mark d. campbell
mark@markdcampbell.com
9 lives of mercutio blog
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Fabriano: In the Name of Paper
10 Mar 2021FABRIANO: In the Name of PaperGrowing up as a young artist, I had no idea what “good drawing paper” was and for me, I was happy just having ANY paper to draw on, so it didn’t worry about textures, GSM, or what medium it was best suited for. To…
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10 Ways to Avoid Online Drama & Controversy
22 Sep 2020Avoiding Online Drama & Controversy “We’re not passengers on someone else’s journey, but the curious pilots of our own.” ~ M.D. Campbell It’s that time of year again to put away Summer projects and start thinking about the Fall and the art challenges which artists across the globe enjoy participating… -
Stuck in a Creative Slump
07 Jun 2020Stuck in a Creative Slump “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath, writer/poet Right now, I’ve been in a creative slump for about four weeks, and it’s pretty frustrating. So, I’ve been finding small, creative projects to keep busy and help get me back into my groove.… -
FREE Children’s Book for Coronavirus Days
14 Apr 2020To download, RIGHT-CLICK the link below. This Terrible, Awful, Nasty, Horrible Coronavirus! As a thank you to our essential workers and to aid in helping folks cope with downtime, especially kids, I’m offering a FREE digital copy of my children’s book, “Pig Pile,” which you can download by RIGHT-CLICKING on…
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The Pros & Cons of Posting Artwork Online
28 Sep 2019The Pro’s & Con’s of Posting Artwork Online by M.D. Campbell © 2019-2020 All rights reserved Something I’ve always found interesting is how many successful artists aren’t measured on the quality of their work, but rather the controversy that surrounds them. Robert Mapplethorpe’s “shock” photos had less to do with…
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Biggest Mistakes Buying Art Supplies
23 Jul 2019“Bad shopping habits die hard!” ~ Tori SpellingI don’t like to admit it, but the mistakes I talk about in this article are one’s I’ve made throughout my life that I wish I knew when I was young. Knowing them would have saved me a lot of time, money,…
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The Pros & Cons of Imitating Others
03 Jun 2019The Pros and Cons of Imitating Others “The best imitation in the world is not half as good as a poor original.” - Luise Rainer, actress This month’s discussion relates to an experience I had recently. I was looking at the work of an illustrator whom I admire tremendously, and…
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The Victim of Art
01 May 2019“Victims of Art” by M.D. Campbell The Victim of Art Whenever we put ourselves on a public stage for other’s to see, we open ourselves up to praise, indifference, and criticism. It’s true for a music performance, a gallery exhibition, or even here on YouTube. It’s very easy for people…
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A Word About Brand Loyalty
06 Apr 2019“Brand marketing is nothing more than mass seduction.” – M.D. Campbell I only had one area of the large photo of the Waldorf Astoria hotel to retouch and then I was done. I could hand it off, get paid, and the restored photo would hang in the classic hotel. But,…
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How to Judge Art: The Habits of Mind
25 Jan 2019How to Judge Art: The Habits of Mind “One aspect of appellate judging is we have to give reasons for all of our decisions and when you sit down and try to write it out, sometimes you find that your first judgment wasn’t the right one!” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg… -
Are Love and Art Related?
17 Nov 2018Are Love and Art Related? “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is Art.” ~ Ralph Waldo EmersonHave you ever wondered what makes people creative while other people are not or what that driving force is which puts us in front of a sketchbook, a dish of…
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10 Ways to Improve Imagination
08 Sep 201810 Ways to Improve Imagination “Imagination is the highest kite one can fly!” - Lauren Bacall Are you a creative person, like an artist, writer, or even an all around craft or hobby enthusiast? If so – has there ever been a point in your experience, where someone - anyone… -
The 5 Phases of Creativity
23 Jun 2018THE 5 PHASES OF CREATIVITY “The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” - Julie Cameron As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been working as a professional creative for 30 years, in many fields from illustration and graphic design, to music, performance, and theater set design, as well as… -
The Seven Deadly Sins of Art
02 May 2018The Seven Deadly Sins of Art “Beware monotony. It’s the mother of all the deadly sins.” - Edith Wharton, American novelistGrowing up a young artist and musician, I was fortunate to meet some amazing people and have some incredible experience in my life. I had mentors, early on, who…
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How to Find Your Style
11 Apr 2018How to Find Your Style “Like it or not, a caterpillar must first live as a chrysalis before becoming a butterfly. Maybe I remember those days because I am going through a chrysalis stage.” ~ Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio GhibliBefore gettling into the discussion, I want to acknowledge…
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The Ten Commandments of Art
08 Jan 2018The 10 Commandments of Art by M.D. Campbell “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” – Pablo Picasso I wanted to give you a little back story as to why I am presenting this list. At the local high school, the head of… -
Overcoming Holiday Blues
20 Dec 2017Overcoming Holiday Blues “The word ‘happy’ would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” - Carl Jung ‘Tis the season of happiness and joy, of giving and of receiving. It’s that time of year when the cold weather gives way to warm fires and frosty window panes.… -
To Burn Out, is Not To Fade Away
06 Nov 2017“Burnout is about resentment. You can beat it by knowing what you’re giving up that makes you resentful.” – Marissa Mayer, American Businesswoman Have you ever been preparing or working on a big project that consumes your time to the point where, by the time you near the end, you… -
Why You Are Not Talented
05 Oct 2017“Ending a sentence with a period closes the door to discussion. Yet, ending with a question mark opens the door to endless possibilities.” ~ M.D. Campbell For many artists, musicians, writers, and even inventors, chefs, and professional speakers, their skills seem to come without effort or cost. Have you ever… -
10 Things an Art Director Wants
06 Sep 2017“If you, my fellow copy writers or art directors, want to win the award, devote your genius to making the cash register ring.” – David Ogilvy, The Father of Advertising While I’ve spent much of my career working as a graphic designer, freelance illustrator, product photographer, and copy writer, it…
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The Power of Negative Thinking
14 Aug 2017“At school, nobody seemed to like me, which allowed me a lot of free time to wander around in my own head. When you’re in pain, you need a release - for me it was writing and drawing.” - Tim Burton, Artist & Director Years ago, I went to an… -
Time to Purge
10 Jul 2017“In purging ourselves of diseases we create, we become magnificent people.” - Judith Light “All set?” called George, as he shut the back of his dad’s pickup. “Just this!” I said, climbing into the passenger’s seat with a bag of clothes in my lap. Boxes and furniture tied down, we… -
You’re Not a Real Artist!
15 Jun 2017“A medical student is not a doctor. An art student is not an artist.” – written on a bathroom wall at the Massachusetts College of Art When I was a kid, I self-published a magazine. They were hand-drawn on the back of used printer paper that my dad would throw… -
Finding Your Zone
21 May 2017“The mind is pretty powerful. In skating, you learn to click into that zone and focus not necessarily on what you’re doing but if you’re doing it well.” – Dorothy HamillFor some, getting in the zone is not easy. Whether the work or hobby you enjoy is in a…
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What You Were Born to Do
01 May 2017“I am not afraid – I was born to do this!” - Joan of Arc When I was very young, I found great joy in drawing on everything. I got in trouble for drawing mustaches on Richard Nixon in my dad’s Newsweek magazine or putting fish on the model’s heads…