So yeah, this was a great discussion and much needed for anyone and everyone, no matter if your creativity is drawing, cooking, knitting, raising a child, solving chemistry problems, coding software …. Thank you Wendy and Beth.
You can send me as many posts as you want - bring it on! Thank you for ALL your posting! They are all helpful! and Y-E- S-! Make art like you breathe - Every living thing uses all the same air, same water, were are on the same planet ...basically it is recycled through us all eventually, and our art can be that same kind of creative spark that gets morphed through each of us as we express what we see,hear, feel and love (or whatever we feel!) about living on this dear earth! Agency, circles of influence; all of those end up rippling outward and do good... (or not if we do not use it wisely..!) Thanks for the nudges to keep up the work! I have gotten yanked off course a little, being more direct with my artwork using it for protests... a recent local protest poster art show, my husband remarked that 1/3 of posters were mine! (ulp!!) ~@@~. !! My wooden letterpress project (literally making all the letter blocks and all the printing is an outgrowth from the protest thing too, as an invitation to the community to print things that inspire them (like; "be kind, it matters", "we are not free until everyone is free", "Kindness is courageous", etc..) and I am returning to my metalwork and drawing/painting again settling in... like rain on a parched patch of earth..
Queer artist here from Berkeley, California. Loved this video. Reminds me to honor my work despite how it might be received. Even my wife has opinions about it. Recognizing my contribution and the necessity of continuing to express it on an ongoing basis is such an important message. Thank you.
I LOVE Beth’s book and the relatability to her work! 🙏🏽😍
to hear that more is coming feels like that safe net when we feel this overwhelm with our practice! Thank you so much for this post and for Beth and all her work!
Mostly I wanted to say that for some of us, the practice does not need to be daily to be powerful. There are practices, creative practices and creativity-adjacent practices, that I do engage in every day.
But as someone who does a lot of caretaking and regular community volunteering, I pursue a kind of art practice that fits my life right now.
At the beginning of summer I told my husband I wanted to make one painting (I do acrylic on wood panel) each month June through August. This meant for a few hours one week a month he would cover the care.
I did it- we did it.
I might get to do one painting this fall. I am already planning it. That planning, even with the slow pace of execution, feels like a sustained practice to me. What has been called 'slow productivity' works now, despite everything, for me.
Thank you so so much Wendy & Beth. The other day I talked to my wife and said that I feel so powerless and lonely in my struggle to tell the world about what’s happening in the world. Despite the fact that I always remind people that just use your influence in your own circle is enough and will make a big ripple in the end. I also felt guilty when I had fun and did not think about the global mess. Thanks to your conversation I’m at peace with myself ❤️
Thank you for sharing. I LOVE Beth’s book, will be rereading it again. My art is not ‘political’ but just the act of making art is my way of taking my mind off all of the terrible things so I can be calm and capable of facing those terrible things.
You are speaking my language! Back in the early days of Trump 1.0, I began with Climate activism - but quickly realized the mainstream conversation was - well, "stale". I've been tending a different conversation as it has emerged from within me. Julia Cameron was one key influence in helping me do this. This felt like the upgrade of "The Artist's Way"...for the times we live in. Thank you.
I so needed to hear this today. Communities (F2F and online) will save us. I have been cooking a lot lately and I have to realise that is creative and supportive as well as my “art”. Thank you so much for this message.
Thank you for sharing the video with tech from the 90s. The shimmering text and fading titles made me roll my eyes in a good way. lol. Drew Vladimir Putin, while listening to this. Felt ironic, which is what I was going for.
So yeah, this was a great discussion and much needed for anyone and everyone, no matter if your creativity is drawing, cooking, knitting, raising a child, solving chemistry problems, coding software …. Thank you Wendy and Beth.
I kept writing down things Beth said that hit home so much that I was practically transcribing the entire video. Which needs to happen anyway.
Thank you for these posts on "overwhelmed" Wendy. Most generous of you and very appreciated! Warm regards, Paul K. Vermont, USA.
You can send me as many posts as you want - bring it on! Thank you for ALL your posting! They are all helpful! and Y-E- S-! Make art like you breathe - Every living thing uses all the same air, same water, were are on the same planet ...basically it is recycled through us all eventually, and our art can be that same kind of creative spark that gets morphed through each of us as we express what we see,hear, feel and love (or whatever we feel!) about living on this dear earth! Agency, circles of influence; all of those end up rippling outward and do good... (or not if we do not use it wisely..!) Thanks for the nudges to keep up the work! I have gotten yanked off course a little, being more direct with my artwork using it for protests... a recent local protest poster art show, my husband remarked that 1/3 of posters were mine! (ulp!!) ~@@~. !! My wooden letterpress project (literally making all the letter blocks and all the printing is an outgrowth from the protest thing too, as an invitation to the community to print things that inspire them (like; "be kind, it matters", "we are not free until everyone is free", "Kindness is courageous", etc..) and I am returning to my metalwork and drawing/painting again settling in... like rain on a parched patch of earth..
Queer artist here from Berkeley, California. Loved this video. Reminds me to honor my work despite how it might be received. Even my wife has opinions about it. Recognizing my contribution and the necessity of continuing to express it on an ongoing basis is such an important message. Thank you.
Thank You for this post. This was such a good one. Thank You again. I even mentioned to my daughter.
I LOVE Beth’s book and the relatability to her work! 🙏🏽😍
to hear that more is coming feels like that safe net when we feel this overwhelm with our practice! Thank you so much for this post and for Beth and all her work!
So wonderful and inspiring. So many truths said here. Thank you. Art is survival.
Thank you for offering this outside the paywall.
Mostly I wanted to say that for some of us, the practice does not need to be daily to be powerful. There are practices, creative practices and creativity-adjacent practices, that I do engage in every day.
But as someone who does a lot of caretaking and regular community volunteering, I pursue a kind of art practice that fits my life right now.
At the beginning of summer I told my husband I wanted to make one painting (I do acrylic on wood panel) each month June through August. This meant for a few hours one week a month he would cover the care.
I did it- we did it.
I might get to do one painting this fall. I am already planning it. That planning, even with the slow pace of execution, feels like a sustained practice to me. What has been called 'slow productivity' works now, despite everything, for me.
Thank you so so much Wendy & Beth. The other day I talked to my wife and said that I feel so powerless and lonely in my struggle to tell the world about what’s happening in the world. Despite the fact that I always remind people that just use your influence in your own circle is enough and will make a big ripple in the end. I also felt guilty when I had fun and did not think about the global mess. Thanks to your conversation I’m at peace with myself ❤️
love this! Make the things we want to make <3
Thank you for sharing. I LOVE Beth’s book, will be rereading it again. My art is not ‘political’ but just the act of making art is my way of taking my mind off all of the terrible things so I can be calm and capable of facing those terrible things.
You are speaking my language! Back in the early days of Trump 1.0, I began with Climate activism - but quickly realized the mainstream conversation was - well, "stale". I've been tending a different conversation as it has emerged from within me. Julia Cameron was one key influence in helping me do this. This felt like the upgrade of "The Artist's Way"...for the times we live in. Thank you.
I so needed to hear this today. Communities (F2F and online) will save us. I have been cooking a lot lately and I have to realise that is creative and supportive as well as my “art”. Thank you so much for this message.
Thank you for sharing the video with tech from the 90s. The shimmering text and fading titles made me roll my eyes in a good way. lol. Drew Vladimir Putin, while listening to this. Felt ironic, which is what I was going for.