Thriving Artists Podcast

What comes to mind when you hear the word “critique”? As artists, the idea of putting our work out there and receiving feedback can be daunting, if not completely scary! We’ve all heard the stories of artists getting their work verbally ripped to shreds in a grad school critique. Here at Thrive Together Network, we believe that critique can be respectful and caring, providing a deep and transformative experience that pushes your work forward. We model this approach in our Crit Crew program, so we wanted to do a deep dive here in this episode to discuss all of the benefits of feedback in a small group setting like our Crit Crews. Join us for Episode #25 of Thriving Artists, Podcast, 5 Ways Critique Can Change Your Practice, as we discuss and demystify…the dreaded critique. 

Jamie and Kaylan’s 5 Ways Critique Can Change Your Practice are:

Helps you understand what others are seeing when they look at your work: Being part of a critique where others are simply sharing with you what they see when they look at your work can be SO powerful. It can guide you towards making decisions within your work that you would never have arrived at on your own. This helps you get your concepts across!

Roots you more deeply in your art lineage: We don’t always have the knowledge for understanding exactly where our work fits into the canon of art history. We have to learn these things through research, lots of time spent in galleries and museums and we aren’t always able to tune in to those narratives. Others can contextualize your work and jumpstart your understanding of where you fit into the bigger picture of the art world.

Opens you to new materials or processes: Deep knowledge of materials and processes comes with time and experience. As independent artists, we reach for the materials we know and the processes we are familiar with. However, when we open ourselves to critique and let other artists and mentors look at our work and studio practice, they help us see that there are new materials or ways to make our work that might help make our work stronger!

Guides you toward your next steps: Working in your studio alone day after day can send you into ways of working that become habitual, familiar and known. Critique can shake things up and guide you to new exciting places!

Nourishes your artist identity: Establishing a relationship with other artists who give you productive feedback is nourishing to you because YOU are developing your skills talking about your work. You are making connections, learning, and that nourishes your artist identity in immeasurable ways. 

If you want to join our crit crew program, we would love to extend the invitation. These groups are truly life changing, and getting feedback like this on your work can revolutionize your career! Our enrollment is currently open and spots are filling fast! Our program is limited to 40 artists so sign up before the deadline of February 26th to ensure you get to participate.

This is week one of Thrive Together Network’s Virtual Artist Residency, and in Episode #24 of Thriving Artists, Podcast, How to Plan Out Your Studio Time we talk about how to set yourself up for good time management in the studio. Having a plan and being intentional with your time in small ways can really help you reap big rewards. We think planning out your studio time and implementing some structure is especially important and not something we really hear people talk about! 

Jamie and Kaylan’s 3 steps for planning out your studio time are:

Name what Matters Most: Prioritization is key to spending our studio time in a way that is fruitful. Putting in a few minutes to think through what matters to us right now can ease up some of the mental “mess” help us identify our guideposts for each studio session. Make time to pause and connect your mind, your priorities, and your calendar to the actual work you are doing in the studio to help keep you on track!

Divide and Conquer: Take one large project or task and break it down into smaller tasks by category and complete those tasks in one session. Break down the parts of your process and get into the flow of one method for each session. Limit the materials you are getting out and the clean up!

Create a Closing Routine: Create a closing routine anywhere from 10-20 minutes in length to wrap up your session. This could mean tidying up your work space, prepping materials for your next studio session, doing a little art reading, or journaling about your studio time. You could use this time to do a short meditation or even one minute of conscious and deep breathing before you transition back to your other responsibilities and out of “artist mode”. 

You can sign up to join us in our Virtual Art Residency, and experience a whole month of dedicated studio time with the support of other artists!! Head to thrivetogethernetwork.com to sign up! Also, follow the residency on instagram to see what other artists are doing by going to the hashtag #thrivetogetherartres

Today’s episode is inspired by Thrive Together Network’s Taking. Up. Space initiative. For T.U.S.,Thrive Together Network members put on art shows during or close to the month of May each year. In Episode 23 of Thriving Artists, Podcasts, How to Put on Your Own Art Show in 5 Months, Jamie shares a deep dive into how this is done! There is a whole course on the Network that breaks this down in detail for our members, and today’s episode is the condensed version of that course.

