Disclaimer: I’m not talking about people who may be responsible for others, perhaps those who are married or have children. To sacrifice their dreams for the greater good of family is honorable and noble.

As I continue to purge my life, I am re-discovering conversations that happened year ago, but are so relevant today. It was a letter from my friend who was talking about how she was unhappy with her job. She wanted to travel and really move to a different industry, but she felt that her degree pigeon-holed her to a specific field. In the letter she writes to me about how she’s going to quit her job and make all these changes.This was four years ago. She is at the same job.Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being content with your life. Some people love what they are currently doing and completely satisfied and joyful of the life they are living. This is what we all pursue, and I commend that. That said (here comes the cynical rage), I have absolutely ZERO sympathy for people who desire change and different things, and do absolutely nothing about it.There is a scene in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back where Luke Skywalker attempts to get his X-Wing out of the swamp in the Dagobah system, using the force. He doubts his ability. Finally Master Yoda uses his powers to recover the X-Wing. Luke says, “I don’t believe it.” Yoda simply responds, “And that is why you fail.”

As I was walking Green Lake today I came to this conclusion: perhaps it’s not that people are afraid that they will fail, but are afraid of succeeding. Perhaps it is the fear that we are more powerful than we possibly imagine, and by being successful, we raise the bar each time. We expect more. We are able to do more, and it requires more work.It’s intimidating.I really believe that in a lot of cases people would rather not succeed to make an excuse to not do so and have something to talk about. When you go meet up with people and have conversations, observe and listen how much of the conversation is about what people want to do vs. actually doing it. Dreaming and having plans are better than having no plans, but a great concept has no value unless it lives in the physical state—execution.Yes, it’s possible that I am feeling a sort of high or a bit cynical since quitting my job to go freelance and travel. However, my argument is I’ve always had these feelings. Trust me, there is a lot I say I want to do that I have not done yet.It’s time to stop making excuses. Everything certainly has situational content, but look at things at the core again.

• The economy is bad. There are obviously other people finding jobs, so what is it? People survived the depression. We too, can get over this.
• I don’t have enough money. You know what I did when I ran out of Tiberium in Command and Conquer? I harvested more! Todd MacFarlene said it best when he simply described spending in this way: if you want more money, make more of it or spend less of it. Don’t say moving to New York would be too expensive because of the rent. The rent is high, so don’t bring a car and make payments on it and pay for the insurance and maintenance on the freaking thing.
• I can’t meet guys/girls here. Maybe your type is not here or you haven’t made a strong enough effort to meet someone. Or maybe, to be brutal honest, you’re just not that desirable. Okay, if you’re not, how can you change that?
• I don’t know what I want to do. Well dammit, you better figure it out then, huh?

Okay, so my list is not that simple. Or maybe it is. I say it is. People need to realize to really achieve what you want, it requires blood sweat and tears. Look at people who have families, how hard they have to work to keep the household running. It’s most certainly easier to not do anything and fail then work hard to potential achieve with a chance of failure. Here’s an example workflow of someone wanting a job:

If they want to succeed: Spend hours researching jobs, refreshing the resume, building a portfolio, applying, going to interviews (with a chance of failure), following up, applying to more jobs, learning skills they don’t have, etc.

If they want to fail: Not do anything but be able to talk about it constantly. My friend Angela shared this wonderful quote with me and I think there is a lot of value to reflect on this:”Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us…”So I ask you…are you afraid of failing and believing that you are incapable, or afraid of your potential and what you can achieve? As a fellow human being to another, I challenge you to at least contemplate this.I leave you with this Jordan commercial, one of my favorites. It’s time to stop making excuses and become Legendary.

The Yankees are World Series champions for the 27th time; the most in professional sports. This one, however, has a very special place in my heart.

As many of you may know, I lost my best friend Jake this July. He drowned in the Columbia River. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. My friend Megan called me and told me the news, ten minutes before I was going to an interview. I was devastated. Jake and I have been friends since we were eleven years old. I went home for a week or so to be with his family and friends; remembering the out-pour of love and support the Twitter community showed me.

