Make Do: Recent Episodes
Relay FM
Tiff Arment and Julia Skott talk about art and making. They won’t teach you how to turn your creativity into a business. Or how to do anything, really. They just want to talk about doing stuff. Hosted by Tiffany Arment and Julia Skott.
We discuss that feeling where there's absolutely not enough time. And we're taking the summer off!
We're joined by the wonderful Mike Hendley to talk about mushroom ink, oomph, and other great stuff.
It had to be done. We talk about how to be new at things, and what we would and would not tell our newb selves.
Four years, one hundred episodes, lots of feelings. We share our thoughts on where we started and where we are now, and share some messages from friends and listeners.
How has art and making changed over the past two years? When you absolutely positively cannot watch anything else on Netflix, and all activities are canceled.
Happy chaos - it's our style, and it's this episode. (Please send us your stories of the past four years!)
Fan art - is it art? (Spoiler: We're going to say yes.) Is it about the fan part or the art part?
Julia got some arty homework from her therapist and Tiff has Big Feelings about her color challenge.
It's time for our January challenge - making art using only three colors! Who is happy with the selection they got, and who is a little scared and confused?
We share some things to give to makers, and some things to give from makers and small businesses. And add some things to our own wishlists in the process.
We talk about the things we have around us that inspire in different ways. What makes you an art collector?
Julia catches everyone up on what's been going on, including why she had to call a brief hiatus. But also some good things that she's been doing!
Tiff had a bigger and awesome market, so we talk a bit about table neighbors, future plans, and all that fun stuff.
What are some apps we use for inspiration and creativity?
We talk about:
Snapseed Phonto Retouch Magic Hour Photoshop Express Year of Color Copic Collection Art Anatomy Procreate Art Studio Pro
Sometimes you just have to roll with where your mood takes you. And sometimes that mood is not for making.
After a quick update on Julia's application situation, Tiff shares her experiences selling at an art show.
We're joined by Josh Millard from MetaFilter who tells us about drawing horses and sponges and cubes, and trying lots of things.
Julia has some failure to try and figure out, so we talk through rejection and frustration.
How do you name your business, your art pieces, or your knits? Turns out, we have a lot of feelings.
When does making a thing start to feel like doing An Art? Also: Julia shares the projects for her art school applications.
How do we share - and not share - our spaces? Sadly, Julia's suggestion for an app that pairs people according to how much room their hobbies need is not yet a reality. Also: What was "the nost brautiful thing" Julia had ever seen?
A check-in and catch-up also turns into some deep musings. Including how being less of an artist can make you feel like more of an artist.
Tiff shares some new thoughts on selling her art pieces, and then we discuss why so many people are getting into making and crafting during quarantine.
The clock app has turned out to be a really good place to find inspiration and encouragement. We share and discuss some things that hit us in different parts of the feels.
How do you figure out when to introduce more grown-up crafts and tools to tiny beings? And then, how do you go about it?
Well, that was a year. We discuss things we made and what we're - maybe, possibly, carefully - planning for 2021.
John Siracusa comes on to talk about the skill tree of art and making, over-encouraging, and lots of different things.
'Tis the season to stare desperately at your empty list! We suggest some fun things and some boring but very practical things, and possibly share a sneaky tip for the people in our lives who have to figure out what to get us.
Julia has been thinking about what it would be like to lose pottery entirely; she and Tiff cheer each other up.
We take on some great listener questions about important topics like retreats, planning and overplanning, and desserts.
Tiff reports on her stained glass and Inktober adventures, and we talk about the magic of simplicity.
Is realistic art better than not? Is it important to be able to draw or sculpt with a realistic result? How many times can Julia say "yes and no" in one episode?
It's OK to not want to be super best - but if you WANT to get really good, how do you do that? We discuss motivators, tips and tricks, and plain ol stubbornness.
Tiff did the thing and sold her stuff at a walking art fair! We talk about how that feels, and about some of the practicalities.
We take on a book about shaking loose your creativity.
We think of three fun and-or weird projects for each other to do. And then just keep coming up with stuff!
