Art Horse

If you wouldn’t buy it at full price don’t buy it on sale - Gabriela There will be other trombones There are people who love what they do and know all about it and are so willing to tell you anything you would need to know You don’t have to cover anyone else’s bases Learning to interact with other human beings is h a r d  We mention: www.nevergetoveryou https://youtu.be/3wnQcZ3HaBQ Teddi Parker Ar...

Sometimes it turns out you don’t actually like your hobbies --- and it’s ok to stop doin em!! The best time to upgrade? When you start to feel the pain of the free version Marketplace lessons -- 1: Beware when someone asks you “would you like them all?”. 2: If someone says they’re ‘giving you a good deal’, they’re probably not Knitting projects should **start** with the hard part It’s okay to make...

We’re putting together a digital zine to celebrate our collective stepping-out-of-comfort-zone-edness, our unfinished projects, and the messiness of art-making. We’re looking for: ✨A picture of something you’ve made that’s significant to you, you’re proud of, or you’re stuck on and is unfinished, OR ✨Any writing you’d like to share ✨A little blurb about what the piece means to you, how you felt...

YOU are so important that it doesn’t matter if you do important/impressive things Taking care of yourself (SLEEP) can make stressful situations up to 50% less stressful (u heard it here first) To trust yourself, you gotta be kind to urself --- if you always call yourself an idiot you won't trust yourself because “who’d trust an idiot??” Reality check: hot pink scrotum scarf is probably more “...

The Juicy Bits The fun is over if you do it all at once Earrings DO deliver you a bigger life Doing things with ur body treats ur brain good Going ham on Marketplace is like intuitive eating: learn your limits by Doing You know you’ve made it when you make a mistake and don’t feel like a piece of shit You’re allowed to have Things that have history and stories. You’re also allowed to dismantle tho...

The Juice: More time to work on a commission can sometimes just mean more time to worry about it  It’s ok to move in stages towards better habits instead of quitting old ones cold turkey There’s more than one way to generate ideas --- it doesn’t have to be so stressful! Taking time away from staring at a screen to move yr bod feels good (who’da thunk) Scanners don’t scan neon?!?! Let us know how y...

The Juice: It’s okay and makes sense to use ur living space to reflect ur identity back to urself and others It’s okay to use ENOUGH PAINT The addictiveness of social media is real and it’s on purpose Stashes are good but only if you can readily see and use what u have Be mindful of the pull of pretty shiny things and how they suck up ur money and space and time It is okay to rest when you are tir...

In the middle of a move, Fiona deals with the irritation of not having her crafting space set up (“where’s mY SHIT?!”), but manages to squeeze out a painting nonetheless.  Jess crashes unceremoniously back down to earth after an intense month of preparation for her gallery show. They end up talking about the changing nature of their creative partnership since the start of Fiona’s new job.  See our...

Early-morning comedy workshop host Jane joins Fiona and Jess for a serious chat about comedy, creativity, and mental health. They discuss: what to wear so people will listen to you, how to generate garbage ideas (and a few gems), and how good it feels to take no shit and focus on your passions as you get older. TW: brief mentions of sexual assault and suicidal ideation. Find Jane on Twitter and In...

Fiona paints herself as a child and experiences a migraine attack, both of which turn into opportunities to let go of some guilt and practice self-compassion. Jess discovers a unifying theme in her recent paintings and gets freaked out by the newspaper guy. Both agree that Jane Postlethwaite’s comedy workshop was 10/10 --- but they probably won’t do any more 3 AM events. See pictures from this epi...

Fiona experiences what it’s like to be a fully-employed human with only evenings and weekends to be creative, but finds it surprisingly easy to turn to painting after work. Jess paints her hardest to prepare for a gallery show (!!) in February. Both try on someone else’s style and unexpectedly find their way back to themselves. We mention Jane Postlethwaite and her comedy workshops:   https://www....

Painter Emily Powell chats with Fiona and Jess about how she elbowed her way into a painting career. She encourages Fiona to go big instead of increasingly smaller, and tells Jess (and you) where to find big “canvases” (spoiler: you may already have everything you need). She encourages us to paint with what we’ve got at hand (😉), sing our own praises, and use our feelings to guide us with colour....

