Podcast appearances and mentions of shawn coss

Have you ever imagined what mental health struggles would look like as horror movie creatures? Well, Shawn Coss has. Today, Zach talks with Shawn, creator of Any Means Necessary, about his passion for inspiring and empowering people through his art. His collection of images depicting mental health disorders as nightmarish creatures like the ones he grew up with in old horror films. Listen in for his perspective on the importance of bringing these dark creatures into the light. Visit www.intothedarkblue.com to learn more about what we do as a nonprofit. You can donate to The Dark Blue and help build our 501(c)3 national network of men's groups at http://www.paypal.com/paypalme/thedarkblue, or find us on Patreon! Pick up some Dark Blue merch or some fresh undies made perfect for your anatomy, guys, and girls alike, from our sponsor at www.sheathunderwear.com, 25% off with promo code DARKBLUE. Get premium CBD products for 10% off at www.alamobotanicals.com with promo code DARKBLUE. Our sponsors donate a portion of the proceeds to our building our network of men's groups all around the United States! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/intothedarkblue/support

Our guest this week, https://www.instagram.com/p/BKvqpUzj1pX/ (Shawn Coss), is the co-owner and artist behind the massively successful brand, https://anymeansnecessary.com/ (Any Means Necessary). He and his partner Mikey have built a HUGE following and loyal community around “dark art” and mental health. I met Shawn a few weeks before this recording. He was super humble and you would have never known just by talking to him that they had built a multi-million dollar brand in a SUPER difficult industry. But the coolest thing about our conversation, and what caught my attention, was how he talked about his community. In today's episode, Shawn shares how he was able to connect his art with the right audience, be vulnerable about his own story and experience with mental health, and how he is able to focus on his art while still fostering community. Shawn is super cool and down to earth. Grateful I randomly met him at a conference and got to introduce him to our community of builders.  TOPICS: Advice for artists who want to build community around their work Balancing marketing & community building while still focusing on your art Being vulnerable with your community and creating an open culture JOIN COMMUNITY BUILDERS HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/membership (https://www.heatherparady.com/membership) CONNECT WITH SHAWN CROSS Website: https://anymeansnecessary.com/ (https://anymeansnecessary.com/) Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShawnCoss (https://twitter.com/ShawnCoss) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawncoss/ (https://www.instagram.com/shawncoss/) CONNECT WITH US! Discord:https://discord.gg/R62Hq3rtS2 ( https://discord.gg/R62Hq3rtS2) Facebook Group:https://bit.ly/2lPut5A ( https://bit.ly/2lPut5A) Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady ( https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady) Follow Heather on IG:https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ (https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/) Follow Heather on Twitter: https://twitter.com/heatherparady (https://twitter.com/heatherparady)   * Disclaimer* This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. We are not giving financial or investment advice. Logo Design by: http://www.werbal.net/ Mentioned in this episode: Journey Mapping Workshop https://communitybuilders.captivate.fm/mapping (Journey Mapping)

Shawn Coss (Artist, 'Any Means Necessary' clothing, formerly Cyanide & Happiness) learns that the real meaning of Christmas is actually just a cool ninety-nine question interview. Join Shawn and I as we discuss what his idea of being a successful artist is, breaking out of his creative reputation, winning Candyland strategies, electric seaweed, goths, smelling scalps, and how to win Jason Momoa's affection. Get 20% OFF + Free Shipping with promo code BUEL at MANSCAPED.com 99Q Merch 99questionspod@gmail.com 99Q on Twitter --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/99questions/support

The Goddamn crew sits down with dark artist and mental health advocate Shawn Coss. We talk about the influence behind his work, the fallout from portraying mental illness in art and of course horror movies and music. Tune in. Shit gets real in this episode.

A recap of episode 88 of the Cracking Creativity podcast. If you liked it, check out the full episode with Shawn Coss where he talks about why there’s no formula for becoming a popular artist, defining success on your own terms, and why running an art business is such hard work, among many other things.

