War with Art

Creative work always comes with expectations—but whose expectations are they? Recorded from a cottage on the shores of Lake Huron, we unpack the pressure of following up previous work, the fear of disappointing an audience, and the challenge of finally releasing something you've spent years creating. From music albums and novels to Kickstarter campaigns, we explore how expectations can motivate us...

In this episode, we pull another card from Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s legendary Oblique Strategies deck — this time landing on the deceptively simple prompt: “Do something sudden.” Joined by painter Eric J. Drummond, the conversation turns into an exploration of improvisation, instinct, risk, and the strange balance between structure and spontaneity in creative work. We talk about the paralysis...

In this bonus episode with painter Eric J. Drummond, the conversation narrows in on something fundamental: what it actually means to take responsibility for a creative life. We start with risk—not as a single leap, but as a series of decisions that compound over time. From pursuing art as a career to building something bigger like a school, Eric frames the path not as optional, but as something cl...

Part 3 of our conversation with Eric J. Drummond begins in a place most artists avoid talking about directly: not inspiration — but blockage. After finishing a major piece, Eric finds himself stuck. The ideas are there — murals, allegories, portraits — but they won’t translate. They exist as a kind of “fog,” just out of reach. What follows is a clear look at how work actually resumes: Study leads...

In Part 2 of our conversation with painter Eric J. Drummond, the focus shifts from discipline and craft to something harder: the tension between the work and the world around it. We get into what it actually means to spend months on a single painting and how that patience is something Eric had to grow into, not something he started with. From there, the conversation moves into the realities of com...

In this episode of The War with Art, we welcome painter Eric J. Drummond — a figurative artist trained in classical realism at the Florence Academy of Art. Eric builds his work slowly and deliberately, committed to beauty, discipline, and craft in a culture that often rewards speed and noise. He also happens to be the teacher of our own co-host, Eric Vedder — which makes this conversation personal...

In this episode of The War with Art, we try something new: a random show. After wrapping another recording, the conversation kept going — bouncing between ideas about deadlines, perfection, collaboration, and the strange emotional slog that shows up near the finish line of creative work. So we hit record and followed the thread. Eric, George, and Sheldon unpack why “done is better than perfect” ke...

In this episode of The War with Art, we pull another card from Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s Oblique Strategies deck and get a prompt that hits uncomfortably close: “Bridges — build — burn.” From modular synth patches you create and then tear down, to monks spending days on intricate work only to wipe it clean, we talk about why building and burning is baked into the creative process. Sometimes yo...

In this episode of The War with Art, we talk about the inner critic — that voice that shows up right when the work starts to matter. Eric, George, and Sheldon dig into what it actually says and why it can sometimes be useful, but also how easily it can tip into full imposter syndrome. We also get into the difference between "done" and "perfect," why art is something you surrender rather than perfe...

Pulling a random card from The Deck of Oblique Strategies, the guys discuss...

The guys talk about what they've learned over the past few months.

Thinking about the future means reflecting on past mistakes. What would you do differently? The WWA explores.

Choirs and spirituality... ok guys? Where will this one go?

George, Eric and Sheldon talk about all the effort and how that can turn to exhaustion.

Sheldon, George, and Eric sit down to talk about the vast landmine overthinking your art.

George and Eric discuss life and death as a creative.

George and Eric sit down for this one and discuss making a new kinds of things...all with a dash of creative insight and humor.

The guys discuss Kickstarter releases, tips for creating one, and the hype surrounding SM and Eric's new book, Aardehn: Awakening (which hit its funding goal in less than 24 hours!)

SM Carter, George Spanos, and Eric Vedder talk about the pain of having to rework and rewrite and redraw and replay... like needles in your eye. But just maybe there is something to learn from it?

S.M. Carter, George Spanos, and Eric Vedder get off their butts and actually record an episode... but, just maybe, procrastination is a good thing?

S.M. Carter, George Spanos, and Eric Vedder sit down with artist and entrepreneur Samantha Carter and artist and crafter Annette Miketic - Vedder to talk about starting a new creative project.

Marketing and promoting yourself is such a hard part of being a creator. The guys sit down to discuss a few aspects of this vast part.

S.M, Threat Machine, and the Black Wolf come back to start the year off with a bang. (That's Sheldon, George, and Eric!) We talk about taking lessons and figuring out the way to improve. Also... now featuring Greg, the fact checker

Eric and George talk about what they're up to on the heels of Sheldon's book release.

The guys sit down and let Sheldon talk about what he loves about his book. S. M. Carter --> Sheldon Threat Machine --> George Black Wolf --> Eric https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sheldoncarter/tsts