Meet Brandon Herman: Artist and writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Herman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
My habits around structuring my work time are key for me.

Specifically:

I break things down into “next indicated right actions.” I can get overwhelmed looking at the big picture of a project and never feel a sense of accomplishment. So, I think about what is the next immediate action to push something forward–a phone call, an email, some research?

I use timeframes to help to clarify a next indicated right action. For example, I might ask myself: if I have ten minutes to push this project forward, how would I spend it? And I use small increments of time like ten minutes a lot. I find that consistently showing up for projects ten minutes at a time (say, ten minutes a day) helps me stay active, rather than waiting for that ever-elusive, uninterrupted multi-hour stretch of time we never seem to find. I’ve brought a lot of things to fruition just doing ten minutes a day.

For something I’m more actively involved in at the moment, or that’s a more fully developed project–eg. a writing project–I might do an hour a day. Or if something is in full-swing and I’m pushing toward a deadline, I will list the actions that must be completed and give each of those timeframes, ie. one hour of editing, thirty minutes on prep for a call, one hour to review press materials, etc. But I try to stay mindful of the times that I can’t find full hours and won’t settle for twenty minutes on something. The mind is funny in the way that it can think zero minutes is better than twenty when an hour was the ideal. Even one minute is better than zero, but I forget that.

I have a buddy who I text most mornings and tell him the top six things I want to accomplish that day. In doing this, I am forced to look at my day before starting it and ask myself what’s most important to me. I try to have three of those items be personal, so that my day is balanced and isn’t all work. As I knock stuff off the list, I shoot him a text and let him know. It seems like it’s adding an extra step but I can feel the benefit of stopping to acknowledge completion rather than hurrying on to the next uncompleted item.

He’s a music producer, so I don’t necessarily understand all of the work on his list, and he doesn’t know what all of my to-do items are. That’s not the point. It’s more about pushing ourselves toward identifying the objectives of the day clearly enough to communicate to another person, and then letting them know when those things are done. And we root each other on, and support each other when one or the other feels like saying “fuck it” that day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I actually try not to bother with what sets me apart from others. I have no idea what it’s like to be anyone else, and the perception of being different or unique is so subjective anyway. Creating from a place of trying to stand out doesn’t feel genuine or sustainable. I think that truth resonates above all else in art. I always try to come back to the question: what can I offer? And the source of that offering is my truth and experience. What can I share (from my experience, from my heart)?

I’m proud of how much I’ve followed my enjoyment in my creative work. I’ve used art-making and writing as a means to explore life and the things that really light me up. And I think people are drawn to that enjoyment, so I can see it helping others

I’m excited about what I can feel is a deepening of my connection with the intuition guiding me. As an adult I’ve often tried to edit or train out the parts of myself I didn’t like, or the things that caused me pain. I’ve been afraid to make mistakes, and then dead set on not repeating them. I can feel myself now reconnecting to those messier and “uglier” parts of me that I’ve in the past tried to hide or sever, and including them in my work, and also looking to them as valuable parts of the treasure map. I often think of Santiago in ‘The Alchemist,’ and how important his disappointments were in leading him to his destiny.

I think the greatest contributing factor in getting me to where I am today has been showing up for relationships with as little expectation of any return as possible. I know; easier said than done. But everything I can think of that dramatically leveled things up for me was the result of me connecting with another person and giving of myself and my time. The results of all the pounding the pavement combined wouldn’t add up to what even one of those relationships has done for me. And yes, when I realize that at its most basic, life is just: show up, be kind, have fun, take responsibility; it was easy. It’s the chaos and fear in my head that makes it hard.

The lessons have been countless and varied, but the overarching message for me has been that the best approach to everything is to show up and ask: how can I help?

I honestly could care less what the world knows about me or my brand and my story. All I care about is being open and receptive enough to not miss the opportunities when my story can help someone.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hike through Murphy Ranch Trail in the Palisades–it’s like an entire canyon made out of that graffiti-filled creek where you’d smoke weed with your friends in middle school–grimy and beautiful all at once.

Looks like the Bourgeois Pig in Franklin Village isn’t open late right now, but whenever later hours resume again, I’d say late night tea in their back room–it’s like this little elf forest.

Tats by Sean from Texas–no one does it dark and morbid like Sean. His name might be slightly misleading re: location, but I think he’s one of the coolest tattoo artists working in LA.

My studio–an all white cube that’s part dance studio, part movie theater, part indoor garden.

Double Zero in Venice–I’m vegan so this may not be exciting to the haters, but nobody does vegan pizza like Double Zero. Even the meat eaters love it.

Palm Springs–even though the desert’s gotten more trendy in recent years, the bygone vibe in Palm Springs proper is still palpable, and the drama of the mountains surrounding all those flats is unreal.

Weather permitting, time on the beach in Malibu and a sunset drive on the PCH are both musts.

I live right near Melrose Place and always love a little walk down that block and a tea from Alfred.

Altadena is a vibe. And if the visit is timed right, a Sunday morning at the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena is always a fun outing. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My friends. Fuck, what would I do without them?

Website: https://brandonclayherman.tumblr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonthedogsitter/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonclayherman/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMX7s_vMRh12hMVSEQoLthQ

Image Credits
All images copyright Brandon Herman