Shawn Coss grew up loving cartoons, but never dreamed it could become his full-time job. He grew up in a time and place where art wasn't considered a viable career. His dad told him he should get a "real job" instead of pursuing his dreams. The thought was, you could only be a professional artist if you went to an art institute, or learned at Disney. Like most people who grow up in difficult financial situations, Shawn's dad didn't want Shawn to grow up with the same hardships he had to go through. Shawn hit his first break when he met Kris Wilson of Cyanhide and Happiness through MySpace. Kris liked Shawn's work so much, that he invited him to work on the C&H team. Cyanide and Happiness provided Shawn enough financial stability to start his own clothing company, Any Means Necessary. One of the clothing company's campaigns, Inktober, brought an influx of fans and attention. This brings Shawn to a an exciting but difficult crossroads. Should he go all-in on his company or keep it as a side hustle. In this episode, Shawn talks about why there's no formula for becoming a popular artist, defining success on your own terms, and why running an art business is such hard work, among many other things. Here are three things you can learn from Shawn: There's No Secret Formula For Becoming Popular When we see other artists living out their dreams, we often wonder how they achieved success. We want to know exactly what they did so we can copy their path. The problem is, there is no secret formula for becoming a popular artist. There's no shortcut for gaining raving fans. Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. Here's how Shawn explains his break in the art world. "When people ask me 'How did I do it?' I always tell them 'Look, I was just super lucky.' I've been gifted this ability to draw well enough to where other people, large masses, appreciate it, but the chances of someone like Kris Wilson, someone of his caliber, having a company that popular, finding me, was just a needle in a haystack. He could have messaged anyone else he wanted... but at that moment he messaged me. And that kind of changed my life." One thing you can do to keep your sanity is, stop chasing the idea of being a popular artist. Popularity comes when people appreciate your art. It's not something you can manufacture. "I'll have other artists message me, and be like 'How do I become a popular artist?' Well that's your first mistake, because you're trying to be a popular artist. I never pursued the popular art, I just did artwork and unfortunately, not everyone gets to do it." Define Success on Your Own Terms Success is such a subjective thing. My version of success is different from yours, which is why it's so hard for artists to define what success means. We all think that once we "make it", everything will get easier. But as Shawn explains, there's no such thing as making it. There's only re-defining your goals. "There is no making it as an artist. You make it to a point, but there's always another point. There's always a next level to get to or achieve to." One of the problems many of us encounter as artists is the ups and downs of being a creative. One day everything is going great and everyone loves your work. The next day there's radio silence. That's the problem with riding the wave of social media success. We have no control over who sees our posts. We are at the whims of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. "It's definitely a weird emotional ride because some days you're riding cloud nine and everything's awesome, and then maybe in a week or two, there's nothing happening. You're not getting the accolades that you're used to and I feel like social media has a lot to blame on this because I feel we are programmed in a way... to chase these likes and these shares and all these accolades on social media that really have no weight to anything." Social media provides that jolt of endorphins we all crave. But what do these likes and hearts really mean? When it comes to our success as artists, they feel great, but they don't really mean anything. They don't help our businesses. They don't build our fan base. They are just vanity metrics. We need to stop chasing the shallow feeling of success social media provides us. We need to redefine our goals based on tangible success instead of our social media stats. "How do I get that, how do I chase that back? I feel like that's been a huge issue. That happiness we get, a lot of it is being fueled by social media, and a lot of these new artists are wanting that notoriety on social media, but it's such a shallow feeling." Running an Art Business Takes Hard Work Many of us fantasize about growing our art hobby into a business, but there's a lot that goes into making a business work. You are going to face hardships and low moments. So the best way to deal with it is to grow a thick skin. "Grow a thick f*cking skin. I think that's a good one because there's going to be a lot of down times, a lot of hardships you're going to go through. I thought there were a lot more downs than there were ups initially and that weeds out a lot of people. And then giving yourself time to figure out 'How long will I pursue this before I say, okay, this isn't going to happen," and I think being honest with yourself is one of the hardest things to do." At some point in our journeys we will question whether or not we should continue pursuing art as a career. The reality is, not everyone can make it as an artist. Not everyone is going to find success. Sometimes we have to be brutally honest with ourselves. "You just have to say 'Do I really want to keep pursuing this to make it successful, or in reality, is this going to be successful? Maybe it's not going to be successful, maybe it's not going to.' And maybe I'm wrong to say that as an artist who is successful, but again, not everyone is going to be successful. That's the reality of it. Otherwise we'd all be rich. We'd all be doing it. and some people can do it, and some people can't." Running a sustainable art business takes a lot of work. It's not for everyone. Don't think just because you are doing what you love that everything will go smoothly. Be prepared to put in the work. "It's not a popular thing because I don't think a lot of artists like to discourage other artists, but it's a hard thing. It's a lot of work. I tell artists I work more doing this than I've ever worked any nine to five job. I'm working day in and day out... and it doesn't bother me but it's definitely not for the weak who want to draw a picture once every couple of weeks and sit on their laurels." If you fantasize about resting on your laurels as an artist, you might want to reconsider your path. Just because you make art for a living doesn't mean you get to just create for a few hours and call it a day. There's a business involved too, and running a business takes hard work. "People think as an artist I draw a piece of art and I just get to hang out all day. I'm working so much all the time... There's a lot of work involved... No, there's a business in there too. I think that's where you get that separation of people who get it and people who don't. They see the fantasy of it and then you get people who actually understand that's there's actually hard work involved." Read more shownotes from episode 88

