Authentic Obsessions: Recent Episodes
Margret Petrie
The world is filled with prolific artists who have an obsessive hunger to create. Join me for conversations with artists embracing the joy and uncertainty that fuels their work. Listen in as we delve into creative obsessions, supportive communities, getting stuck, studio spaces, and setting boundaries. Acknowledge the mess and keep going!
Old books, tight deadlines, the button box, design, and dancing all come up during my conversation with mixed media artist Sue Johnson.
Sue Johnson is a mixed media artist from the UK who loves painted papers, pattern, and repetition. Her working process is quite eclectic but often begins with a colour palette and experimental mark making and various printing and painting techniques. She often works on found surfaces and ephemera such as used envelopes and pages from discarded books destined to be shredded. These provide unique surfaces to paint and print on and the use of collage yields unexpected results. Her printed textiles background informs her composition and process but play, curiosity and intuition lead the way.
Takeaways
- Push all the boundaries and do something different.
- Little and often.
- Notice what you notice.
- Sometimes the best things come out at the end during the last-minute push.
- To get unstuck, hold your work up to a mirror to distance yourself and see what needs to be changed.
Sue Johnson
Sue Johnson on Instagram
Sue Johnson on Facebook
Creative Visionary Program with Nicholas Wilton
Bindex UK Link, Bindex US Link
Rex Ray: Art and Design YouTube video
We Are All connected Art Project, Beatricia Sagar
Art Juice podcast
Articulation, pivoting, sketchbooks, observation, and travel all play a key role in Ethan Keister’s creative life.
Graphic designer, illustrator and art director Ethan was born in Vietnam, grew up in the backwoods of Upstate New York and now calls Milwaukee, Wisconsin his home.
When Ethan isn't ruining his posture at his desk, you can find him snow skiing, water skiing, biking, hiking, traveling, and writing about himself in the third person.
Takeaways
- Pivot in a way that allows for more growth and a fresh perspective.
- Eighty percent of drawing is seeing.
- When sketching people, be on the lookout for good poses and gestures.
- “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” James Thurber
Ethan Keister
Ethan Keister on Instagram
Ethan Keister on Facebook
Ethan Keister on LinkedIn
Ethan Keister on TikTok
Mark Manson
Paul Noth (episode 92)
Jon Horvath (episode 89)
Idea generation, your brain on cartoons, incongruency & divergent thinking, and how to encourage your creativity are all on the mind of cartoonist, writer and artist Paul Noth.
Paul is a cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, where his work has appeared regularly since 2004. He created the Emmy-nominated animated series "Pale Force" for Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He has been an animation consultant for Saturday Night Live and developed shows for Cartoon Network Adult Swim and Nickelodeon. Paul is the author of the middle grade novels “How to Sell Your Family to the Aliens,” “How to Properly Dispose of Planet Earth,” and “How to Win the Science Fair When You’re Dead,” all published by Bloomsbury.
Takeaways
- Embrace the limitations of your art form.
- Conscious effort impedes the incubation process.
- The preparatory phase of creative work requires hard work and skill, but it also requires letting go.
- The idea comes despite the effort not because of it.
Paul Noth on X
Paul Noth on Instagram
Paul Noth on Facebook
Paul Noth on LinkedIn
Paul’s middle grade books
Paul Noth on IMBD
The New Yorker
This is Your Brain on Cartoons article by Sarah Larson
Roz Chast
Iain McGilchrist
Photo credits, Camila Guarda, Chicago Sun Times
Rocker chick Paula Hare talks about no longer giving a rip what other people think, New York City, and Wisconsin’s most iconic dessert – the cream puff.
Paula Hare is a life-long artist, designer and creative director, plein air and studio painter. She brings a unique perspective to her work which includes unusual juxtapositions, compositions, and subjects. Paula's keen eye for detail and appreciation for the unconventional allows her to breathe life into scenes that might escape the notice of others. Whether it's the play of light on chrome, the wind-swept landscapes that unfold along the journey, or elements of a back-alley way, Paula captures the essence of the moments they portray and the stories they tell.
Paula’s obsession with the biker lifestyle (Harley’s, not bicycles!) spills over into all her ventures, including Gearhead Fashion, which features sustainable, repurposed, reinvented, one-of-a-kind apparel and accessories for anyone that wants to look and feel like a rock star.
Takeaways
- Do cool stuff, paint cool things.
- You gotta jam 24/7 – suck it up and get to work. You’ve got to make yourself do it. Just put one foot in front of the other and just keep moving forward and not stop.
- Bundle up all your skills and energy and figure out what’s in you, and then you have a direction. Stick to that path and you’ll be successful.
Paula Hare
Paula Hare on Facebook
Paula Hare on LinkedIn
The Arts Mill on Facebook, and Instagram
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Deadwood, South Dakota
Original Cream Puffs
Sketchnoting
Gearhead Fashion
Gearhead Fashion on Instagram
Diving deep into your own life to find your voice, the selfish nature of being an artist, the power of observation, and reacting to marks and layers are all considered during my conversation with Victoria McDonnell.
Victoria relocated from Bogota, Colombia – at the age of 28 – to the rural countryside of Norfolk, UK. The cultural change was already overwhelming, but the language barrier added another layer of challenge. It was an act of courage, driven by love, to move to a town of just over 300 people. In response, she turned to the language without words – art – which became her constant companion that has deepened over time.
Victoria offers glimpses of familiarity in her subjects, inviting viewers to engage playfully while allowing ample room for personal exploration. Working across a diverse array of subjects in oils and acrylics, she unifies them through the lens of abstraction.
Victoria’s latest obsession is ‘Chairs,’ a project of exploration, observation, and discovery. Inspired by the simple objects that are central to our daily lives and our personal connections with them, she examines the narratives they embody. Whether it's the chair in the corner that sparks conversation, the kitchen chairs that keep the family united, or the old nursing chair passed through generations, each chair tells a different story.
Takeaways
- “Not having distractions is my best friend.”
- The more you put yourself out there, the more comes your way. Little steps give way to little successes and they all add up.
- “Through her eyes we organized my mind.”
- Abstraction requires a lot of confidence.
- Every chair has a story.
Victoria McDonnell
Victoria McDonnell on Instagram
Victoria McDonnell on Facebook
Victoria McDonnell on Pinterest
Victoria McDonnell on TikTok
Victoria McDonnell on LinkedIn
Colombian Rainbow River
Gooderstone Water Gardens
Vejer de la Frontera
Art and Success Pro Abstract Painting
Norfolk Painting School Studio talk & master classes
Roisin O’Farrell Love to Paint, Learn to Paint
Monumental undertakings through multimedia narrative projects, travel and deep introspection, embracing chance and spontaneity, baseball, and how people define happiness, all come up during my conversation with Milwaukee interdisciplinary artist and writerJon Horvath.
Influenced by his early formal education in creative fiction writing, philosophy, and composing music, Jon's practice has since expanded into the mixed use of photography, video, performance, sculptural objects, and other mediums brought into a combined space. He desires to share open-ended, poetic narratives rooted in an exploration of how we build personal and cultural mythologies as a way to better understand the world around us.
Takeaways
- The making is driven by intuition.
- Let go of having to know everything about every choice to allow unexpected moments.
- Don’t let something that's making you fearful influence choices that you’re making.
- Some distance from your more regular experience allows you to have permission to entertain other possibilities.
- Pictures are influenced by that which surrounds them.
Jon Horvath
Jon Horvath on Instagram
This is Bliss
Throughline
Slow Burn
Listen in as Stacy Bogdonoff talks about using verbs as she works on a project, the importance of not putting too much (psychologically) into social media, slowness and control, living at the intersection of design and art, and why the media & the process – the heart and head of knowing and being known- is her authentic obsession.
Stacy is a mixed media artist who divides her time between her very messy studio in Kent, CT. and her neater tabletop workspace in NYC. Stacy works with textiles, vintage fabric, paper, paint, dyes, and found objects to explore the theme of “Home, Safety, and Shelter”, and how those change as we age and move through life. "My inspiration comes from three directions. I am deeply drawn to a wide variety of unconventional media, and I love to explore tools and new ways to use them. I am also equally driven to explore my inner world and understand my feelings."
Takeaways
- Understanding the context behind the work enhances the experience.
- You don’t always know. You sometimes find out.
- Know what you like to do and clear the decks to do it.
- The phone works both ways.
Stacy Bogdonoff
Stacy Bogdonoff on Instagram
Rick Lowe
Martha Tuttle
El Anatsui
Death of An Artist podcast
Desert Island Discs podcast
Trauma journalism, social activism, igniting and changing conversations, and telling stories in a visual way are all integral part of Amy Putman’s life. Amy is a collagist and mixed media artist with a passion for issues of social justice. She helped create and brand the Million Mom March for Common Sense Gun Laws with her logo and slogan “Looking for a Few Good Moms.”
