Ep 71 - My Big Idea to Save the World

Artist, writer, educator, architect James Richards talks about his new book - The Travel Artist - the one that he was “born to write”. What does it mean to hold to your creative vision even in the face of contrary professional advice? What do we learn, and what must we unlearn, to take a creative project from ideation to execution? What are the ideas we pick up from traveling and observing the world, and how does Jim embody the spirit of il dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing)? This is a conversation about doing everything and doing nothing, and a life weaving through both of these philosophies. 🎨 Find Jim’s work on his website (www.JamesRichardsSketchbook.com) or visit his Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jrsketchbook/). 📚 Buy The Travel Artist: https://oroeditions.com/product/travel-artist 📚 Buy Nishant’s book Make (Sneaky) Art: https://geni.us/makesneakyart 🤳🏼 Follow Nishant’s work on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thesneakyartist/) or sign up to the weekly newsletter if you (too) are sick of social media: https://sneakyart.substack.com/ ☕️ If you liked this episode, buy Nishant a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thesneakyartist/ ❤️ If you love the show, support it as a paying subscriber: https://sneakyart.substack.com/subscribe  

Ottawa-based artist, urban sketcher, and designer Genine Carvalheira shares sketching adventures from drawing penguins in Chile to a 21-day adventure beyond the Arctic Circle in Norway. A few years ago, when her partner offered Genine the chance to preview retirement, she leapt at the opportunity. How did this transform her art and her sketchbook practice? How does she feel about going back to work again? This is a conversation about belonging - to a country, to a group, even something as simple as a local community of sketchers. 🤳🏼 [Follow] Genine on Instagram 💻 [Watch] Genine’s live workshop with Art Toolkit on Oct 4 🎨 [Join] Genine’s in-person, week-long art-retreat in Italy in 2026 ✍🏼 [Read] Nishant’s newsletter of secretly drawn art of the world + share your thoughts about this episode. 📚 [Buy] Nishant’s book - Make (Sneaky) Art: and other ideas to build your sketchbook habit. 🎟️ [Join] the Sneaky Book Tour! Nishant goes on the road to share his sketching experiences, the funny business of writing a book, and why you need a sketchbook habit. Next stop: Oct 13 in New York.  

If the modern world runs on the attention economy, are we simply fuel for its fires? If the modern world runs on the attention economy, can we win by reclaiming our attention spans? In this episode, Nishant recounts his experience at the prestigious Aspen Ideas Festival, where he shared his Big Idea to save the world - a cheap sketchbook and a pen. 📚 Make (Sneaky) Art is now out in bookstores and available online. Grab your copy: https://geni.us/makesneakyart. 🎟️ Find Nishant on the SneakyArt Book Tour: https://www.sneakyartist.com/book-tour ✍🏼 [Read] How to Break out of Social Media Prison ✍🏼 [Read] Impressions from Aspen Ideas Festival ✍🏼 [Read] Working with a publisher when you only like working alone ✍🏼 [Read] On pub day, a mild existential crisis appears.  

New York-based artist and author Samantha Dion Baker introduces her latest book - Draw your Adventures. What are good ways to think of the word ‘adventure’? Does it always need to be an exotic, foreign location? Sam and Nishant discuss ways to craft a personal definition of adventure, free of other people (plus social media) opinions. Then big questions creep in! If all knowledge already exists on YouTube, what really is the job of the how-to book? If artists are self-driven, why do we benefit so much from community? Also, are disembodied hands easier to draw than hands attached to their people? BONUS: Sam offers advice for first-time authors (like Nishant!) to deal with the anxiety of expectations. 📚 Buy Draw your Adventures by Samantha Dion Baker 🎨 Check out Sam’s exciting new “Write and Draw” workshop in Brooklyn 📚 Buy Make (Sneaky) Art by Nishant 🎟️ Meet Nishant on the SneakyArt Book Tour 🎙️ Listen to Sam & Nishant’s first conversation in Ep 52 of the show

