The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell

www.messystudiopodcast.com www.squeegeepress.com www.rebeccacrowell.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast What’s On In Your Studio Most artists have strong feelings about their work environments. What works, what doesn’t, what rituals or other aspects of their studio days are important? The overall environment of a studio can be expanded upon in a number of ways, but our focus today is on what i...

The ebbs and flows of income (and other positive events) are challenges for any self-employed person. But we have to learn to deal with slack times if we want to persist. Once you become discouraged it can be easy to lose your motivation and even think about giving up. Today we’ll cover some strategies and thoughts that can help if you’re in the midst of a downturn, and also ways to take the best...

www.messystudiopodcast.com www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast https://herzogart.com https://messystudio.fireside.fm/29 https://www.allisonbcooke.com I often like to look up terms that get tossed around, and Oxford’s first definition is “an instruction, command, or duty given to a person or group of people.” While the commandment aspect of this is often...

Many of us are fortunate enough to have had mentors in our lives who were also friends or relations, who have helped us or we have helped along the way. These are relationships to protect and be grateful for as we discussed last week. But there are ways to have a mentoring relationship with people we don’t know, at least at first—a formal kind of arrangement in which the mentor is compensated and...

Notes Working with a mentor is a long tradition in the art world, in which a less experienced artist looks to one who is more experienced for guidance and training. Is art mentoring still important in the age of instructional videos, books, workshops, and artist groups? What do we gain from having a mentor, or from mentoring other people? Today we will talk about the unique offerings of mentorship...

Rebecca and Ross discuss why sharing your process and techniques with others helps to advance your own work and career. Intro: An artist’s creative process is not always easily accessed by others—it may include technical secrets as well as approaches that are simply hard to convey to others even if there is a desire to share. Do the art practices of others seem mysterious to you? Do you guard some...

Rebecca and Ross continue their discussion on building your artist website. Create an artist website on Wix today! Episode mentioned: https://messystudio.fireside.fm/55 www.messystudiopodcast.com www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com

Rebecca and Ross discuss common pitfalls in artist websites and why your website is important. Create a website today with Wix! It is fast, easy, and free to get started. www.messystudiopodcast.com www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast

Rebecca and Jerry discuss the process of making their video (Cold Wax Medium: A Video Workshop)--including behind the scenes stories, the challenges of being on camera, and their motivations and intentions for this huge project. This episode includes a discount coupon code if you wish to purchase the video. www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast Special Gu...

Intro: Many of our listeners know about the book that Jerry McLaughlin and I co-wrote--Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversation—and also that, from the beginning we did not want to only talk about techniques (hence the title.) Today we want to talk about why we find the concepts and ideas of abstraction important and offer some ideas about understanding and developing meaning in yo...

Intro: Many people find abstraction very challenging to either create or appreciate because it seems so different from more realistic approaches and it seems hard to find a way in. Although in some ways there are radical differences, there are also some basic similarities with representational art. Today we’ll talk about abstraction in a way that may help your efforts to understand it as an artist...

A few weeks ago Rebecca posed the question on Facebook, “what has your art practice taught you? Are there things you’ve learned as an artist that help you with other aspects of life? There were a lot of responses that were deep, insightful and passionate. Today we’re going to talk about this topic and some of what the artists said who responded to the question. What does your art mean for you as a...

Intro www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast Notes When we are in the midst of things, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture of our own journey as an artist. We tend to focus on the day to day, the ups and downs of whatever we are currently working on, as well as on future goals and plans. But every now and then it’s good to appreciate the path we’ve...

Public speaking ranks very high when it comes to events in your life that create anxiety. Yet as part of an art career at some point you will be called upon to speak about your work. This could range from an informal gathering of people you know to an interview on widely shared media. Why should you embrace these opportunities and how can you handle them without too much stress? NOTES: Even very p...

Notes Rebecca speaks with Dan Addington, owner of Addington Gallery in Chicago, Illinois about his perspective as both gallery owner and artist. Dan weighs in on when and how to approach a gallery, how we as artists can best work with our galleries, and his number one pet peeve when hanging an exhibit. http://www.addingtongallery.com/ www.rebeccacrowell.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast Spec...

Rebecca talks with gallerist Dan Addington, who offers insider tips and anecdotes from his years of experience as both a working artist in the medium of encaustic and as the owner of Addington Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. This is part one of a two-part conversation. Notes: Dan Addington shares thoughts about approaching galleries, some good tips when is the right time to apparoach a gallery his p...

Intro www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast NOTES: This topic comes up a lot in workshops—"I’m too scattered”— work is all over the place -wanting more focus, direction, way to bring depth to their work. But also said in a positive way-- “I have a lot of interests.” “A lot of things excite me.” In either case, we’re talking about someone who works in a lo...

Links Intro Notes; "for everything there is a season"... no one right answer for all times for any one person. Just as in the rest of life, sometimes we need to set some boundaries and other times be open to changes and challenges. Episodes 64 and 65 in March—all about change and its benefits. Today: the legitimate reasons not to change/ some ideas about how creative boundaries can be beneficial....

In this week's episode, Rebecca and Ross join Steve Immerman, a Wisconsin artist working in fused glass. Steve discusses his beautifully designed intricate glasswork, how he developed his art practice, his creative process and the relationship between his art and his day job as a general surgeon. https://immermanglass.com/ www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopo...

The need to produce our creative work under pressure from deadlines and other expectations is a common situation for artists. This basic idea can seem so wrong—shouldn’t our art be created in our own time, free from outside influence? There are many challenges and pitfalls involved, and we may resent the entire situation. Yet for anyone pursuing art as a serious endeavor, avoiding pressure is simp...

INTRO: Meeting deadlines and other expectations are part of an artist’s career at almost any level, and they're important when you are aiming to make the most of your opportunities. Working under pressure can make you feel nervous, compulsive or perfectionistic, but on the positive side can also cause you to create at the top of your game. This is a two-episode topic--today we’re going to examine...

Rebecca discusses the founding and growth of the beautiful Skopelos Foundation of the Arts on Skopelos island, Greece with Gloria Carr and Jill Somer. They are the forces behind its creation and diverse programming, from artist residencies and workshops to a thriving youth film festival. https://www.skopartfoundation.org/ https://skopelossiffy.com www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.f...

Rebecca and Jerry McLaughlin discuss commonalities in poetry and abstract painting as well as how to approach poetry as inspiration in your own work. www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast www.jerrymclaughlinart.com Special Guest: Jerry McLaughlin.

Rebecca and her partner at Squeegee Press Jerry McLaughlin, discuss both the pursuit of excellence in the studio and the pitfalls of perfectionsim in this episode (recorded on the Greek island of Skopelos). www.rebeccacrowell.com www.squeegeepress.com www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast Special Guest: Jerry McLaughlin.

In this episode, we consider the physical activities mentioned in episode #59 about what people enjoy doing in addition to their studio work. What is the importance of physical activity in a creative life? Lots of forms of art require physical movement to carry out, such as wedging clay, hauling paint panels around, grinding litho stones, carrying supplies for plein air painting into the field......