<p>Can you actually have a career in street art?</p>
<p>After a while, I began to see that there was a way to make it work. I see it as a way to let others know that they can develop what they like to do into something worthwhile. That's how I see it.</p>
<h2>How I Became a Street Artist</h2>
<p>Hello, I am Patcharapon Taengruen<br />aka Alex Face. I'm an artist.</p>
<h3>An Artists' Perspective</h3>
<p>Today at CI Talks, I will be talking about my work experience, my thoughts and my approach to self-development.</p>
<h3>A Natural Childhood</h3>
<p>I was born and raised in Chachoengsao. My dad was a minibus driver for traders in Bangpakong market. My mom worked at a factory nearby.</p>
<p>My grandmother was a rice farmer. I used to help Grandma on the farm. At the time, I didn't think much about it. "Go and help grandma out". So I went to help harvest her rice, spending days in the sun.</p>
<p>Looking back, I feel lucky to have been raised in that environment. I could row a boat, play in the canal, and play in the mud like children in open fields. I saw the colors changing; from vivid green just after sowing to darker tones of green, before changing into yellow. I climbed trees and played with clay. Looking back, it's like these things enabled me to develop my artistic skills.</p>
<h3>Finding My Passion in Art</h3>
<p>I started getting serious at secondary school as there was an art room and art teacher. I got into the art club and was an active member, spending my time drawing in the art room. I had the chance to represent the school in an art competition. So I became even more serious.</p>
<p>I remember from grades 7-9, I was mostly in the art room. It was clear to me that I really liked art; something many view as a kid's activity. I began to ask myself what I should continue to study.</p>
<p>Back then, everyone thought that studying art was not a good choice because art was not a good career. I was urged to continue studying to Grade 4. My family's goal for me was education, to graduate with a degree.</p>
<p>I asked myself what I wanted in life and the answer was to study art. I persuaded my family, reassuring them that I would go to university and study art, that I would graduate with a degree.</p>
<p>My parents allowed me to pursue art.</p>
<h3>Graffiti and Street Art</h3>
<p>I started doing street art at university, when I was in the second or third year. I had a group of friends and we were into skateboarding. I started listening to hip-hop and graffiti came from this phase in my life; from a skateboard magazine, from the hip hop culture.</p>
<p>One day, I was walking back to my dorm and came across a construction shop. I asked for 2 tins of paint. Walking further I saw a wreck, a wreck of an old bus. I stopped on my journey home and said to myself "let's do this". This time, I only painted "Alex", my name. I just felt so good. Maybe it's the act of spraying, like I could release something.</p>
<p>People see what we do and the diversity of our work. It's that feeling of opening up, revealing ourselves to the world.</p>
<p>While studying art, I learned that this kind of artwork would take a long time to finish; months for some pieces. But here I was, finishing it in 5 or 10 minutes. It was as though I'd found a new technique.</p>
<p>Graffiti was a hobby I could do with friends. We found new places to spray and met new friends.</p>
<p>After a while, Lad Krabang, where I stayed, was full of graffiti.</p>
<h3>Getting Inspired to Paint</h3>
<p>What is my inspiration?</p>
<p>First of all, it is my kid. I am inspired to go out and paint about various issues, through the character of a kid.</p>
<p>I think art is a perfect medium to record what happens in society at a certain time.</p>
<h3>The International Art World</h3>
<p>I held an exhibition hoping that it would change my life around. The feedback was good to an extent. I saw it as a stepping stone. Looking back, I could sell my artwork. I sold like all of them, sold out.</p>
<p>But I didn't set prices too high. I reasoned that if I could sell some of my work it would take me to the next step and more exhibitions. In that respect, it was a great success.</p>
<p>I got a lot of money which I invested in traveling abroad. I had dreamed of painting overseas for a long time. So I took my child and family to work on various projects with European friends.</p>
