(NOT) A Real Artist

In episode 23 we talk about games and being gamers. We explore what makes one a gamer, the different types of games we engage in (board, video, TTRPG) and our feelings around the label and the activity.

Key Takeaways

1. The label of "gamer," like "artist," can be difficult for us to claim. When we examine why, we see that we sometimes feel too casual about it, believing we don’t invest enough time or effort to deserve the label.

2. We find that gaming serves as a social activity. Both video games and board games allow us to bond with friends and family, whether through collaboration or competition.

3. We notice that we have personal judgments around gaming being a lesser or wasteful hobby. So we try to remind ourselves that:  

A. The artistry of games in terms of storytelling, visuals, and mechanics is valid.  

B. Playing games gives us chances to experience and work through emotions, helping us develop resilience.  

C. Games put us in unique scenarios that can be cathartic.  

D. Gaming enables us to build skills and potentially hone our own storytelling.

4. In both art and gaming, we find that the process, so the storytelling and the journey, is just as important, if not more so, than the win or level-up moment.

Write to use about your favourite games at [email protected], feel free to share this podcast with a friend and remind them that they have just lost the game

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 22 we talk about all the ways in which we have been creative recently, and explore what it means to engage in different artforms and how it relates to our creativity as a whole.

Key Takeaways

1. We usually paint to express our creativity; therefore, it can sometimes feel like anything that is not painting, isn’t necessarily creative, or has no common thread with our main creative practice.
2. You will find that you’re the common thread! You are the thing that connects all your expressions of creativity whether visual or not.
3. Creativity can also look like; cooking with new ingredients or trying new recipes, running a fantasy RPG game, learning new subjects, making bracelets and comics.
4. Your additional creative pursuits don’t have to be healing, and if it does feel like it is therapeutic, that is a happy bonus!
5. Whether your final creative outcomes are enjoyed just by you, or an audience (like your family), your creativity is meeting a need.
6. We hypothesise that these needs are:

• Needing to feel connected and loved
• Needing to be seen or validating
• Needing to show up for self and not self-abandoning

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 21 we talk about people pleasing. We explore why we do it, what it means, the positive and negative sides to it and how to move towards having healthier boundaries in all areas of life.

Key Takeaways:

1. The term people pleasing; refers to all humans, that one may willingly do things for, at the expense of oneself.

2. The act of people pleasing is about controlling how others may view you, act towards you, and often generates resentment in the person doing the pleasing.

3. People pleasing can also come from an inherent sense of unworthiness. Therefore we feel we need to add value or become worthy people to combat that idea.

4. People pleasing can also be aided by the discomfort in setting boundaries and the expected or imagined conflict that that action may bring. 

5. In art and in life, self-awareness and self-reflection are going to be the things that serve you in understanding:

a. Are you trying to control someone’s thoughts, feelings, or reaction?

b. Are you feeling resentful?

c. Is the need or want you’re anticipating true? 

d. Is the urgency or danger you’re feeling to fulfil this perceived need real?

6. At the same time, we shouldn’t gaslight ourselves and deny:

a. We have cultural expectations, and a difference in in the philosophies we grow up with.

b. Our experiences are valid, and that the definition of danger or urgency depends on our situations.

7. People pandering and boundary work BOTH use energy:

a. However, people pleasing has a perpetual use of energy.

b. Whereas boundary work might have a larger investment at the start but a maintenance energy as time goes on.

8. The choice therefore lies with the individual, and which energy they feel costs them the least.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 20 we discuss the double edged sword of consistency; how to find consistency and stay consistent in our art practice, whilst staying true to the messy and unplannable nature of being an artist.

Key Takeaways:

