THE ART OF DFFRNCE

AOD 013: The Art Of Experience – "Unskilled and Unaware" (The 4 Levels of Competence)

Arguably even more of a rush than starting brand new journey, very few things beat the moment when it all clicks – when we finally get our heads around the fundamentals of a new skill.  What may have once seemed like a seamless box is slowly opening its hatch, inch-by-inch giving you a peek into its inner-workings.  The full revelation can often take a while, however.. so whether it be impatience, enthusiasm or a fear of an overwhelming unknown, a lot of us are quick to claim mastery over new skills long before we've given ourselves enough chance to explore their depths.  Mastery is both modular and fluid; we'll become fluent in some parts of a craft long before other areas but the story, but the chapters are all the same.  Time, patience and consistency are the constants that are sure to keep us moving toward the creatives we'd like to be; for the final episode of this season, XV takes a look at the four stages of competence, reminiscing on how each stage plays out in a creatives journey towards mastering a new skill.

AOD 012: The Art Of Criticism – Creativity and Critique

Critique and creativity are inseparable; the moment someone chooses to make their work public, people start to form their own judgements and filter it through their own experience.  This may seem like an unfair, possibly 'unearned' privilege – especially if you've done all the work – but good, insightful and constructive criticism is often the most valuable asset at our disposal when honing our craft.  Developing our ability to sift out ill-informed and ill-intentioned opinions is one of the quickest ways to map out a reliable path, undoubtedly taking a creative much further and faster in the long run.  In this Episode, XV talks about some types of critique he keeps an eye out for (and tries to avoid at all costs!)  Highlist Entry: "The Politician" on Netflix

AOD 011: The Art Of Consolidation – Selling Yourself (To Yourself) as a Creative

Some people are reluctant to step into the role of a creative; though they have ideas, they feel safer separating passion from public persona.  Whether this is rooted in a fear of failure, a fear of ridicule, a fear of discomfort or a fear of appearing to take oneself too seriously, such people miss out on all the growth which comes from truly living your craft and walking with both feet on the path.  It's not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is!  Having the conviction to own your decisions out loud is one of the keys towards becoming the version of yourself you want to be.  Slightly expanding on AOD 004, XV speaks on a few of the benefits of consolidating all sides of your identity.

AOD 010: The Art Of Influence – Should Creatives Be Held Morally Accountable?

Double digits!  In this episode we'll take an abstract look at the idea of an ethical approach to artistic output.  Most people can agree: the most powerful way to convey a message is through art – advertising is art, so are books, TV shows, fashion statements and propaganda (AOD 007).  Not everyone gets a chance to be heard – to express themselves and have people pay attention – so if and when we have a voice or a platform, do we have a responsibility to "say" anything on behalf of others?  To uphold some kind of "moral code"?  Why?  Why not?  In this episode, XV takes a (brief) look at the relationship between morality and creativity, referencing some known philosophical sources along the way.  Highlist entries: "IT: Chapter 2", "Joker".

AOD 009: The Art Of Reflection – XV Reflects On His Creative Growth Over 9 Bodies Of Work

Whilst obsessing over where we'd like to be, it's easy to forget how far we've come.  We torture ourselves with the tales of seemingly-perfect, frictionless ascents of our contemporaries and slowly begin to question whether we're even worthy of the dreams we've often been working toward our whole lives.  It's important to cut ourselves some slack sometimes and celebrate how far we've come from zero; we've often achieved a lot more than we give ourselves credit for!  XV reminisces over the lessons he's learned and the experience he's gained from 9 project cycles.