We’ve talked several times in the past about the experience of attending an artist residency program when you are away from your home studio, focused exclusively on your work in a stimulating environment. We’ve also talked about the importance of travel in general for feeding your creative ideas. But what about when that residency or the travel is over? Will the bubble you have been in for weeks, focused on your work or satisfying your travel curiosity, simply burst? Today we talk about that transitional time back to ordinary life and how that plays out in your work.

When you spend time at a residency or doing art-related travel, coming back to your studio can present challenges. Your vision has been altered, and your experiences while away will affect your thoughts and feelings. You may have done work that is quite different in terms of media, scale, or source ideas that what you normally do. You have also probably been free of marketing or business concerns, and perhaps not considering where the work would end up in terms of display or sales.

It's good to take some time once home to contemplate the similarities and differences with your previous or ongoing work. Will the work you did while away simply exist as your response to your time away, a separate project, perhaps a sort of travel journal? Or will it contribute to or integrate with the main body of your work? Will you continue to pursue the ideas you explored while away, or is that work specific to the place where you were? It will probably take some time to process the various ideas that your travel has evoked. Part of that may be inviting others to see the work from your time away. Thier comments can provide more insight and they may see connections to your ongoing work that you have overlooked.

While as artists we are always taking in new ideas when we travel, doing so with an art focus or as an artist in residence is very different from travel as a tourist. When you are able to create during your trip, you can process your impressions in an immediate way. This can enforce your experiences in ways that will have a permanent effect on your work overall, whether obvious or subtle.

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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

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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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