New York-based cartoonist and comedian Jason Chatfield talks about how the business of being an artist has changed over the last two decades. This episode is full of essential advice and our best ideas about sustaining an independent creative career. It is the conclusion of the conversation from Ep 67. 💡 Follow the good ideas and my mind-map from t…

New York-based cartoonist and comedian Jason Chatfield speaks about taking over Australia’s iconic daily comic strip, Ginger Meggs, at the tender age of 23, and how he sees the path ahead for syndicated comic strips and the newspaper industry. Other topics include - the evolution of humour over time, not doing political comedy, Derrida, and people-…

London-based educator, artist and author Jeff Schmidt, speaks about his book “Heart Attack - Finding hope, joy and inspiration in adversity”. This conversation is about the big and small things that can transform our life in unexpected ways, and Jeff’s resolution to live inspired - by making room for the things that bring joy to his life. 📚 Buy Jef…

California-based illustrator Nina Khashchina shares the experience of daily video calls with her parents in Kharkiv, after Ukraine was invaded and the bombs fell everyday. She speaks about recommitting to the Ukrainian language as part of her war effort. A wild book list appears. This is the second of a two-part conversation. 🎙 Listen to the first …

Goldman Sachs expects ‘all time high’ oil demand to spur large deficits, boosting prices https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/24/goldman-sachs-expects-all-time-high-oil-demand-will-boost-prices.html - expect demand to rise by 2 million bpd from India and China - Is this coming from OPEC via China? - IEA says global demand will increase by 2.4 million bpd -…

Oil slides more than 1% as Chinese GDP dents demand hopes https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-slips-after-libya-resumes-output-china-data-eyed-2023-07-17 - GDP grew 6.3% year-on-year in the 2nd quarter, compared with analyst forecasts of 7.3% - what analysts were forecasting such high growth? - slow correction where expectations come back d…

California-based illustrator Nina Khashchina speaks about her childhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, growing up in the former USSR, her lifelong journey with art, and how she documents her life through sketchbooks. . This is the first of a two-part conversation. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 Love the show? Become a SneakyArt Insider (grab the sum…

Biofuels are displacing petroleum-based distillate fuel oil consumption on the West Coasthttps://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=57040 - renewable diesel = diesel made from - biodiesel used as well - petroleum distillate consumption down on west coast in 2022 but biodiesel consumption up - unique to west coast NATIONAL AVERAGE SEES LITTLE C…

Cincinatti-based Christina Wald speaks about how to live and thrive as an independent artist and illustrator. They discuss Kickstarter, Patreon, and ways to keep the creative process at the heart of your practice, and the creator in the economy. This episode is the second part of the conversation from Ep 62. ☕ Like this episode? Buy me a coffee. 🔥 …

Oil falls amid China growth uncertainties https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-prices-come-off-earlier-gains-banks-cut-china-growth-forecasts-2023-06-19/ - the issue is headwinds, but is China's economy really that bad - the real issue is that expectations for China's great economic reopening haven't materialized. - China's demand growth was…

Cincinatti-based Christina Wald speaks about how to live as, and making a living from, being an independent artist and illustrator. This is a conversation about how to work for yourself while meeting client expectations. It is about Christina’s multiple successful Kickstarter projects, including her latest book (link below). This episode is for any…

Commodities Slide as Investors Bet on Economic Slowdown https://www.wsj.com/articles/commodities-slide-as-investors-bet-on-economic-slowdown-233a6d3 - if prices trend down to the $60s or $50s by October then Shale producers might curb production plans Saudi Arabia Springs 1 Million b/d Cut in Opec Megadeal https://www.energyintel.com/00000188-857f-…

Utrecht-based sketcher, illustrator and educator Ellen Vesters speaks about the design-thinking approach to life and all the things she does. After practicing as a psychologist, and getting an MA in Illustration, Ellen founded the Venster Academy to teach art and illustration. Nishant also shares the story of how he accidentally became an artist wh…

Ford to charge up EV drive with flurry of battery deals https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ford-announce-new-battery-material-deals-investor-event-2023-05-22/ - doubts about Ford's ability to actually hit their EV production targets - But do people even WANT to buy F-150? - Ford says its electric vehicle unit is on track to lose …

Host Nishant Jain presents the idea that writing and drawing are literally the same thing. If you can do one, you can also do the other. This episode was recorded for paid subscribers of SneakyArt. ❤️ Love this show? Become a SneakyArt Insider to support it! More good ideas: 💻 Read The Role of Art in the Age of AI. 📖 Learn why Nishant self-publishe…

Big Oil Has $150 Billion in Cash and Investors Want a Share https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-oil-has-150-billion-in-cash-and-investors-want-a-share-b5cdea35 - oil companies sitting on cash now, but they may need that cash for when prices are lower - should they return all this cash to shareholders now or keep it to pay out in dividends throughout t…

Host Nishant Jain takes a look at Goodhart’s Law, originally coined to describe monetary policy, but applies it instead to the business of being an artist today. No matter how successful (or unsuccessful) you are at social media, here are some good reasons to never look at the numbers. "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a useful meas…

China’s mixed economic data fuels concerns about recovery https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/05/01/business/china-economic-recovery-concerns/# - Is this something that China can deal with domestically? Or is it the fault of the global economy which isn't ordering as much stuff from China? - China's consumer demand is doing ok, but the industria…

