The tizzywire's Podcast

Over the last few years, I've noticed a growing term that the internet generation likes to use to encapsulate the mundane work that is involved in being a responsible adult--in this case, it's 'Adulting.'

This can include the process of paying bills, daily commuting, day/night jobs, and taking care of the household.

The fact that this term has surfaced now, of all times in our society, is pretty representative of how much the 'moundane' has taken up most of our time.

Wherever I go, I hear people say how being in school or being young was the best time of their life. Like a good song from the Boss, the Glory Days seem all the rage.

I think adults become nostalgic because when we were young, we had more freedom to explore who we are, and we had fewer distractions (i.e. aduliting) getting in the way of that discovery.

We can involve ourselves in art, music, photography, theater, and dance, and it's all at our fingertips when we are in school. And everyone around us is doing it too. It flows together seamlessly, so self-discovery is a natural byproduct of that environment.

The most significant advantage of youth is available time, and when we are young, we have no concept of how this advantage will evaporate.

As we get older, and we take on the day-to-day aspects of 'adulting,'  we find the independence we sought is a hell of a lot more work than we expected.

Prioritizing our artistic creativity seems like something so frivolous, and unnecessary as we are trying to pay off all that school debt.

For many of us, it's an easy slide into the day-to-day mode. Life becomes utterly and completely consumed by 'adulting.' With that, comes an inevitable loss of human meaning.

I find this all rather frustrating, having gone through this internal struggle myself. Sometimes it feels like waking up from the Matrix, and I see the manufactured world of identities around me, and I am completely out of place.

What makes art unique to all other types of work is that you are literally creating an imprint of who you are on a page, or in a photo, or in a beautifully crafted piece of wood.

That is not something to be looked down upon, and it is not a waste of time, even if there is no monetary gain from it. But I would argue that there is some amount of monetary gain to be had from it, as there are any number of scientific studies out there showing the correlation between fostering creativity and art, and seeing an influx of innovation in the workplace.

There are is a lot of literature out there on how you can become more creative, or take your art to the next level. In creating this podcast, I hope to get the real scoop from all of you, not just the 'expert's advice. There is something to be said about a community of artists that support other artists, and in this digital age, I think this has provided us with more opportunities to add art back into our lives.

We somehow find the time to escape into other things, like TV, video games, and Facebook (and none of those things are bad in and of themselves). But are we truly so fulfilled in our lives that we can validate 3-6 hours of Facebook or TV binging.  

Given how much nostalgia has infiltrated all of adult culture these days, my guess is 'probably not.'

Over the last few years, I've noticed a growing term that the internet generation likes to use to encapsulate the mundane work that is involved in being a responsible adult--in this case, it's 'Adulting.'

This can include the process of paying bills, daily commuting, day/night jobs, and taking care of the household.

The fact that this term has surfaced now, of all times in our society, is pretty representative of how much the 'moundane' has taken up most of our time.

Wherever I go, I hear people say how being in school or being young was the best time of their life. Like a good song from the Boss, the Glory Days seem all the rage.

I think adults become nostalgic because when we were young, we had more freedom to explore who we are, and we had fewer distractions (i.e. aduliting) getting in the way of that discovery.

We can involve ourselves in art, music, photography, theater, and dance, and it's all at our fingertips when we are in school. And everyone around us is doing it too. It flows together seamlessly, so self-discovery is a natural byproduct of that environment.

The most significant advantage of youth is available time, and when we are young, we have no concept of how this advantage will evaporate.

As we get older, and we take on the day-to-day aspects of 'adulting,'  we find the independence we sought is a hell of a lot more work than we expected.

Prioritizing our artistic creativity seems like something so frivolous, and unnecessary as we are trying to pay off all that school debt.

For many of us, it's an easy slide into the day-to-day mode. Life becomes utterly and completely consumed by 'adulting.' With that, comes an inevitable loss of human meaning.

I find this all rather frustrating, having gone through this internal struggle myself. Sometimes it feels like waking up from the Matrix, and I see the manufactured world of identities around me, and I am completely out of place.

What makes art unique to all other types of work is that you are literally creating an imprint of who you are on a page, or in a photo, or in a beautifully crafted piece of wood.

That is not something to be looked down upon, and it is not a waste of time, even if there is no monetary gain from it. But I would argue that there is some amount of monetary gain to be had from it, as there are any number of scientific studies out there showing the correlation between fostering creativity and art, and seeing an influx of innovation in the workplace.

There are is a lot of literature out there on how you can become more creative, or take your art to the next level. In creating this podcast, I hope to get the real scoop from all of you, not just the 'expert's advice. There is something to be said about a community of artists that support other artists, and in this digital age, I think this has provided us with more opportunities to add art back into our lives.

We somehow find the time to escape into other things, like TV, video games, and Facebook (and none of those things are bad in and of themselves). But are we truly so fulfilled in our lives that we can validate 3-6 hours of Facebook or TV binging.  

Given how much nostalgia has infiltrated all of adult cul

As I've moved forward with this podcast, I occasionally have a moment where I think 'I am getting better at this.' Those moments are usually followed by a tremendous failure shortly thereafter.

