The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell - Episodes Tagged with “Family”

Episode 240: Your Studio Privacy

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 21:00:00 -0600

Privacy and solitude are important factors in producing creative work, allowing an artist to feel secure to explore and take the time needed to develop meaningful work without judgement or observation. Yet the outside world can sometimes push against these needs. It may seem hard to set the boundaries around your studio time, to preserve the time and space you need to focus exclusively on your work without distractions. Today we will talk about setting boundaries around your privacy as an artist and what you choose to share of your unique creative space.

Having any other person in the studio, even someone who is respectful and quiet, means your attention is divided. Making art requires complete focus, and disruptions and distractions can derail your process. You never know when you'll enter a state of flow or when you'll be challenged by something that needs your complete attention. Not being secure in your privacy is therefore unsettling. Making art is also very personal, and when you're alone in a private setting you are most in touch with your inner self.

Of course, studio visits are not always a bad thing. It can be very positive to have other artists come to visit, or to hold an open studio and welcome in the public. But most of us want control over the timing and duration of that, in order to guard privacy and working time. Along with people from the art world, many artists also have friends and family with whom they need to set limits. It may be hard for non-artists to understand how much you need privacy in the studio.

For all issues relating to privacy, the most important thing is to figure out what your boundaries are. Who and what will you let in? What makes you uncomfortable and how can you change that? How much of a sense of privacy do you need to create your best work? It is always your right to maintain your privacy however you see fit.

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What's new at Cold Wax Academy?
Rebecca and Jerry are now midway through their winter quarter of online sessions at Cold Wax Academy, where as always members have access to in-depth and varied content for learning and growth. Upcoming sessions include a presentation by guest author Shaun McNiff, tips on photographing your artwork, a painting clinic for works in progress, and the final critique session for this quarter with a special focus on composition. As a member, you can also access the private Facebook page and the community there of informed and supportive artists who post paintings, ask questions and initiate discussions.

It's never too late to join Cold Wax Academy! All live sessions are recorded and there are now nearly 100 previous sessions in the member library. Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information as well as basic information about using cold wax medium.

Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information.
Here is what a member named Sandy has to say about her own experience with Cold Wax Academy:
"Rebecca and Jerry have presented the most professional, authentic and structured approach to a creative activity I have ever come across. Their selfless sharing of all their knowledge and encouragement is a gift in my life unsurpassed."

Also-- please visit https://www.espacioart.org to learn about Rebecca and Jerry's newest project, Espacio, dedicated to providing beautiful living and working spaces for artists and writers. Espacio's first offering is Casa Clavel, a modern, fully equipped house opening this September in the beautiful cultural city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. A few booking openings are still available in 2023, so please incquire if you are interested.

Have an art related product, service, or event you would like to advertise on the Messy Studio Podcast?
Email Ross at rticknor.core@gmail.com for current mid-roll advertising rates.

For more from The Messy Studio:
www.messystudiopodcast.com
www.facebook.com/messystudiopodcast

For more from Rebecca Crowell:
www.rebeccacrowell.com
www.coldwaxacademy.com

The Messy Studio Podcast is a Tick Digital Media Production.

Episode 207: Art and Aging

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 15:00:00 -0500

Many of our listeners to this podcast are in their older years, and the rest of us can only hope to find ourselves there one day. Aging brings with it many challenges—these are as specific and diverse as our own personalities and yet as common as anything else shared by millions of people. While physical abilities and stamina may decline for older artists, aging can also contribute to creative work in positive ways.

Many artists have the drive to keep going despite physical limitations because art is so central to their lives. They adapt to issues like fatigue, aches and pains, the need to be conscious of posture, or coping with sensitivity to the physical aspects or materials of studio work. Repetitive motions required by the art process and lifting and carrying heavy, awkward objects can be problematic.

But there are many very positive and healthy aspects to making art late in life that include not only the great satisfaction of creativity itself, but that support brain health and other aspects of aging well. These include the mental flexibility required to create, a sense of purpose that is part of a commitment to a studio practice, and the personal connections with other artists in the creative community. Artists often tend to connect across generations and other social barriers, recognizing what they have in common and learning from one another.

Art transcends many of the emotional problems of aging in ways that can balance out the more difficult aspects of aging. It is a way of connecting with the reality of the experience of aging. It can help us rise above a potentially negative situation, that of our bodies becoming slower, more painful, and restricted--and to express the more profound and beautiful aspects of a long life.

Right now Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits are 25% off, and Blick disposable palette pads and artist tape are also marked down!

www.messystudiopodcast.com/blick

What's new at Cold Wax Academy?
Our Spring Quarter membership program is well underway with lots of information about working with Form and Content, and tips about Professional Development for artists at all stages of their careers. We are now looking ahead to our Summer session which begins on July 13. We're excited to be focusing on Personal Voice and Composition and we'll also be hosting some special guests to share more information about Professional Development. Member Critiques and Paintings Clinics, our new feature, are ongoing. You can join anytime and catch up with past recorded sessions at your own pace. Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information

As always, members have access to recordings of all previous sessions including everything from the first year, so it's easy to join anytime. Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for details about membership levels and to sign up for a year of exciting learning experiences.

Here is what a member named Sandy has to say about her own experience:
"Rebecca and Jerry have presented the most professional, authentic and structured approach to a creative activity I have ever come across. Their selfless sharing of all their knowledge and encouragement is a gift in my life unsurpassed."

Episode 206: Dealing with Hard Times

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0500

We are really happy to be bringing this podcast episode to you this week, the first one after a long hiatus due to a very difficult situation in Ross's personal life. Today we’ll be talking about how the past few months have gone for us and offering some thoughts about how reconnecting with your creative practice is a solid and healthy step toward getting your life back on track.

Since late January, Ross has devoted all his time and energy to caring for his wife Kara during a long, difficult illness as well as caring for his newborn son, and he was unable to focus on anything outside of this. Like so many people who have had to deal with illness, family losses, job losses, and other challenges especially during the pandemic, he found it hard enough to cope with daily life, let alone do anything creative for self-fulfillment. In today's podcast we talk about these difficult situations and the importance of connecting again with your creative self.

Some suggestions for getting back on track in the aftermath include finding a way to fit your creative practice into a schedule, being patient with the time it may take to regroup, and finding it within yourself to commit to your practice again. Your creative work is so essential to your own strength and self-image that its important to not let that slip away completely.

There are many ways that negativity can impede getting back to creative work, though. We can get so used to living with ongoing difficulties and trauma that it is a huge emotional step to lose that outlook and move into a more positive future. Financial issues can also add to the overall pressure of the situation, especially if your income depends on your creative work.

Everyone and every situation is different. But the core idea here is commitment to your creative work. You can weather so much if you hold to the idea that in time, you will get back to doing what you love. Art has great power to heal and to sustain us in hard times.

Right now Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits are 25% off, and Blick disposable palette pads and artist tape are also marked down!

www.messystudiopodcast.com/blick

Episode 6: Balancing Work, Travel, and Family Time

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0600

This is an episode that Rebecca and Ross recorded while Rebecca was in Wisconsin for the holidays. They discuss balancing a family and personal life with an art career, and new developments in Rebecca's work. Rebecca has two upcoming shows, as well as a return trip to Ireland in the Spring. She also discusses working thematically adapting to various working conditions.