1. Consistency can be used as a useful tool or a rod for your back.
2. Some of us can use routine as a container or reminder to be consistent.
3. A label can be used to give you permission to use the concessions and tools that you feel are only available to a specific label.
4. Using consistency as a benchmark, when it isn’t in line with who you are and how you work, sets you up for failure.
5. Instead try putting the focus on what you create, and whether what you’re doing is important or meaningful to you.
6. The only thing that needs to be consistent is showing up, and the way you show up can be inconsistent – consistently inconsistent.
7. Consistency can be used by some, as a survival mechanism and way to avoid pain. Where we actively put our feelings into a box in order to reach consistency.
8. While for others, consistency is a part of their cycle, the way they get work done, or the tool their brain needs to use; to burn out less or just get stuff done.
9. Making art that truly comes from inside you has inconsistency attached to it, as it changes each time.
10. Not making art every day – does not mean you are not an artist.
11. However, it does take consistent practise to learn art skills. What matters is that you define consistent for yourself.
12. To foster consistency and use it as a tool you could: create deadlines, do what you enjoy first to gain momentum and use timers as you work.
13. Most importantly you may not be able to use all or any of these effectively or frequently, it is about finding what works for you; whether you are consistently inconsistent, or not.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with a new season! Kicking things off in episode 19 we discuss struggles with long-term creativity and the continuing path we are on, insights on who we are on social media and the challenging yet rewarding endeavour of making new friends as an adult.

Key Takeaways:

1. There is no switch that takes you from being busy with work or life, to being creative. It instead takes time and space. 
2. Sometimes being pulled away from your art practise mid-flow is painful, in these instances, we might decide we don’t have enough time to enter and enjoy the state of flow – so we don’t engage in the practise.
3. The journey of painting or moving closer to oneself is a path. You are already on the path, and even when you aren’t actively making or producing art, that struggle is still considered movement, along said path.
4. We feel a frustration when we see people who appear to lack authenticity or "edges" on social media.
5. The complexity of social media personas exits, and what people share online is only a fraction of their true selves, we too have curated ourselves online.
6. There is discomfort in seeing people online in our communities who ignore topics of human rights yet talk about love and light.
7. Making friends as an adult is challenging, but possible! 
8. Friendships are an investment and need to be reciprocal in energy, while also considering that you need to be mindful of the ebbs and flows of said relationships.
9. Remember to create space for friendships, and be intentional about inviting those connections in, and terminating them when they aren’t right.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of season 3 we talk to Professional Life Coach Olivia Millar, about our personal superpowers, balance and how to access lasting change!

Find Olivia:

Instagram: @olivia.millar.anew

Facebook:@AnewOutcome

Website: www.anewoutcome.com

Challenge Text: I'm going through a coaching exercise and I've been asked to reach out to people I respect and admire. If there's one trait of mine that you could take on board, what would that trait be? I would appreciate the feedback and of course I can return the favour!

Key Takeaways

1. What’s your superpower? Can you list two things that make you uniquely you? It could be your sense of humour, or ability to see potential in others!
2. Knowing how you process information can be useful. This can help you communicate more effectively with self and others. And in some cases, it can be a label that helps you make other connections with your other forms of thinking.
3. You can try to reframe your thinking around weakness and limitation by asking: How does this serve me? OR how does this create space for what I view as strengths to come to play?
4. You can also take note and collect data around a limitation you may want to change. And build habits OR systems that support the limitation. Give yourself the tools to not be beholden to the limitation.
5. Also note that not having judgement towards the limitation might make it easier to access the tools or systems you need. That’s where viewing it with neutrality will help.
6. When faced with a situation or limitation that produces emotion, we start assigning meaning to those feelings very quickly. Try taking time to physically feel those feelings, and once that happens, then assign meaning to them. Remember this is a practise.
7. Try out the exercise given, where you reach out to 50 people and ask them to provide you with 1 aspect of yourself, they’d take on board.
8. Use the feedback to understand the threads across areas that makes you, your superpower and then use it as fuel!
9. Instead of Self-love, or Self-loath, try "Self-Like". This feels like a more accessible and a softer place to enter than the other two extremes.
10. Being positive and embodying what you want to see in the world will wire your brain to start seeing more of that in your space.
11. Making sure that the wiring is working for us is also important, actual positivity vs. denial are two different spaces.
12. Sometimes we’re using language; a conscious construct to express things that we cannot articulate. Which is where art and symbology or even grunts and physical movement comes in to help us express what we feel.
13. Reframe the parts of you that feel as if they’re in conflict with each other as two sides of the same coin – all our experiences culminate to create a person that is us, who brings something unique to the table.
14. Remember that lasting change has to be slow and incremental. So any advice or ideas you take on from this episode can be implanted with ease and grace!

Thank you for listening to the NOT a real artist podcast! Have you had any insights during this episode? Let us know on [email protected]. If you haven’t already, please follow this podcast or rate it and share it with everyone who wants to listen to good shows!