Amy says: “I am drawn to texture, materials pattern, and color in their own right. Working with found objects expands my visual vocabulary. These materials, each of which brings its own history and associations, give a deeper and multi-dimensional reading to the work, work I hope will ignite conversation.”
Participating in artist groups, non-profit organizations, art community adds to her depth and breadth of the work she creates. She is a Trustee of the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey, SKIP of New York and the Trust for Trauma Journalism, a founding member of the New York Collage Ensemble, and Co-Chair of the Artists and Talent Peer Group for the Impact Guild. Her studio is in Manufacturer’s Village Artists, East Orange, New Jersey.
Key takeaways
- “I have an obligation to myself to not run away from what I have to say.”
- You have to fill your puzzle box with all the pieces before you put the puzzle together.
- Being out there in the world helps you become aware of what’s relevant and is inspirational for the art.
- Art is an adventure. Keep growing, as a person, and bring those adventures to your art.
- Art is definitely therapy, whether you know it or not.
- Know when to say no, but remember to say YES to opportunities!
Amy Putman
Amy Putman on Instagram
The Jealous Creator - Deborah Roberts episode 190, Bisa Butler episode 185
Austin Kleon
Million Mom March
NY Collage Ensemble
The Camp Gallery – The Contemporary Art Modern Project Gallery
Tish Lampert
The effect of knitting during the birthing process, the importance of resting, felting as the wild sister of fiber arts, and the role of felting in community practices and traditions all comes up during my convo with Megan Henderson. And the always impactful practice of letting go and surrendering to the present moment. Megan is a fiber artist living on a few wooded acres in Central Ohio who is inspired by nature, our connection to it and to each other, myths, lore and symbols, shadow work and the mysteries that lay just beyond our grasp.
Key takeaways
- Pay attention and notice when fear needs to be conquered and when it is our intuition giving us a warning.
- Don’t beat yourself up when you find yourself going down the path of thinking you’re not doing enough. But if you try and notice when it happens, those feelings might lessen.
- You don’t have to EARN your rest.
- “We are not meant to understand it all. We are not meant to grasp it. We are meant to make guesses about it.”
Megan Henderson
Megan Henderson on Instagram
Megan Henderson on Facebook
Nuno felting
Insight Timer meditation app
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman
Rest is Resistance, Tricia Hersey
The Leftovers
ArtHoles, 7 episodes of Frida Kahlo
Pulling the Thread podcast, Knitting Together our Lives (Peggy Orenstein)
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, Susan Cain
Antieau Gallery
Sue Bulmer is an artist, educator, Art Psychotherapist and Inspiration Facilitator. Her expressive, energetic and colourful work is inspired by landscape and seasonal alignment. Sue believes we are all creative souls and is a passionate advocate for the well-being benefits of living a more creative life. She has a deep understanding, stemming from personal experience, of the many benefits of living a more creative life and the barriers and beliefs that stop us. We chat about paying attention to when it’s time to rest, confronting the fear that tries to keep you small and safe, being stuck and what happens when you stop fighting it, putting yourself out there even though it can be scary, the payoff is worth it!
Takeaways:
- Make art just for you.
- Nature takes a rest during the year. Why don’t we?
- Categorizing things help us understand things, but they come with rules and those rules can be limiting.
- It’s in the spaces that the ideas come.
- “Stress is caused by being here and wanting to be there.”
- It’s never too late.
Sue Bulmer
Sue Bulmer on Instagram
Sue Bulmer on Facebook
Sustain Your Creativity through Autumn & Winter, A free guide from Sue Bulmer
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Florence Williams
Environmental Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life, Ian Siddons Heginworth
Rick Rubin on Feel Better Live More
Sue’s Creative Soul Sketchbooks course
Kellee Wynne Conrad, Build it Remarkable
Beltane, Gaelic May Day Festival
Feedback loops in the art world, finding ways to accumulate more moments of joy, the in-between spaces, writing vs. storytelling, not fitting into a box, and the orange couch are all part of Bela Suresh Roongta’s story. Bela is a Milwaukee-based visual artist, writer and storyteller. She has shown in solo & group exhibitions, been featured as a writer & speaker and recognized for innovation and success in art and storytelling. Committed to the rituals of drawing, journaling and traveling, Bela makes art, writes stories and curates experiences that explore identity & place, dance with memory and tradition and tell of the times we live in. Her art and storytelling honors those who came before us, our shared experiences and our differences.
Key Takeaways:
- The more personal you are, the more personal your work is, and the more universal it becomes.
- Find the magic in the unknown.
- Allow yourself to be seen so that others can be seen. The more story we know about you the more connected we feel.
- Art is a very self forward profession.
- Find ways to accumulate more moments of joy.
Bela Suresh
Bela Suresh on Instagram
Part 1 | Night Country Origins with Showrunner Issa López and Executive Producer Mari Jo Winkler
The True Detective: Night Country Podcast
Saint Kate Exhibition: Relief — The Stories We Carry by Bela Suresh Roongta
Robin Davisson Episode 69 on Authentic Obsessions
Susan Lerner is a New York City based contemporary hand-cut collage artist drawn to vintage imagery and maps, evoking a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. Her work is a reflection of the power of visual storytelling and its ability to connect us to our memories and emotions. Susan’s work has been published in periodicals and books, she’s the co-founder of the New York Collage Ensemble, and she is currently licensed with Jiggy Puzzles and Jiggy Studio. Enjoy our conversation about tag sales, boundaries, trying new things, taking pauses, and challenges of selling your work.
Takeaways
- “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” Twyla Tharpe
- Having too many options can drive you crazy.
- Moving your body helps with problem solving and artistic creativity.
- Find different outlets to sell your work.
Links
Susan Lerner
Susan Lerner on Instagram
Jiggy Puzzles, City of Dreams
92NY
Hollie Chastain
Galen Gibson-Cornell
Art and Cocktails podcast
The Jealous Curator, Art for Your Ear podcast
The feminine form has returned in Denise Daffara's latest work along with every day familiar objects such as her much loved chairs and cups of tea. Denise is an artist, soulful seeker, wild wonderer, deep listener, sacred space holder, Creativitea Time inspirer & private priestess, Intentional Creativity Guide & Certified Color of Woman Teacher.
Denise's art practice is an intuitive, light and colour fueled exploration of her life’s journey. Her paintings are filled with Australian and New Zealand botanicals and plenty of tea related moments. You’ll also find Matisse inspired feminine figures visiting her painted interiors and table settings depicted in a non-realistic, contemporary style. Her art expresses the sacred union between beauty and healing for the heart.
Takeaways
- Creativity can help us hold space for our grief.
- Pay attention to the beginning, middle and end energy while you’re creating a piece of work.
- Share your art journey in an open and honest way.
- When it's more uncomfortable to NOT do it, creative inspiration shows up.
- “Your vision is stronger than your fear.” Kylie Slavik
Links
Denise Daffara
Denise Daffara on Instagram
Little dd on Instagram
Denise Daffara on Facebook
Denise Daffara on Youtube
Insights at the Edge with Tammy Simon podcast: Chip Conley: Midlife: From Crisis to Chrysalis
Gertrude and Alice bookstore and coffee shop
The monumental labors of women that often go unnoticed, and the resilience of women under the invisible weight they carry are themes interwoven in the current work of interdisciplinary artist Nirmal Raja.
Nirmal's current solo exhibition at the Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art is titled Grace and Grit, and highlights her current authentic obsession with material intimacy. Nirmal’s keen observations and curiosity during her 3-month Kohler Arts/Industry residency resulted in an inspirational and wide body of work, including works cast in iron and brass, sound recordings and photographs. Nirmal is also part of the Paglees, a feminist collective of artists of South Asian origin living across the United states, currently exhibiting their work at the South Asia institute in Chicago.
Nirmal collaborates with other artists and strongly believes in investing energy into her immediate community while also considering the global.
Takeaways
- Despite all the restrictions, I am strong.
- “Share your excitement for your practice and your own work.” Jason Yi
- “There is mud and there is the lotus, and you cannot have the lotus without the mud.” Thich Nhat Hanh
- Push against restrictive boxes we put ourselves in.
Links
Nirmal Raja
Nirmal Raja on Instagram
Nirmal Raja on Linkedin
A Brush With… Cornelia Parker
Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art, Grace and Grit- solo exhibition
South Asia Institute, The Paglees: Between Reason and Madness
Grace and Grit Catalog
John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Residency Program
Stones, learning, confidence, pattern and line, expressing beauty, and promoting your work are just a few topics artist Rena Diana covers today.
After retiring from a fulfilling career as an educator in Baltimore, Rena started focusing full time on her artwork. She worked every day in a studio at the Art Students League in New York City, where she began painting abstract landscapes. Rena is fortunate to divide her time between Baltimore and her home on Lake Champlain in Vermont, which is the source of much of her inspiration.