<p>In 2013, I went to the UK. At that time, the Brits loved graffiti and street art. I met a lot of people while painting there. I was interviewed about graffiti and street art by the press but when they talked to me, they didn't know where I was from at first. So they asked and I told them that I came from Bangkok, Thailand. They were like "Thailand!". They were really happy. They hadn't met a Thai graffiti artist before.</p>
<p>That experience made me really proud. I had achieved something that other Thai people rarely manage to do. Creating International Brand Identity After that, I worked with several brands, Mercedes in 2017, Coach in 2019, and SEIKO. It was like an ad campaign for them.</p>
<p>It's an example of how, with this kind of work, we can have international clients. In fact, in this online era I think it's easy as you can market your work to the world. It was different before with no social media, no Facebook.</p>
<h2>5 Self Development Keys for Artists</h2>
<p>From my personal experience I have 5 tips to help anyone wanting to pursue a career in arts.</p>
<h3>Find your Strengths</h3>
<p>First, you need to find your strengths.</p>
<p>You may need to start by experimenting. Don't worry whether it will look good. It may not look good. It may be a mess. Don't think too much. Just do it, and if you have fun, keep doing it and your skills will gradually develop by themselves.</p>
<h3>Create Opportunities for Yourself</h3>
<p>Second, create opportunities for yourself and be ready for opportunities that come your way.</p>
<p>To find opportunities, you need to be open minded. Talk to people about what you're doing, present yourself.</p>
<p>For example my first exhibition started from a talk with someone I knew. He asked whether I wanted to exhibit my artwork. I said yes, I'm ready straight away. because I had paintings all over my house. When the opportunity came, I was able to make it straight away. I didn't wait or get ready for the exhibition.</p>
<p>So if you are ready for the opportunities, whenever they come, you can seize them. Making it easy for our first step.</p>
<h3>Become a Better Person</h3>
<p>Third is learning from your friends and network.</p>
<p>Hang around people who you think are more talented than you. You can then learn a lot from them and develop yourself.</p>
<p>You can&rsquo;t always go it alone. Our society and friends around us can help us develop ourselves. It&rsquo;s about being among people who create a good and positive environment. Try to steer yourself towards a good environment.</p>
<h3>Keep Improving Yourself</h3>
<p>Fourth, is to never stop improving yourself.</p>
<p>I have to keep trying to improve myself. The longer you work, the more you have to improve on the quality of our work. I always try to find new information. I read books and develop my languages, and other skills; anything that will be an an advantage to our future work. I think it is important that we have an open mind and continue to develop ourselves.</p>
<h3>Be Patient &amp; Stay Focused</h3>
<p>Fifth is to be patient.</p>
<p>In the arts, there are no shortcuts. You have to go through processes and prove yourself. You have to practice and go through the processes not knowing if they will be successful. I personally believe I've been successful working in the art world. I continue to create artworks. I do what I like doing.</p>
<p>Back when I was a kid, there was a term "the poor artist", "There's a poor artist, That's the poor artist!". I was worried that I would become that poor artist. But at that time I made a choice to be poor so long as I could paint. I really thought that way.</p>
<p>I believe that our main goal should be to feel that we are happy doing what we do. I think this is the main key to keep in mind. Then there are goals, but we have to be patient and wait for those goals. I felt that I knew what I was doing. I liked doing it and it felt right.</p>
<p>People and other distractions come to take us off our path. Listen to them. Ignore them or they will make you lose confidence in your goals. We all have a flow so let it flow naturally. Do it because you love to do it. Everything will then come automatically.</p>
<p>CI Talks</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The <a href="https://citalks.com/talk/creating-a-personal-brand">Creating a Personal Brand</a> video web series is brought to you by CI Talks. Find more inspirational videos and stories that spark change on <a href="https://citalks.com">CITalks.com</a> and be inspired to take action and grow.</p>

