Everyone wants to feel validated for what they do. But what happens when the validation you seek doesn’t turn out the way you’d like? How do you respond? In this video, Campbell Walker shares an experience from his adolescence, when he mustered up the courage to show his art teacher his sketchbook and didn’t get the reaction he expected.
It took Campbell ten years to recover from this experience and feel he was ‘allowed’ to draw again. Campbell realized that art was not something ‘other people did’, but perhaps was for anyone who tried giving it a shot.
Campbell shares an interesting analogy with an idea called “The Helsinki Bus Station,” proposed by Finnish photographer, Arno Rafael Minkkinen. Watch the video and learn how building a creative career is akin to Helsinki Bus Station.
About Campbell Walker
Campbell began his internet career posting cartoons online in 2016 and within a few years became one of Australia’s most talked-about content creators. He has since made content with Comedy Central, Spotify, Splendour in the Grass, Vice, Pedestrian TV, GQ, The Betoota Advocate, CUB, Tinder, and Universal Music.
He has over half a million followers across 3 platforms (YouTube, Instagram and Facebook) and an innate understanding of how to consistently go viral and nurture an audience. He does this via video, animation, artwork, and podcasts.
Campbell is known for his unique combination of cynicism, creativity, nihilism and kindness.
Underneath the Struthless brand, Campbell has amassed millions of views and shares, written comic books, created an apparel line, sold-out international solo galleries, created a live comedy show called Flopfest (a panel show about the worst videos on the internet), hosted workshops, and performed live art at festivals around the country. He also co-hosts a podcast God is Dead with Triple J’s Bryce Mills.
Before he made content for himself, Campbell worked as a Creative Director for multiple advertising and production agencies, giving him a solid education in writing, producing, directing, film, post-production, and corporate Australia. Notable clients include Gatorade, the NFL and Samsung. Other past jobs include tattooist, taxi driver, and CMO of Step One.
Campbell spends most days at a laptop, a sketchbook, a camera, or a wall as it slowly gets painted.