On Being an Artist During Technological & Psychological Uncertainty with Ben Juwono
Ben Juwono is an Emmy and Annie Award-winning Storyboard Artist, Director, and Show Creator. But before any of that, Ben was my Physics TA who got kicked out of grad school — which led him to art.
In this conversation, Ben and I talk about the depression and suicidal ideation that followed this failure, and how a random late-night screening of the movie Hot Fuzz helped him choose to keep going and stay alive. We talk about pursuing a career in art and whether passion alone is enough to make it in the industry. We talk about hitting walls on purpose, grieving your failures, and getting back up again. Ben also shares hard-won lessons on leadership, self-reflection & the importance of really knowing yourself, & the realities of the animation industry.
**This episode contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Please take care of yourself while listening.
In this conversation, we discuss:
The importance of being consistent and deliberate in your artistic practice
Advice for young artists pursuing art as a career
Are you doing it for yourself or chasing someone else?
Why hitting walls is a crucial part of the artistic process
Self-reflection after hitting the wall
Processing and making meaning out of failure
Discovering that there is joy to be found after failure
Leadership, ego, and learning to serve
Detachment as a shield — and learning to reconnect
Finding joy in the small things
The advice Ben would give to his younger self
Ben Juwono: Acknowledge yourself, acknowledge the pain, acknowledge the failure, acknowledge the wall. And then ask yourself, were you doing this for yourself, or were you doing this for someone else? Or were you doing this because you want to be someone else instead of being yourself? And if you can't find a way to get up and keep doing the same thing, then it's very likely that you are not doing it for yourself.
It's very likely that you're doing it for someone else. Because you want to please your parents, because you want to be like this artist you admire, because you want to be acknowledged by this person, because you want to make someone happy. There's got to be something underlying that you're putting all your effort, not for yourself. Because if you are putting all that effort for yourself, you will be able to get back up quite easily. You will be able to continue, because that's just you, right?
Listen to the full conversation on the innercalling podcast here.
For those who prefer a visual experience, you can check out the conversation on YouTube here.
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