Thriving Artists Podcast

In this episode of the Thriving Artists Podcast, Kaylan and Jamie share their five strategies on how to make art when it feels like the world is falling apart.

It is hard to accept that we have no control over this beautiful and chaotic world around us. The media around us makes it so easy to feel very overwhelmed and want to shut down.

And then as artists we ask ourselves to pull deep within and be vulnerable with our creative selves. That can be a lot when our minds are full of the latest news update, it is so easy to feel bogged down and lose our creative motivation. Here are five strategies to keep you making art even in the hard times: 

Breathe Remember you are here now and you are lucky to be an artist. Help Find a way to use your talents and time to support a cause you believe in. Take back some control! 

Research Go back in time and be inspired by all the artists that have come before you, making work when they too felt like the world was falling apart. Join Find a community of artists to help keep you motivated and inspired to continue to make work no matter what state the world is in (may we suggest the Thrive Together Network?!?)Don’t Stop!Don’t stop creating your important work. It does matter.

Making art is important and as always the Thriving Artists Podcast is here to support you! If you want to get more support and a community of working artists all over the world join our online community The Thrive Together network at www.thrive-together-network.mn.co

Are you ever frustrated when you feel like you can’t give your best all of the time? Check out Episode #5 on the Thriving Artists, Podcast, How to Authentically Show Up (Even When You Can't Give 100%). Jamie and Kaylan give their thoughts on how to accept the realities of our busy lives, and give ourselves some space to have different capacities at different times. Not only is it NORMAL that we can’t show up and give 100%, all of the time, it’s healthy to be a person who cares about many things at once and is always moving through levels of engagement and awareness. We hope this episode and our 4 tips help you feel better about whatever state of mind you are in and help you feel more accepted for the messy, distracted, beautiful human being you are.

Jamie and Kaylan’s 4 Tips include:

Normalize the gray - expand your thinking and look for shades of gray to take yourself out of that dualistic, all-or-nothing thinking that causes us to have unrealistic expectations of ourselves.

Allow for paradoxes - you don’t necessarily have to choose one extreme or the other or decide firmly how we feel about something, but can feel both frustrated and fulfilled by any one activity

Give ourselves self acceptance and grace - accept who you are, the artist you are, the human you are

Show up to safe spaces - put your energy into safe spaces that allow you to show up as you are and simply be you

Using Jamie and Kaylan’s tips on how to show up authentically can help artists navigate a busy life and build a meaningful community with real, complex, complicated humans!

Do you know how to make the most out of the time you have?

In this episode of the Thriving Artists Podcast, Kaylan and Jamie share How to Time Block Effectively in 5 Steps. They break down their thoughts on how to time block - a time management method where you divide your day into blocks of time. Instead of wading through your day wondering what to prioritize and what to do when, planning out what to do in certain blocks of time gives you structure and provides a flow to your day. This way of working can open up our creativity and allows for freedom and space to enter our studios. Jamie and Kaylan’s 5 Tips include:Schedule and Assess -  put time in first to think through what needs to get done and then plan for it to happen, assess the time you have available for that day, week, month Prioritize - identify what the most important or urgent things are for you to get done. Bump those things to the time blocks where you have the most energy or focus.Prep - Get your materials or items lined up beforehand in order to make the most of your time blocks. Build an “on-ramp” to that block of time so you can maximize your efficiency. Buffer - Build in extra time around your blocks, when you are able, to give yourself grace if things take longer than you expect, or give yourself space to relax between tasks. Re-assess - Pause to reflect and re-assess how your time blocks went, what you miscalculated, and what went smoothly, in order to help you learn and grow from how you are spending your time.Implementing Jamie and Kaylan’s time-blocking flow can help you make the most of the precious time you have, which hopefully results in an easier pace to your busy artist life and more enjoyable days! Join the Thrive Together Network today and meet over 350 artists worldwide, https://thrive-together-network.mn.co/

This episode of the Thriving Artists Podcast shares inspiration for how to prep for an artist residency! Not sure you really know what an artist residency is? Tune in to Episode #2 to hear Jamie and Kaylan describe one. To prep for an artist residency, there are 5 principles Kaylan and Jamie cover in this episode.

Name Your Why - identify what’s important to you about this residency and why you are committing to it during this season. Understand the Parameters - get a better idea of what you are working with and what the structure surrounding your residency will be. Prepare Your Materials - get physical materials purchased, assembled, and ready to go! Don’t waste your first few studio sessions doing this task, show up ready to create.

Manage Your Expectations - Create reasonable goals, be kind to yourself in the process. Understand from the start that it may not go as you expect and create space for your feelings if/when that happens.

