Authentic Obsessions

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 inspir...

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...

Takeaways 1. 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.  2. 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. 3. Don’t despair if your art do...

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...

Takeaways 1. Keep working, keep moving forward and eventually it all gets done.  2. “The only rule is work.” Sister Mary Corita Kent 3. “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...

Takeaways 1. Try to be stronger than your shadows. 2. Give your art away. 3. Tilt your head and looks sideways. 4. Art is a way to always move forward and open yourself up to curiosity. 5. 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 1. Installation – within an exhibit space - is an art form in itself. 2. Entering a wooded area feels like a hug. 3. 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 Glob...

Takeaways 1. “Food is edible love” Nicola’s mom. 2. Write a list of nice things you’d say to a friend and tell those to yourself. 3. Say “shut up” to your inner critic. 4. 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 1. Be more forgiving of yourself for not meeting those impossible standards every single time. 2. 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. 3. During the creative process give your body permission to lead where things are going, and the reasons will become clea...

Takeaways 1. My art table is my oxygen, my sanctuary, and the place I go to let my breath out. 2. 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. 3. Befriend those difficult emotions. Acknowledge the anxiety. 4. When there isn’t a tool between me and the artmaking, there’s a deeper intimacy and it becomes an...

Takeaways 1. There are endless possibilities if you’re paying attention to what [the glass] wants. 2. “I will stop underestimating the power of my drive and what I can accomplish.” 3. Stop being so hard on yourself. 4. 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 Li...

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 1. Pay attention to the “oooh factor,” that genuine interaction with a place or object. 2. If the work starts to get stale or is stuck, put it in the blende...

Takeaways 1. Our bodies are not machines. 2. Prioritize how things FEEL vs caring about how things LOOK. 3. Sometimes you can have a tricky relationship with things leaving the studio. 4. 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 1. The beauty of art is that you’re always looking for a solution, and sometimes the solution isn’t always singular. 2. “Art is my savior and art is my destruction.” 3. Be willing to try even if you make mistakes. 4. “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 In...

Takeaways 1. “If you are producing good work, you likely have a lot of bad work holding it up.”  Sandi 2. “Just drawing what I saw in front of me grounded me and I just felt like I could breathe again.”  Mel 3. “When you draw it, it becomes interesting, especially kitchen utensils.” Mel 4. “Get absorbed in the ordinary.” Sandi Mentioned Follow Melanie Chadwick on Instagram Melanie’s website Melani...

Takeaways 1. 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. 2. Persevere even if you have a lot of anxiety, insecurity and self-doubt. Showing up is such a big part of being an artist. 3. “I allow the painting to take me to where it needs to go. I can never force the idea into the painting.” 4. Just trust the process. 5. Recogn...

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 epis...

Takeaways 1. The graveyard of ideas that never got finished is where all of the hang ups live. 2. Be open to the opportunity to bring people into your life. You meet the people you need when you need it. 3. Explore the invisibles that come with making work. 4. Navigate your own narrative. 4. Deadlines can help override the overthinking. Mentioned in this episode Follow Jenna Freimuth on Instagram...

Takeaways 1. Nature is like sketchbook in real time; it makes you feel like it’s going to be ok. 2. You have to interact if you want an audience. (You have to be a friend to get a friend.) 3. "You need to work with the medium that works with how fast you think and paint." (source unknown) 4. If you want to get to the next level, then it’s time to put the phone down.  5. The universe will rearrange...

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 perfecti...

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 o...

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 H...

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...

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 c...

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...