Iris | IG: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara | IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest Elfie Tromp is a force of nature who will make you question everything and have you walking away with a feeling that anything is possible. Join us for a candid conversation about creativity, anger, humour, motherhood, the patriarchy and how to navigate life in such a turbulent world.

Elfie Tromp (1985) is a Dutch writer, dramatist and performer. She is the city poet for Rotterdam and in-house dramatist at theatre Walhalla. Her third novel Pieta, a multi-faceted story surrounding a problematic statue, was recently published. She also creates musical theatre in the form of feminist punk cabaret, her latest show was titled Op de Barricade van het Hart (EN “Upon the Barricades of the Heart”)

Find & follow Elfie:

http://elfietromp.nl

IG: @elfietromp

Twitter: @elfietromp

Key Takeaways

1. We can use both the art that we create, and the art that we see, as a way of finding guidance to navigate this modern turbulent and confusing world. 
2. When you get a seat at the table, even if that is to fulfil a diversity quota, you deserve to be there and are allowed to use that opportunity. 
3. Anger can be a great driving force for change
4. If we’re able to take things less personally, we can also be more effective in communicating with others
5. You might find motivation and power in thinking about what you are able to do now, that your parents or ancestors didn’t get to do
6. We can consciously choose to work on breaking patterns of intergenerational trauma
7. In Western society we have become estranged from our bodies and have lost physiological knowledge about ourselves
8. Radical empathy can be a positive way to interact with those who we don’t agree with, so we can foster greater understanding and step off the path of violence
9. Don’t forget to have fun. It took a lot for you to be here, don’t spend it only on anger and suffering and frustration. But know that you were also built for pleasure.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our next guest is Suzanne Earley, who generously explained the motivation, inspiration and working behind her art-journaller magazine; Strawberry Moon.

Suzanne Earley is a multi-passionate artist living in Eastern Iowa with her husband. She has two adult children and her first grandchild is due in October. She is the publisher and editor of an independent magazine about art journaling called Strawberry Moon Magazine. Prior to this adventure, she was a school secretary, a longarm machine quilter, a stay-at-home mom, a bank technology manager, a computer network installer, a t-shirt seller, and a library bookshelver.

Find & follow Suzanne:

www.strawberrymoon.art

IG: @strawberrymoonmag

www.suzanneearley.net

IG: @suzanne_earley

Other artists mentioned:

IG: Caylee Grey: @cayleegrey

IG: Effy Wild: @effythewild

1. As much as we are privileged to be artists in this world, the world is also privileged that we choose to pursue and create art.

2.The energy required to do tasks with little to few dependencies is very different from the energy required to create! Accepting that can create ease around ideas of productivity.

3.Find yourself thinking, somebody should create or do X? Then perhaps you should be the person to do it!

4.Collaboration with another person in your art practice or process can mean a better product. as they have less emotional attachment to what you create/look or sound like.

5. Authenticity in social media helps our viewers and others create realistic ideas about our lives and process.

6. People sell to people; often you can tell when marketing is based on algorithm chasing. it feels like a grift. The authenticity is missing.

7.Small tight-knit audiences often feel genuine, and more supportive. You don’t have to chase a big number to have a successful business or form meaningful connections.

8.Always ask, who is selling me this idea? Because once you get past the false ideas around what they’re trying to sell to you, you will be able to focus your energy of getting the actual opportunities you need.

9.The idea of inclusivity can be alienating to some people. Sometimes this is uncomfortable. It is all about what you value in the moment – being inclusive or alienating those that find inclusivity threatening. You cannot please everyone.

10.Political activism can go two ways, one feels divisive and the other feels like an invite to dialog and reflection.

11.Work is perhaps never finished, but at some point you have to let it go. If you don’t let it go, it can never live out there.

12.There is nothing special about other peoples work vs. yours, at close up, it’s all the same brushstrokes or stitches – what makes the difference is that they put it out there! Take the leap!

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris | IG: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara | IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 15 we talk to artist Yuqiao Guo in a conversation that touches on cultural taboos, personal imagery, captioning our art and mixing seemingly unrelated passions. 

Yuqiao Guo is a London-based artist and designer who grew up between China and the USA. Trained as an architect and multimedia artist, Yuqiao approaches painting through the lens of self-portraiture and an interest in the narrative capacities of the body. Her paintings balance surrealism with intimacy, creating visual metaphors for the fleeting moments of self-awareness. 