Rena on art journals and sketching: "Throughout my adult life, I have kept notebooks chronicling my observations and experiences. Gradually these became art journals, filled with sketches and collages, along with personal narrative and remarks about the creative process. As these notebooks evolved into more formal exercises, I realized that they were distinct art forms in themselves. At that point, I began creating larger, single pieces. These art journals remain a core part of my studio practice."
Takeaways
- You develop confidence as you learn to trust yourself and the process. Believe in yourself and that what you have to share with other people is valuable.
- It’s a marathon. A long game.
- Learning is the best antidepressant.
- First think about who YOU are before you decide how and where you’re going to promote your work.
Links
Rena Diana
Rena on Instagram
City Arts and Lectures, Ann Patchett
Mary Lynn O’Shea
The Art Students League of New York
Last Light, How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of Triumph, Richard Lacayo
The challenges of creating on a deadline, having faith and trust in the thing you’re doing, and the feelings that arise when switching from the act of writing to marketing and promotion all come up during our conversation.
Nick Petrie is the author of 8 best-selling Peter Ash crime fiction novels, including The Price You Pay, out February 2024. His debut, The Drifter, won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Awards. He is also an excellent husband (mine!) and father (to our son Duncan).
Takeaways
- Winnow down and lean into the thing that is interesting to you and that you really want to pursue and then let go of the outcome when it gets out into the world.
- “Keep a clean antenna."
- Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
- Seamus Heaney on the hardest thing about writing: “Getting started, keeping going and getting started again.”
Links
Nick Petrie’s website
Follow Nick Petrie on Instagram
Follow Nick Petrie on Facebook
Follow Nick Petrie on X
Your Brain on Art, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
Mystery Tribune, The Cleveland Job
Bill Schweigart
Boswell Books
The Poisoned Pen Bookstore
Murder By the Book bookstore
Kaye Publicity
Michael Mann, Blackhat and Collateral
The Great Creators with Guy Raz episode 67 with Andy J Pizza of Creative Pep Talk
Carol Paik, a New York based artist, is interested in many different media, but really found meaning working with repurposed textiles. After years of buying expensive and often toxic materials for her work, her goal now is to create art exclusively out of the unappreciated, overlooked, landfill-destined stuff she finds around her, of which there is never a shortage.
She most enjoys taking something that is overlooked, and looking at it closely. Or, taking something too frequently seen, and looking at it slightly differently. She is interested in the emotions that we bring to the things we discard: nostalgia, guilt, desire, and loss, and her goal is to give these objects--and, by extension, ourselves—new possibilities.
During our chat, Carol talked about the idea of leaving a mark without marring a landscape, specifically in relation to her cairn projects, but it got me thinking of that in a broader sense. And she also assured me that sometimes finishing a project is overrated.
photo by Sharon Schuur
Takeaways
- Ask yourself: Why do I need to do it THAT way?
- Keep your eye on the road because wherever you’re looking is where you’ll end up.
- Take a closer look.
- If you limit yourself, you’ll look at things in a different way.
- Look around for things you can reuse for your projects.
Links
Carol Paik
Carol Paik on Instagram
Heidi Parkes
Nina Katchadourian
Natalya Khorover
K. Woodman-Maynard’s obsession with emotional expression comes out not only in her graphic novels but also through anger journaling and diary comics. She loves tree time, cold water swimming, running and cross-country skiing. Katharine is a sequential storyteller and an artist who writes (as opposed to a writer who draws) and loves to mentor other creatives. Her debut, The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation was called, “hugely rewarding” by The Wall Street Journal.
Takeaways
- Be present and enjoy yourself.
- What can I do for social media, not what social media can do for me.
- Get some tree time.
- Bring in people for feedback during a long term project.
Links
K. Woodman-Maynard
K. on Instagram
K. on Facebook
K. on Linkedin
K. on Pinterest
Great Gatsby Graphic Novel, K. Woodman-Maynard
The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks
Healing Back Pain, John Sarno
Art Matters, Neil Gaiman
From chenille bedspreads & fringe vests to mosaics & ceramics, Andryea Natkin shares her journey as a seeker, always on the lookout for what is truly hers so she can express it. She was born into a family of artists, which gave her that foundation of permission to trust herself. Andryea persevered and eventually received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, all along working in a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, printmaking, mosaic and ceramics.
Takeways
- Be wasteful and make ugly things.
- Make a lot of mistakes.
- Don’t judge yourself while you’re making.
- Inspiration comes from my heart, not my head.
- Turn the fire up. It’s time to get going.
Links
Andryea Natkin
Andryea on Instagram
Andryea on Facebook
Your Brain on Art, Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
Artery Ink
Joanne is an artist and photographer whose work is “based in semi-abstraction, purposefully balanced between representational and the imagined. in my role as an artist, these two elements have become an integral part of my motivation to create, with the ‘doing’ often as important as the outcome. I firmly believe that natural curiosity and creative pursuits are essential to healthy living, regardless of age or education.” Jo shares her experiences and how they impact her daily life and her long term connections. Her obsession with fragility and delicacy is linked to her fascination with awe and transience, resiliency, and mortality.
Takeaways
- If you really listen to people, you hear more. If you really look, you see more. If you care, you get more.
- A piece is finished when it stops talking to me.
- Resilience is tolerating emotional discomfort.
- Ask yourself, “And what’s so bad about that?”
- Accept limitations that some things just can’t be changed. We can only change our bit.
Links
Joanne Olney
Joanne Olney on Instagram
Joanne Olney on Facebook
Joanne Olney on Pinterest
AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, Dacher Keltner
Weather, layers, inner worlds, thick living and 10,000 folded paper cranes. Brianna’s work is driven by world-building. She’s interested in exploring possible and impossible landscapes that may or may not exist on this planet, in this dimension, in a memory, a dream, or a vision…they may never have existed anywhere — until now. Her creations convey an architectural/organic world which thrives in paradox and ambiguity; it’s a place that gives voice to so much more than can be articulated with sound or words. Each piece she creates is an earnest translation of the feelings, ideas, images, landscapes, and visions of her inner world — for Brianna, the ultimate goal of her creative life is to ardently impart to your inner world what she can from her own.
Takeaways
- We are all complicated nuanced onion layers of humans.
- We are all works in progress.
- The lessons are everywhere.
- Sharing of the art is just as important as the creating of the art.
- There are no mistakes in art. If you think it’s not right, it’s just not done.
- We are little time tornadoes creating our own weather.
Links
Brianna Martray
Brianna on Instagram
Brianna on Facebook
Brianna’s YouTube Video: "The Making of a Public Art Installation at Denver International Airport" (June 21, 2011)
Tim Hecker
Lee Bontecou
Rachael is an experimental textile and mixed media artist living in West Yorkshire, England. She describes her residency at the Nature in Art Museum and Gallery as a “cocoon of delight!” If you listen deeply and look closely, you will see how Rachael’s obsession with stone and stone walls seeps into all her work. Her feelings and experiences and surroundings all contribute to unique and thought-provoking pieces of art. During our chat, she talks about containment and constraint, delicious boredom, and Helen Keller’s keen observations.
Takeaways
- “Music is the space between the notes.” Claude Debussy
- Your work teaches you AFTER you've done it.
- You need other people to notice things in your work that you may not see.
- Look down and in for creativity and up and out for a sense of well-being.
- Take time to contemplate and mull, and simply look long enough to see things from a distance.
Links
Rachael Singleton
Rachael on Instagram
Rachael on Facebook
Blue Peter
Kim Thittichai
Nature in Art Artist in Residence program
Do: Pause
Krystyna Pomeroy
Henry Moore, London’s War: The Shelter Drawings of Henry Moore
The Song of the Stone Wall, Helen Keller
Jacob Nordby
During our chat, Anna talks about receptacles, the Minystery of Consideration, discovering and processing beauty, permission, belonging, and what makes us tick.
Takeaways
- Just do your job.
- Don't do other people's jobs.
- It doesn’t get any better or more beautiful than this.
- It’s all here already.
- Do what’s real and what’s true, and remember that you don’t always get there while you’re walking upright.
Links
Anna van der Putte
Anna van der Putte on Instagram
Lesley Hilling
Scott Roberts
John T. Upchurch
Alison Jackson-Bass
Office of Collecting
Aja Lund
Hedi Kyle book arts
Stephanie Hüllmann Atelier-Talk podcast
The Secret Life of Lance Letscher
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert
Finding your people, measures of success, optimistic teenagers, and soft pants vs. hard pants with high school English teacher, former professional actor, and author Nicole Kronzer! There’s also some chatter about thinking you’re too weird for the world, and how to fit our weirdness into a greater life.
Takeaways
- People who read fiction are nicer.
- “Write with the door closed, edit with the door open.” Stephen King
- Keep going.
- It's OK to find the thing that makes your heart sing.
- Keep your eyes on your own paper.