Jamie’s Outline for How to Put on Your Own Art Show in 5 Months:

Month 1 Planning: This month is all about planning, committing and understanding your “why”. Use this time to ask questions about your intentions, what type of show it will be and what type of space might be available for your show. Spread the word and think outside the box to gather possibilities. 

Month 2 The Art Making Process: Month 2 in the Taking. Up. Space. Initiative coincides with our Virtual Art Residency. This is the month to make sure you have a realistic plan for what work will be in the show and to execute that plan! Write and get your initial thoughts out about your work in this busy time of making!

Month 3 Capture Your Work: This month is time to finish your work, document your work for future promotion, create your artist statement and show statement, and make a plan to get people to your show!! By month 3, you should have your space locked down so you can create your promotional plan!

Month 4 Get the Word Out: Month 4 is time to spread the word and start inviting people. Get your press release out into the world and start generating some buzz about your show! Add the finishing touches to your pieces by signing them, protecting the work, and getting the work up on your website.

Month 5 It’s Show Time: This is when it all comes together so enjoy it! We will have a future episode with an art show checklist for all of those tasks you need to get the art from your studio to your show. Overall, stay present and celebrate your accomplishments!

If you are a current member of the Thrive Together Network go to the Taking. Up Space. Section on the Network and you will find a whole Course 2023 and in there are press kits for TUS, checklist, branding for you use, how to videos and more. 

And if you are not a member then head to thrivetogethernetwork.com to join us! Be part of the moment and take up space in your community because your work is important.

In today’s episode, we are talking about accountability and why we need it! It’s on our minds as the Thrive Together Network community is kicking off our Virtual Art Residency this week. Accountability allows us to reach our goals together!  It can be hard to carry the weight of setting and meeting goals in the studio all on your own, and that is why community accountability is so powerful! In Episode #22 of Thriving Artists, Podcast, Why Every Artist Needs Accountability, we discuss why it is so valuable to share our burdens of responsibility.

Jamie and Kaylan’s 4 Reasons Why Every Artist Needs Accountability:

It requires us to be clear with ourselves: To get accountability we need to get clear on what we care about and what we want. The act of telling someone else what we want for our lives and art careers means we have to do some thinking and process through our goals.

Easier said than done: Accountability with another human being or a community of humans allows us to not just talk the talk but walk the walk. We have said the thing aloud to someone else and they will know if we don’t do it. This pushes us to do hard things we would otherwise neglect!

Creates goal posts: There is so much we have to juggle as artists and many things easily go unnoticed. Sometimes these things are hard to measure and hard to remember to celebrate but when we have accountability with fellow artists all those things are understood and celebrated!

Lets you share your wins: Having fellow artists who actually get what you are working so hard on is so important. Having an art community that you are accountable to allows for meaningful recognition of your work!

By joining a community like TTN or connecting you can start to meet fellow artists and find one or a group that you click with. We hope you will consider joining us in time for our Virtual Artist Residency in order to get the full benefit of the accountability provided by our community! 

Head to thrivetogethernetwork.com to join us! 

In Episode #21 of Thriving Artist, Podcast, 5 Reasons to do an Art Residency, we share why we think artist residencies are so important and how they can impact your entire practice! We wanted to make this episode now because we believe in the power of art residencies and if you are on the fence about joining us in February or joining another art residency this year we wanted to share our thoughts on why they are so important. We just absolutely love reserving space for dedicated studio time!

Jamie and Kaylan’s 5 reasons you should do an art residency are:

Our Art Is Our Cornerstone: An art residency provides a sacred container of time to focus on the work, to get back to basics and to come back to our cornerstone - we are artists and we make art. 

Create a mental break: It can be a challenge to make great art while mentally multitasking about other things! By doing an art residency and claiming that space in your life and mind you are creating a time to just think about your art. 

Creativity thrives under constraints: Constraints can lead to action and creativity! The month-long residency format provides enough time to really dig into a project and get creative, but it isn’t so much time that you get lost in the weeds…because you have to get it done! 

