Art Horse

Caitlin McIver is a sculptural ceramicist based in Seattle, WA. We last heard from Caitlin in episode 122, where she was wondering how to do more ceramics and less... other stuff – AND SHE'S FIGURED IT OUT!!

A few big thoughts from this episode:

• (re: jobs, residencies) if I have to hear "no", I'm going to at least apply to things I care about (and apply to so many things I forget what I applied to)
• Joining a peer group can be a big growth experience
• Am I not trying this because I don't want to? Or because I think I can't?
• How do you let yourself be known? (please, tell us)

You can see her work on her website: https://www.cmciver.com/, or her instagram @cmciver.studio.

We mention:

• Ridwell: https://www.ridwell.com/
• Hanako O'Leary: https://www.hannyagrrrl.com/ 
• Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel

In this episode:

• Living a little (aka spending the night in a coffin full of mosquitos)
• A square dance caller with a twinkle in his eye
• Good news is everyone starts in the same place (knowing nothing)

Elisa Mack is a watercolour artist, teacher, and watercolour-teaching-small-business owner (Paint with Magenta), in Salem, Oregon. You can find her on Instagram @paintwithmagenta and on her website https://paintwithmagenta.com/

For Elisa, a serendipitous encounter with The Artist's Way leads to the rewriting of a long-held personal narrative around Discipline, namely: a) I need it and b) I don't have it. Also: a big breakthrough around creating a body of self-directed work outside of commissions and teaching classes.

What happens when you stop telling yourself you can't?

We mention:

• The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
• A Rick Rubin book, probably "The Creative Act - A Way Of Being"
• Zak Foster
• Art and Soul retreats: https://www.artandsoulretreat.com/

This episode is a walk sans dog(s), about some things I'm excited about lately:

• (Finally,) a kiln update!!
• Doing regular things but except outside (like olive-oil blueberry pancakes)
• Cancelling classes and refusing to feel bad
• Taking virtual fiddle lessons instead of (and in addition to) feeling embarrassed in front of other people

I mention

• There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Åkeson McGurk (oops!!)
• The Opt-Out Family by Erin Loechner
• Until the Streetlights come on by Ginny Yurich
• 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
• Out There: a Camper Cookbook by Lee Kalpakis
• Alexis Nikole: https://www.instagram.com/blackforager/

Kristen Egan is a mixed media artist – primarily gourds, wood, and paper clay – based somewhere in the woods of Pennsylvania. Her folkloric and characterful masks drip with personality and take illustration 3 dimensional. See her work on Instagram at kristeneganart. You can hear more from Kristen in episode 126!

In this episode:

• You're not at the mercy of whatever gallery will show your work
• Short, frequent bursts of practice are better than long ones far between
• Bagpipe villaging

We mention:

• The Immense Journey (specifically "The Snout") by Loren Eisley
• Masks: Faces of Culture by John Nunley

A walking around the house episode:

• Jess physically but not mentally joins a bluegrass jam band
• Makes a spiritually adjacent attempt to get over a big fear
• Gets a mystery package

Kat Middleton is a scientist and aFISHionado based in Ottawa, and we last heard from her in episode 79. In this episode, she takes big, brave steps towards a lifelong dream: animating a short film and submitting to a (very Art Horse-y) local animation festival. You can find her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/katmidds and on Youtube: https://youtube.com/@katmidds 

In this episode:

• The juicy joy of finally making things MOVE
• Dissolving barriers with time, practice, and lots of Youtube tutorials
• Big Animation Dreams? Where to start!

We mention:

• Procreate Dreams: https://procreate.com/dreams
• Alex Grigg tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexGriggAnimation
• Bardot Brush: https://www.youtube.com/@BardotBrush
• Log drivers Waltz: https://youtu.be/upsZZ2s3xv8?si=jzZ0Eya7N7LCVwiw
• Blackfly: https://youtu.be/f389hIxZAOc?si=AC3L9oI2dGjm-E5h
• Scavengers Reign: https://youtu.be/CADHf3kPnjA
• Animation Show and Tell (Ottawa - sold out!!) https://www.instagram.com/animationshowntell
• Ottawa animation festival: https://www.animationfestival.ca/

A walking-around-the-house episode:

• breaking news: what if hoarding supplies actually limits your future (instead of expanding it)?
• picking up the pieces after the Big Dance and goals become a little clearer
• how do you reskill an entire generation?

I mention:

• It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh
• Hold On to Your Kids by Gabor Maté and Gordon Neufeld
• Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen
• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• Scarcity Brain by Michael Easter

Kristen Egan is a mixed media artist – primarily gourds, wood, and paper clay – based somewhere in the woods of Pennsylvania. Her folkloric and characterful masks drip with personality and take illustration 3 dimensional. See her work on Instagram at kristeneganart.

This episode contains a PSA about breast cancer.

In this episode: 

• How to grow as an artist when people expect the same type of work from you (one thing at a time)
• Purposeful imperfection
• Finding myth in every day life

This is kind of a follow-up episode to episode 181 of the Tenet podcast, where they talk about the basics - sourcing gourds and art school, some background, all the good stuff - it's an excellent episode and you can find that here: https://www.tenetpodcast.com/episodes/ep-181-kristen-egan-mixed-media-sculpture-masks

We mention

• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Arch Enemy Arts (Philadelphia): https://www.archenemyarts.com/

Cassidy McAuliffe is a photographer, filmmaker, storyteller, teacher, and artist. She's half of the Woodland Sisters (https://www.woodlandsisters.com/), who make creative projects inspired by Northern Ontario, sisterhood & social/environmental themes. You can hear more from Cassidy in episodes 112/113.

In this episode:

• The DELIGHT of learning to sew + rekindling oldfashioned skills
• On perfection: you having ambition is not the problem (LOVE TO HEAR IT)
• Tolerating longing with small wins
• What would be deserving of your limited time on this planet?
• How do you build something that outlives you? (you tell me)

We mention:

• The substack (the dancing photo is at the bottom of #4): https://woodlandsisters.substack.com/
• Sew Local Sudbury
• A Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control
• The Art of Gathering
• Sophie Lucido Johnson comic - you get to decide: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4F-5xvrrKA/
• Miitens: https://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTmiittens.php