Fiona and Jess look forward to the creative dreams and schemes of 2021. Jess resolves to paint BIG and start budgeting for creative enrichment. Fiona hopes to find her creative “weapon of choice”, find a balance between her new job and art, and summon the courage to create anything that people will see without Jess as co-conspirator. See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen...

Jess and Fiona take stock of this past year’s successes, failures, baby steps, and big creative shifts. Fiona, a chronic dabbler, looks back at all the pies she stuck her toes into since starting Art Horse. Jess reflects on a year of big changes (1000 days of Birdstrips, living with her parents for 6 months, moving across the country) and how her creative practice has changed for the better. Despi...

Fiona turns to science for her colour palette with breathtaking results, and is surprised to find Julia Cameron’s wisdom turn up in a book about disordered eating. Jess sources real unicorn fluff, but struggles this week to capture the “spark of life” when drawing people. See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episodes and join our Discord chat on Patreon: https:/...

Jess finds her weaving flow with a rug for ants, and Fiona accidentally goes slaughterhouse when she means to go whimsical. Both reflect on personal artistic style and wrap up some long-suffering creative projects. See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episodes and join our Discord chat on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arthorsepod Tweet Fiona nonsense at @fion...

Fiona breaks through last week’s creative block and expresses some heavy emotions in the form of PRIVATE, mom, emo-as-hell song lyrics. Inspired by a photo in the night, Jess finally goes out into the world and makes some sketches. Both realize the value in keeping some creations to yourself. See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episodes and join our Discord cha...

Fiona hones her technical skills by struggling through a big video project, experiences severe blog-writer’s-block, and attempts to become an indie-sad-girl-singer-songwriter: how hard could it be? Jess struggles with some life drawing and worries about becoming a painter who doesn’t paint, and Fiona sets her straight. Both stand precariously on the line between inspiration and discouragement. ---...

Jess makes some “terrible” sketches and knits her needle down to a stump. Fiona finds some chewy healing and growth in a Montreal-style bagel. Both feel liberated by the mistakes of real adults (looking at you Cesar Milan). See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episodes and join our Discord chat on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arthorsepod Tweet Fiona nonsense...

Fiona expresses some COVID anxiety with her first ever collage and writes an accidental poem about pain and depression. Jess hunts for treasure DOWNTOWN and does some creative thread-finding, both figuratively and literally. Both narrowly escape the hell that is “technical difficulties” while working on their Patreon projects. — See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to ex...

Jess worries about a Big Purchase (an online course for illustrators!?) and knits up a storm. Fiona battens down the hatches in another week of migraines, and finds a surprising light through the clouds: feeling pain and painting anyway. Both laugh a lot, and Jess swears, a lot. — See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episodes and join our Discord chat on Patreon...

Jess single-handedly causes the apocalypse, cancels Christmas, and is taunted by $500 pencil crayons – however, she sure does mix some media. Fiona’s chronic headaches give her Big Guilt over sticking to a creative practice, but she still manages to crank out some acrylic paintings. Both agree that having the space to create is a game-changer. — See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthors...

Jess lives out the arrival fallacy when she tries to celebrate and unexpectedly experiences depression. Fiona turns unsatisfactory paintings into learning experiences, and is betrayed by her own body before her first ever online improv class. Both wonder: how can I do this differently so it doesn’t ruin my whole day? — See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episod...

Fiona paints in full-on flow, dissects some big laughs, and takes a baby step towards something she really cares about - the lols. Jess learns from various painters with, shall we say, varying approaches to the art of teaching. Good, clean fun.  — Scroll to the bottom of the ocean: https://neal.fun/deep-sea/ Nicholas Wilton and his positive art vibes https://www.art2life.com/blog/ Pancake running...

Fiona endures a week without yellow paint and asks the internet how to make jokes. Jess’s ego takes a hit when a thoughtful piece of fEeDbAcK cuts through her bullshit. Both are relieved to remember they can ask for help. — See pictures from this episode on Instagram @arthorsepod Listen to extra episodes and join our Discord chat on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/arthorsepod Tweet Fiona nonsense...