Chaos, Control...Chaos, Control...You Like? You Like? Have you considered how you walk the edge between chaos and order in your artistic practice? In this episode we explore the borderlands, the area that the artist works from when creating art that moves culture forward. Like an explorer, an artist must be willing to move with the unknown in order to create something new. We will talk a bit about the movie Six Degrees of Separation, Kandinsky and Romare Bearden as we discuss the bond an artist must make with chaos and order.
I have a ton of content around this episode, that you can find here:
Chaos...Control Content
There you will find information on all the topics I cover in this episode as well as the weekly playlist. 

Can you claim the title of artist? How does your personal expression get seen in the world? In this episode we talk with Yoga Therapist Elizabeth Griggs about her creative practice. As a kinesthetic creator, she has had to struggle with the boundaries of where there is a product and if it can be considered art. We discuss how our childhood home life sets up our artistic understanding, discuss receptive and expressive traits, question who we make art for and get off on a tangent about Billy Joel. If you are curious about whether what you do is art, this episode has a lot for you to consider.

To learn where to find Beth, hear the playlist we made together and find information on all the topics we discussed follow this link. There I will also put a review of the practices we discussed.

How can we create a structure to make sure we are challenging ourselves? Are you looking for ways to push yourself forward in your creative development? In this episode I discuss a personal creative failure and how that reminded me about the importance of self evaluation. We will also look at several different creative challenges and decide which developmental structures could actually help us get out of our comfort zones and move towards our goals.

To learn about any of the topics I discuss in this episode, check out this link. There you will find all the resources I discussed as well as this week's playlist and how to connect and share your challenge. 

How do our friends support our creative practice? In this episode we look at a few artist friendships and think about the way we connect to the friends in our life. Did you know Duchamp and Dali were good friends? Let's consider how using the buddy system may help our artistic output as well as enrich our lives. Follow this link to all the curated content for the episode: Click Here 

Let's consider the haunting power of art. How does it allow the dead to speak to the living and what will our art say long after we are gone? Indulge in a few art related ghost stories this week as we look at the spirits that dwell within out own creative practice.

To learn more about the artists and topics discussed in this week's episode (including links to other art related ghost stories, my own spooky stories and this weeks playlist)  follow this link to the show notes.

As we enter the season of the darkening of the light...fall,  we look at how shadows shape our reality and our artwork. Discover a bit about how darkness enhances form and how shadows give depth to everything they touch. Learn about how the shadow has evolved through art history and evaluate your own relationship to...the dark. Contemplate what you may be projecting into the darkness and whether it can help your creative practice. Follow this link to the show notes for more about all the topics covered, the playlist for our time in the dark, a link to join our online community and links to Starling swag now available. 

How can creativity help us recreate the stories we tell ourselves? In this first ever interview episode of Starling, writer, brand catalyst and firebrand Michelle Mercurio discusses using creative practice to help heal grief. In workshops, Michelle helps grieving families create stories that connect and soothe suffering. Listen in to hear her approach and a little about her personal process. Follow this link to the show notes to learn more about Michelle, the topics discussed and to find this week's playlist that we co created with songs that we both connect to recovering after loss. 

How do we organize our thoughts and inner world to bring order to our creative process? In this episode we look at how exploring philosophical and psychological concepts can give structure to guide our artistic development. Follow this link for the show notes that include curated content around the topics discussed and as always a weekly playlist to accompany the ideas: https://www.smore.com/h4k8p

How is what we create connected to who we are? In this episode we look at the role of identity in our artwork and in our existence in general. Follow this link for all the content I discuss in this episode such as personality tests, artist information and of course this week's playlist. 

Change is constant, so why not put it to use? This week we look at the way we make transitions in our creative practice, notice habits we might have and consider changes we could make to invite fresh creative energy into our lives. Change can inspire new ideas, so what are you willing to change to get ideas flowing? Follow this link to find a recap of the practices, this week's playlist and other tidbits about change as an inspirational tool.