Find & Follow Yuqiao:

https://www.yuqiaoguo.com/

https://www.matter-at-hand.com/ 

@yu.qiao.guo | @matterathand_ldn

Other artists mentioned: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Saville 

Key Takeaways

1. Usually in portraits the emotion and identity are conveyed through the face. However, the narrative power and agency can also reside in the body or be given back to the body through painting it. 
2. You can paint things with love and attention, even if those things you choose to paint are quote unquote ugly. 
3. Our own self-awareness of who we are is always fleeting. It is a constant dialogue between how we are perceived by society and how we perceive ourselves and how one impacts the other.
4. Bodily fluids such as milk are usually seen as private, taboo or serving a specific reproductive purpose, but they also have a sacredness to them and can take on their own metaphorical message. 
5. We can look at bodies in their own right, with neither beauty or ugliness as their purpose, but rather as self-sufficient vessels for all of our identities
6. When we caption our work we might wish to consider what is appropriate, what is effective and what is artistically impactful. 
7. We could also consider whether it’s necessary to caption our work at all. We can guide the viewer with a well-thought-out title, but captioning might veer into the territory of telling people what to think or serve our own need to explain ourselves. On the other hand, providing text can help people connect with our work, and help us connect with our audience. 
8. Every platform has its opportunities and limitations. Social media might not be the best platform for connecting with art, but it is the platform we have. We can choose to interact with these platforms in ways that serve us. 
9. Go look at art in person, in museums and galleries and places where you can absorb the textures up close. 
10. What we see in art, whether through a screen or in a gallery, is always limited in some way and always subject to to the viewer’s personal willingness
11. The varied creative processes we engage with as artists inform each other, even if they are as different from each other as painting and making ice cream

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let us introduce you to Eamonn O'Dwyer who joined us for a conversation on innate talent, criticism and rollercoaster theme music!

Eamonn O’Dwyer is an award-winning composer-lyricist of Guyanese-Irish descent. His work spans genres from live orchestral to electronica, contemporary musical theatre, films & video games. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, and to date his works have been performed in the US, Russia, Australia and Japan.  

Find & follow Eamonn:

www.eamonnodwyer.com

Songs on Spotify

@eamonnodwyer

Other artists mentioned:

Vivaldi; Sondheim; Tupac; Big Money 😉

Key Takeaways

1. Next time you’re in a theme park, try and notice the music: You might hear the tension, thrill and eventually calming effect of the soundtracks around you, all curated to enhance your experience. This is a concept that you can pull into your own art and visual practices!

2. Getting paid and having a deadline for your artistic work means that you can’t wait for the romantic idea of inspiration to strike, you just need to get it done.

3. Create your own jumping-off points for your art. Whether it be creating art parts or prompts before you paint, to help you get into the work when ideas are thin on the ground.

4. How you feel about your work doesn’t always correlate to the subject matter. The work you make can be raw or dark, but that might not spill into how you feel as you create or how you feel about the work after it’s done.

5.Theatre is a collaborative art form. Like all collaborative work, it means there could be feedback which could sting IF taken negatively. Alternative ways to think about the experience of feedback is I understood a different thing compared to the person I was working with. AND nothing is ever wasted! You’re always learning and honing your craft.

6. It’s okay to recycle and be inspired by your own work.

7. Sondheim, the composer, and playwright, once said, that if he could bottle any element from the theatre, it would be the element of surprise!

8. Innate talent might get you to a certain point, but work and learning on your own OR with other people, will get you the rest of the way.

9. Primary education, positive reinforcement and encouragement in the child is extremely important. And it’s a social responsibility for us to cultivate those access points and spaces for them, and ourselves.

10. As teachers in this vulnerable space which is art making, we have power and influence that must always come WITH RESPONSIBILTY.

11. The difference between Gatekeeping and Teaching is massive. Actively encourage and educate those who want to grow and learn. Using gentleness and empathy as your mode vs. degradation and shame.

Thank you for listening to the NOT a real artist podcast! Have you had any insights during this episode? Let us know on [email protected]. If you haven’t already, please follow this podcast or rate it and share it with everyone who wants to listen to good shows!

