Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Syd Linkletter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Syd, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I’ve seen a lot of people who are supposed to be professionals or experts suck at their jobs because they don’t care or are just bad in their field, so I figure if I can care more than them and do better than that, I’m the real deal. That answer is a bit coarse, but it sums up my stance
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Well, I’ve been working professionally for 5+ years doing art and design for different people and companies, I started when I was 17 and got serious about doing art for a living after watching Attack On Titan. The art style was so beautiful and it ignited a love for art and design that’s carried through to now and hopefully the future.
I think one of the superpowers you get from being an artist is always seeing things through an artistic lens. It’s like beer goggles, or rose tinted glasses, but it can be more obvious to see the beauty and composition in the world, and it can bring you more appreciation of the mundane. Every restaurant, sidewalk, patio, stadium, piece of clothing or potted plant is great and wonderful.
I do a lot of character art and I’ve recently been working on learning to paint digitally, they’re completely different muscles to flex in comparison to line art drawings and cartoon styles that tend to be very precise.
Specifically I’m working on a largely painted style book tentatively called, “Tarot-Saur” It’s my own accounts of study involving dinosaur fossils and pagan practices. I have it part-way done so far, it’s got a ways to go but it’s a current self-publishing project that I’m excited about. However if someone wants to publish me I’d be happy to look into it, I of course want creative control. So far I hope to have it finished by the end of this year (2023), but we’ll see.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. To steer the first answer in a slightly different direction, I’d like to mention tool setup. You don’t need to buy big boy equipment. Tools are more accessible now than ever, you can get my same equipment setup with a laptop that won’t crash often (I like Lenovo), a Wacom Intuos tablet, and free software like GIMP 2.10. That’s all you really need, it’s what I’ve used for years.
2. Challenge yourself by learning to draw things that no one wants to draw like hands and feet. It’ll almost immediately upgrade your skills past a large amount of people. I learned to draw horses in a fun way, and it gives me a lot of confidence that I can learn to draw pretty much anything.
3. Learn to accept constructive criticism, but ignore people who want to change the way you draw. You’re not gonna please everybody, so make yourself happy. Work hard for you.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m looking for work most of the time, I’m interested in concept art jobs, design, most anything that I can sink my teeth into. I’m used to working on weird projects, so I have no problem with good challenges. I also like design work for making books, my most recent book project for a client was “Spanish Broom Flamenco on Route 66” by Pat Berrett, photographer. I designed the page graphics and constructed the book with his notes and close direction. I enjoyed it considerably.
I’m also interested in working in branding, art and graphics for live performance arts, film and tv, and most anything you could think of, I’m interested in trying it.
Really, if you like my work and are interested in working with me, reach out on my website or on instagram, I’ll probably say yes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sydlinkletter.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydlinkletter/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydlinkletter
Image Credits
ObsidianDawn
