Ross Ticknor

Episode 121: Working with Place...While Sheltering in Place

April 18th, 2020  |  35 mins 22 secs

abstraction, art, places, quarantine, rebecca crowell

Many artists working in both realism and abstraction explore ideas or emotions through the lens of unique or moving aspects of a particular place. This place may be as close as the artist’s own backyard, but it is often more distant. At this time we are encountering many challenges in our daily lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including being unable to visit the places that motivate our creative practices. In this episode, we talk about how to continue accessing special places through memory and other references.

Episode 120: The Creative Urge

April 12th, 2020  |  31 mins 4 secs

art, creativity, rebecca crowell

Even under difficult circumstances, humans have always had a strong urge to create, to make things that embody thought, emotion, spiritual and cultural beliefs. Those of us who work in fine art media have a drive to create even when there is no practical purpose for what we make. This urge can range from an occasional desire, to a very strong passion, an almost uncontrollable compulsion. Today we are going to explore the creative urge along with some inspiring quotes from artists of the past.

Episode 119: Staying Focused

April 4th, 2020  |  28 mins 44 secs

art, focus, rebecca crowell, self improvement

One of the challenges of maintaining a creative practice is keeping focused in the studio; it can seem like daily life is constantly pulling us in other directions. This podcast was recorded before the COVID 19 pandemic, and for many artists, focus has become more important than ever as a way to lose ourselves in our work. Yet even if we have time to work, it can still be difficult to find a rhythm and path to follow.

Episode 117: COVID-19 Outbreak: Coping With Isolation

March 21st, 2020  |  53 mins 35 secs

art, covid-19, isolation, learning, new mexico, personal development, quarantine, rebecca crowell, travel

When the news media first mentioned the coronavirus spreading through China, few of us in the rest of the world realized the huge impact it would have. A few months later we face quarantines and severe economic consequences, and many of us are facing isolation, boredom, and anxiety, as well as financial stress. In this episode we address how the current measures implemented to contain COVID-19 have affected our lives as artists, as well as ideas for coping in this time of uncertainty and change.

Episode 115: Art: A Conversation With Your Viewers

March 6th, 2020  |  29 mins

art, audience, conversation, rebecca crowell, voice

Most artists would agree that their work is an attempt at communication, even if a non-verbal one. The idea of a conversation with viewers is a helpful perspective because it implies that this communication does not exist in a vacuum, going in one direction only. We use the term “personal voice” in reference to what we are trying to communicate, but we should grant a “voice” of sorts to our audience as well.

Episode 113: Inner Voices

February 22nd, 2020  |  28 mins 8 secs

advice, art, inner voices, rebecca crowell

When sorting through advice and opinions, not all of the voices influencing us are spoken by others. We also have inner voices that comment on our work. They may be insecurities that originate in past negative experiences and these can sap our creative energy. Others are rules and formulas that we've accepted without question but don't serve us well. But we can also cultivate positive inner commentary and learn to control what we tell ourselves.

Episode 112: Surrounded By Advice

February 15th, 2020  |  29 mins 28 secs

advice, art, learning, rebecca crowell, teaching

As artists, we all want to grow and improve our own work, and we are often surrounded by the advice and opinions of other people. While some advice is helpful, it can sometimes undermine our unique, personal voice. It can be hard to sort the good advice from the bad. It is also important to realize that our own accepted opinions may need to be challenged in order for our work to advance. Unfortunately there is a lot more bad advice than good advice out there. A mentor of Ross’s once told him “if you follow the advice of 90% of the people you meet, you will end up where 90% of people end up”.

Episode 111: BONUS EPISODE: Statement of Intentions for 2020

February 14th, 2020  |  2 mins 18 secs

Here's what we want to do with the podcast going forward...

Episode 110: Balancing Acts

February 8th, 2020  |  27 mins 39 secs

art, balancing acts, rebecca crowell, style, teaching, technique

We often talk about finding balance with aspects of the creative process that seem to be opposites. For example, finding the balance between working intuitively and working with control and intention. The way each of us finds this balance between different approaches helps to develop the unique character of our individual work and process.

Episode 108: Ideas For Your Bookshelf

January 25th, 2020  |  33 mins 19 secs

art, books, reading, rebecca crowell

We talked last time about the role that art-related books play in the lives of artists, and the importance of continuing to educate ourselves in various ways. This week we turn our attention to the specific titles and authors recommended by Rebecca, as well as other artists who weighed in on our Facebook poll asking for input about significant art-related books. Many artists are very passionate about their books and recommendations, which were wide-ranging.

Episode 107: The Importance Of Art Books

January 18th, 2020  |  32 mins 7 secs

art, books, reading, rebecca crowell

Art related books play an important part in our lives, and many artists have enormous collections. These collections are an investment in the growth of an artist’s creativity and career. They demonstrate curiosity and a desire for deeper understanding. Some artists joke that collecting books is a bit of an addiction. Even a small collection of relevant books can have a profound impact on your thoughts and intentions, and can help us understand our own work, as well as other’s work better.

Episode 105: Why Walk?

January 4th, 2020  |  28 mins 48 secs

art, creative process, rebecca crowell, travel, walking

While this may seem to be an odd topic for the Messy Studio, it is something that is important to Rebecca's creative life and that of many other artists. Walking has numerous and well-known benefits for physical and mental health, but what can it contribute to our lives as artists? In this episode, we explore walking as one of the ways that daily life and art are integrated.

Episode 104: Questions And The Creative Process

December 28th, 2019  |  30 mins 59 secs

abstraction, art, creative process, questions, rebecca crowell

The questions we ask ourselves as artists are at the root of the creative process. As artists, we are driven by the unknown. Contemplating various possibilities brings energy and change to our work. It keeps our work dynamic, and exciting, and it keeps us engaged in the creative process.

Episode 103: Intuitive Color

December 21st, 2019  |  31 mins 28 secs

art, color, intuition, painting, rebecca crowell

Color is a very powerful influence in our everyday lives, and certainly in our art. It is the most studied of the visual elements by experts outside of the field of art--in biology, psychology, and in cultural studies, to name a few. As artists, we may work with color in an intuitive way, or more intellectually, each of us finding a way that suits us. There is no single correct system for using color. Our individual approach is linked to our own characters and personalities, and is often a strong aspect of our personal visual voice.

Episode 102: Studio Struggles

December 14th, 2019  |  30 mins 36 secs

art, creativity, rebecca crowell, struggles, travel

As artists, we accept many day to day challenges as part of the creative process. Even though we all feel frustrated at times, we know that problem solving is how we grow and achieve our goals. Solving creative problems can bring great satisfaction, but some studio struggles are also very difficult and soul-wrenching. Artists at every level experience these times of defeat or despair that go beyond daily frustration.

Episode 101: Influence Vs Copying

December 7th, 2019  |  39 mins 4 secs

art, business, copying, influence, rebecca crowell

No artist is wholly original. We all owe those who came before us for techniques, ideas, theories, and approaches, and we should honor these influences. Each of us references these influences in our own way. Some of us place ourselves firmly in the tradition of a certain approach to art, or even as followers of a particular artist but with our interpretation and expression, while others work from a combination of many influences. These are healthy aspects of influence. Unfortunately, there are also artists who either deliberately plagiarize another artist's work, or use so many of another artist's ideas that they come uncomfortably close to outright copying.