After a near 2-year hiatus, the SneakyArt Podcast is BACK with fresh ideas, new perspectives, and the same opening music. (Yay!) In this quick update: Why Nishant stopped and three reasons he decided to resume the show How podcasts are a special thing in the wasteland of the dead internet The show remains the same … but also not? Two book recommendations - Ways of Seeing by John Berger, The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel. In lieu of optimized monetization funnels, directly support Nishant’s crazy/stupid path of independent art: Buy Me a Coffee Buy Nishant’s book - Make (Sneaky) Art. Old listeners, new listeners, and super listeners, share what you like about the show - nishant[at]sneakyartist[dot]com.  

New York-based cartoonist and comedian Jason Chatfield talks about how the business of being an artist has changed over the last two decades. This episode is full of essential advice and our best ideas about sustaining an independent creative career. It is the conclusion of the conversation from Ep 67. 💡 Follow the good ideas and my mind-map from this episode. 📚 Buy Jason’s book, You’re not a Real Parent until… 📲 Check out Jason’s website to learn about all his work and sign up to his Substack. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 Love the show? Support it by becoming a SneakyArt Insider. ✍🏼 Follow SneakyArt on IG, Twitter, and TikTok.

New York-based cartoonist and comedian Jason Chatfield speaks about taking over Australia’s iconic daily comic strip, Ginger Meggs, at the tender age of 23, and how he sees the path ahead for syndicated comic strips and the newspaper industry. Other topics include - the evolution of humour over time, not doing political comedy, Derrida, and people-watching at the MoMA. Big stuff. Also, the difference between meme-ification and mummification. This is the first episode of a two-part conversation. 💡 For all the good links and ideas from this episode, to see the cheatsheet of this conversation, check out the shownotes. 📚 Buy Jason’s book, You’re not a Real Parent until… 📲 Check out Jason’s website to learn about all his work. 📪 Sign up to Jason’s Substack. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 Love the show? Support it by becoming a SneakyArt Insider. ✍🏼 Follow SneakyArt on IG, Twitter, and TikTok.

London-based educator, artist and author Jeff Schmidt, speaks about his book “Heart Attack - Finding hope, joy and inspiration in adversity”. This conversation is about the big and small things that can transform our life in unexpected ways, and Jeff’s resolution to live inspired - by making room for the things that bring joy to his life. 📚 Buy Jeff’s book, Heart Attack - Finding hope, joy and inspiration in adversity. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 Love the show? Take the summer deal to become a SneakyArt Insider. 💡 For all the good ideas from this episode, join thousands of readers of the SneakyArt Post. 📲 Follow Jeff Schmidt on Instagram and check out his website. ✍🏼 Follow SneakyArt on IG, Twitter, and TikTok.

California-based illustrator Nina Khashchina shares the experience of daily video calls with her parents in Kharkiv, after Ukraine was invaded and the bombs fell everyday. She speaks about recommitting to the Ukrainian language as part of her war effort. A wild book list appears. This is the second of a two-part conversation. 🎙 Listen to the first part, Ep 64 Growing up in Ukraine w Nina Khaschina. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 Love the show? Become a SneakyArt Insider (and get a special listener discount!) 💡 For all the good ideas from this episode, read the show notes. 📲 Follow Nina Khashchina on Instagram and check out her Substack newsletter. ✍🏼 Follow SneakyArt on IG, Twitter, and TikTok.

California-based illustrator Nina Khashchina speaks about her childhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, growing up in the former USSR, her lifelong journey with art, and how she documents her life through sketchbooks. . This is the first of a two-part conversation. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 Love the show? Become a SneakyArt Insider (grab the summer discount!) 💡 For all the good ideas from this episode, join 9000+ people and become a reader of the SneakyArt Post. 📲 Follow Nina Khashchina on Instagram and check out her Substack newsletter. ✍🏼 Follow SneakyArt on IG, Twitter, and TikTok.