Iris | IG: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara | IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to season 3! We're doing things a bit differently and having interesting conversations with GUESTS! Our first guest is Caylee Grey, and we had a positively mind-blowing conversation about art and the body.

Caylee Grey is a South African artist who fills her journals with loads of mediocre art. Imperfect, heart-led, gloriously mediocre art. Caylee's the Fairy Artmother of Get Messy Art, the kindest art journaling community on the internet, and author of the book by the same name.

Find & follow Caylee:

@cayleegrey | @getmessyartjournal

https://getmessyart.com

Body of Art class

Other artists mentioned:

Demi Demi - Tough Times Never last

Key Takeaways

1. Society tells us all the ways in which our body is too much or not enough. We can reclaim our connection and relationship to our bodies through art. Give it permission to be art itself, to see it as an artist, to live in it as an artist. 
2. We can look at the details of our body, both outside and inside, as a way of starting a dialogue and connection with our body and appreciating it. 
3. Combining art and the body can help bring awareness to the parts of ourselves that we’ve buried or covered over.
4. When we have negative feelings about our body it can be helpful to try and identify whose idea it is. Is it yours, or is it an echo of society or a company that profits when you feel insecure or not enough? 
5. Art provides a playground where there are no rules, but you might still encounter rules that you internalized and carry with you that aren’t actually your own. If you’d like a reframe, try using the word ‘filter’ instead of rules and explore that. 
6. Use all the things you’re saving for a special day. The perfect project is the one that’s happening right now. 
7. When you feel good, you can use that energy to put strategies in place to pre-emptively take care of yourself for when you’re not feeling good. 
8. The hack to mental health stability is to feel your feelings. Whether you feel them now or later, you’re going to feel them
9. If you’d like a reframe for taking a lesson, think of it as an invitation instead
10. When we show up vulnerable or in a messy way, we give others permission to be vulnerable with themselves. 
11. It’s about showing up with ease. When you show up the way that is easiest for you, you can bring your best self.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 12 we answer all of your questions! Things listeners asked us about ranged from practical tips around art supplies, to requests for help with confidence and the inner critic, to how to develop your own style, to curiosity on how to make a podcast and lots more.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Gap by Ira Glass - https://vimeo.com/85040589

Tamara's Rubric: https://www.ruskea.com/post/art-swatch-rubric

This is the final episode of season 2. We'll be taking a short break and will be back mid 2023 with a brand new season in which we totally shake things up! We can't wait to share it with you soon.

Miss us and looking for something to do while you wait for season 3 to drop? Please rate, review & share (NOT) A Real Artist with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 11: we hear about how loneliness can appear in your art practice, what that may feel like and how to foster connection with other artists

Artists mentioned in this episode:

Honorata | Marieke Blokland | Miranda Meulenkamp |Tamara Laporte

Key takeaways:

1. When talking about loneliness we could mistakenly conflate solitude with loneliness.
2. Solitude is more self-imposed and good for growth, it feels like a choice, loneliness can sometimes be imposed by others, and often feels less like a choice.
3. Sometimes the way we feel about people as a whole, is determined by the type of people we engage with and the environment in which we engage with them. As an example, we could feel we don’t like people, when we could just be meeting the wrong people, in the wrong format
4. You don’t need to be with someone in person to engage with them meaningfully or connect.
5. You can create and collaborate with others online, sometimes with more security or autonomy and comfort, than in person.
6.  A current feeling of loneliness could sometimes be a past loneliness that you’re re-experiencing, which is valid.
7. Music, podcasts, body-doubling, and vlogs are effective ways of working with your loneliness in the studio or in life. It’s OK to need and use tools.
8. When in an uncomfortable silence, feeling the compulsion to break it, you can ask, am I in this moment feeling a need to influence any thought this person might have of me? OR is it genuine yearning to connect?
9. When we connect with other people or artists, we could start seeing things or ourselves through a different lens.
10. When you have a fear of loneliness or a fear of hurting other people, you might come across a person who wants to engage with you, but does it in a way that violates boundaries or makes you feel uncomfortable.
11. In that moment ask yourself: does this drain my energy, are we both getting a nett win from the interaction? Then choose your response time and whether you give attention to the interaction, as what you give attention grows. Remember that you cannot be everything to everyone
12. Cultivate self-awareness around other people, so that you can go where friendship wants to blossom, at the same time, have some healthy confidence, that you are cool, and people DO want to meet with you.
13.  Loneliness and unworthiness can sometimes work hand in hand, and help each other self-fulfil
14. So dear listeners, please remember you are worthy of love, of friendships, and cool art dates!