Mentioned
Nicole Kronzer
Follow Nicole Kronzer on Instagram
The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, Shannon Gibney
The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, K. Woodman-Maynard
Emotion Thesaurus
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King
Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert
Story Genius, Lisa Cron
Where You See Yourself, Claire Forrest
Lisa Kellner went through a major transition in her work life, moving from a textile installation artist back to her true love of painting. Over the course of a few years, she dug deep, got really honest with herself, and saw how all the intangible parts of herself find their way into her work. Lisa uses a reductive language and intuitive approach to make paintings and sculptural constructions about the environment, societal constructs and how we occupy space.
Takeaways
- Is there urgency?
- Make sure your roots are strong.
- Give space between you and your work.
- Find comfort in the space of not knowing.
- Don’t discount those parts of yourself that you can’t quantify or measure.
Links
Lisa Kellner
Lisa on Instagram
Lee Bontecou
Elizabeth Murray
Lisa Kellner’s paintings and sculptural constructions have been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. Her work can be found in private residences and commercial spaces in the United States, Europe and Japan. Exhibiting institutions include the Bellevue Arts Museum (WA), the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY), the Brooklyn Arts Council (NY), the Weatherspoon Museum (NC), the Islip Art Museum, Washington Project for the Arts and the Muscarelle Museum of Art (VA), among others. She has created site-responsive installations for institutions including the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (FL), the Bellevue Arts Museum (WA), Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space (NY), Brooklyn Arts Council (NY), the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (ME), Lehman College Art Gallery (NY) and the Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory (VA). Kellner’s work has been reviewed and mentioned in publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Sculpture Magazine in addition to several podcast and interview series. Lisa has received several awards including the New Media Invitational from the Target Gallery, DC and was nominated a Joan Mitchell Emerging Artist semi-finalist. She recently completed an artist residency at Don Pedro Island Preserve; a place dramatically impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Takeaways
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It is important to keep doing experiments so you can get to the truth.
-
Pay attention to your materials and their ability to constantly surprise you.
-
Just make more time for it.
-
The more you learn about the business side of things, the more confident you get in your art making. And the more confident you get in your art making, the more confident you get in running your business.
-
“The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels, that's creative living.” Elizabeth Gilbert
Mentioned
Robin Davisson
Follow Robin Davisson on Instagram
Studio Lab intro
Thomas Gleaner aka Brad Thomas
Penland School of Craft
Emily Mason
Takeaways
-
You can’t say yes to everything or everyone.
-
The more structure you add into your week the more flexibility you have.
-
We make HARD a problem, but it’s just part of life. Without the hard you don’t have the good stuff.
-
It’s just a layer.
-
What’s the next right step?
Mentioned
Lea Ann Slotkin
Follow Lea Ann Slotkin on Instagram
Cy Twombly
Lukas paint
Do You Want to Slow Down? Anna Sale on awe as an antidote to anxiety, on The Science of Happiness podcast
Takeaways
-
Consider saying no without giving an excuse or a reason.
-
Embrace the fact that your creative practice is helping you be a better parent and partner.
-
If you often have kids or family barging in on you while you’re creating, try to find work that allows you to be interrupted.
-
Don’t say you don’t have enough time to do something just acknowledge that you haven’t prioritized it yet.
Mentioned
Tina Norén
Follow Tina on Instagram
Follow Tina on Facebook
Ruth Asawa
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman
Unfollow Your Passion, How to Create a Life That Matters to You, Terri Trespicio
Essentialism, Greg McKeown
Atomic Habits, James Clear
From Strength to Strength, Arthur C. Brooks
Ten Percent Happier, Dan Harris
Takeaways
-
There is no overnight success. Everyone pays their dues, one way or another.
-
Every human being is unreliable in the way they tell stories.
-
Take pleasure in the striving aspect of the process. The fact that you worked really hard and accomplished the goal is the thing. “It’s not the having, it’s the getting.” Elizabeth Taylor
Mentioned
Samantha Downing
Samantha Downing on Twitter
Samantha Downing on Facebook
Samantha Downing on Instagram
Parasite
I Care A Lot
Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca
Takeaways
- Take everyone seriously but yourself.
- Making art is an extreme sport.
- Do the thing you'd wonder about the most if you didn't do it.
- If you can’t see a way to solve a problem you have to trust that you’ll figure it out eventually. So don’t walk away, just keep looking.
Mentioned
Duncan Petrie
Duncan Petrie on Instagram
Birds with Hats on Instagram
Duncan Petrie on YouTube
Brian Eno on Broken Record
Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes
South West Coast Path
J. R. R. Tolkien
Takeaways
- Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
- Paint what you see, not what you think you see.
- Listen to those niggly voices.
- Reframe the act of creating from outcome-driven to process driven.
- "If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” Edward Hopper
Mentioned
Phoebe Gander
Phoebe Gander on Instagram
Phoebe Gander on Facebook
Julie Battisti on Instagram
Embracing Neurodiversity with Phoebe Gander podcast with Susan Nethercote podcast
Permission to Paint and Embrace My True Self with Phoebe Gander on The Laura Horn Art podcast
Edward Hopper
Takeaways
- You can do everything, just not at the same time.
- Don’t overthink everything, this isn’t dating in your 20’s.
- What you choose to do or what your life looks like is up to you but there's no one right way to have a creative life.
- When your life is a spaghetti mess just think of that one thing that you can do to nudge yourself along the path. And snacks help.
- Artists are resilient problem solvers and comfortable in the vague place between the uncomfortableness of not knowing what's next but having the trust that we can figure it out because we've done it so many times.
Mentioned
Marissa Huber
Follow Marissa Huber on Instagram
Follow Marissa Huber on Twitter
Follow Marissa Huber on Facebook
Follow Marissa Huber on Pinterest
Follow Marissa Huber on LinkedIn
Follow Marissa Huber on Tiktok
Carve Out Time for Art
The Motherhood of Art, by Marissa Huber and Heather Kirtland
Heather Kirtland
Range, Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World, by David Epstein
Mike East
Artist Mother Podcast
Artist Residency in Motherhood
Mondo Beyondo
Josef Frank
Nancy Gruskin on Savvy Painter
Takeaways
- Your artistic voice is already inside of you
- Sometimes “ready enough” is the point you where you need to put yourself out there.
- Just do the next thing in the art that needs to be done.
- Live your definition of being a good person.
- Consider creating an art pod.
Mentioned
Liz Dexter
Liz Dexter on Instagram
Liz Dexter on Facebook
Chroma Collective Gallery
Chroma Collective Gallery on Instagram
Val Hubbard
Barbara Weir
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Takeaways
- It’s got to get ugly before it gets good.
- Persistence and obsession keep you going forward.
- Remind yourself that you’re on Instagram for opportunities and take your ego out of it.
- Add the “YET.” Don’t say I haven’t done that, say I haven’t done that YET.
- A big studio is great – but if you’re scrappy you can carve out a space anywhere.
Mentioned
Poppy Dodge
Poppy on Instagram
Poppy on Facebook
Poppy on Pinterest
Gee’s Bend quilting retreats
Hand Yoga Club on YouTube with Heidi Parkes
Frankie magazine
Oruaiti Reserve hike, aka the Kupe Trail
Lynn Giunta
Lisa Congdon
Bisa Butler
Takeaways
- Paint as if neither your time nor your materials are valuable.
- “We grow small when we try to be great.” David Hockney
- Our job is to have an authentic relationship with what we’re making.
- Take some time to pause and look back at what you have created.
- Visual imagery can slide underneath language right to the heart.
- Create a lot of opportunity for unexpected events.
- Every layer makes it better.
Mentioned
Alison Watt
Alison Watt on Instagram
Alison Watt on YouTube
Artwork Artplay
Alison Watt on Pinterest
Dazzle Patterns, by Alison Watt
Triangle Island, Anne Vallée Triangle Island Ecological Reserve
David Hockney
Joni Mitchell
Takeaways
- "If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.” Joseph Campbell
- Fine art is essentially an exploration. You DON’T know how everything is going to turn out.
- Art is never easy – you must learn to live with the discomfort.
- Pay attention to the difference between inspiration (what gets you into the studio) and what your paintings express.
- People get stuck because they have a plan and stick to it, when sometimes you just need to NOT plan.
- Notice your defaults and then expand upon them.
Mentioned
Jane Davies
Jane Davies on Instagram
Jane Davies on Facebook
Jane Davies on Youtube
Jane Davies on Pinterest
Jane’s book, Abstract Painting: The Elements of Visual Language
Rupert Village Trust and The Sheldon Store
Winslow Art Center
Musicians James Hill and Anne Janelle
Aboriginal artists Minnie Pwerle and Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Takeaways
- Sometimes it’s just not the season to follow through on the original plan.
- It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It’s a continuous process – it’s those little leaps of faith that build upon each other and create more clarity and foster more confidence within ourselves that lead to more fulfillment and life satisfaction.
- Make your quit list.
- Ask yourself: is it time to ditch the physical manifestation of your “thing” and pursue something different to get to the same outcome, or should you pause and come back to it another time?