Can you actually have a successful career in street art? Find inspiration from Bangkok street artist Alex Face and get 5 self development tips for artists.

How to Become a Street Artist with Alex Face | CI Talks

How to Become a Street Artist with Alex Face

<p>Hello, I am Bon Prisa Jakobsen, Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer and Online Content Creator.</p>
<p>We have learnt 5 key skills to help us work as a team, most of which are about self-awareness. Now for 6-10, they are going to be about communicating with others.</p>
<h2>6. Understand Other People's Strengths</h2>
<p>Sixth, understand other people's strengths.</p>
<p>Actually, this is quite automatic. If you understand yourself, you'll start to see strengths in other people. Don't just look at what they're not good at.</p>
<p>Imagine if someone tells you, "You don't look so confident when you speak." They would be highlighting a weakness. But if they came up and said "You're such a detailed planner. I really like your work. It's so easy to follow." When someone recognizes your strengths, you are happy to work with them. Who would you prefer to work with? Of course, people who see the good in us.</p>
<p>If we find what each team member is good at, not only do they love us but we will also know, when the team needs specific skills, who to go to.</p>
<p>For example, I have a deadline which requires work to be urgently completed. We need to rush to complete the project. We know that Jang's strength is public speaking. "Jang, You speak so well, please help.". Or a client doesn't like a proposed idea. We need a revision today. We know Bom is a very creative person. Bom, can you help me?</p>
<p>First, they get to do good for the team. Second, they'll be proud to use their strengths. Giving someone the chance to feel proud of themselves is the best gift you can ever give them.</p>
<h2>7. Communication and Teamwork</h2>
<p>The 7th key is communication; communicating with the team to align goals. Where are we today? What direction are we going in? Communication is the most important thing.</p>
<p>Have you ever watched a cooking show? The Chef working in the kitchen is yelling all the time, shouting "the fish is almost cooked, where are the vegetables? How long before we can serve? The gravy must come at the same time!". If they don't communicate with each other, the fish may arrive first, stand around and go dry. The gravy will thicken while it's waiting for the vegetables.</p>
<p>Team communication is essential. It's vital.</p>
<h2>8. Be Responsible For Your Work</h2>
<p>The eighth key is responsibility. Let's say you have all 7 skills so far, but you lack responsibility for your work. You compliment other people's strengths but your own work is never finished. No-one will want to work with you.</p>
<p>So it's really important to be responsible for your own work; to be accountable.</p>
<h2>9. Know Their Language</h2>
<p>Number 9; learn each other's language. Of course, in Thailand our language is Thai, but here we are talking about &ldquo;language&rdquo; in a different context.</p>
<p>For example, one person may be analytical; they hear some news and start analyzing different scenarios; what could have happened. That means this person likes reasoning and evidence. When you talk with them you need to present both valid reasoning and evidence. For example, if you said "I think this idea is better", they will say "OK, but where's the evidence?". So you need to know that they like evidence.</p>
<p>Some people have a lot of empathy and are good at understanding people's feelings. So, when you talk to them, you should use emotional language. For example, "I'm uncomfortable doing this because I'm not good at it". "Uncomfortable" would be the keyword for someone with empathy, because they relate to emotions well.</p>
<p>For some, language may be small things. I've got a friend who works in an organization and she says her boss really likes shredded pork. When she&rsquo;s in meetings with her boss, she brings shredded pork with her.</p>
<p>This is understanding each other's language, by knowing people's likes and dislikes. Trust me, when you talk in their language, the conversation will be easy.</p>
<h2>10. Use Positive Words</h2>
<p>Number 10, the last take home, is to use positive words.</p>
<p>Inject positive psychology into your work. Positive psychology is about using positive words. For example, instead of saying that the result is "awful", lose "awful" in favor of "The results show there's room for improvement". It's more encouraging.</p>
<p>Or instead of saying, "This project is hard", we can change "hard" to "challenging". We can say, "This project is challenging". You feel it when it's spoken, right? It fuels us to do the task.</p>
<p>So try to notice when someone says something that makes you feel empowered. Store those words to use among your team, because these words are the fuel that ignites your team.</p>
<h2>Becoming a Good Team Player</h2>
<p>So these are the 10 keys that will help people on the team love you and you to accept yourself.</p>
<p>It's easy. You just need to know the skills you have that can help the team, including empathy; understanding others. Let other people shine with their skills, be responsible for your work, and reach out to team members when you can. Use positive language among your team, and keep communication flowing all the time.</p>
<p>That's it! The team will be effective and everyone in the team will love each other. You could be the superstar of the team who everyone loves and accepts.</p>
<p>CI Talks.</p>
<p>Have you watched Episode 1? Get Bon Jakobsen&rsquo;s first 5 takeaways in: &ldquo;<a href="https://citalks.com/talk/working-as-a-team-player/video">Working as a Team Player</a>&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The <a>Future of Work</a> video web series is brought to you by CI Talks. Find more inspirational videos and stories that spark change on <a>CITalks.com</a> and be inspired to take action and grow.</p>

