficiency of

2057
01:17:35,210 --> 01:17:39,190
data processing and when it's used for, like,

2058
01:17:39,270 --> 01:17:41,120
pushing forward for a language,

2059
01:17:41,190 --> 01:17:43,540
and that's what we need AI for.

2060
01:17:43,640 --> 01:17:45,030
We need AI to help

2061
01:17:45,050 --> 01:17:47,010
us create the universal translator.

2062
01:17:47,350 --> 01:17:49,310
We need AI to help us get

2063
01:17:49,350 --> 01:17:51,160
the basic things done in our life.

2064
01:17:51,270 --> 01:17:52,720
We do not need it to make us

2065
01:17:52,750 --> 01:17:55,090
our art or our movies or our music.

2066
01:17:55,620 --> 01:18:00,050
But it's a useful assistant. There's very,

2067
01:18:00,100 --> 01:18:00,860
very exciting things

2068
01:18:00,880 --> 01:18:02,860
that are being done in AI. Yeah,

2069
01:18:02,920 --> 01:18:04,830
I have opinions about AI. Chris.

2070
01:18:04,970 --> 01:18:06,980
No, that's why I was like, he.

2071
01:18:07,000 --> 01:18:08,260
Knew what he was walking into.

2072
01:18:08,320 --> 01:18:09,550
Let's ask that one. I'm,

2073
01:18:09,590 --> 01:18:11,210
I'm loving that question because I,

2074
01:18:11,260 --> 01:18:12,520
I think we are getting

2075
01:18:13,060 --> 01:18:15,080
a little bit into the nuances of,

2076
01:18:15,150 --> 01:18:17,300
of how we have to parse this as a

2077
01:18:17,320 --> 01:18:19,560
society because it's so relevant right now.

2078
01:18:19,590 --> 01:18:21,290
And I'm sure it, for you, it touches

2079
01:18:21,340 --> 01:18:26,420
right onto what you do. And yeah, it's. Yeah,

2080
01:18:26,440 --> 01:18:27,460
I really wanted to hear what

2081
01:18:27,480 --> 01:18:29,190
it was you had to say about it, so thank you.

2082
01:18:29,250 --> 01:18:31,220
I have another point about AI Art,

2083
01:18:31,240 --> 01:18:32,740
if it's okay. I'm sorry.

2084
01:18:32,880 --> 01:18:33,470
That's all right.

2085
01:18:33,510 --> 01:18:35,060
Yeah, we're way over time

2086
01:18:35,080 --> 01:18:36,210
and I'm about to stop.

2087
01:18:36,340 --> 01:18:38,440
But this year has been

2088
01:18:38,850 --> 01:18:41,020
much less profitable for most artists

2089
01:18:41,080 --> 01:18:44,760
that I know at events. And historically,

2090
01:18:45,490 --> 01:18:46,450
election years haven't

2091
01:18:46,490 --> 01:18:48,830
been good for vendors in general.

2092
01:18:48,940 --> 01:18:51,190
But I can't help but wonder if AI is

2093
01:18:51,220 --> 01:18:53,530
affecting that because of that lack of

2094
01:18:53,590 --> 01:18:55,630
wonder that people are getting disconnected

2095
01:18:55,660 --> 01:18:58,270
from art and that that's our customer base.

2096
01:18:58,940 --> 01:19:01,890
So, Sienna, this has been so awesome

2097
01:19:02,030 --> 01:19:03,650
and thank you so much for coming on

2098
01:19:03,690 --> 01:19:06,570
to share with us your story and aspire.

2099
01:19:06,650 --> 01:19:08,950
I hope other people to pursue

2100
01:19:09,020 --> 01:19:11,680
their nerdy passion into a business.

2101
01:19:12,410 --> 01:19:15,770
If you had any last piece of advice for people

2102
01:19:15,810 --> 01:19:18,210
who are out there aspiring to be successful,

2103
01:19:18,270 --> 01:19:20,990
nerdy entrepreneurs or nerdpreneurs,

2104
01:19:21,450 --> 01:19:23,020
what would you give them

2105
01:19:23,060 --> 01:19:25,520
as your last piece of advice here?

2106
01:19:26,410 --> 01:19:29,100
I would say do what you love and be sure

2107
01:19:29,140 --> 01:19:31,420
to take care of yourself while you're doing it.

2108
01:19:31,470 --> 01:19:33,720
If you are lucky enough to be successful,

2109
01:19:33,800 --> 01:19:35,750
you need to make it sustainable.

2110
01:19:35,930 --> 01:19:37,620
So self care is

2111
01:19:37,670 --> 01:19:40,650
a fundamental part of your business. It's not,

2112
01:19:40,800 --> 01:19:43,110
it's not a luxury. It's required.

2113
01:19:43,290 --> 01:19:44,760
And for all of our listeners,

2114
01:19:44,820 --> 01:19:47,860
thanks again for listening and as always,

2115
01:19:48,030 --> 01:19:49,300
keep it nerdy.

2116
01:20:02,240 --> 01:20:04,570
And where can people find you,

2117
01:20:04,670 --> 01:20:07,900
support you and maybe get some art from you?

2118
01:20:08,560 --> 01:20:09,930
So for the socials,

2119
01:20:09,970 --> 01:20:11,450
you can follow me on Instagram.

2120
01:20:11,550 --> 01:20:14,590
Sienna Art Studios is me on Instagram.

2121
01:20:15,010 --> 01:20:16,860
I really recommend Patreon.

2122
01:20:17,010 --> 01:20:18,570
You can see what I'm working on,

2123
01:20:18,630 --> 01:20:19,750
get behind the scenes, access

2124
01:20:19,800 --> 01:20:22,810
my process and get 15 off everything forever.

2125
01:20:22,950 --> 01:20:24,360
You also get early access

2126
01:20:24,410 --> 01:20:25,950
to my catalog of planned works.

2127
01:20:25,980 --> 01:20:27,190
As mentioned earlier,

2128
01:20:27,770 --> 01:20:30,030
I'll be at Rose City Comic Con in September.

2129
01:20:30,100 --> 01:20:32,240
Assuming this is coming out before then,

2130
01:20:32,290 --> 01:20:33,590
it might be coming out afterwards,

2131
01:20:33,660 --> 01:20:34,300
in which case,

2132
01:20:34,340 --> 01:20:36,480
hi people that I met at Rose City Comic Con

2133
01:20:37,770 --> 01:20:40,940
and at Portland Open Studios in

2134
01:20:40,960 --> 01:20:43,480
the first and second weekend of October.

2135
01:20:43,570 --> 01:20:44,600
If you're in Portland,

2136
01:20:44,690 --> 01:20:46,180
come by my art studio.

2137
01:20:46,300 --> 01:20:48,590
You'll get to see my space

2138
01:20:48,650 --> 01:20:51,540
whale and my lonely whale completed,

2139
01:20:51,720 --> 01:20:53,360
and I'm opening up my books there,

2140
01:20:53,390 --> 01:20:54,990
and you can explore my art studio

2141
01:20:55,050 --> 01:20:57,200
and talk nerdy with me in person.

2142
01:20:57,390 --> 01:20:58,660
I will probably go on

2143
01:20:58,720 --> 01:21:00,360
as long as I've gone on here.

2144
01:21:03,660 --> 01:21:05,510
Well, thank you. It was wonderful.

2145
01:21:05,610 --> 01:21:07,060
You guys are so patient with me.