- Once you’re stepping toward the thing that you’re considering, you’ll free pretty quickly whether it’s the right thing for you or not.
Mentioned
Marin Laukka
Marin on Instagram
Marin on YouTube
Marin on Facebook
Brené Brown
Sonya Clark
Via Character Strengths
Positive Psychology
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Matt D’Avella
Takeaways
-
You don’t have to make anything, you can just explore. And if meaning comes out of that, great, but it doesn’t have to.
-
We need to forgive ourselves for not being other artists than who we are. Who we are in the rest of our lives is going to come out in our work. It comes from who we are and we can’t change that. When we make art, we are who we are.
-
Don’t despair if your art doesn’t sell. Alice Sheridan said that sometimes you need to hold on to your art because you’re not finished learning from it
-
When you become an artist later in life, you’re not starting from zero. You have a huge resource of experience, confidence and self-knowledge that gives you a head start and lets you develop a clear voice and style more quickly and more surely.
-
“You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take.” Wayne Gretzky
Mentioned
Lisa Woodward
Lisa Woodward on Instagram
Lisa Woodward on Pinterest
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon
On Trails, An Exploration, by Robert Moor
Jane Davies
Algonquin Provincial Park
Takeaways
- It takes a village to be creative even if the work is solitary.
- Little tweaks to the environment can help you transition to the creative work.
- Your identify is not in what you do, it’s in who you are.
- It’s all about showing up every day – you don’t have to be perfect.
- If you want to be a good writer, be a good reader.
Mentioned
Jess Pillay
Jess Pillay on Instagram
Jess Pillay on Twitter
Jess Pillay on Facebook
Jess Pillay on Bandcamp
Jeff Tweedy, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back)
Amelia Kaiser
Wes Speight
Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Rachel Yamagata
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Takeaways
-
Keep working, keep moving forward and eventually it all gets done.
-
“The only rule is work.” Sister Mary Corita Kent
-
“Inspiration is for amateurs.” Chuck Close
Mentioned in this episode
Frank Korb
Frank Korb on Instagram
Frank Korb on Facebook
Frank Korb on YouTube
A Brush With podcast
The Modern Art Note Podcast
Robert Rauschenberg
Sister Mary Corita Kent's Rules of the Studio
Chuck Close
Jasper Johns and the Savarin coffee can
Taliesin
Takeaways
-
Try to be stronger than your shadows.
-
Give your art away.
-
Tilt your head and looks sideways.
-
Art is a way to always move forward and open yourself up to curiosity.
-
Success is getting to your essence and being willing to have a conversation that is uncomfortable.
Mentioned in this episode
Flavia Testa
Flavia on Instagram
Flavia on Facebook
Tracy Emin
Frida Kahlo
Takeaways
-
Installation – within an exhibit space - is an art form in itself.
-
Entering a wooded area feels like a hug.
-
Reach out to someone who is different from you in language or color or heritage and connect over art or making or simply just being together.
Mentioned in this episode
Nirmal Raja
Nirmal Raja on Instagram
Nirmal Raja on Facebook
Nirmal Raja on LinkedIn
Reimagining the Global Village
Reimagining the Global Village on Instagram
Reimagining the Global Village on YouTube
Mary Oliver
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life by Natalie Goldberg
Global Village and Marshall McLuhan
Art 21 art documentaries
The Tate Modern short art documentaries
The Brooklyn Rail
Ann Hamilton
UWM Special Collections Library
Takeaways
-
“Food is edible love” Nicola’s mom.
-
Write a list of nice things you’d say to a friend and tell those to yourself.
-
Say “shut up” to your inner critic.
-
Celebrate where you are and be proud of the work you make.
Mentioned in this Episode
Nicola Bennett
Nicola Bennett on Instagram
Nicola Bennett on Facebook
Neuroscientist Camilla Arndal Andersen
Nino
Wayne Thiebaud
Takeaways
-
Be more forgiving of yourself for not meeting those impossible standards every single time.
-
Ask yourself: What do I authentically want to communicate and what is the best way for others to receive that message?
If you don’t try it definitely won’t go anywhere.
-
During the creative process give your body permission to lead where things are going, and the reasons will become clear.
-
If it’s genuine part of your experience, anger is an acceptable emotion during the grieving process.
-
Try and create as many access points as possible because your viewers are living in the framework they are given, and don’t necessarily have the context to see your work from just one point of view.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Brianna on Instagram
Brianna L. Hernández Baurichter
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
Janine Antoni
Bruce Mau - An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth
Takeaways
-
My art table is my oxygen, my sanctuary, and the place I go to let my breath out.
-
If I can get out of the critical part of my mind and enter the deeper place it feels better in my body and the work feels so much richer.
-
Befriend those difficult emotions. Acknowledge the anxiety.
-
When there isn’t a tool between me and the artmaking, there’s a deeper intimacy and it becomes an intuitive, sensory experience.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Emma on Instagram
Emma Freeman Designs
Emma’s podcast, Reflections from My Art Table
Asemic writing
The First Free Women Original Poems Inspired by the Early Buddhist Nuns
At Home in the World Stories and Essential Teachings from a Monk’s Life
Recovery Dharma
Beyond podcast with Daphne Cohn
Takeaways
-
There are endless possibilities if you’re paying attention to what [the glass] wants.
-
“I will stop underestimating the power of my drive and what I can accomplish.”
-
Stop being so hard on yourself.
-
Mountain biking and glassblowing are both good ways to look hard at yourself and know that there are only certain things you can control.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Chelsea Littman on Instagram
Polpelka Trenchard Glass
The Tambourine Collaboratory
Joanna Manousis
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Nicole Shaver on Instagram
Nicole Shaver
MARN, Milwaukee Artist Resource Network
Shirley Schanen Gruen
Penland School of Craft
The Darkroom
Susan Rothenberg Art 21 video
Ozaukee Washington Land Trust
Takeaways
-
Pay attention to the “oooh factor,” that genuine interaction with a place or object.
-
If the work starts to get stale or is stuck, put it in the blender to get out of the dip.
-
It's got to come from a genuine place otherwise it is kind of false.
-
Artists are strategic hoarders.
-
“The future belongs to those who are still willing to get their hands dirty.” – unknown
Takeaways
-
Our bodies are not machines.
-
Prioritize how things FEEL vs caring about how things LOOK.
-
Sometimes you can have a tricky relationship with things leaving the studio.
-
Language happens so fast, but art happens much more slowly and is open to interpretation.
Mentioned in this episode
Kassandra Palmer
Follow Kassandra on Instagram
Brenda Goodman
Frank Juarez
Takeaways
-
The beauty of art is that you’re always looking for a solution, and sometimes the solution isn’t always singular.
-
“Art is my savior and art is my destruction.”
-
Be willing to try even if you make mistakes.
-
“The trick for all this madness is for it to become part of your daily routine.”
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Frank Juarez Gallery on Instagram
Follow Frank Juarez on Instagram
Frank Juarez
Follow Artdose Magazine on Instagram
Artdose Magazine
Thea Kovac
Ricky Powell, “the Lazy Hustler”
Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art
Lenore Tawney
Zach Mory
Takeaways
-
“If you are producing good work, you likely have a lot of bad work holding it up.” Sandi
-
“Just drawing what I saw in front of me grounded me and I just felt like I could breathe again.” Mel
-
“When you draw it, it becomes interesting, especially kitchen utensils.” Mel
-
“Get absorbed in the ordinary.” Sandi
Mentioned
Follow Melanie Chadwick on Instagram
Melanie’s website
Melanie’s workshops, postcard project and shop can be found on this website
Find Melanie on YouTube
Follow Sandi Hester on Instagram
Find Sandi on YouTube at Bits of an Artist’s Life
Sandi’s website
Takeaways
-
It’s ok to do a whole bunch of different things. That’s why we work in series - to do something with all these ideas.
-
Persevere even if you have a lot of anxiety, insecurity and self-doubt. Showing up is such a big part of being an artist.
-
“I allow the painting to take me to where it needs to go. I can never force the idea into the painting.”
-
Just trust the process.
-
Recognize that they are just thoughts and feelings – push through and learn to trick that inner critic.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Amy Weil on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/circles_and_grids/
Amy Weil’s website https://www.amyweilpaintings.com/
440 Gallery Brooklyn, New York https://gallery440.squarespace.com/artist-amy-weil
Gowanus Studio Space Brooklyn, New York https://www.gowanusstudio.org/
Eva Hesse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Hesse
Takeaways
- We're just doing what we do hoping it speaks to somebody.
- Saying "no" is one of the hardest but one of the most important things we can do for ourselves.
- Just because you don’t like one of your own paintings doesn’t mean someone else won’t.
- You need to believe in what you’re doing and keep at it.