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful! Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 10 we dig into perfectionism: how it affects us, why we hate it and how we kick it in the butt.

Key takeaways:

1. Using the term recovering perfectionist as opposed to just perfectionist is a way of acknowledging your perfectionist self whilst also pointing to the work you are doing to change things
2. Perfectionism can be used as an excuse to keep working on something for minimal return
3. We can roughly divide perfectionism in two, on the one hand inward perfectionism: i.e. I need myself or what I do to be perfect. And outward perfectionism: i.e. I need what others are or do to be perfect
4. If you experience a harsh inner perfectionist when working alone, try to collaborate with someone you like and respect and see if it helps lessen the feeling
5. Often perfectionism is simply a protection against our fears. If you never start, you protect yourself against failure. 
6. Perfectionism and the inner critic are closely related. The former wants to make things perfect, the latter criticises what you’ve done. Both talk about a feeling of ‘not good enough’. 
7. When we compare ourselves to others or have an unattainable standard it can give rise to a feeling of ‘what’s the point’. But often it’s better to do something imperfectly than not do it at all. Showing up imperfectly is real and honest
8. Let fun be your compass
9. Can you try to actively be an anti-perfectionist? What rules can you break? What would that look like in your life and art?
10. There is a tension point between what you want to be and what you are. You have to decide to what extent changing yourself or embracing yourself as you are is the right choice for you.
11. If you keep putting in the work at a standard that is doable and sustainable to you, then in time the level you used to perceive as unattainable perfection will be the norm. You only grow by doing. 
12. There’s a difference between being proficient and being a perfectionist. Don’t let perfectionism stand in the way of learning and becoming proficient in your chosen field.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful!

Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we try and establish our feelings and thoughts towards AI.

Key Takeaways:

1. Since the beginning of time humans have wanted to express themselves via art, and with the use of tools. A.I generators are a tool.
2. If we look at this tool in isolation, it is a potentially exciting development for those who are differently abled and may only have tech available to create. It’s also valuable for those who want to keep their art practises more independent of other artists.
3. If we remove that isolation, we can see that: AI models have been trained unethically, without consent from Artists or compensation to artists.
4. A.I Models are only as good as the data it has been trained on: that data consists of all the current issues we have in our society: Racial bias, patriarchal values, sexualisation of women.
5. While seeing such beautiful images being generated by the click of a button can be disheartening we say: You will always find something to dishearten you in your art practise AND the value of art lies in the process of doing art, and not just the end result.
6. Ways to pad yourself against AI if you’re an artist uncomfortable with it: form connection with your clients and community, we all want art from people we know and care about. Remember that story matters, keep telling your story, using your preferred tools.
7. There are ways to opt out of having your art used for training AI models in the future. Resources to see if you’ve been trained also exist: https://haveibeentrained.com
8. Always remember that there is a lot of money and work going into telling us how we should feel about the tech that we get presented to us by big tech companies. And that opinions about new things are often strong.
9. Therefore we advise you to have a look at AI and investigate it on your own before formulating an opinion.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful!

Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Until next time! Bye!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we question whether pain is necessary to create, and dig into the 'tortured artist' stereotype.

Key Takeaways:

1. Being engaged with negative or painful feelings, does not make you a negative person.
2. The tortured artist archetype might exist because: a) What you engage with the most, might be more likely to come up in your art. b) As artists we are encouraged and expected to share more feely and openly about ourselves and inner workings, that means happiness, sadness, and everything in-between. c) We might share those private things with the public, more than other professions, which can give us the label of tortured
3. We wonder when pain is a strong part of your artistic process, what happens when pain is absent? The same can be said for any other emotion or state of being.
4. Connection with the viewer or public through your art, doesn’t have to solely be based in pain. Happy, compassionate, and loving art ALSO provides connection. Note, that sometimes these works of art, can also be borne out of pain.
5. Ask: Do we need to be melancholy or live in squalor, to work relentless hours, sacrificing self, relationships etc. to be seen as valid artists? If yes, why? Do we perhaps believe that there is a price to pay to be an artist? OR do we see suffering as noble?
6. There are distinctions between the types of pain in art, the pain before coming to the canvas, the pain in the process, the pain in the physical execution and even the pain in the final painting.
7. There is legitimacy in ease. A quick painting is valid, and is only quick because of the work you put into learning and doing, prior to said painting
8. 141 hours spent on 1 painting, is as valid as 141 paintings created each hour. 
9. An important benchmark with art, is not that it is torture, or appears tortured but rather that it is true to yourself.
10. When you have requirements of yourself that are not a part of your process, such as flogging yourself to sit at the easel for hours on end, that is when you torture yourself. This torture does NOT lead to more art.
11. Sometimes we might avoid pain, or aim to fix or defeat it, in order to fit a narrative of overcoming. We may say we are inspired by pain, or create inspite of pain, those modes are valid.