What are the skills that make a good team player? Read Communication Skills for Team Players on CI Talks & learn how to become more effective on your team.

Communication Skills for Team Players Script | CI Talks

Communication Skills for Team Players Script

<p>Know yourself. Know your strengths and your weaknesses, to increase teamwork efficiency.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, if you ask someone to name the thing that makes them most uncomfortable at work, most will say it's not the work itself but the people; their bosses or their colleagues.</p>
<p>When we work as a team, there can be communication issues, conflicts of thought or style. But have you ever noticed that person in the workplace who is the popular superstar of the team, and adored by everyone? That person has certain skills. The good news is those skills can be learned.</p>
<p><strong>Hello, I am Bon Prisa Jakobsen. Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer and Online Content Creator.</strong></p>
<p>Most of my work helps people to better understand themselves by knowing their strengths and weaknesses. , including how to talk in public, to help make people become more confident in themselves. I am also an executive coach. This involves building confidence and helping executives reflect and achieve more clarity in leading their respective organizations.</p>
<h2>Identify Your Skills</h2>
<p>Some say those who can communicate well are born with this talent. It's God's gift. I beg to differ. Otherwise, there wouldn't be schools for communication or public speaking.</p>
<p>These skills can be learned. Some may be more lucky than others; their upbringing, their lives, and the environment force them to use their communication skills. That's why they are good at speaking because they have been using that skill. Some families don't really communicate or lack social circles, so they are not good at speaking. That said, skills are there to be developed. I believe in human potential to overcome anything.</p>
<p>Throughout my 10 years of work, training or coaching, what I see in a person who is widely accepted in the team is that they possess common skills. Let me call them the key skills that will make a person work smoothly in a team. We'll talk about those skills here on CI Talks.</p>
<h2>Be the Ultimate Team Player at Work</h2>
<h3>Believe in Teamwork</h3>
<p>First is to believe in teamwork. Why? Your beliefs are your thoughts. Thoughts lead to feelings and feelings lead to behaviors.</p>
<p>Let's say you prefer going solo, you perform when you do things by yourself. How will your behavior be? It's likely you don't communicate, avoid people and work alone. But when you believe teamwork is great and that it'll help you go far, It'll be reflected in your behavior. You will cooperate, talk, consult and will do anything to make the team run more smoothly. Therefore, believing that teamwork is better than working alone is very important.</p>
<h3>Know Your Strengths</h3>
<p>Second is to know your strengths. You need to know what talents you have. These talents need nurturing. Talents that you are born with may not have been realized or developed yet. It means that when you use those skills, you may still have a blind spot. There may be angles that you miss whilst using those skills. Some people are naturally drawn to responsibility. Their blind spot may be overwork and no family time. To overcome these blind spots, you need to understand your talents and transform them into strengths.</p>
<h3>Understand your Strengths</h3>
<p>Third is to understand your strengths. Many don't know their strengths or selling points. There are 3 ways to better understand yourself.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>1- Ask a friend</strong><br />First, find your strengths via friends and people around you because they see us in ways that we do not see ourselves. They can point out what you do well. For example, they may say you are good at taking care of people and offering advice. You see that your strength is helping others. You can also say that it's empathy; understanding the feelings of others.</li>
<li><strong>2- Review yourself</strong><br />Second is to review and question yourself. Has your skill led to 1) Achievement, 2) Happiness and 3) a desire to use the skill again. Many times I have told people that they need to search for their own strengths. Someone may say, "My strength is cooking.". Cooking is not a strength though. You need to focus on skills, not what you like to do.</li>
<li><strong>3- Take a Strengths Finder Test </strong><br />Third is to take a strengths-finder test. You'll discover your core strengths.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What Skills Do You Bring to the Team?</h3>
<p>Fourth is to realize how your strengths contribute to teamwork. When you know what your strengths are, let's say to immediately execute the tasks, you have a very efficient work ethic. This is what we call Activator.</p>
<p>Once you know that you are that kind of person, you will need to look into your team and see how your attributes can contribute. When there's an additional or urgent project you will be able to persuade the team why you need to do this right now. Those who have the skills to do work quickly will also drive others to start working promptly. It's like being a motivator for others.</p>
<p>Hence, understanding yourself is one thing. But to understand how your skills can add on to the team is how you become well loved by the team.</p>
<h3>Help Others When You Can</h3>
<p>Fifth is about help. Helping others when we can. Because when working as a team, everyone has their own duties.</p>
<p>Let's say you are so overwhelmed with work when suddenly your colleague comes up and asks if you need help. How do you feel? Grateful, thankful and happy right? Even though they may not be able to help much, it's the thought that counts, isn't it?</p>
<p>You can also be that person. Whenever you are done with your work, try walking up to your colleagues and see how your strengths can be of benefit to them. Once you have offered them help, they'll feel thankful and love you more.</p>
<h2>Teamwork is Important for Success</h2>
<p>I think, no matter what, teamwork will not disappear from this world. Even though the situations may require us to be separated, humans are naturally born with the "social brain". We think together, we improve on things together.</p>
<p>According to studies, to solve a problem, working as a team will get a better solution than doing it alone. I feel that humans will always need each other.</p>
<p>CI Talks</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The <a href="https://citalks.com/talk/future-of-work">Future of Work</a> video web series is brought to you by CI Talks. Find more inspirational videos and stories that spark change on <a href="https://citalks.com">CITalks.com</a> and be inspired to take action and grow.</p>