- None of it comes easy. It’s determination that makes the difference.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Ginnie Cappaert on Instagram
Follow Cappaert Contemporary Gallery on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cappaertcontemporarygallery/
Follow Ginnie Cappaert on Facebook
Ginnie Cappaert’s website
Cappaert Contemporary Gallery, Egg Harbor, WI
Ninth Street Women, New York Times book review
Globe Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Takeaways
-
The graveyard of ideas that never got finished is where all of the hang ups live.
-
Be open to the opportunity to bring people into your life. You meet the people you need when you need it.
-
Explore the invisibles that come with making work.
-
Navigate your own narrative.
-
Deadlines can help override the overthinking.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Jenna Freimuth on Instagram
Jenna Freimuth’s website
Sign up for Jenna’s Pencil Post Newsletter
The Wondermakers Collective with Mindy Sue Wittock on Instagram
The Wondermakers Collective website
Saint Kate the Arts Hotel
Lynda Barry’s website, The Near-Sighted Monkey
Syllabus: Notes from and Accidental Professor, by Lynda Barry
You’re Wrong About podcast
My Favorite Murder podcast
Armchair Expert podcast
Tranesca Ergonomic Grip Holder for Apple Pencil
Punch Neapolitan Pizza
Takeaways
-
Nature is like sketchbook in real time; it makes you feel like it’s going to be ok.
-
You have to interact if you want an audience. (You have to be a friend to get a friend.)
-
"You need to work with the medium that works with how fast you think and paint." (source unknown)
-
If you want to get to the next level, then it’s time to put the phone down.
-
The universe will rearrange itself to help you live out your dreams if they come from a sincere place.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Amy Jarvis on Instagram
Follow Amy Jarvis on Facebook
Amy Jarvis website
Megan Woodward Johnson Artist Masterminds
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Steve White Yoga Pranayama video. Calming, centering and balancing breath work for the nervous system.
Tom Uttech
Mentioned
Follow Gill Edwards on Instagram
Follow Gill Edwards on Facebook
Gill Edwards
Bloomsbury Group
Romo Group
Alice Sheridan’s Connected Artist Club
Nicholas Wilton’s Creative Visionary Program (CVP)
Elizabeth Blackadder
The Suffolk Coast
Takeaways
- Consider writing your ideas on a giant piece of paper and tacking it up on the wall so they are front and center.
- It’s not wrong to be a perfectionist, but it can stop you from progressing.
- Dental tools, trowels, wooden butter pats, and a toilet brush all make lovely marks on a canvas!
- “I believe that if I love what I’m doing then somebody somewhere will love it too.”
Mentioned
Follow Paula’s Palette on Instagram and Facebook
Follow Paula’s hand painted wearables on Instagram
Paula’s website
Paula’s Etsy shop
The Arts Mill
North Shore Academy of the Arts
Frida Kahlo
Kate Scott
Takeaways
- There’s an insecurity and vulnerability in giving your artwork to other people.
- How we envision our art going out into the world doesn’t mean that’s what it’s going to do.
- One of the dangers of social media is that your art can come out looking like everybody else’s.
- It always feels better if you’re not forcing something.
Mentioned
Follow Melanie Chadwick on Instagram
Melanie’s website
Melanie’s workshops, postcard project and shop can be found on this website
Melanie’s YouTube channel
Melanie’s Food Illustration course, Illustrated Recipes: Making Delicious Art on Domestika
Creative Catchup YouTube
Creative Catchup Instagram
Takeaways
- Letting go of how something should look diminishes my perfectionist tendencies
- Having an anchor allows you to feel free to go and explore and engage your curiosities.
- The wrong way is not doing it at all.
- My whole senses are awakened when I’m out in the wild. It makes me feel alive when I experience what’s going on around me and being in the moment.
- It’s not always the end result it’s the process of making and creating.
- My faith doesn’t restrict me, it helps take away that fear that I might have of exploring the unknown.
- Success is finding contentment in the life that I lead and finding joy in the mundane things.
Mentioned
Follow Amy Maricle on Instagram
Join Amy’s Creative Self Care facebook group, Mindful Art
Check out Amy’s website, Mindful Art Studio
Follow Amy on Pinterest
Amy’s YouTube channel
Whiteness at Work with the Adaway group
SARK
Fogbow
Takeaways
- Tuning in to the body is such a wonderful way of arriving in the moment and art is a tremendous opportunity to arrive in the moment using our senses.
- The more you focus on the process, the more the product improves. And the more you get into the richness of your own work you judge yourself less and have more fun.
- Allow yourself time to indulge your curiosities.
- Pause and look deeply at nature as you’re walking.
Mentioned
Follow Jo York on Instagram
Find Jo York on Facebook
Jo York’s website
Lamicall Gooseneck Bed Phone Holder Mount
Barbara Hepworth
Paul Feiler
Artemisia Gentileschi
Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire
Jennifer Pazienza’s Gotta Minute? videos
Takeaways
- Acrylics are dead useful.
- Working in a series help keeps the momentum going and gives yourself the time to delve in and get deep into it.
- Just calling yourself an artist is quite a big deal.
- “When I get really stuck I tidy up the studio and do loads of displacement activities.”
- Don’t doubt yourself.
- We need to allow people to grow up with a creative outlet and awareness of nature.
Follow Iris on Instagram
Iris’s YouTube channel - Iris Impressions Art
Iris’s website
Haribo sweets (the Deutsch site of course!)
Primrose Hill in Regent’s Park, London
Listen to Iris on the Get Messy Art podcast with Caylee Grey
Takeaways
- If you’re really interested in something, it's worthy of your time.
- “Making the art that I want to make, writing the things that I want to write, and sharing in my vlogs the things that I'm already doing is the most genuine way of growing my audience in a meaningful way.”
- Make things imperfect on purpose. It doesn’t have to be good, it just has to exist.
- “If I do things ‘authentically’ and the way I want to and when it's nice for me then I can do it fairly consistently.”
Takeaways
- When it’s really overwhelming, go outside with the dogs.
- Be more flexible with yourself.
- “How you spend your days is how you spend your life.” Annie Dillard
- You don’t have to fit nicely into a box in order to be successful.
- Nature is essential for emotional health.
Mentioned
Follow Melissa on Instagram
Follow Melissa on Pinterest
Follow Melissa on Facebook
Melissa’s website
Melissa’s Blog
Sally Maxwell scratchboard artist
Takeaways
-
It's looking in and finding out, “what is your special thing?” That's going to be your key to starting the thing you want to do.
-
We all think other people are doing it better and have it sorted and then when you're sharing with these people in groups you find out you're all doing exactly the same. When you know that something like procrastination or perfection is a natural part of the process, you don't put much weight on it. You can recognize it and then it doesn't consume you.
-
We don’t realize how important the little easy things that we do are, and how much they’re a part of us.
-
“I’m not a big believer in busy.”
-
Success is when I'm relaxed and comfortable and confident in what I'm doing and that's only when I'm doing what comes from inside. When you look elsewhere that's when it goes wrong.
-
It helps to put words into those feelings that come and take you over, making them more manageable.
Mentioned
Follow Caroline on Instagram
Caroline’s website Stitched Pictures by Caroline
Follow Julie King on Instagram
Follow Jillian Lawrence, Modern Marketing on Instagram
Maud Lewis
Takeaways
-
Beauty matters.
-
Beauty is a whisper of our humanity.
-
If you’re going to use the wheel, break the rules.
-
Even extroverts need quiet spaces.
-
The reason art and beauty exist is to remind us that we matter. Feeling seen and heard shouldn't be based on a post code and it shouldn't be a luxury, it should be a birthright.
Mentioned
Follow Rachel on Instagram
Rachel’s website
Follow Rachel on Facebook
Follow Rachel on Twitter
Rachel talks about Hope in this short film Barnaby Festival
Kintsugi
Lucie Rie
The Great Pottery Throw Down
Edmund de Waal
Theaster Gates and a link to short films about his work
Whiterocks Beach, Northern Ireland
Takeaways
-
Creating fuels creating.
-
Be content with whatever that day holds.
-
“I’m not gonna let anything with self-talk get in the way.”
-
“Fight for joy in whatever that season holds. The joy that comes out of me comes from those hard seasons.”
Mentioned
Follow Sandi on Instagram
Sandi’s YouTube channel - Bits of an Artist’s Life
Sandi’s website
Mary Fedden
Lilias Trotter
Takeaways
Don’t worry about how it’s perceived but what it feels like.
Take the shoulds out of it.
Eventually you'll get the right outcome and it's not an outcome until it’s right.
This is totally about joy and freedom.
Mentioned
Follow Jo on Instagram
Follow Jo on Facebook
Jo Payne’s website
Jo Payne’s Etsy shop
Crow Point
David Hockney
Takeaways
Having a small easy project that you never struggle to do, is a way in to the work and lets you stop procrastinating.
The best pieces come out of those bold gestures.
Music alongside painting amplifies both.
Choose to keep the canvas that’s not working and have a dogged determination not to let the canvas win.