There is another mode that we can try too though; and that is to hold hands with pain, and create with it, side by side.

Tamara Laporte:https://bit.ly/3zFnnGW

On Van Gogh: One of the periods where he painted the most paintings and his most loved.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful!

Email us: [email protected]

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of season 2 we're talking about goals! Goal setting, artist goals, biz goals and how to have achievement and forward momentum without losing the connection to yourself or burning out.

Artists and media mentioned:

Win by J Rock, Tamara's hustle & grind song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrO46CJd9ns

Big Magic, book by Elizabeth Gilbert:https://amzn.to/3IZXXJn

Miranda Meulenkamp: https://www.instagram.com/art_by_mirandameulenkamp/

Key Takeaways:

1. You can operate within different types of energies. For example hustle & grind energy, executor energy, incubator energy, guru energy. It is not necessary to only exist within one type of energy in order to achieve your goals. 
2. Sometimes you plant the seeds of something you want to reap in the future, but when it comes to fruition, it isn’t what you intended or expected. If we get too attached to our goals we might miss out on the value of the unexpected result. 
3. Beware of getting so busy with DOING that you forget to take stock of why you are doing it or where you are going
4. Make conscious decisions about your goals that are in line with your inner self, so that the energy required is sustainable
5. It’s not always “go time”, sometimes you’re not supposed to be working on your goal. We need rest.
6. The only person who can break the pattern of always needing to be doing something is you
7. It is OK to need support systems to help us know when to take breaks, or to give us permission to do things
8. When you have a goal, make sure that it’s yours and not someone else’s
9. Sometimes you start and don’t know where you’ll end up, but you just have to follow the thread
10. Putting pressure on your art to provide in a monetary sense is a big burden. Having a day job frees you from that burden even if it can feel like a burden in itself. 
11. Think of your goals as a Lego castle. To avoid overwhelm, break it down to its smallest part and work on that. 
12. Set yourself up for success and have clear actionable goals. Think of the language you are using, is it clear, specific and personal to you?
13. Review your goals. Are things working for you? Have you reached your goal? Look at yourself with kindness in this process

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful!

Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we discuss the concept of the term "No Offence", how to offend less, and how to be less offensive with feedback. And how to be brave enough in your art even if it causes offence!

Artists and media mentioned:

Emma Petitt: https://emmapetittart.com/

Kathryn Hack: https://www.facebook.com/KathrynHackArt

Naomi Jayne: https://www.instagram.com/naomi_jayne_art

Flora Bowley: https://florabowley.com/

Key Takeaways

1.      If we try and preface our comments with; “I think and I feel” vs. no offense, we might come across as less offensive.

2.      Courage to potentially offend in your art, can open up doors for other people to discover more about their art, and themselves.

3.      Get yourself a team of cheerleaders. Your a-team, and be a cheerleader to a select few too.

4.      Cultivate spaces where you can speak freely and don’t let people’s offense overshadow the work you’ve done to be unfiltered.

5.      If you’re worried about being offensive in your art, check: can you truly be satisfied with not painting what you want? Can you protect yourself from every “offended” person in the world?

6.      Is there an unconscious aspect inside you, offended and reluctant about what you want to paint.

7.      Don’t seek out offense.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful!

Thank you for joining us!

Email us: [email protected] (you can let us know what you enjoyed, what your 'AHA' moments were, or any questions you'd like us to answer or topics you'd like us to discuss in a future episode)

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Or does it? Let's talk about social media, ever present evil for Tamara, and beautiful point of connection for Iris! How can we use social media better? How do we cultivate a healthy relationship with it?