Celebrate! - Plan a halfway and completion celebration for during and after the residency. You deserve to be rewarded for your hard work! 

Twice a year on the Thrive Together Network we participate in a Virtual Art Residency Program together! September is Art Residency month so head to thivetogethernetwork.com to find out more or straight to our network membership site to join us! www.thrive-together-network.mn.co

In this episode of the Thriving Artists Podcast, Kaylan and Jamie answer a great question, “What is an art residency?”

They share how they define an artist residency so that you could decide if you want to apply for one somewhere in the world or join our virtual one or make your own!! An artist residency is just another one of those things in the art world that can feel exclusive if you let it… but it’s a great experience and you can even DIY it and make it happen for yourself! You can be the boss and schedule your own personal art residency, or join a community of artists like the Thrive Together Network Virtual Art Residency that happens twice a year.  This episode dives into 5 characteristics of an artist residency:CommitmentCommitting to a specific amount of time for you to focus on your studio and art practice.

ProjectDesigning a project that you want to complete or get a chunk of work done during your set time. TimeFocusing on this one project will allow you to make a plan to set aside time to get it done. 

SpaceCreating a workspace to move your project forward and keep the momentum going is very important. 

AccountabilityPlanning check-ins and having a community during this time will keep you on track and help make the experience even more fun! 

Making art is important and as always the Thriving Artists Podcast is here to support you! If you want to get more support and a community of working artists all over the world join our online community The Thrive Together network at www.thrive-together-network.mn.co

In this episode of the Thriving Artists Podcast, Kaylan and Jamie share their top five tips on how to get back into the studio after a break. The Thrive Together Network Community is just wrapping up a six week summer sabbatical and now it is time to get back to it! It can be hard to restart your routine after summer time and even harder to make studio time a priority. Here are five steps to getting back to the studio in a powerful way after a break! Step 1: Set The Date Get out your calendar and set the date you will return to the studio. Step 2: Reflect On The Break Don't forget to think about the big learnings from the break and time you took for yourself! Step 3: Clean Up Spend some time getting cleaned up and organized as you transition back to the studio routine. Step 4: Make A Mark Make something, anything! Start small and just start making to get the ball rollin’. Step 5: Plan Small Schedule in your new studio routine for the next two weeks only so you can see what is working for you and the people around you. Making art is important and as always the Thriving Artists Podcast is here to support you! If you want to get more support and a community of working artists all over the world join our online community The Thrive Together network at www.thrive-together-network.mn.co TTN Community: www.thrive-together-network.mn.co TTN Instagram: www.instagram.com/thrivetogethernetwork/ TTN Website: www.thrivetogethernetwork.com Jamie's Art Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamiesmithstudio/ Kaylan's Art Instagram: www.instagram.com/kaylanbuteyn/

In this episode Jamie explains the recent changes to the THRIVE Talks Podcast, now named the Thriving Artists Podcast! She is joined by her co-host Kaylan Buteyn every week to share support and strategies to help artists thrive! Together they run a community for artists called the Thrive Together Network. 

Tara and Jamie wrap up Season 2 with Pennylane Shen! Pennylane is an artist consultant who runs Dazed and Confucius and was a big hit the last time she was on the podcast. During this episode they each share things they have learned from working with so many artists including some pet peeves and how to combat common artist blocks. There are sure to be some useful tips and tricks!

Visit Pennylane’s website here and follow her on Instagram here.

Follow Tara on Instagram here, and Jamie here.

Learn more about becoming a THRIVE Member here!

Fill in our listener survey here.

Shyama Golden uses figuration to explore how identity is experienced, performed, and reinforced. The subjects she depicts are a combination of real and imagined people, with masks and animals often functioning as metaphors for human social dynamics. A former graphic designer she shares about how her previous work experience informs her art practice. She also talks about managing self doubt, prepping for her upcoming show and some fun projects including creating a Catsquatch Powersuit. That last one will make sense when you listen to the episode!

Visit Shyama’s website here and follow her on Instagram here.

Follow Tara on Instagram here, and Jamie here.

Learn more about becoming a THRIVE Member here!

Listen in for a mini THRIVE Mastermind meeting with THRIVE Leader Twyla Exner! Twyla creates sculpture, drawings and mixed media work. She creates colourful organic forms from found post-consumer e-waste, wires and circuits from the ever-growing stockpile of obsolescent technological products that shape and define our environment. In this episode we cover a lot of things including the physical toll of art making, pricing work for studio sales and what to do when you're asking yourself "what is the point?" Also there is more talk of barnacles!

Visit Twyla’s website here and follow her on Instagram here.

Follow Tara on Instagram here, and Jamie here.

Learn more about becoming a THRIVE Member here!