I got back into the studio last week; a little later than I planned, but I was pretty productive while back home for my winter break. I got a ton of positive feedback on my NOPE mugs, so I thought I'd do another small run of them before the semester starts. To add some color I started sponging them with underglazes and IMMEDIATELY fell in love with the results! I'm obsessed! I got it to look all watercolor-y and textured and ugh, can't get enough. As much as I love it, it is a bit of a curveball. I'm really trying to develop my signature look and really thought the emoticups were going to be it. Granted, I've drawn narwhals, llamas, cats, flowers, and pugs on my pots before too. We'll see what happens. For now, I am going to embrace this energy and try to merge some concepts I got floating around in my brain. Semester begins tomorrow!
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2015 was a great year for me, and I can't help but be filled with gratitude. I have amazing friends and family, I married my best friend, got into a great post bacc program, and have found unbelievably awesome networks of people who are willing to help me along this journey. The Christmas season always remind me how blessed I am; that plus all the quality fam and friends time make it my favorite time of year!
I know there's a host of people who don't believe in making New Years Resolutions or reinvention just because of a date change....but I'm not one of them! I love using the energy of a new year to motivate me. I've been noticing the trend of picking a word as a mantra instead of setting a goal, so I figure I give it a go: BLOOM. That's my word! Bloom. I've been building and learning and all together too hesitant to just let my pottery flourish. I think 2016 will be the year it blooms like a beautiful ranunculus. That's what I'm going to push for. Of course I have other more tangible goals to get me there, but that will be the word I say to myself when I try to talk myself out of sending in that application, or signing up for a business account, or when I'm too tired to take photos of my work, or signing a lease on a studio rental. bloom bloom blossom bloom boom. Happy 2016! The semester is nearly over, and I couldn't be more ready for a break. I'm currently waiting for a kiln to reach temp *fingers crossed*. The electric kilns around here haven't been doing too well, which means I'll be super familiar with the alpine gas kilns by the end of next semester--a goal of mine nonetheless.
ANYWHO for those of you who've been following my artistic career for a while know I've made several different renditions of the emoticups. I made my first set in pottery one and my professor (and dear mentor) loved them. I've toyed with the idea a few times but as I was concentrating more on sculpture academically I didn't devote much time to really developing it. Fast forward four years and here I am in a post baccalaureate putting a face on nearly every form I make. I thought I would get sick of it, but the more time I spend on the wheel and sculpting faces, the more I grow to love it. I've been working on defining my aesthetic, refining my process, and exploring where can I go with this. So far I'm pretty happy with the results. I've taken away unnecessary elements and added more color. I've also made the switch to porcelain; I never expected to like it as much as I do this time around. I've developed a process that makes nearly every step so much more enjoyable. It's pretty cool to see the different stages my emoticups have gone through, but the first set might always be my favorite. One of the perks of being back in an academic setting is visiting artists. UMass Dartmouth had the pleasure of welcoming back alumni Martha Grover, who is currently a working artist. She works in porcelain fired to cone 10 - 11, altering thrown forms to capture the elegance of flowers and dance. It was such a treat to absorb her tips and tricks as well as any advice she had to share about the potter's life. If she is ever doing a workshop in your area I highly recommend it. We talked about what it's like to establish yourself, balancing personal and business life, and got into the nitty gritty of technique (among many, many other topics). Here are a few of my take aways:
The month of October was mostly experimenting with ideas and dealing with a transition. It's just past mid terms and I'm making the switch to functional work! I've been toying with pattern and illustration on my pottery. I'm not sure how much of it will stick, but it's good practice.
I came into the post bacc program wanting to work on sculpture, because that's where I was comfortable and that's what I thought academia would like. After the pressure to produce one to two sculptures a week I had to take a step back and really think about what do I want. Long story short, I'm not as happy making sculptures as I am making pottery. The topics I end up choosing for sculptures are too depressing for me. I asked if I could do both sculpture and pottery and was told it's best to focus on one or the other, so obviously I'm choosing to be happy. Ultimately I'm sure I'll reintroduce sculpture back into my portfolio later on down the road, but for now I'm content with focusing on my functional work. Every weekend I spend 5 to 6 hours in the car driving between New Bedford, MA and New Haven, CT and about 30 - 40 hrs in the studio during the week. That means plenty of time for me to absorb some knowledge. Lately I've been loving podcasts that feed my brain insightful stories and strategies geared towards artists or sometimes more broadly, entrepreneurs. No one suggests that you take a business class in college when you're an art major, which is puzzling on it's own.