Artists and media mentioned:

Iris’s Get Messy Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CdbcQoqF3fh/

Averys Blog: https://fieldnotesfromthefuture.com/

Annie McNee (Inspired to Write): https://www.instagram.com/inspiredtowrite/

10 Reasons to Delete Your Social Media: https://g.co/kgs/xFcPpW

Holly McLaughlin: https://www.instagram.com/hollymclaughlin_art

Key Takeaways

1. There is a difference between the promise of social media, or a nostalgic view of it, and the reality of social media as it is today

2..Certain platforms offer more longevity than others. TikTok and Instagram reels are much more short-lived than videos on YouTube. 

3. Ask yourself how you interact with social media. What interactions do you remember? What interactions are meaningful to you?

4. Reshare your creations, don’t think your creations are only valuable when they’re new

5.Post at the time you can, rather than waiting for the perfect moment and then never doing it. 

6.   If you’re not paying for something, then you are the product

7.Social media platforms want to keep you there for as long as possible. Some content is much more easily consumed than what you are ACTUALLY on the platform to see, eg. stories on YouTube or Reels on Instagram. We can have a healthier relationship with social media if we are more aware of what weare there for, and what we want out of it

8. Rather than taking the social media metrics such as likes or followers as the yardstick, define for yourself what satisfaction or success on social media looks like. 

9. Don’t correlate your self-worth or the value of your art to how well you’re doing on social media. 

10.To prevent social media stealing your time, turn off all notifications. Yes, you ARE allowed to do this! 

11.Curate your feed. You are allowed to only follow those that you want, you are not obligated to follow someone back. 

12.The amount of advice on what and how you should and shouldn’t share on social media is overwhelming and contradictory. At the end of the day, you are the only person who can decide what is right for you, based on how you feel.

13. Sometimes the fear of criticism or negative comments is much worse and more influential than when it happens. The criticism we are most scared of is usually that which confirms our worst fears about ourselves or something that mirrors an old childhood wound.

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we talk about how women express and are expected to express themselves in art. Why topics of sexual abuse are taboo, and why painting pretty women is preferred.

TRIGGER WARNING!

This episode contains themes of sexual abuse, infertility, and miscarriage.

We hope this knowledge helps you make the best choice for you.

Artists mentioned:

Guerrilla Girls: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/guerrilla-girls-6858

Sherry McDonald: https://www.instagram.com/smickeydee/

Key Takeaways

1. As women we often get the implicit or explicit message that we are too much (like too loud, too fat, too angry, too hairy). Carrying this with us permeates what we do and how we perceive ourselves, including our art or our potential art. 

2.   Women often paint pretty subjects. Why is that? Is it a choice, or a feeling of obligation to fulfil a feminine beauty ideal? 

3. Paint what makes you happy, but also analyse why you’re doing it.

4. Making art (whether pretty, raw or anything else) is vulnerable, and it’s natural to worry about people’s response to it. 

5. The concept of badness often gets conflated with ugliness, which adds a further barrier to exploring ugly art or a sense of shame when our art

is accidentally ugly. 

6. How society views the value of our labour, and specifically focuses on unpaid domestic labour as the domain of women, can influence how seriously we take ourselves. Prioritise making art over loading the dishwasher!

7. We can explore the boundaries of femininity and question why certain expressions seem to be excluded from existing within femininity 

8. Feminine and masculine energies or approaches are not necessarily gender specific. 

9. Incorporating our lived experiences into our art is often political and therefore potentially polarising. Having that voice and using it is exciting but also scary. 

10.If you want to explore topics about womanhood and art, check out Guerrilla Girls, they are an anonymous group of feminist, female artists devoted to fighting sexism and racism within the art world

11. Seek out people who encourage you to make the art you want to make. Don’t seek out or listen to the naysayers

12. We need softness and cuteness, but we also need stupid and graphic and raw. And we need everyone to feel free to make the art they want.

Enjoyed the podcast? Please rate, review & share it with anyone who might enjoy it or find it useful!

Email us: [email protected] (let us know what you enjoyed, your 'AHA' moments, or any questions you'd like us to answer)

Iris

Website: https://iris-impressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris.impressions.art/

Tamara

Website: https://www.ruskea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruskea_art/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.