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Rebecca and her partner at Cold Wax Academy, Jerry McLaughlin are wrapping up their Summer Quarter and have announced their lineup of topics for both the Fall Quarter and into 2022. Their weekly live, interactive sessions this Fall will focus on Techniques and Processes involved in developing a painting and on expanding ways of using cold wax in such areas as printmaking and photography.

All sessions are recorded and fully accessible in the Member Library, and you can watch and rewatch at your own pace. In addition, joining at any time gives you access to all the perks of membership and the benefits of being part of a growing, knowledgable community of other artists.

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."

Have an art related product, service, or event you would like to advertise on the Messy Studio Podcast?
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The Messy Studio Podcast is a Tick Digital Media Production.

Special Guest: Jim Scherbarth.

Knowing what is most meaningful to you in your work and applying that knowledge in a flexible way is key. Your intentions, if broad enough, allow for unfolding interpretations over time. You can also think about more narrowly focused and temporary intentions within the bigger picture. These might serve the needs of a particular work of art or series, or be about focusing on learning a new medium

But your most basic, underlying intentions, once recognized, can remain unchanged for decades. They are the “big picture” focus that underlies who you are and what you want to say. What moves you? What qualities do you always want in your work? What ideas have always pulled you? Over time, your expression of these ideas finds different forms, but these basic aspects of who you are remain true.

Acknowledging and writing down your core intentions is a powerful tool. Intentions help you to stay on track and to critique and understand your own work. While the idea of discovering these may seem daunting, it need not be done all at once. Setting intentions can be a work in progress until you feel you have found the essence of what is meaningful to you. At that point, they become a guiding and unifying force in bringing strength and consistency to your work.

Thanks to everyone who has been sharing the show and donating! If you would like to donate to the Messy Studio Podcast donate here.
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Thank you also to everyone who has written testimonials for Ross's website! Have you enjoyed the audio production quality and hearing Ross's voice? Submit a testimonial by email at rticknor.core@gmail.com or by submitting the contact form at www.messystudiopodcast.com!
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When you buy art supplies at Blick remember to use our affiliate link to support the podcast! Bookmark this link and then you don't even have to think about it again. This is one of the best ways to support the show. It takes a few seconds and costs you nothing!

Right now Gamblin products are 40% off, so this is a great time to buy Cold Wax or Gamblin oil paints!
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It's time for an update on the latest news from Cold Wax Academy! Rebecca and her partner Jerry Mclaughlin are now well into their second quarter of weekly Live sessions for their members, in which they explore 3 main topics in deep, interrelated, and engaging ways. This quarter, those topics are Texture, Layering, and Writing and Talking about your Work. Weekly sessions include discussion, slide presentations, videos, critiques, special guests, and the opportunty to ask questions during the session. Cold Wax Academy Members have access to all past sessions, which are recorded each week--so if you're hesitating to join mid-quarter, no worries about missing out. There is plenty for you to explore, and you can watch previous sessions on your own schedule. Jerry and Rebecca offer for a trial month at the Core level for only $29.99. Visit www.coldwaxacademy.com and
and click on the Memberships button.
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Have an art related product, service, or event you would like to advertise on the Messy Studio Podcast?
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The Messy Studio Podcast is a CORE Publication MGMT production.

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines focus as “a point of concentration, or a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding. As a verb, to concentrate attention or effort.” Focus is a powerful force that brings with it excitement and momentum. It is also a relative term,; perfect focus during studio time is an ideal state that is not easily, if ever achieved. But there are strategies to limit distractions and increase our ability to focus.

For many people, this starts with organizing a to-do list, then setting priorities and a schedule. While this kind of organizing works, it needs to be considered in light of your own work habits and energy levels, and also should include the othernon-art related things you need and want to do. In aiming for a holistic, integrated view of your time, you can count on your studio hours while not neglecting other aspects of life.