Mentioned
Follow Sue on Instagram
Sue’s website
Asbury and Asbury website
Quintin Lake photography
Making Sense podcast with Sam Harris
Art Juice podcast
Takeaways
1. A proposal of study can focus the mind and maintain a rigor within your work.
2. Everyone has different challenges - build on what you’ve got.
3. Social media is a platform to talk about my obsessions.
4. Question your own perspective about animals.
Mentioned
Follow Suzy on Instagram
Suzy’s website
Duncan Petrie's short film showcasing Suzy's work
The Good Ship Illustration
Sir Peter Scott
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
David Shepherd
Thomas Bewick
John J Audubon
Takeaways
Pay attention to the role of contemplation in your art practice.
When you give your art time and space to breathe amazing things emerge.
Taking better of your body could help your art practice.
Why not you?
Mentioned
Follow Emma on Instagram
Emma’s website
Emma’s podcast, Reflections from My Art Table
Yarrow Magdalena’s book - Rituals and podcast - Daydreaming Wolves
The DIY Small Business podcast
Beyond podcast with Daphne Cohn
Teaching Artist Podcast
Weave podcast
Sheila Hicks
Takeaways
-
Just ask.
-
On social media: Follow less, engage more.
-
Same but different.
-
Be here now. Let go.
-
When you want to see beauty somewhere, if you don’t already see it, you have to create it. Make it come about.
Mentioned
Follow Molly on Instagram
Molly’s website
The Traveling Postal Club
Matthew Frederick
French General workshops
Jen Peterson’s Instagram - the pursuit of sunshine
On Being with Krista Tippett podcast
Chanel Miller
Takeaways
1. Just keep going. Pursue an idea, learn what doesn’t work and don’t give up along the way.
2. Ask “what if.”
3. As long as you activate the creative mind, you'll learn what doesn't work.
4. It’s ok to just absorb the chaos going on in the world. Witness it and learn from it. You might respond years later, in a way that’s no so immediate.
5. Showing up to the studio is like working out – it might take a lot of effort to get back, but once you finally show up again you don’t want to let it go.
Mentioned
Follow Julie on Instagram
Julie’s website
Magna Doodle
Design Thinking
Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam
Milton Glaser
Helen Frankenthaler
Agnes Martin
Anni Elbers
Takeaways
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We’re so complex and weird as human beings - we know what is good for us and what will give us satisfaction so why don't we just go do more of that?
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If you listen very carefully each tree and each kind of a leaf makes a different sound.
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Social media is like an unwanted guest in your house. They have just arrived, they have no plans of leaving, and we just don't know whether we're going to get along or not, but we are figuring it out.
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It is such a privilege to do work that allows you to meet people who are doing such insanely cool things. Entering their studios and places of work exposes you to this whole different way of thinking .
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Commit to watching at least one documentary film a month.
Mentioned
Follow Laj on Instagram
Follow Red Crane Films on Instagram
Follow Red Crane Films on Facebook
Red Crane Films website
Milwaukee Film Festival - On Hands
Together Alone, a short film by Laj
On Being with Krista Tippett podcast
Emergence Magazine
Asian American Documentary Network
Kanopy
Frederick Wiseman
Agnes Varda
Anand Patwardhan
Deep Work - sessions available from Caveday
Classical Stretch series by Miranda Esmonde-White
Takeaways
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Just say yes to more things. Even if you’re scared. A little bit of fear feeds the soul.
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Cowboy boots, cinnamon tea and a boogie dance is a great way to start the day.
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Just try new material. No one is going to look at it it if you don't want them to. If it’s for you only what are you afraid of?
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Working on cradled plywood can be a game changer!
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The key to get over imposter syndrome and insecurities is to force yourself to go to the studio and play. Sketch or paint and not worry about the results.
Mentioned
Follow Krissy on Instagram
Krissy's website
Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED Talk - It’s OK to feel overwhelmed. Here’s what to do next.
Joan Eardley
Sean Scully
Robert Motherwell
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It’s through the details that we notice changes and transitions.
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A change in your environment can cause a change in you and your art.
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We can only love those things that we know and we only want to protect the things we love. We must understand nature so we can protect it.
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It's possible to have this art life if your heart is set on it and if you really feel that this is what you want to do. Please don't think about university degrees, just do it. And if you can, do it every day.
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Share your work! If there is even one person who looks at things through different eyes, because of your work, there might be others.
Mentioned
Follow Stephanie on Instagram
Stephanie’s website
Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Millerntor Gallery
Art Juice podcast with Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher
Beyond podcast with Daphne Cohn
Takeaways
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At the end of the day you just have to really find yourself fully in the person that you are
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The more time you give yourself in a creative space the more the art that you're making communicates to you what you need to be working on.
3. The happier we are with the person that we were meant to be, the more able we are to give to others.
4. Make the most of every opportunity you have.
5. Facing fears and feelings is what it’s all about: living with the unknown and the uncertainty.
Mentioned
Follow Tracey on Instagram
Follow Tracey on Facebook
Tracey’s website
Art Juice podcast with Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher
The Great Women Artists podcast with Katy Hessel
Prunella Clough
Turps Banana
Winnicott Wednesdays
Wimbeldon Art Studios
Tarlov Cyst Disease
Takeaways
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There’s no screaming in art. And there’s no crying in troweling.
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You can’t give up and give in to self-doubt. Of course there will be self-doubt and tears, but work it out in your head, and then move on.
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“I put my passion in my suitcase when I travel – trowels and truffles.”
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Several things teach patience: Italy, and children.
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Just be good to each other.
Mentioned
Follow Carrie and Chimenti Studios on Instagram
Follow Chimenti Studios on Facebook
Takeaways
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It all starts with being curious about the world.
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You can have multiple careers across different industries – all you need to do is take a chance on yourself.
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It’s worth peeling back the layers when you meet someone. There is something wonderful to behold when you take the time to look a little closer.
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Embracing failure means you are learning.
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The person that's holding you back is the person in the mirror. You need to be kind to yourself and allow yourself to have failures and missteps and learn from them and laugh at yourself and move through it. You will be more resilient and better off for it.
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The beauty of art is that it can allow an artist to take something that would be controversial or difficult to think about and put it in such a way that everyone can consume and think about it.
Mentioned
Follow Linda on Instagram
Linda Marcus Art
In Conversation: A WMQFA Zoom Panel Discussion with Linda Marcus, Heidi Parkes, and Nirmal Raja
Saint Kate the Arts Hotel
Sheila Hicks
Anni Albers
Takeaways
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In our busyness and urban-ness we’ve been taken away from the beauty and mystery and magic that exists around us.
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You have to be able to live in that uncomfortable zone in order to get to new and magical things.
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The job of the mentor is not to change your opinion or your work, or not to tell you what's not going right, but to bring your nose off of the mirror and allow you to see it in a different or wider angle and have a more global perception of what you’re doing.
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When the silence is so full, like in the forest, it’s not a silence of emptiness, but it allows you to become deeply in tune to your own thoughts and your way of looking at the world.
Mentioned
Follow Vicky Lentz on Instagram
Follow Vcky Lentz on Facebook
Vicky Lentz’s website
Follow Vicky Lentz on Pinterest
Mardens Surplus and Salvage
Agnes Martin
The torus
Created Here magazine
Takeaways
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“I have a lot of tabs open in my browser.”
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Creativity does not need to be artistic - the mere act of being alive is creative.
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Engaging in process art with no intent, no direction and no meaning is a great way to PLAY!
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Take a lesson from the kindergarten crowd and when you make art just react from your gut, from your soul, and from your intuition.
Mentioned
Follow Natalie Ergas on Instagram
Follow Natalie and Native Essence Art on Facebook
Natalie’s Native Essence Art website
Takeaways
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There’s a real strength in knowing your weakness.
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What I learned in art school taught me to expand my vision and self-critique.
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Fear no longer gets a vote.
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So often our fear pushes us away from our internal voice and toward security and what might be an argument. My greatest successes in life have been when I’ve faced the fear and listened to that voice.
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“Get in the short lines first.” - Gary Kelly
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“There's no such thing as a no-win scenario there's always a way to make it work.“ - Captain Kirk
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“Success is 99% failure.” - Thomas Edison
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“A 10 year old can't sing a love song.” - Smokey Robinson
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Aaron Boyd on Instagram
Follow Aaron Boyd on Facebook
Aaron Boyd’s website
Takeaways
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You begin to realize you’re limiting your options and every positive choice that you make to do something means there are other things you don’t get to do.
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Do what you can to quiet the internal voices that tell you you’re not very good at this and say, “thank you for your opinion, we can have this discussion another time” and just go to work.
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Make the thing you need to make and then do it again and show up tomorrow and do it again and show up the next day and do it again.
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It’s so much easier to keep showing up once I realized that it’s never going to get easier, that it wasn’t a problem I had, that it’s not inherent in me, it’s just that a creative life is hard.
