Editing The Pen Addict 272/transcript (section)

== Field Notes ==


'''Joey Feldman:''' I just want to hear Myke talk about the latest field notes and how awesome it is and how they send them the 17,000 of them and how you guys have your black wing pencils. That's all I want to talk about.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I mean I know you have a field notes tattoo across your back. So I know you're a huge field notes fan. And you should come to the field notes event we're going to have in October. We'll have more news on that soon. And maybe I can get you to do the posters for that.

'''Joey Feldman:''' Wait, I'm busy that day.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Sorry. Dang it. I can't make it. That's unfortunate.

'''Joey Feldman:''' No, I'm not knocking the brand or anything like that. I know.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' We like to have fun. Yeah. We like to have fun. So I do want to talk about your artwork though because even if I didn't know you and love you, like the style of art that you create is right up my alley. And if you could, can you describe like your artwork as, I don't know if that's even possible or even a fair question to ask you. Can you describe your style of art?

'''Joey Feldman:''' Uh, it's a spontaneous ink line. Um, I never know what I'm going to do. Uh, you know, unless I have the idea or it's like a commission, but, um, it just, it's always been the way that I've drawn. And, uh, you know, that, that's really, it's all about mistakes. It's about including the mistakes. It's all about spontaneity and, and, and trying to incorporate my feeling at the time in this drawing or painting that I'm doing.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Um, so when I, when I watch you draw or, you know, if you're, you're sketching on the side, not doing anything, you know, just observing, I, I don't as much look at the output as think about what's happening in your head at the time. And that's what I can't grasp. And I think what maybe a lot of people can't grasp how you're prolific you are and how that is possible. Like, have you always been that way? Like when you were a kid, was the stuff just gushing out of your brain or were you like dropped on your head at some point? And then it started like, did you always used to be able to do this? Because it's, it's crazy to watch you work because I have a feeling if someone didn't physically stop you, you would not stop.

'''Joey Feldman:''' Uh, well, this is a loaded question. I was dropped on my head at a very early age. If you haven't noticed, you know, taken notice to that. Um, you know what I was, I had. I had such a, a hatred for learning in class. Like I hated school, like just with such a passion, I would always draw like, you know, on the inside of the lines of the margin of the, the mead books and stuff. And, you know, I failed art. Like I just, I really, you know, like I said, I'm an only child. I had some things happen to me when I was younger that really affected me. And, you know, like a lot of people in the pain community where, uh, we like to isolate and we like to, uh, introverts, you know, and big time. Yeah. So I've always just picking up materials and, and drawn, uh, I've had several jobs. Like I worked at tower records doing store displays. Um, but, and, and I've had jobs over the years, but I'm really not good at anything else except drawing. Like there's no plan B for me. Like you're not going to see me working anywhere. And the other thing is, is an emotional part about it is, is like, I walk around, you know, and I observe and I feel things a lot. Like I, I kind of think like, you know, my, my, like my skin has no skin and I pick up people's feelings like Bruce Willis and unbreakable. Like, right. I feel really like that. So I, I, when I draw, it kind of gets it out on the paper and whether it's a monster or it's, you know, it's just some kind of, you know, obscure thing. There's some type of emotion that I'm trying to get out of me to put on paper. And yeah, you're right. If, if I had the chance to just sit around and draw, draw, draw, draw, draw, that's all I would do all day.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. Yeah. And I, I've watched it in action and I see the look in your eyes and I see the output on the page and like, I can, like, I can see it and I can see the emotions and just knowing you, like you and I like to have, you know, a fun and good time. But I know how serious and like emotional you are and, and dedicated to, to honing your craft. It's like, it's, it's very, very impressive to me. And I'm like, I'm lucky to be around you. I feel like it's, you're, you're infectious in the way you go about things. Wow.

'''Joey Feldman:''' That's very kind of you to say that. You know, if I don't draw Brad, I get very depressed. Like there's a couple of things that I need to do each day. Like, first of all, is to have a daily routine that I keep, you know, and like I meditate twice a day for my head to keep my head down. But like, if I get up and like I journal, I do a couple pages of just mindless stuff and then a gratitude list. And, and then I draw, like I've, I've filled up a couple pages in my sketchbook today of stuff. I don't even know what it is. It's just doodles. Right. But if I don't do that, for some reason, I don't feel like I have a purpose, if that makes any sense. Mm-hmm. And no one may ever see, for all the stuff that gets posted on social media, there's probably 10 to 15 more that never make it on there. You know, that like, as we're sitting here, I just filled up a few pages of notebook cards. And, you know, I have to do it. It's something like I have to do. And, you know, you could ask my fiance or anybody that's been around me for a while, when I'm not being creative in some capacity, I'm miserable. I'm kind of like Myke. Yeah. You know?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. He's miserable all the time. All the time. It's kind of insufferable. Jeez. He's British. So what are, what are some of the favorite projects you've worked on, like in the past year or two? Does anything really stand out?

'''Joey Feldman:''' Uh, well, a year ago, a couple of days ago, I did a poster for Pearl Jam at Wrigley Field.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Like they had a big concert there, right? Yeah. Or a series of concerts.

'''Joey Feldman:''' Yeah. They had a couple of concerts. I think it was two nights and it was the end of the tour and five artists got to do posters. And I did one of them. And, uh, it was, it was, I mean, it was a true honor because this is a band that's been around for such a long time. And, you know, you talk about a community of, of, you know, a fans and people like I just, the people that I met just from doing that paper, it's been life changing, life changing. And I got some projects out of that. That was really fun to do. Um, I have a couple of things coming up.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I really can't talk about, uh, yeah, I've seen pictures and I'm jacked. Yeah.

'''Joey Feldman:''' I, I mean, yeah, I've shown you a couple of things.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Uh, Joey knows me well enough to know what to show me and to get me hyped. And he did it this weekend.