The Unexpected Mentor

[LIVE EPISODE] Making Something Out of Nothing

Dan here! If you have ever heard the expression that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, you will understand what happened with our first-ever live episode of the  Unexpected Mentor. What you are about to listen to is a somewhat off-the-cuff conversation that often veers from the subject at hand.  It was a fun hour, and something we will try again. I think you will be entertained, as I always get going when speaking to an audience. It was not the best example of the discussions that Emily and I have had, but it does have the value of showcasing people try something they have never done before and not letting the fact that what they are trying to accomplish might be slightly outside of their pay grades So if you take anything from watching this keep this in mind; nowhere is it written that you need to be perfect the first time you try something because there is always something to be learned from falling short. It is what we learned from doing this episode that will carry us through to the next time to be better still. Hope you find something of value in this hour of Dan and Emily!

[#8] You're Giving Away Your Power

Dan and Emily together here! (Emily typing) We just took this Thursday morning to eat a load of bread raccoon-style and listen to this episode on the big speakers in the Art Boutiki. We set out at the beginning of this episode to talk about joy, but as is often the case with us we meandered about and took some time to talk about the emotional necessities of creativity and the power we hold over ourselves when it comes to what we feel. One of Dan's personal credos is that no one can MAKE you feel anything -- we all have control over how respond at the end of the day. This episode was a hard one for me to scale because it plugs back into fear. I'm still trying to figure how to be comfortable with that fearful part of me when it comes to creativity. Of course I told Dan that this morning and he was like "yeah that's why I'm here" so that's reassuring. Thanks for listening. :) Next week we'll be trying something new and hosting a live recording [https://app.gopassage.com/events/29651], so the episode will post later at night. I'll put a heads up on socials too. MORE THINGS-- Also we have an instagram: @unexpectedmentorpod [https://www.instagram.com/unexpectedmentorpod/] -- follow here to see us goof around talk about art. Also check out The Unexpected Mentor Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheUnexpectedMentor] to support this show and more things like it. Other links: * The Unexpected Mentor [https://www.unexpectedmentor.com/] official website * The Art Boutiki [https://artboutiki.com/] official website * Me on Instagram: @indie.sweetheart.emily [https://www.instagram.com/indie.sweetheart.emily/] * The Art Boutiki's Instagram: @artboutiki [https://www.instagram.com/artboutiki] THANK YOU SEE YOU ON THURSDAY BRING SEND YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT OR ON INSTAGRAM AND WE'LL ANSWER THEM LIVE!!!

[#7] Will Having a Child be the End of my Creative Career?

From Dan: While it was not part of the plan, this episode about having a family while working in the creative world is coming out a few days before Father’s Day (in 2025, or whatever stardate equivalent if you are reading this from some ancient looking device after the collapse of humanity... which seems right around the corner). Being a father was not something I wanted for myself, nor did I have it as a square on my life bingo card. If I had gone until today and not been one, I assume I would have been fine, but honestly, I cannot imagine my life without the two creatures who grew up to be fine people and my best friends. I did it all while writing and publishing comics, organizing conventions, and just doing things  that were satisfying me on both a personal and professional level. I think had I not been writing, I would have found it challenging to be happy as a dad, and maybe I would have been one of those guys yelling at the ref during youth hockey. Oh, yeah, wait, I was one of those guys. Anyway, this is my favorite episode because it addresses topics that are important to me. It also marks a turning point in my relationship with my co-host and producer, Emily Parent. You might notice I'm starting to treat her with something like kindness. Every week I thank Emily for creating this platform. I hope you find something useful in this, and all, of the episodes and I would love your comments and feedback. Other stuff: Dan and Emily LIVE [https://app.gopassage.com/events/umm-01?modal=true], a free live podcast recording, is happening in San Jose on June 26th at the Art Boutiki. Come have a beer, bring some questions for Dan and Emily, and celebrate the fact that for the time being we are here on earth making art together. Check out ArtBoutiki.com for more info! Also we have an instagram: @unexpectedmentorpod [https://www.instagram.com/unexpectedmentorpod/] -- follow here to see us goof around talk about art. Also check out The Unexpected Mentor Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheUnexpectedMentor] to support this show and more things like it. Other links: * The Unexpected Mentor [https://www.unexpectedmentor.com/] official website * The Art Boutiki [https://artboutiki.com/] official website * Me on Instagram: @indie.sweetheart.emily [https://www.instagram.com/indie.sweetheart.emily/] * The Art Boutiki's Instagram: @artboutiki [https://www.instagram.com/artboutiki] BYE SEE YOU NEXT WEEK WE LOVE YOU (emily typed this part)