Take up space: Don’t just take up space with your physical studio space, take up the space in your schedule as well. Label this time as your art residency to tell everyone in your life that you are an artist and you take yourself and your work seriously.

Goals matter: When we have goals and benchmarks in our practice, amazing things happen. An artist residency doesn’t just impact the time during the residency, it pushing you forward throughout your entire year! The power of a residency is that you can then say yes to other opportunities later in your year because of the results of your hard work during your residency.

We hope you will join us next year in February for our Virtual Artist Residency on the Thrive Together Network so we follow your progress each week in our live Art & Tea Sessions! Head to thrivetogethernetwork.com to join and participate in the residency as one part of a full year of THRIVING!

In our first episode of 2023, we share our thoughts on planning, and we channel all of our organizational energy into helping you map out a great year ahead! Join us for Episode #20 of the Thriving Artist, Podcast, How to Map Out a Great Year as we share four steps to set our compass and be intentional and achieve our goals in 2023. If we know where we are going, we can make a plan to get there. Join along and get started mapping out a great year!

Jamie and Kaylan’s 4 steps for mapping out a great year are:

Set your Compass: Identify what is important to you, what your intentions are for your year, how you want to feel, and what you want to accomplish. This will be your guide to goal setting and making to-do lists!

Identify your Don’ts and your No’s: Sometimes we just know in our gut what doesn’t feel right for us, even when we aren’t sure what DOES feel good. Identify that healthy knowledge so you can use it to steer your ship and map out a great art year!

Goal Set by Quarter: We think goal planning is best done 3 months at a time. You may have a goal that will take you 1 year to accomplish, but break down that goal into parts or smaller goals you will accomplish by quarter. Head into the year with this quarterly mindset!

Book check-ins: Make time for yourself to check-in and asseses throughout your day, week, month, and year. We are more impactful when we are deeply rooted in our intentions through checking in and assessing, re-directing, or celebrating what we are doing.

We would LOVE to spend the year cheering you on and supporting you as a member of our community. When you join the Thrive Together Network, you get access to our weekly Art & Tea sessions (including links to the replays if you can’t make them live), 2 virtual art residencies, all of our Taking Up Space course material, and your own digital copy of the Thriving Artists Map, our year long guide for helping you map out an intentional, nourishing art career this year. 

Head to thrivetogethernetwork.com to join us! 

This episode marks the launch of the Thriving Artist Map: A Year-Long Guide to Support Your Art Career and Artist Life in 2023. The Map is a workbook that not only gives you structure but also gives you activities, check-ins, and planning guides. It acts as a rhythm for a year of really thriving as a working artist. There are planning spreads for each month and quarter that help you keep track of your goals, plus lots of reflection and writing prompts. In Episode #19 of Thriving Artists, Podcast A Map For You To Thrive In 2023, walk you through the details of the Thriving Artist Map to explain what is to come to start getting excited about the year ahead. 

We’ve divided the year into quarters, with themes for each month. Here is a quick rundown of what to expect each quarter:

First Quarter: Virtual Artist Residency, Start of Crit Crews, and planning for Taking Up Space!

Second Quarter: Taking up Space Exhibitions, in-person Retreat, and a mid-year check-in to keep us on track

Third Quarter: Our rest month and a focus on making with another Virtual Artist Residency

Fourth Quarter: We have activities to get organized, refocus on values, and most importantly, CELEBRATE!

We truly believe every path is different in the arts and each artist has a different set of goals and dreams. The Thriving Artists Map is a structure that you can use to get where you want to be alongside an amazing community of artists. Join us throughout the year at the Live Art and tea Zoom session as we all use the Thriving Artist Map to be the artists we want to be!

Head to our website to get a full list of what’s included in the Thriving Artist Map. All of our TTN members will get a digital copy of the Thriving Artists Map. You can also buy your own hard copy at www.thrivetogethernetwork.com. 

On the Thrive Together Network, we gather as a community every Tuesday for sessions called “Art & Tea.” In these sessions we connect with fellow members, share advice and ideas. We asked our community to reflect on a few questions to help them wrap up their year powerfully. For Episode #18 of Thriving Artists, Podcast, 4 Questions To Wrap Up Your Year Powerfully, we thought it would be fun to share these questions from Art & Tea participants with you and answer them ourselves. We hope our answers offer a template for you to think about your own year and hope this will feel like listening to friends share about their own experiences. You are not alone in this! 

