HOW TO CREATE AN ICON and make a deeper creative dent in the universe

Saul Leiter's photography sometimes look more like AbEx paintings than photography. In this video we explore his famous colour photographs and compare them to the paintings of Rothko, Clyfford Still, Robert Motherwell, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell and more. Were they inspired by each other? Or do they just follow very similar aesthetic ideas? At the end of the video we extract a number of lesson...

How does an artist know when they’ve discover their signature artistic language? Is there a Eureeka moment? It turns out there is! Discover how Paul Klee found his life altering artistic breakthrough in 1914 in Tunisia. Learn how and why it was so significant and how this moment of discovery changed all his art output and artistic legacy. And how you can do the same. Watch the video to the end whe...

Why are there so few, if any, iconic or standout watercolour artworks in the history of art? Or am I wrong? As I hunt for the 3 most significant and impactful watercolour paintings of all time, I find the answer. And it turns out I'm wrong. Wrong in my assumption that perhaps watercolours sometimes are seen as a bit of the 'underdog' of the fine art mediums. In fact what I DO find, wil...

At first glance it might look like the New York school masters of the big, bold, abstract thick black line, Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline, were painting in exactly the same way. It turns out that instead of being similar, they are in fact, complete opposites. In this video we reveal their opposing methods and figure out how totally different methods, can arrive at something visually quite simi...

In a world of Ai gloss and perfection, 2026 needs to re-learnFrom Robert Rauschenberg and his Monogram. Rauschenberg placed a rubber tire around a taxidermy goat’s midsection to shatter the boundary between canvas and life. Let’s examine this defiant "Monogram" to prove that true innovation requires trashing the rulebook and ignoring the established artworld. By merging junk with high ar...

'My child could've painted that!' is a phrase you hear from time to time in regards to art that at first glance seem too simple or too weird. But don't dismiss Cy Twombly too quickly. In my view he's an incredibly inspiring artist. One that takes time to understand perhaps but once you do, you'll love. Or at least this video will help you understand how Twombly, but just ch...

Basquiat is an iconic artist for a number of reasons. But one of the most intriguing is his varied and often complex visual language. In this video I take a deep dent dive into that visual language and explore the meaning behind the many symbols Jean-Michel Basquiat used repeatedly. What do they mean? Why did he paint them? And why does the Basquiat crown stand head and shoulders above the other s...

While Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait ‘The 2 Fridas’ is arguably her most famous, ‘Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace’ is certainly her most intriguing. The symbolism she uses in this work of art is more difficult to decipher and offers several ways to interpret. Making this, potentially, Frida Kahlo’s most iconic self-portrait. Explore with me the emotional and historical backdrop to why Frida chose t...

Keith Haring was an American artist who invented his own graffiti-style using chalk, before developing his own line-based visual language on canvas and in sculpture. He grew from street artist to major artist during the 1980s New York city. Today, he's as much known for being an activist as an artist. In this video I'll explore deeper what few others here have done. His perhaps most famous...

I want to take you beyond the usual standard explanations of Edvard Munch's iconic painting The Scream. Not only is it one of the most iconic art pieces of all time, it's also one of the most iconic images of all time. Why? What does it mean? Why did Munch paint it? And how did it manage to become so iconic? Great website on both Munch himself and The Screamwww.munch.no #creativeprocess #t...

How did Marcel Duchamp manage to become one of art history’s most iconic individuals, even though he didn’t even really show his most famous works until the age of 76? In this episode we’ll explore Duchamp and try to figure out how this one individual managed to change the art world and the idea of what art is and can be, forever.#creativeprocess #iconic #iconicart #historyofart #marcelduchamp #po...

Find out how Denmark's Hans Wegner, 'The King of Chairs', created a timeless design icon that's as popular today as it was 80 years ago. What makes the 'Y-chair' so iconic? And is timelessness essential to reach iconic status? #creativeprocess #podcast #artistsjourney #creativepassion #deepdents #creativeicon

Let's explore Canadian impressionist artist Helen McNicoll, and try to figure out why she had some success in her lifetime, then was nearly forgotten and then rediscovered to become world famous nearly 100 years later. #creativeprocess #impressionistart #artistsjourney #deepdents

Learn why thinking differently is the key to creativesuccess. And how it'll help you becoming a better creative or artist. In this episode I summarise the best of Bill Bernbach's creative thinking, into 6 easy key takeaways.

We lift the hood and look at the hidden mechanics of how Andy Warhol managed to make such a deep dent in the art universe. I try to distill 10 traits that I believe were instrumental to his enormous success and impact.