To make up for that, I've found some awesome podcasts to help a sista out. The qualifier to making it on this list was simple; after I listened to two or three episodes, did I find myself going into the archives craving for more? Out of the two dozen (and counting) podcasts I've sampled, these made the cut (in no particular order). Being Boss Hosted by two lovely ladies, Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon, They delve into--you guessed it--being boss. They cover topics like goal setting, organization, self care, and tons of other things pertinent to running a business. This podcast a super special bonus: an active and supportive Facebook group filled with people answering questions and offering advice on a myriad of subjects. Elise Gets Crafty This was one of the first podcasts I found that felt like a great fit for what I needed. Elise Blaha Cripe started off making scrapbook supplies (which is surprisingly a larger industry than I expected) and is currently into making planner, the Get to Work Book. This one is especially helpful for those selling a physical, creative/artistic product. Each episode gets pretty specific about different aspects of being an artist/maker, like her episode on creative burnout. Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Ok Ok, obviously as a ceramicist I'm drawn to a podcast that interviews clay artists, but hear me out! This podcast is great for anyone who is interested in the lives of professional artists, how they got to where they are in their career, theoretical talk about art stuff, and sometimes conversations about teaching. Ben Carter does a great job of keeping it conversational, so it's like you're right there in the room with them. The Potter's Cast Did you think I'd mention one without the other? Like ToaRCR, Paul Blais interviews clay artists and I will argue the same points of it's legitimacy for artists in other mediums. The tagline is "Picking up where the art degree ends" which is on point; his questions are a bit more practical. He'll often reiterate actions or advice his listeners can implement to their own practice. Bonus! He sometimes hosts webinars filled with actionable tips for running an artsy business. Art For Your Ear This fairly new show, hosted by Danielle of The Jealous Curator, has quickly become a favorite of mine. She interviews artists of all sorts of mediums and keeps it fun and interesting. In addition to asking them about their art life, she asks the important questions like coffee vs. tea, or what color their first prom dress was. Plus, her blog is chock FULL of contemporary art and I highly recommend perusing through it when you get a chance. What's Your Story Meighan O'Toole "sits down with artists, makers and creative individuals to talk about their work, hear about their stories and anything else that comes up in between." Her conversations are fluid and inspiring, offering glimpses into the professional (and sometimes personal) lives of her guests. Plenty of discussions about creative type theories happen here. Pencil Kings So as I was running out of episodes of all my other podcasts, I searched for and found this gem (which is how I end up finding most of my listening material). Mitch Bowler interviews illustrators and other two-dimensional artists about how they got to where they are, offering advice all throughout. The episodes I've listened to so far reveal opportunities besides the gallery route, like working with video games, animation companies, video games, and comic books. Raise Your Hand. Say Yes. Tiffany Han's podcast is brimming with inspiration, focusing on the abstract parts of running a creative business. Topics include fear, imposter complex, collaborations, authenticity, and so much more. Every episode leaves me asking myself important questions about how I want to not only run my business, but how I want to run my life. One of her most popular projects is the 100 Rejection Letters, which is all about putting yourself out there; hence the title. Smart Passive Income This is the most business-y podcast I actually like so far. Most others can be a bit dry for me, since business is not my primary interest. Host Pat Flynn offers too many great tips in every episode, especially if you're interested in things like starting an e-book, SEO, email list building, customer/audience psychology, and a bunch of other strategical, actionable advice. After the Jump Creator of Design*Sponge, Grace Bonney, interviews creative entrepreneurs of all types, including ice cream makers, the men behind The Brooklyn Flea, and one of my personal favorites, Molly Hatch! Her interviews are straightforward and fun--my favorite format. There are currently 100 episodes up, which I blew through in about two months; now I'm waiting for more. So what are your favorite podcasts? have you listened to any of these? I'd love to know! Ahhh, Blogging. As a millennial it is a familiar pass time (livejournal anyone?). I'm looking forward to posting here about my career as an artist and surrounding topics. My blog has gone through so many iterations, but this one will be the most concise yet. Here's what I'm excited to share with you:
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AuthorArtist and maker discussing art and making. Peeks into my studio life, professional tips I stumble upon, and discussions about contemporary art and craft. Archives
August 2022
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