He was a die-hard Yankees fan. I remember watching the four World Series in the late 90s with him, and also the ones they lost in the early 2000s. It’s so surreal to see Joe Girardi manage the Yankees now, as I remember him as a player…sharing time with a 25-year-old catcher named Jorge Posada. This was back in the day when Mariano Rivera had hair.

Jake used to throw his remote at the TV and swear up a storm when they lost a game. A single game! Of course, I felt obliged to do the same this year as the Yankees lost games. When Jake passed, the Yankees went on a six-game winning streak. This was sometime right after the all star break. I remember thinking how special it’d be if they made a run and won the world series, for him.

Jake’s mom gave me the book he was reading, “The Yankees Years.” Those who knew Jake also knew that he didn’t like to read, unless it was about sports. This will definitely be the next book I read; to learn what it means to be a Yankee, the tradition, but most importantly my best friend’s love and passion for the pinstripes.

Not a day passes that I don’t think about him; all the great memories we had. I will never have another best friend like him. I really believe with the Yankees winning, he is very much at peace. All of Jake’s friends were rooting yard for the Yankees. To see them win brings tears of joy to our eyes.

They won it…for him.

In addition, the Yankees winning is a very good sign; a special one in my heart that I hope comes true. Watching game six has been an emotional rollercoaster. In the end, I am very happy and am at peace.

Love them or hate them, this is the year of the Yankees.

Some people have asked me what the term Flexible Reality means in my body of work. Though I’m not sure if it’s the original source, I heard the term from David Mirkin, a long-time executive producer and showrunner for The Simpsons.

The question I get most from people is “what kind of medium do you use?” I’d love to say it’s some super-secret medium, but it’s walnut ink. Walnut ink is made from…wait for it…walnuts — mostly black walnuts.

Why walnut ink? I love using this medium because of how versatile it is. It has a longer workability time than traditional ink and is more transparent. However, if you want to work dark, you can sit it out and get some very vibrant darks. Sit it out in the sun for a day and you’ll get some ridiculously pretty dark colors.

You can make your own walnut ink, but I like to buy mine from Utrecht Art. If you want to learn to make walnut ink, here is a great article. This blog post will focus on different walnut ink techniques. All you need is walnut ink and a brush…if that.

Dry Brush

This is my favorite technique with walnut ink. Let the ink sit in a little dish. Once get starts drying, dip a dry brush and apply on your drawing. This technique will leave a lot of brush strokes — great for building up textures like hair and happy trees.

Washes

Watercolor artists should know this technique really well; building up transparent layers to get some great value. The majority of this mixture is water over ink. Keep in mind that walnut ink never really dries unless you fix the drawing. Give the ink some time to settle before you lay more washes. If you’re impatient like me…work under a strong light or use a blow dryer to speed up the process — now we’re just playing God!

Wet-on-Wet

If you’re going for a more refined look, the wet-on-wet technique is the way to go. Apply some ink around the area you want to blend. Add some water to the other area and blend them together with your brush.

Cross-Hatching

Traditional drawing technique to build up value — used with ink. Load your brush with walnut ink and begin applying straight lines one way, then go the other. You can also draw little x’s — I like to do that sometime. I use cross-hatching to build up structure…see the Alex’s nose below.

Spray and Pray

This is actually a term used in the military, where you shoot your weapon on full auto and hope you hit something. Clearly, this is a great technique for abstract artists! Mix walnut ink and water into a spray bottle and apply on your drawing. Consider using contact paper or a piece of cardboard to mask of certain areas. We don’t want unnecessary casualties now! If you work on large substrates, consider using a super soaker!

Drawing of my friend Alex (not done yet). Can you spot the techniques used?

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at david[at]davidhoang.com. Want to learn more? let’s Tweetup! Follow me on Twitter