Such an occasion came up this week, as I embarked on my next interview. I took several days to plan this time, and tested the equipement extensively. The discussion was fantastic, and everything seemed to go smoothly--and then, at the very end of the night, my file was corrupted.

I couldn't believe it at first, especially after all the precautions I had taken. There was no way that I could have lost an hour and a half of footage. Yet there it was: A garbled mess of mis-moshed audio, echos, and then random silence intermixed with some weird computerized noise. I had never heard such a bad audio recording in my life.

And it was mine.

In my moment of horror, I realized that this was a good example of how failure feels as you've exposed your passion to the world, and then are unable to deliver on your promise. It's a small example, but relevant nonetheless.

There have been times in my life where i've experienced this kind of embarrassment, and have felt it so deeply that it has caused me to run into hiding.

I can see how it could cause that kind of reaction, as we often tend to link our work with our self-value. In doing so, it feels like we are keeping ourselves accountable so we always deliver our very best at all times. However, the cost of this is that we crash to the bottom at the first sign of our failings.

It's good to strive for the highest of our potential, but to bury ourselves in shame in these instances is how we lose traction on our goals.

I started this podcast with the idea that it wouldn't just be a discussion of my successes, but of my growth--and you can't have growth without failure.

I'm not looking to pretend that this is easy, or that I have all the answers, because I'm barely getting started. In a way, that is encouraging, because the amount of ground I've covered is evidence of the fact that I truly am 'getting better at this.'

More interviews and discussions are coming, as that has always been the dream. I'm not slowing down just because of one lost night. Or two. Or three...

In my conversations with the creative community lately, I've become so inspired by the stories that are shared, especially on the topic of growth and identity. For so many of us, we get used to a certain version of ourselves, and then one day the shoe no longer fits. 

This isn't exclusive to art, but it certainly applies to any creative medium, because that's when it no longer feels 'creative' and instead feels more 'comfortable.' 

I used to love figure drawing. It was how I used to bond with my grandmother growing up. She was once a costume designer during the Federal Theater project days in New York, and I admired her intensely. So much so, that I wanted her advice on every figure I drew along with the costume I had created for it. She would just look at me over her nose, with a furrowed brow and say 'how would you cut it?' and would walk away. She never explained what that meant, but I kept working at it for years, and she became more willing to share what she knew.

I never truly mastered figure drawing, but it was important to me for a long time. These days, I still feel the old habits of starting to draw figures, but I don't feel the same connection that I once did. The shoe just hasn't been fitting.

It's hard to find a new way to draw. It's also hard to try to Podcast. Sometimes the emotional attachments that we have to old things hold us back from finding our new selves. 

As young people, we are so comfortable trying and discovering new things. I think it has to do with the mix of our brain development, being in environments that foster learning, and having an excessive amount of free time!

We may lose those some of those advatages as we grow older, but it doesn't mean that learning and growth stops. Between juggling jobs, homes, relationships, and kids, we get so damn tired!

But as the sayings go, just because something isn't easy, doesn't mean it's not worth doing. I can say that even though I never expected to like building a website, or figuring out equipment, I'm discovering a whole new version of myself that I never knew was there.

How about you? Do your shoes fit?

In our first interview at Tizzy Wire, we meet Kevin Montanaro--a multifaceted and expressive artist from Burlington, VT, with a lifetime of craftsmanship under his belt. Whether his work contains casual street scenes or critic monsters, every piece tells a story. Find a full summary of his work on tizzywire.com.

Or reach out to him directly at bluesmokestudio.com.

Sometimes you need a break from your normal artistic muse in order to deep dive into the deep underbelly of the nerdish culter: Dungeons & Dragons. Yes, if you are looking for a safe space to cultivate your creative muscles, D&D is an increadible outlet

Join us as my husband and I reveal the inner workings of how we spend our 'offtime,' and maybe you'll get inspired to find your inner Dungeon Master.

The expectations on motherhood are hard enough without having to manage your day job. Add to that the fact that you've left your whole artistic and creative identity behind, and sometimes it's hard to recognize your reflection. At least, that's how I've felt over the last few years. 

This episode explores what it's like to get some of that back, and how I'm finding ways to insert it back into my life. It's not easy, but highly necessary for your sanity! 

If you have any tips to share on how to better manage parenting with building your creative outlet, please let me know! I'd love to share them in a follow up episode. 

Do you have an artistic past that has gathered dust? Are you a musician, painter, film maker, writer, etc who is looking for a refresh? I totally get it!To get things started with this podcast, I thought I'd give you a little background on me and my own quest out of convention and back into inspiration. I also want to hear about your own journey and how you got there.

Join me and start kindling your creative spirit that may have been gathering dust!

Do you have an artistic past that has gathered dust? Are you a musician, painter, film maker, writer, etc who is looking for a refresh? I totally get it!To get things started with this podcast, I thought I'd give you a little background on me and my own quest out of convention and back into inspiration. I also want to hear about your own journey and how you got there.

Join me and start kindling your creative spirit that may have been gathering dust!