Biden admin preparing major crackdown on power plants that fuel nation's grid https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-preparing-major-crackdown-power-plants-fuel-nations-grid - EPA planning to issue regulation that would limit emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Basically would require plants to shut down or install costly carbon capture …

Author, artist, and designer George McCalman speaks about making his award-winning book (Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen) at the intersection of twin curiosities - to learn more about black history, and to find out if he could be an artist. This is a conversation about curiosity, the importance of following your own co…

Russia forecasts stable oil output to 2025, to set up stockpiles https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-forecasts-stable-oil-output-2025-set-up-stockpiles-2023-04-17/ - Russia wants to build their stockpiles. Are they taking 500,000bpd off the market and putting it in storage or are they going to cut production in order to keep that oil in …

San Francisco based artist, naturalist and educator John Muir Laws talks about nature-journaling and the many benefits of paying deep attention to our natural environment. (00:13:50) Sketching in the wild (00:43:21) Ways to keep a nature journal. (00:59:23) John’s lifelong obsession with field guides and nature conservancy. (01:24:13) They read poe…

OPEC+ announces surprise oil output cuts https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/sarabia-other-opec-producers-announce-voluntary-oil-output-cuts-2023-04-02/ - Does OPEC think that China's oil demand isn't coming back strong? - Russia retaliating against price cap from West - Want to defend $80 or higher oil - Could it be about speculation? Speculat…

The SneakyArt Podcast returns for a new season. Host Nishant Jain speaks about his recent art residency aboard the TransLink, Vancouver’s public transit system. What can be learned from drawing on trains? Nishant speaks about pushing outside his comfort zone, engaging with the public, and facing his fears. ✍🏼 Read about his experience and see all t…

Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. Clash Over Oil, Yemen as Rift Grows https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-and-u-a-e-clash-over-oil-yemen-as-rift-grows-ff286ff9 - "Once close friends, the two biggest Arab economies are increasingly competing for money and power" - Will the UAE leave OPEC? - Doubtful because UAE benefits more by staying in OPEC - They li…

Russia to cut oil output by 500,000 bpd in March https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-cut-oil-output-by-500000-bpd-march-2023-02-10/ -"As of today, we are fully selling the entire volume of oil produced, however, as stated earlier, we will not sell oil to those who directly or indirectly adhere to the principles of the 'price cap'," Novak…

No OPEC ministerial meeting, but the Saudi oil minister gets his 2-cents in Saudi energy minister cautious on oil production, warns on investment outlook and geopoliticshttps://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/020423-saudi-energy-minister-cautious-on-oil-production-warns-on-investment-outlook-and-geopolitics- AB…

Worst London air pollution in six years as home fires burnhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/27/worst-london-air-pollution-in-six-years-as-home-fires-burn - wood is a really dirty burning fuel - its expensive to pay for heating, people turning to fires, but this is actually a really high emission fuel Natural Gas Shortages Hit China a…

Russian oil trade remains in ship-shape as the EU price cap has failed to stem Moscow's freight and insurance income, analyst sayshttps://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russian-oil-india-china-not-cheap-shipping-fees-kpler-analyst-2023-1 - "Debunking number one, no one really knows the price of Russian oil" - Urals blend may be priced…

China’s corn-based ethanol fuel threatens food security while crowding the market, state commentary warns https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3207013/chinas-corn-based-ethanol-fuel-threatens-food-security-while-crowding-market-state-commentary-warns#Echobox=1673879264 - China can't feed its own people, and they are using corn for fue…

Oil rises on demand optimism as China borders reopen https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-nudges-higher-after-china-opens-borders-lifts-fuel-demand-outlook-2023-01-09/ - we are seeing back and forth with whether CHina's demand is going to surge or not - Saudi Arabia cuts its OSP to Asia - indicates they think that demand in China is soft - C…

Subscribe to the newsletter WTI higher or lower than $73, Brent higher or lower than $77? Ellen-Higher Ryan-says Lower (but really thinks higher) Biden adviser calls investor refusal to ramp up shale drilling ‘un-American’ https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3771025-biden-adviser-calls-investor-refusal-to-ramp-up-shale-drilling-un-america…

Subscribe to the newsletter Oil prices rose as much as 2% on hopes of China’s reopening and as OPEC+ maintains output cut targetshttps://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/oil-prices-rise-as-much-as-2percent-on-signs-of-china-covid-easing.html - OPEC decided production quotas from Oct 5 continued through end of 2023, next meeting June 4, 2023 - Meetings of JM…

Subscribe to the newsletter Biden gives Chevron permit to restart Venezuelan oil saleshttps://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/26/biden-chevron-permit-venezuelan-oil-sales-00070836 Chevron can resume key role in Venezuela's oil output, exportshttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-issues-expanded-license-allow-chevron-import-venezuelan-petroleum-2…

Seattle-based artist and traveller Sunil Shinde speaks about retracing the 1839 expedition of British artist David Roberts through the biblical Holy Land. This conversation is at the intersection of travel, history, and art. In this respect, it is really about three distinct journeys - Sunil’s journey through the Middle East, the 1839 expedition of…

Frackers Say Oil Production Slowing in the Shale Patch https://www.wsj.com/articles/frackers-say-oil-production-slowing-in-the-shale-patch-11667743226 - problem is that frackers are drilling in gassier areas - will likely get more production in 2023 because of rejiggering where they drill, etc. - WSJ very different interpretation of info from what …