E48: Too Many Good Ideas Can Kill Your Art Project

Author: Tim Mcburnie
Published: Fri 20 Jun 2025
Episode Link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/1171a026

Check out my Free Brainstorming Workshop: https://mightyartisan.com/worldbuilding Learn to silence your inner critic. Ignite creative ideas. And watch a live demo of these techniques in action.

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This is The Forty Eighth Episode of the Visual Scholar Podcast - With Tim Mcburnie.

What if having a million amazing ideas for your project is actually the thing that's killing it?

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This episode challenges the common artistic impulse to create elaborate worlds filled with countless creatures, characters, and concepts. The discussion examines why having "a million monsters" often creates noise rather than signal, and explores how constraint and focus can lead to more impactful creative projects. The episode draws from the tension between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Marvel Comics history to illustrate the difference between creative execution and editorial vision. It explores how the elevator pitch mentality from Hollywood applies to personal artistic projects, using Star Wars as an example of how one clear core idea can anchor an entire universe. The argument centers on the principle that artistic projects need a single, easily communicable hook that people can understand and share, rather than an overwhelming collection of interesting elements.

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Chapters

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Intro

01:06 Welcome

02:23 The Million Monster Problem

06:11 Why Clear Signal Beats Creative Chaos

16:29 The Stan Lee vs Jack Kirby Lesson

28:52 Pick One Idea and Go Deeper

35:40 The Analytical Takeaway

37:41 The Simple Takeaway

37:48 The Practical Takeaway

40:39 The Philosophical Takeaway

44:11 Outro

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The Visual Scholar Podcast is designed to help you demystify the world of Art, Productivity, and Creativity. So you can get better faster, and enjoy your Art Journey.

We discuss Drawing, Painting, Illustration and Entertainment Design. Along with Productivity and Career Advice.

You Can Find The Visual Scholar Podcast In These Places:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-visual-scholar/id1678505411

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6VbdwbiZqy8nqb90ruKQCX?si=21b9c1d02c85419f

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MightyArtisan

Show Homepage:

https://visualscholar.mightyartisan.com

Where To Find More About Tim Mcburnie:

Learn Drawing and Illustration at The Drawing Codex:

www.thedrawingcodex.com

Take Your Career and Productivity To The Next Level:

www.mightyartisan.com