The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell
The podcast at the intersection of art, travel, business, philosophy, and life in general.
Displaying Episode 1 - 10 of 12 in total of The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell with the tag “self improvement”.
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Episode 140: Seeking Validation
August 29th, 2020 | 36 mins 42 secs
art, career, creativity, mindset, motivation, rebecca crowell, self improvement
As artists, we love knowing that our work is appreciated by other people—whether that comes to us via exhibits, sales, awards, positive comments on social media, or simply from friends and family who respond to what we do. And even though many artists would say that recognition and validation are secondary to making the work, it can be still hard to stay motivated without some positive input. Today we’ll talk about the desire for validation alongside the pure need to create and how they can complement each other in our art practices.
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Episode 139: Those Awkward Moments
August 22nd, 2020 | 42 mins 22 secs
art, career, conversation, creativity, criticism, marketing, rebecca crowell, self improvement
In a recent podcast, we talked about the remark often made about abstract artists --” my kid could paint that.” But there are lots of other things people say to and about artists that show a lack of understanding or even hostility toward art. When these happen in conversation, they can create some awkward moments. Most of us tend to feel defensive when this happens, and we can miss an opportunity to elevate the conversation. Today we’ll talk about some of these common remarks, consider why people make them, and ways to handle them gracefully.
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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.
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Episode 96: Dealing With Rejection
November 2nd, 2019 | 27 mins 4 secs
art, business, rebecca crowell, rejection, self improvement
We’ve all suffered through rejections both major and minor. Like the cycle of ebbs and flows that we talked about in episode 94 of The Messy Studio Podcast, rejection in various forms is a part of an art career that we have to deal with on a regular basis. How can we stay positive and motivated when we are being told we didn’t make the cut? What does rejection really mean in the big picture of our lives as artists?
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Episode 94: Ebbs and Flows
October 18th, 2019 | 32 mins 8 secs
art, business, ebbs and flows, mindset, rebecca crowell, self improvement
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 advantage of the good times.
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Episode 84: What the Creative Process Teaches Us
August 10th, 2019 | 25 mins 21 secs
art, learning, rebecca crowell, self improvement, spirituality
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.
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Episode 83: Your Art Stories
August 3rd, 2019 | 29 mins 58 secs
art, journey, mindset, rebecca crowell, self improvement
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 walked on to this point, how one thing has led to another.
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Episode 78: Chilling In The Comfort Zone
June 29th, 2019 | 27 mins 55 secs
art, cold wax, comfort zone, rebecca crowell, self improvement
Boundaries, parameters, comfort zones—there are lots of names for the limits we set for our personal creative explorations. These limitations play both positive and negative roles in our art practice and business and it can be tricky to know the difference. When is a comfort zone serving us well? Would risk-taking instead be more beneficial? Is a narrow focus better than pursuing new ideas? Today we’ll toss around some of these questions --
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Episode 76: Meeting Deadlines Head On - Part Two
June 16th, 2019 | 25 mins 15 secs
art, business, deadlines, rebecca crowell, self improvement
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 simply unrealistic. Today we'll talk about some practical solutions to coping with deadlines and expectations.
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Episode 75: Meeting Deadlines Head On - Part One
June 8th, 2019 | 25 mins 47 secs
art, business, deadlines, rebecca crowell, self improvement
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 various situations that involve creating under pressure.