The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell - Episodes Tagged with “Work Habits”

Episode 255: Silence, Solitude, and the Creative Pause

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 18:00:00 -0500

Many creative people embrace quiet, solitary moments as portals to being in synch with their work. Stepping away from everyday distractions is a way of nurturing your creative self, bringing you more in touch with your emotions, ideas, and the bigger picture of what you want to express. Yet true silence and solitude tend to be rare in our lives, unless we make a conscious effort to bring them in.

Most people are aware of the value of meditation and other spiritual practices like prayer as a way of calming and centering and consider it important, usually as a way of starting the day. But once you move into the main flow of a busy day, most of us never pause to find a quiet moment of solitude.

A purposeful, brief stepping back from full engagement with your work, a pause in which you take a moment to refresh your vision and can enhance your creative process by allowing you to get find your center and purpose again. It's good to take this kind of pause not out of frustration or exhaustion, but during a good flow of activity. If you stay in the moment but simply pause for a moment to look out the window, take a drink of water, or step outside, you are not likely to lose your flow. Working this type of pause into the rhythm of your process can seem counterintuitive, but one way to create this habit is to simply extend a natural pause-- taking a drink a water or washing your hands--and another minute or so to find something else to gaze at.

Solitude and silence are other ways to enhance creativity by bringing your attention inward, whether in the studio or elsewhere in life. Anything that helps you be in touch with your inner thoughts and feelings can be helpful. Consciously making space for solitude and silence in your life can be an important step to going deeper into your work

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What's new At Cold Wax Academy?
Rebecca and Jerry launched their spring quarter on April 12th. Sessions this quarter so far included identifying compositional issues in your work, and technical information from Gamblin representative Mary Tevlin. Upcoming sessions include a painting clinic for works in progress, and much more. As always, members can join in on live sessions with questions and comments, and can benefit anytime by interacting with other members on our Members-only facebook page. With 100 recorded sessions in the member library there is always something to learn or review, with topics ranging from technical advice to visual language to guests speakers and critiques of member work.

To learn more about membership, and to purchase cold wax tools and Rebecca and Jerry's book, Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations, please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com

Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information as well as basic information about using cold wax medium.

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.

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Episode 232: The Demons of Procrastination

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 21:00:00 -0600

Procrastination may be human nature but identifying its role in your life can be a big help in moving forward. Instead of simple laziness or looking for distractions, procrastination can also be active avoidance behavior in which you channel energy into activities other than what you really want to achieve. You may stay busy, but you’re not doing what is truly important. Today we look at how artists are affected by procrastination and ways to confront it in your own studio practice.

As noted in a recent article in the New York Times, "procrastination isn’t a character flaw or a mysterious curse on your ability to manage time, but a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks — boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt and beyond." Each of these may show up as various aspects of studio practice. Some procrastination has to do with your artwork itself, when you are bored or frustrated, while others are practical chores and obligations.

Artists experience procrastination around such topics as finishing projects, organizing financial records, creating and updating websites, deadlines of all kinds, making decisions about materials, and contacting and communicating with galleries. In fact, there are so many aspects to an art practice it’s no wonder that some get put aside, so something to consider in all of this are your true priorities. You may discover that some things that you procrastinate about are not as important or necessary as you assumed. Prioritizing helps keep you from feeling overwhelmed, another procrastination trigger.

But although it’s common for artists to allow procrastination to loom large, it is truly detrimental and can sap your growth and excitement for your work. Like so many other challenges of an art practice, it helps to just become more aware of where your own procrastination demons are lurking and try to confront them. Even small steps are rewarding.

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What's new at Cold Wax Academy?
Rebecca and Jerry sre well into their Fall quarter of live, online sessions with a special focus this time on member participation, plus informative sessions on a variety of other topics. This month also marks the beginning of Cold Wax Academy's 3rd year of teaching sessions, meaning that the member library now has over 80 recordings and other instructional documents available for members. To access this wealth of information and to take part in upcoming live sessions, please visit the membership page at ColdWaxAcademy.com and sign up for one of the two levels of membership available.

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."

Episode 208: Counterproductive Habits

Rebecca Crowell — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 13:00:00 -0500

Being productive in the studio means different things to each artist--but wanting to grow and achieve new levels in our work is basic to the creative process. Yet there are many practices and attitudes that work against productivity, causing frustration and creative blocks, and wasting valuable studio time. Today we will talk about some of these counterproductive situations and how to challenge them in your own studio practice.

If we consider that the definition of counterproductive is “tending to hinder the attainment of a desired goal” it makes sense to try to get a sense of what your own goals are for productivity. For example, some people work consistently for a certain number of days a week, while others are fine working in shorter spans of time that are available to them. Having a good sense of your own goals for productivity helps you recognize any habits that work against that. Counterproductive habits include procrastination, wanting the studio to be in perfect order, or failing to finish work. Overthinking is another major issue for many people, inhibiting their decision-making process, and getting in the way of intuitive flow in the studio.

An interesting perspective on these habits is that you don't have to be the same person in the studio as you are in the rest of life. By making your studio a refuge, separate from the rest of life, you may be able to shed personal counterproductive habits. When you walk into the studio, if you can leave the rest of life behind, shutting out the demands of normal life, you may find that you can better maintain your focus and do what feels exciting and right to you.

Anything that hinders your creative flow can be frustrating and slow your overall development. If art is a big part of your life, it makes sense to challenge attitudes and behaviors as they relate to what you do in the studio.

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www.messystudiopodcast.com/blick

What's new at Cold Wax Academy?
Rebecca and Jerry are busy planning the Summer Quarter of their membership program which begins on July 13. These exciting sessions will explore Personal Voice and Composition and continue the topic of Professional Development with some special guests. Member Critiques and Painting Clinics, Cold Wax Academy's new feature, are ongoing. You can join the membership program anytime and catch up with past recorded sessions at your own pace. Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information

Also-- stay tuned for information coming soon 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. You can learn more and make a reservation by emailing info@coldwaxacademy.com. A dedicated Espacio website is coming soon!