Debate starts at: 4:36. What's the scariest movie of all time? Shawn Coss (http://amnclothing.com/) joins us to debate this week, he's one of the brilliant artists who works with our friends at Cyanide & Happiness (http://explosm.net/), as well as Any Means Necessary (http://amnclothing.com/) clothing and mental health awareness art that has gone viral. Great debate about horror movies this week, and our first-ever publicly live show. Watch the video version here at Madcast Media Network YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChMUFeIZ1l9uRJ4bIXuAKDg?sub_confirmation=1 Special thanks to Surreal Maddox for this amazing fan art this week: http://beta.madcastmedia.com/shows/bestdebate/108/e108_gift1.jpg Ron Babcock (http://twitter.com/ronbabcock) brought in a curious choice for horror movie: An Affair to Remember, which has a type of horror far too many people may relate with: loneliness. Taylor Nikolai (https://www.instagram.com/taylornikolai/) had one of the most cogent descriptions of horror versus terror I've ever heard. Plus he brought in some headlines that some would say, constitute the news. Support the show and shop at The Best Store in the Universe: http://www.maddoxrules.com/ And here's my new book, F*ck Whales: Petty essays from a brilliant mind: http://amzn.to/2oiF2xi We round out the episode about a hermit that lost his clothes in a typhoon, an astronaut that drew a treasure map from space, and a girl who made a meal out of boyfriend's ear. Voicemail below: The voicemail number is: 1-562-58-I-RULE (1-562-584-7853).

The third interview from Wizard World Comic Con Columbus is with Akron, Ohio based artist Shawn Coss, the creator of Inktober Illness/Phobias, co-owner of Any Means Necessary Clothing, and artist for Cyanide and Happiness. During our interview, we talked about being an independent artist and paying taxes, using humor to talk about uncomfortable subjects, using art to talk about mental health, his variety of projects, and all sorts of other actionable lessons. Each episode, the guest is asked to suggest someone from their life/career that should be on Fresh is the Word that would have good stories. Shawn Coss chose Michael Nemitz, co-owner of Any Means Necessary Clothing. Follow Shawn Coss: Web: www.shawncossart.com Any Means Necessary Clothing: www.amnclothing.com Twitter: twitter.com/ShawnCoss Facebook: facebook.com/ShawnCossArtist Instagram: instagram.com/shawncoss THE FRESH PICK OF THE WEEK: This episode’s pick is the comic book Max the Inebriated Rabbit, written and drawn by th --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/freshistheword/message

****DISCLAIMER**** There is quite a bit of profanity in this episode, not really suitable for children (and beyond...use discretion with this episode). This one would have a parental advisory sticker on it...if that was a thing on podcasts. This episode features Shawn Coss and Michael Nemitz. These guys have created a brand called, "Any Means Necessary". Coming in up in Akron, OH these guys have overcome some real adversity to create this brand. They are very honest and do not hold back when it comes to verbalizing how they really feel. Ha. Again quite a bit of cursing on this episode and quite a bit different than what we have been doing thus far on the podcast. This episode is a great example of how positivity can be found in many different ways. One of the main focuses of this podcast is for people to share any and everything they find positivity in. Although most of the art that is used for the clothing for "Any Means Necessary" is pretty "dark/gothic" they still have an overall mission of creating a culture of people that don't give up on life and will do what it takes to live the life that they want to. That is definitely STP all around. Both of these guys have had very, very difficult situations and life setbacks that have led them to where they are now in life. Another disclaimer is that there are some pretty traumatic experiences that are brought up in this conversation. This type of episode was needed, to show that even through some of the hardest situations you can draw up that both of these guys never gave up and are living their dream creating a clothing brand that represents everything they stand for. One of their main focuses through the building of AMN is to raise awareness for "Mental Health". They have donated thousands of dollars and have participated in countless events, fundraising, etc to help with efforts in the mental health field. Everything about these guys is really inspiring and we are definitely pulling for them with all that they are doing. Thanks again to Shawn and Michael for all they are doing to Spread The Positive. ****Listener discretion is advised.****