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Pants before noon.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Nick Petrie on Twitter
Follow Nick Petrie on Instagram
Follow Nick Petrie on Facebook
Nick Petrie’s website
Boswell Books
Daniel Pinkwater
Takeaways
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Stretching a canvas in the studio is like making a sauce in the kitchen.
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It’s still challenging to realize there will be another painting after this one.
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Not every painting is going to be a painting you’re happy with but there’s something in it that may challenge you and move you that gets resolved in the next one.
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Short bursts of bouncing (on a trampoline!) are very good for the spirits.
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With a limited palette comes endless possibilities.
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My painting practice is where I recover from other stuff that’s going on in life.
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I trust that all the interior landscapes of my life inform how I understand the natural world landscapes around me and what actually winds up on the canvas.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Jennifer Pazienza on Instagram
Follow Jennifer Pazienzaon Facebook
Jennifer Pazienza’s website
Gotta Minute? videos
Art NXT Level Academy
Upper Canada Stretchers
Takeaways
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Let your field go fallow for a while. Step away from it and allow things to percolate.
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If you get to the point where you're not able to tap into that pure place where you’re “just making the work because you love it” then the work suffers and the whole thing starts to fall down.
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You’re the only one who can take your shower.
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Having different stages of your artwork in your back pocket allows you to work on some aspect of your art regardless of your emotional or mental or physical state.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Megan Woodard Johnson on Instagram
Follow Megan Woodard Johnson on Facebook
Megan Woodard Johnson’s website
Megan’s Mastermind information
Check out Megan Woodard Johnson’s Pinterest
The tube wringer!
Takeaways
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You show up, you commit, you don’t let people down, and you put something back into the community.
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Don't give up when you get frustrated by your materials.
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Don’t overcomplicate things.
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Work hard, be generous and don’t take yourself too seriously.
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Chiropractic and acupuncture treatments, wine, and a dog go a long way to self-care.
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The technical aspects of art didn't come together until I had something I wanted to say.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Abigail Bowen on Instagram
Follow Abigail Bowen on Facebook
Abigail Bowen’s website
Takeaways
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Just because you carry the load well doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy.
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You don’t have to be just one thing.
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It IS a good day to have a good day!
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No colors clash in nature.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Jes Zange on Instagram
Jes Zange’s website
Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival
Fiberwood Studio
Takeaways
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Everything around you is touched by an artist. Artists are the ones who tell our story.
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Self expressions is the key to storytelling. It’s about hearing everyone's individual stories and finding out what we have in common through those unique stories.
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My community is a constellation, not a congregation.
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Strive for fewer better things.
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Talent is a real slippery term and it’s just not enough because art making takes a ton of perseverance and loads of patience.
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It’s really about resilience, creative problem solving, being able to argue a point, to look at something from a different point of view, to take negative criticism, and to give challenging criticism.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Laurie Pearsall on Instagram
Laurie Pearsall’s website
Takeaways
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Use your artwork to quietly talk about things that are important to you.
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If you’ve never made paper I highly recommend. It’s like magic.
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ATCs (artist trading cards) are great because: 1) it’s a great way to get unstuck, 2) it’s not a big commitment, and 3) there is no monetary incentive.
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Take the time to find out what other people think and feel about things. Don’t just keep scrolling.
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If I agree to do something, I'm not going to do it half assed I'm going to do it whole assed.
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Being reliable, responsible, and a nice person to be around and matters just as much as the art.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Mel Kolstad on Instagram
Mel Kolstad’s website
Mel Kostad’s TedX talk - Channeling Your Inner Kid for Your Career
ATCs for All Artist Trading Cards
Themla Sadoff Center for the Arts
The Exquisite Uterus Project
Arnold Grummer’s
United States Postal Service Ruth Asawa stamps
Takeaways
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Use your artwork to quietly talk about things that are important to you.
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If you’ve never made paper I highly recommend. It’s like magic.
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ATCs (artist trading cards) are great because: 1) it’s a great way to get unstuck, 2) it’s not a big commitment, and 3) there is no monetary incentive.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Mel Kolstad on Instagram
Mel Kolstad’s website
Mel Kostad’s TedX talk - Channeling Your Inner Kid for Your Career
ATCs for All Artist Trading Cards
Themla Sadoff Center for the Arts
The Exquisite Uterus Project
Arnold Grummer’s
Takeaways
- When you can tap into the honesty and be who you really are without worrying about how other people see you, that's where true self happiness starts.
- Sometimes you have to change what success looks like depending on the week. But all of it helps the artwork go where it needs to go.
- You can find magic anywhere.
- Sewing is an act of repair and an ancient way of brining things together so they can’t come apart again.
- Objects are just objects.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Mindy Sue Wittock on Instagram
MIndy Sue Wittock’s website
Wondermakers Collective on Instagram
Wondermakers Collective website
New Kids On The Block
Axl Rose
Stevie Nicks
Takeaways
- Be more open and generous and accept what is in the world right now.
- Science and art are great places to learn how to question everything and how to look out for yourself.
- Sometimes calamity happens and then it just backs away again.
- All art comes from something you’re expressing. Even if you’re not ready to hear it yourself, it might be time for someone else to receive it.
- It would be really hard to be the sand reckoner.
Mentioned in this episode
Follow Deb Dila on Instagram
Deb Dila’s website
Var Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
ArtPrize, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Pier Gustafson
Hamlin Lake, Michigan
Takeaways
- Try everything.
- Getting started is a new battle every day.
- Even though we paint for ourselves, we need to know that the notes are not flat when the audience hears them, and that the message is landing.
- Racism is the concrete manifestation of greed.
- Self-worth is an inner game, and the feedback you get on social media is about the art, not about you.
Mentioned
Follow Benjamin Seaman on Instagram
Benjamin Seaman’s website
Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
Paper FiftyThree
More information about Internal Family Systems
Brooklyn Art Library’s The Sketchbook Project
Delaware Valley Arts Alliance
Follow Sean Frankino on Instagram
Follow Tom Hlas on Instagram
Follow Pete Hocking on Instagram
Follow Joe Mangrum on Instagram
Ben briefly mentions “rapid fire exquisite corpse” and I had to look it up and share this in case you didn’t know about it either! Cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse) is a collaborative drawing approach first used by surrealist artists to create bizarre and intuitive drawings.
Takeaways
- Live life through loving kindness.
- Make more garbage art. We need to give people opportunities to fail, to experiment, to prototype.
- The Napping Wall!!! (you’ll just have to listen…)
- If you’re stuck: 1) work in series, 2) turn your art upside down, 3) put your art on the napping wall, 4) change what you’re up to.
- When we take the time to slow down and learn how to tune in to ourselves, our creative practice, and our own work, we create work that is authentically ours.
- There is a singular subjective perspective of how people remember and experience and create stories of others and themselves.
Mentioned in this Episode
Follow Shannon on Instagram
Shannon’s website
Shannon’s small batch limited editions with Kunst/100 in Berlin, including the Risograph print of Baltic Sea Study
TimeSlips
Takeaways
- Don’t wait for confidence. You get confidence by doing.
- Suit up and show up because you never know what's going to happen. Even if it’s a terrible day in the studio, you might just meet someone that really lifts your spirits and makes you think about your work differently.
- Let go of all the rules that say art has to be this way or that way. Just do it because you want to.
- The best revolution we could have for the preservation of democracy is to do it yourself.
Mentioned in this Episode
Follow Mary on Instagram
Penny McElroy at the University of Redlands
Mary’s internship in New Jersey pouring bronze casts for different artists led me to research the sculptors she worked with. Check out the trailer for this fascinating documentary “Julian Schnable: A Private Portrait.”
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Ox-Bow School of Art
American Craft Council list of schools with craft workshops and courses
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts Sculpture program
University of Wisconsin Madison Glass Lab
Women’s Caucus for Art
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Takeaways
- The best part of living is embracing the absurd things that happen every day.
- You can’t put a forcefield around anyone with your worry.
- You can always put something out in the world that is positive.
- Take a lesson from Fred Rogers. Be nice, share, treat others the way you’d want to be treated.
- People respond to truth.
Mentioned in this Episode
Follow Krista on Instagram, Facebook
Krista’s web site - Follow The Signs Painting
Farm Girl Antiques
Takeaways
- Authenticity is painting what you truly want to paint. Vulnerability is sharing it with other people.
- It’s all about the process. Freeing yourself of the obligations of the end result lets you create something unique, that is satisfying to the viewer, and enjoyable to make.
- Advocate for anyone who has an interest in the arts, even if they’re not “gifted.”
- Experiences and relationships have so much more value than any items.
Mentioned in this Episode
Follow Paula’s Palette on Instagram, Facebook
Follow Paula’s hand painted wearables on Instagram,
Paula DeStefanis Fine Art
Paula’s Etsy shop
The Arts Mill
North Shore Academy of the Arts
Follow John Paul Berry on Instagram