Jamie and Kaylan’s 4 Questions to Help you Wrap Up Your Year Powerfully Are:

What are you most proud of in your art practice this year? 

What do you make space for this year?

What was a big lesson for you this year?

If you had to “theme” this past year with one word what would it be? What word do you want to manifest for the new year ahead? 

As you reflect on last year, make sure you head into next year with intention with our Thriving Artist Map. We are offering the new Thriving Artists Map workbook to every TTN current and new member when you sign up before January 31st, 2023.

Making a plan to realize your big dreams can be overwhelming! As artists, we have SO much freedom in how we structure our studio practice, but what happens with that open structure becomes daunting?  In Episode #17 of Thriving Artists, Podcast, How to Plan Ahead and NOT Be Overwhelmed, we talk about how to dream your biggest dreams, and create achievable goals to get you where you want to be!

Jamie and Kaylan’s 5 steps for how to plan ahead and NOT Be Overwhelmed are:

Time Travel: Mentally fast forward to the end of the year you are planning and ask yourself what are the dreams I have that I would be the most proud of if looking back at the end of the year. We suggest sticking to 1 or 2 dreams to aim for!

Plan In Quarters: Quarters allow enough time, 3 months, to get so much done but not such a huge amount of time we can get lost in the plan and not know how to start making action steps. Set your goals in 3 month chunks!

Plan 4 Goals Max: Be realistic with your goals and your time. Your big dream for the year will have multiple steps and parts and often we don’t take the time to map these out and get clear on what our dream or goal truly entails. Keep things to 4 goals per quarter as you work toward next year’s dream!

Have a Parking Lot: A parking lot is a metaphorical place to write down and record all of your dreams, plans, hopes. Yes, limit yourself to 4 goals per quarter but add a “parking lot” section where you can write down everything else you hope or want to get done. Get it out, park it there for the future!!

Don’t Go At It Alone: Whether you join our community and our year long Thriving Artists Map or not… a tip for planning ahead but not getting overwhelmed is to have accountability and community so that you actually put that plan into action! 

We hope these steps will help you achieve something big next year! We hope you will join us on the Thrive Together Network as we navigate the Thriving Artists Map in 2023! If you want to join the TTN community and sign up to the Network at www.thrivetoegthernetwork.com.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with Instagram? This week we learn from Kaylan’s amazing Instagram habits and insights into how to make the platform work for YOU and your practice. From working smarter to using the platform to build real relationships, Episode #16 of Thriving Artists, Podcast, 4 Ways to Make your Instagram Experience Easier will help you embrace that Insta love. 

We are so lucky to have a free platform to share our work. It has literally changed the art world and given artists power. But, it also brings its own challenges. We hope this episode helps you feel empowered and find people to drive you to engage in a positive way with Instagram. We recently started a hashtag for members to use to post the reels they make each week doing our  weekly posting challenge through the Network, so if you are curious to see some members videos you can check it out at #ttnchallenge.

Jamie and Kaylan’s 4 Tips are:

Use a Planning Tool: Batch your work and get into a planning and marketing mode pre-scheduled posts so that when your future self is having a long day and the last thing on your mind is posting on IG- the post is ready for you. 

Post and Be Present: Don’t “Post and Ghost”! Comment and react when people engage with your post! The more interaction on a post, the more the algorithm says this content is valuable. It also gives acknowledgement to the people who are engaging with your work! Go for quality over quantity!

Use Reel Templates: Use templates that other people have made to fit music or a sound bite to your reel. You “click” the template button and you can add your videos in to match the music perfectly! It makes reels so much more user friendly!

Get Community Support: Find motivation and support in the real world for your Instagram posts. This could mean joining us after Art & Tea weekly for our TTN Boost Group where we post and learn together, or meeting up with a friend to post and like each other’s Instagram activity.

We hope these tips help sharing your work on Instagram less intimidating and more rewarding! Want to join the community, click here https://thrive-together-network.mn.co/