We talk about people who inspire us in different ways - but also why it can be hard to feel that inspiration and encouragement.
We talk a little bit about what to do when you can’t make things, for whatever reason. Is it always a bad thing?
Do you have a special hat you put on to paint? A candle that helps you write? We discuss the rituals and habits we create around our art – and what to do when those rituals don’t, in fact, trick the muse into showing up.
A listener email has us talking about the differences in getting ready to do BIG projects and smaller ones. Does the giant mountain start to feel smaller after you climb it once?
Julia talks to writer and podcast neighbor K. Tempest Bradford about being a creative, teaching people how to write, and whose stories get told and by whom. (Content note: There is discussion of racism and some of the less pleasant things that can happen to women and minority groups in literature, especially sci-fi and fantasy.)
We take on a listener question about feeling like you’re not doing your hobby right and producing worthy things, and how that can make you hesitate to even do it at all.
A whole room? A rented space? A tiny corner? There are lots of ways to set up a studio for the stuff you make. Not everything will work for all people, but there are a lot of things that can be good to think about.
When do you give up on things? Or entire crafts? Basically, we try to answer the fundamental question: ”What IS fun?”
We follow up on leaning into pretention, and then try to figure out how to accept compliments gracefully. Or at all.
Photography! We talk about Tiff’s path to becoming a capital P photographer - and, of course, if photography is Art. Also why pictures with that white frame around them felt so much more fancy when you were a kid.
”Your brain is infinite, but your space is limited.” Tiff gets deep when we talk about organizing your materials. By function? By craft? By color? Bye bye?
It’s time to dream and plan for 2020. Not in hindsight. Foresight.
Also: How do you find a new hobby?
We talk about our year and what we’ve maybe learned. Sort of.
CW: This episode contains some discussion of mental health.
It can be hard to get over the feeling that you’re cheating somehow, if you’re not doing Art exactly the way you think it ought to be done. Why is that?
Studiomate Jamie is back to talk about her year of boldness and about vulnerability. Also: Borrow other people’s stuff!
It’s time to put on comfy slippers and do some nice, cosy, undemanding crafts. (Or is it?)
Tiff gets to turn the questions back on Julia, for a discussion about journalism and pottery as careers.
After a quick Inktober chat, we get deep into Tiff’s not-that-seedy past at a Broadway costume shop. And yes, it is just as cool as you imagine.
We need to work out some feelings. Insecurity, overenthusiasm and overexertion, joy, worry. They’re all there.
Tiff is back in the studio, and Julia is itching to get back to hers after a month on the road. What have we learned from having to, well, make do with what we had? Also, a big reveal!
We watch the documentary Gerhard Richter Painting and ponder what makes an artist great, and how the sound of paint shmooshing and scraping makes us feel.
We answer some listener questions, from suggestions for specific pens to more philosophical musings about productivity and profitability.
What do you do when someone else says the things that you say to yourself? Why do they like to feed our impostor syndrome?
Send us your questions for the Q&A episode! makedopod @ gmail
We tried reading a book and gave up. So we talk about self help or inspirational books, and about giving up.
We get a visit from Merlin Mann, and talk about - well, a lot of stuff. What to call yourself, tall poppy syndrome, and micro-creativity.
Why are we mean to our younger selves, when they were trying out new things? Can we be nicer to our now-selves by being nicer to our then-selves? Also, did Julia ever really like hockey?
Julia is very excited about some workshops she’s been taking lately, and we talk about the ups and downs of taking different kinds of classes to try new things or improve your craft.
Some followup, some crap news, some Pollyanna attitudes. We discuss how we’re dealing with some failures and frustrations.
We took a quiz on creative types, and it spun into a discussion about what that actually means. And if it matters.
HOMEWORK: How would you describe yourself as a creative person?
We tricked our respective husbands into joining us for a conversation about being creative and not, and putting up with us. (And by tricked, we mean we asked them.)
We met up in Atlanta and talked about being good and feeling not good. And how to take a compliment.
Julia has Done A Thing, and so we’re talking about artist residencies and creative retreats, and what those can mean.
