Stan and Marshall talk about the frustrating "intermediate plateau" a stage where artists feel stuck. They explore causes like boredom, complacency, and unclear goals, and give advice on how to push through using feedback, mentorship, passion projects, and risk-taking.

Show Links (some contain affiliate links):

Animal Anatomy For Artists by Joe Weatherly (Foreword by Marshall Vandruff)
23 Habits for Artists - Draftsmen S1E14
Mastery by George Leonard
When by Daniel Pink
Masterclass (Ron Howard)
Masterclass (Mira Nair)
Masterclass (Martin Scorsese)
Masterclass (Margaret Atwood)
Creativity by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
Kristian Nee’s YouTube Channel
Kristian’s Podcast with Marshall - “What Every Artist Needs to Hear (But Nobody Says)”
Stan’s Anatomy Course
Pinocchio (1940)
The Upside of Quitting - Freakonomics Radio
Cops TV Show (1989-present)
Sexy Beast (2000)

Referenced Artists:

George Woodbridge (Mad Magazine Artist)

Jack Davis (Mad Magazine Artist)

Marshall’s small artwork from his 30’s

Rembrandt (photo by Olivier Middendorp)

Leonardo da Vinci

Anatomy Course Drawings (only on screen briefly for how much work went into them) -

Frankenstein by Bernie Wrightson

Kimon Nicolaïdes