Chet Zar and Mike Correll interview Dark Artist Shawn Coss, who garnered major success with his mental illness themed Inktober campaign. Coss is back with a new Kickstarter project, “It’s All in Your Head”, for the creation and publication of a book including his entire Inktober mental illness series. Learn about Coss’ upbringing, his early influences, and his rise within the Dark Art world! Special support from our NEW Patron Adam Kuder. Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2sD0rI6 Clothing: www.amnclothing.com Shawn Coss: instagram.com/shawncoss The Dark Art Society Podcast is produced by Mike Correll and Chet Zar, with mixing and mastering by Bryan Kilgore of Kilgore Sound; find him on Instagram and Twitter (at)kilgoresound, or his website http://www.kilgoresound.com The Dark Art Society Podcast is now available in a variety of places, including the following platforms: Become an Official Member: http://www.patreon.com/DarkArtSociety SoundCloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/darkartsociety iTunes: http://apple.co/2gMNUfM Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=134626&refid=stpr Podbay: http://podbay.fm/show/1215146981 YouTube: http://bit.ly/2nNYPre Google Play: http://bit.ly/2rxiwmu

This week we manage to talk about mostly cults..., a critter of a cryptid, & review a brutal trail towards redemption, David Bruckner's, 'The Ritual'. We were lucky enough to talk to artist (and pal) Shawn Coss about his upcoming book, 'It's All in Your Head: a Collection of Mental Heath Art'. Scope out and support his Kickstarter campaign. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shawncoss/its-all-in-your-head-a-collection-of-mental-health Keep our mini-fridges full of blood...I mean...not blood...normal things that people drink...by going to http://patreon.com/frightday or http://shop.frightday.com Follow us in the shadows at the following places: http://frightday.com http://twitter.com/frightday http://facebook.com/groups/frightday http://instagram.com/frightday http://facebook.com/ffrightdayy

Do you blame your family, friends, and loved ones for your creative shortcomings? If you do this subconsciously or consciously, you are not alone. In this episode, Youngman looks back to past (and future) guests who had something to say about dealing with that difficult balance of pursuing their creative passion or career, while still fulfilling their roles as a husband, wife, mother, father, boyfriend, girlfriend, or any other role that requires their time and energy. You will also learn how you might be taking your role as a parent, spouse, or friend and using it as a crutch to let yourself off the hook from pursuing your creative passion. Finally, you'll see things from the other side of the spectrum and learn what to do if you are spending too much time with your creative endeavors and not enough with your family. This episode has profanity, so don't listen around your children. But don't blame them.   Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/family   YCP Episode 71 with Suzanna Schlemm YCP Episode 79 with Jake Parker YCP Episode 123 Ali Cavanaugh YCP Episode 154 with Brooke Rothshank YCP Episode 165 with Shawn Coss

Shawn Coss is an Ohio-based artist who loves to sling ink and paint at paper until it forms some type of creature.  He works for the webcomic and cartoon show, Cyanide and Happiness and also produces his own personal “dark art.”  During the month of October, Shawn is illustrating mental illness and disorders for Inktober. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/shawncoss In this episode, Shawn discusses: -How and why he started his Inktober project about mental illness and diseases. -Some of the positive and negative feedback that he has received for his depiction of mental illnesses. -How he handles negative feedback and “haters.” -How he juggled getting a nursing degree and still created art. -How he got involved with Cyanide and Happiness. -His advice for people whose version of success isn’t necessarily gaining monetary independence through their creative passion. -The common advice of quitting your job and just “going for it.” -How he balances his time between work-work, personal work, and family. -How he feels as if he is wasting time when he is sleeping. -How he feels unfulfilled if he goes to bed after spending a day without creating something. -Trying to find the balance between creating art and spending time with family and friends. -The story behind his books. Shawn's Final Push will inspire you to stay on your own path – don’t change it to fit anyone else’s!   Quotes: “That’s just how I’ve always been.  I’ve never been apologetic for my artwork.  I’ve never set out to offend anyone, I create just to create.” “I create artwork that I want to create, and I realize that when I do that, or any artist does, success will find you.  Or at least your audience will find you.” “You’ll definitely find an audience that digs your stuff.  Whether that will pay your bills or not remains to be seen.” “I feel like I’m wasting time when I’m sleeping.” “If it’s in my head, it won’t leave until I create it.”   Resources Mentioned: Cyanide & Happiness Kindergarten: A Collection of Creepy Stories by Shawn Coss AMN Clothing   Connect with Shawn: Website / Facebook / Instagram