A key to fthis approach to focus is giving smaller blocks of time to specific activities. While many of us cling to the idea of an 8-hour workday as ideal, in fact most people take about 15-20 minutes to achieve focus and enter a flow state, and then can maintain productive work for only a few hours. So your blocks of studio time, and the time given to other aspects of life, should be whatever works best for you, not the length of time you think you "should" be working at them. By working intensely for a few hours, then shifting to something else, your time can be more productive and energized.

Focus is so often thwarted by outside forces, some of which are beyond out control, and some of which we can limit by asserting our needs as artists. These distractions may be internal as well, however. Sometimes it is difficult to separate outside factors from internal struggles. It can be easy to blame yourself when you go off track, but be kind to yourself. We're affected by everything that happens in our lives, and there will be times when focus is elusive, another of the many ups and downs of the art life.

If you;re struggling with focus, consider what works best for you, rather than trying to attain an ideal. Making some changes in that direction can ease your mind and allow focus back into your art practicve.

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The Messy Studio Pocast is a CORE Publication MGMT Production.

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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 lot of different media or styles

First—it can indeed be a positive thing.
--A necessary stage of searching at the beginning of your art journey
--if you’re blocked –try new things can be good advice
--basic attitude of being open and exploratory is good
--working in various media can cross-pollinate and be very helpful
some well-developed artists work across media and subject matter:
Usually conceptually drive—an underlying continuity of ideas, emotions, or which visual elements they are drawn to. Sense of connection, Open to any form that expresses what they want to say. Interests are dealt with in a focused way.
Example: Picasso, Gerhart Richter, lots of contemporary artists who work in installation format with many components tied together conceptually

Negative aspects:
From less developed artists:
Scattered, lack of focus or consistent voice, work lacks depth, can seem derivative

Use “Is it me?” to decide what you are really connected with, that you have focused on in a sustained way. Recognize that consistency is an aspect of personal voice.

The objective judgement is whether the work is high quality, well-developed, mastery of media—this comes only through sustained focus

May not be obvious as a rut type of comfort zone (stagnation)
gives feeling of change, exploration. Can be defended as this, a deflection attitude for any criticism that the work lacks depth.

Comfortable because easier to skim surface than dig deeply.
Being in “forever a student” mode is a comfort zone that may impeded your progress

If you are in this kind of rut recognize that it involves a lot of avoidance behavior:
Avoiding frustration
Avoiding criticism
Avoiding need to explain or understand the work
Avoiding taking next steps in your career and putting yourself out there
Avoiding success and the challenges that come with that

Lack of commitment means you never have to really excel or challenge yourself
Like being unable to commit to a relationship and weather the hard parts

Can be hard to recognize in yourself—easy to justify—you have a lot of interests, so many things to try—you’re generally excited about your work and it feels good. You may not see it as a problem.

And it is not a problem if you are truly happy with things as they are. It’s your work and entirely up to you if you want to change. Is it a choice or default mode?

If you don’t feel happy with it --how to identify this a negative kind of comfort zone?
questions:
Do you have basic underlying intentions that you bring to all your work
Does personal voice show itself in an overall, connected way
Are their particular visual elements you explore consistently?
Is your work recognizable as yours?
Do you find it hard to talk about your work beyond that you like to experiment and play?
Have you ever spent time developing the various things that interest you; focused attention?
In an exhibit showing of various examples of your approaches, would viewers see a conversation between your various pieces-- or would it seem disjointed?

How to move away from this—
Central concept is INTENTIONS
Identifying what you want in your work provides consistency and focus

Re: avoiding skimming the surface, take a hard look at past work-- what felt most like you, what offers most potential

What do you think you can commit to exploring in depth?

Set a goal to work in only one medium or approach for a period of time (several months + depending on how much studio time you have) or in terms of # of pieces.

You may be easily distracted by your other projects—put them away, pack away other materials

Make yourself accountable to someone—arrange to show them what you’ve done or have n progress

Wrap-up:
Experimenting and exploring new ideas definitely has an important role in an art practice. We’ve covered ideas about change in previous podcasts. But it is also a pitfall to change so often that there is little depth or consistency in your work. If you recognize that as an issue for yourself, we hope this discussion has been helpful in moving past that particular rut.