Welcome back to the studio—this video is me working through a new oil painting project while I rant about something I think is affecting basically all artists right now: what I’m calling “distorted creative intentions.” I start from an old, super quick reference shoot I did with my friend Nicole (originally for an illustration that got scrapped), then rebuild the idea with a crude pencil sketch, a ton of iPad iterations, and very reference-heavy problem solving—especially for the gun perspective and hand placement. I’m not a concept artist, so I’m honest about needing to trace and iterate to “chisel” the idea into something workable. Then I get into the toxic part: the subtle shift that happens the moment you know you’re going to post your art. I’m not anti–social media at all—it built my career—but I’ve seen firsthand how the algorithm’s hunger for constant output can quietly warp why you’re making things. My main takeaway is the “pie chart of intentions”: every project has multiple agendas (joy, learning, money, reach, video performance), and if you don’t acknowledge the slices, social media will start choosing them for you. I also show a very real painting decision—trying a chaotic lightning background, hating it, repainting it into a simple vignette—and why keeping the focus clean matters.