Read the Working as a Team Player script from Bon Jakobsen's CI Talk. Know your strengths & turn them into skills to supercharge the workplace.

Working as a Team Player Script - Bon Jakobsen | CI Talks

Working as a Team Player Script

Have you ever wanted to express yourself through art, but felt like there was no way to make it happen? Watch "Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist" to learn how he turned his passion for art into career success and get 5 self development tips to make your art a reality.

Watch Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist on CI Talks. Find inspiration from someone who turned a passion for art into a successful career.

Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist | CI Talks

Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist

Communication skills are essential if you want your team to succeed. Learn how to get along with your colleagues and make them want to work with you. Discover 5 types of communication that will help you achieve this and make you an invaluable player on the team.

Watch the Communication Skills for Team Players video on CI Talks. Learn how to get along with your colleagues and make them want to work with you.

Communication Skills for Team Players | CI Talks

Communication Skills for Team Players

Bon Jakobsen, an executive coach and online content creator, is here to show you how to become a highly likeable person in the workplace. Watch "Working as a Team Player" to get tips on turning your strengths into skills that will supercharge teamwork and drive business success.

Watch Working as a Team Player with executive coach and online content creator Bon Jakobsen. Fin out how to become a highly likeable person in the workplace.

Talks

Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist

Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist

Communication Skills for Team Players

Communication Skills for Team Players

Working as a Team Player

Working as a Team Player

Articles

How to Become a Street Artist with Alex …

Communication Skills for Team Players Sc…

Working as a Team Player Script

Talks

Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist

Alex Face on Becoming a Street Artist

Communication Skills for Team Players

Communication Skills for Team Players

Working as a Team Player

Working as a Team Player

Articles

How to Become a Street Artist with Alex …

Communication Skills for Team Players Sc…

Working as a Team Player Script

Newsletter

Stories that spark change