We are celebrating our one year podiversary! And what better time to talk to Tiff’s bestie Tanya about the ups and downs of being a cake artist. (Though she might object to that word. )
It’s not easy being green. Or pink, as the case may be. What role does gender play in our own making, and in the history of art and creating? Spoiler: It ain’t all roses and fluffy yarn.
Art is not just for museums and living rooms - it’s all around us! We discuss murals, graffiti, illicit mosaics, and all sorts of possibly gray area beautifying.
There are a lot of ways to hurt yourself when you’re making stuff. We discuss ergonomics, stupid injuries, proper protection and weird helpful doodads. Plus a question about (not) comparing yourself to others.
Konmari mania makes it into the Make Do studio, as we discuss if and when you should take a long hard look at your stash of craft supplies.
Welcome to the distant future! We’re talking about goals, aims, resolutions, and intentions, and what they can mean. (And which of them sends Tiff hiding under her desk.)
We do a little end of the year wrap-up and talk about things we’ve learned and things we’ve tried. We’d love to hear your thoughts - and we want to know your goals and resolutions for next year! Drop us a line on Twitter or instagram or at makedopod@gmail.com
Makers gonna make and makers gonna give. What kind of value and values do we place on homemade and handmade gifts?
Tiff has lured Jamie from one studio into another and we talk about finding your voice — more than once — and about her winding path with and without art.
We do some final Inktober check-in, but mostly we talk about the idea that real art comes from pain and real artists don’t dull their pain. (Note: If you’re not feeling up to the heavy stuff right now, you can still listen up to the 09.55 mark!)
We calm some fears about X-acto knives, and talk about writing as a creative pursuit. Do people treat it differently from painting or knitting?
Noisemakers and party hats - we’re now part of the Relay FM family! Also party hats and decorations because we’re talking about Halloweeny crafts and such. Plus some inktober check-in.
We answer a couple of listener questions, and then chew on Inktober, a 30-day inking challenge. What’s the deal, how do we feel about it, what are our strategies?
It can be hard to separate your sense of self worth from your output – either quantity or quality. But that’s probably not the best way to handle your identity as a creative person. (Or is it? Julia briefly plays devil’s advocate.) Also: Spaghetti-Os.
Dedicated follower of fashion or not – sewing is an amazing maker-skill to have, and we talk a little bit about why.
There is no reason to stop asking people what their favorite color is, right? It turns out Tiff and Julia have the same one – but we also talk a lot about all sorts of colors and how color theory, -psychology, -philosophy, and -blindness might work.
Can an artist wear khakis? Do tattoos make someone cool and creative? What stereotypes do we have working for or against us, as creative and makey people?
Challenging yourself is good. We think. But what about specific challenges, like doing something every day for a month, or making a hundred of something? Also: Naked dude report.
Is art political – and does it have to be? Do you have a responsibility to make with issues and values in mind? Is crafting as post-apocalyptic life skill a political statement? Either way, we have a lot of feelings on the subject, and on current events.
Touchy feely touching base time. How are we feeling about our creating? Is talking about it making it better or worse? And is it OK to do a thing just because it’s fun?
Do you have to have proper training and a degree to be an artist? To do art? To call yourself an artist? We ponder credibility and qualifications.
When do you decide you feel good enough about your art to start charging for it? And how do you put a value on it? We discuss the commercial side of creating. We also check in on our homework progress, and sing the praises of professional framing.
Social media is your friend. Except when it isn’t. And when it comes to creativity, that is very much the case. So how do you use it to your advantage?
Together at last! We met up at the Atlanta Pen Show to talk to some amazing creative friends, and try to figure out what a creative community means to us.
Why? That is forever the question, isn’t it. Why do we make and do? Also, can we just put in our 10,000 hours spread over a thousand different things?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that having space to do art is an amazing feeling. (Never mind that first time you get to say ”my studio” out loud… ) But spending money on your art, be it a hobby or a business, be it a studio space or tons of supplies, is not always an unadulterated joy.
Introductions! Tiff and Julia share a little about themselves and their relationship to art and creativity. And Bob Ross.