[#6] Making Money as an Artist

Hi! Emily here! A few months after this episode was recorded, tax season came around and I had to file my taxes for the first time as a person who had made real money from her creative business. I was so freaked out about doing something wrong that I big-brain-smartly waited until the literal day before the filing deadline to even start. Dan, being the dad-type that he is, saw my obvious panic and invited me to come sit at his venue while I filled out the tax paperwork. He promised that he would do his best to help me out if I got stuck or confused. So Dan and I hung out all afternoon on that overcast Monday, and he went about his normal weekday tasks in the music hall while I sat in the corner and did my honest best not to commit any tax related crimes. We spent about four hours that day in a focused silence sparsely interrupted by my calling out to ask him whether or not something counted as a write off. No matter what he was in the middle of, he always paused it to come help. When I listen back to this episode now, it's super apparent to me that Dan was coming at this conversation with the same desire to help -- both me, in that moment, and you listening now. He and I both want to live in a world where people can be creative and make a living while doing it. This episode is our way of trying to make that world a little more possible. We sat down at the mics and he told me everything he could think of about how to be my own creative business in hopes that I might be able to benefit from his hard-won wisdom. Thanks for listening. Thanks for tuning in and chatting with us on Instagram and generally being very nice to us. It's been the most fun thing giving this podcast over to you guys after months of it just floating in the timeless ethereal space that exists between my and Dan's microphones. And on the topic of business, here's the things I like to remind you: We're getting scarily close to hitting our first 1k followers on instagram @unexpectedmentorpod [https://www.instagram.com/unexpectedmentorpod/] !! I think once we hit that number I'll make a little t-shirt to celebrate. I think I'll make it look really bad, like a child drew it, because I know Dan is gonna look at it and say "No one is going to buy this" and then I'll have the chance to prove him wrong. Also if you'd like to help make my taxes next year really scary consider supporting us on The Unexpected Mentor Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheUnexpectedMentor]. Also also, Dan and I are hosting a LIVE PODCAST EVENT [https://app.gopassage.com/events/umm-01] in like 3 weeks but I'll tell you about that later I'm tired of typing. Other links: * The Unexpected Mentor [https://www.unexpectedmentor.com/] official website * The Art Boutiki [https://artboutiki.com/] official website * Me on Instagram: @indie.sweetheart.emily [https://www.instagram.com/indie.sweetheart.emily/] * The Art Boutiki's Instagram: @artboutiki [https://www.instagram.com/artboutiki] Bye I love you happy Thursday. Next week is Dan's favorite episode ever you definitely are going to want to hear it.

[#5] Lessons from SLG Publishing

Hi from Dan Vado... Listening to this episode the night before its release, what stands out to me is that I was surprised by how much Emily had remembered from the previous weeks of work. It gave me the feeling that there was something here worth listening to. You'll hear Emily recite parts of what I call my "origin story" and even now I can hear how much she seemed to care about the lessons of my journey. I remember that this got me feeling for maybe the first time that there was something to this podcasting thing. Tracing my path from comic book store to comic book publisher to finally music venue owner, mistakes are covered, successes are highlighted, and advice is offered to people who are probably not listening. (Hi from Emily... It's me. I'm people. I most definitely wasn't listening hard enough at the time. Luckily, I made up for it relistening to the conversation multiple times over.) Episode five of The Unexpected Mentor -- Lessons from SLG Publishing. BTW -- we have an instagram: @unexpectedmentorpod [https://www.instagram.com/unexpectedmentorpod/] where we've as of late been talking about some of SLG's greatest hits. Also check out The Unexpected Mentor Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/TheUnexpectedMentor]. As we speak I'm designing a cool patron-exclusive t-shirt, and a few other surprises are coming into view on the horizon. Other links: * The Unexpected Mentor [https://www.unexpectedmentor.com/] official website * The Art Boutiki [https://artboutiki.com/] official website * Me on Instagram: @indie.sweetheart.emily [https://www.instagram.com/indie.sweetheart.emily/] * The Art Boutiki's Instagram: @artboutiki [https://www.instagram.com/artboutiki] Bye I love you happy Thursday see you next week for some SERIOUS BUSINESS talk.