Viewfinder

Gather is defined as coming together; assemble or accumulating. To bring together, draw together, or toward oneself.

Last year, around this time, I traveled to Cape Cod to retreat with the women from the mastermind group I shared about two weeks ago. It’s a bit weird for me to refer to them as a mastermind group because after gathering with them last year, I know we are so much more than that. And marking one year since that trip, I am thinking a lot about the importance of gathering and what it means in my process.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* To gather is about the experience facilitated. It’s both showing up AND being seen as an artist.

* Gatherings don’t have to be in a group setting. They can be as simple as two people intentionally coming together.

Resources

* The Art of Gathering, How We Meet and Why it Matters, Priya Parker

* TED Talk, Priya Parker

* Driving 8 hours north

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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A conversation is defined as a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged.

Conversations have been on my mind recently because they are truly a tool in helping me move through my process. And I’ve been thinking about it a lot as I reflect on my break from my email newsletter, podcast, and mentoring — because I truly believe my time away could have gone in such a different direction if it weren’t for conversations.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* Conversations allow my process to feel open.

Resources

* Ninth Street Women, Mary Gabriel

* Just Kids, Patti Smith

* Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke

* Voxer, a messaging platform

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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Resistance is the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument. An opposition.

Within the first couple of days of my two-month break, I immediately felt myself resisting wanting to make any art, which felt funny to me. I felt this creative energy inside me, I intentionally made the space for it, then nothing. Like I suddenly was disinterested. I noticed how I immediately wanted to fill my attention with busy work. I thought about updating the SEO on my website (drag) and refreshing my welcome email (boring). Thankfully, I have an incredible community to lean on, and they graciously told me to let it go. And make art. So that’s what I did—and I got to understand resistance a little bit better.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* Resistance can tell me a lot about who I am.

* Resistance is a common response to change.

* Resistance will always find a good excuse. It’s important to know when that excuse is unreliable.

* Resistance can show up in many different ways.

Resources

* Project Self, On Feeling Resistance

* Episode 14, Interlude

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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An interlude is an intervening period of time. A short period when a situation or activity is different from what comes before and after it. A pause between two things.

A few weeks ago, I recorded an episode on buoyancy, and in a lot of ways, I think the year is buoyant in itself. There are ups and downs. It follows its own cadence. I think this is experienced through holidays, seasons, nature, and what the ocean and sky are doing. And, to me, it only feels natural to let myself experience these ups and downs - which ultimately means my mood—my general disposition throughout the year is going to change, too. It’s important for me to find time to pause different activities to focus on others as I experience these changes.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* I intentionally plan interludes into my year.

* An interlude doesn’t have to mean complete rest—but it does have to be an opportunity to make space for fulfillment.

Resources

* side-b—a pay-what-you-want digital and print publication and exploratory creative production. I am on the verge of creative energy and I am making in a lot of new ways. Join me this summer and see an inside look at my process →

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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Source is defined as a place, person, or thing from which something comes or can be obtained. The technical definition is a body or process by which energy or a particular component enters a system. The electronics definition is a part of a field-effect transistor from which carriers flow into the inter-electrode channel

Source is many different things. And I think this is because source is everything.

To me, source is my content. It’s material. the wisdom. an idea.

It evolves into my subject, concepts, themes.

And to see source — to experience it in some way, I must tune in. I must offer awareness, attention. Have a language to describe it. Collect and process it. Work from a foundation, and trust my knowing. Otherwise, it remains in the ether, something to perhaps notice, but all in all pass by.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* Source is what I build ideas with. It informs.

* Source doesn’t have to be one thing.

* Source comes from the outside, and it’s through process, it becomes internal

Resources

* side-b—a pay-what-you-want digital and print publication and exploratory creative production. Come see what I found in my binder →

* I was swimming in my dreams, experiencing source in my dreams

* Buoyancy, viewfinder episode

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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Buoyancy is defined as the ability or tendency to float in water, or air, or some other fluid. It’s also an optimistic and cheerful disposition.

Buoyancy is the ability to float. to move or hover slowly and lightly. I picture my body in water. And the ability to stay on the surface while my body moves as it needs over the water motions.

In my creative practice, it’s almost like the act of staying resilient but without the need to withstand or quickly recover. Instead, it’s going with the flow. Ebbing and flowing as I check-in with myself and respond to what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, what I’m needing, and what I’m desiring.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* Buoyancy allows me to stay responsive.

* Buoyancy helps me to know that not everything is permanent.

* Buoyancy is not transitioning. It’s not a pivot. It’s not needing to recover from something.

Resources

* side-b—a pay-what-you-want digital and print publication and exploratory creative production

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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Seasons are defined as divisions in the year marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun. It’s also added salt, herbs, pepper, or other spices to (food) - more on this later…

For me, a season is defined as period of time that offers the chance to lean into current circumstances, intentions, feelings, and needs. It’s a daily check-in. It’s permission to know nothing is permanent.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* A season should reflect me and only me.

* A season length can vary.

Resources

* Embracing Creative Seasons, blog post

* Trust Your Creative Practice, workbook

* Creative Mantas for Winter Season, blog post

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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Knowing is defined as being done in full awareness or consciousness. The state of being aware or informed. Intentional. Sureness.

When I think about knowing, I think of my gut first. A knowing in my body, in my chest, in my mind - it’s a feeling. An internal instinct. A self-trust.

I view my knowing as a place to make decisions - as I am thinking about this it’s almost like a mentor, something guiding me towards my most honest self. Helping me stay connected to myself, fulfilled with myself.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* I use my foundation to help me stay grounded in my knowing.

* Being self-aware helps me stay in relationship with my knowing

* Finding and listening to my knowing requires patience.

* If I am quiet enough, I believe I hold every single answer.

Resources

* Viewfinder—find quiet and your knowing

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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A foundation is defined as an underlying basis or principle. It can also mean a justification or reason. And my favorite definition is the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level.

When I first graduated with my BFA becoming an artist seemed so flashy. Work for myself, make what I wanted, and sell it. Yet, the truth is, all of that requires so much more—and I forgot to consider myself. My human self.

I think there is incredible value in learning from other people and trying new things out

AND

I think it’s equally important to know myself and the motivations behind why I am trying something. I have to know damn well that I am considering my motivations.

Appointing a foundation establishes a place to root my creative identity and practice. It also helps support and guide my process as I grow and develop artistically.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

Exploring my foundation; I am going to share my creative values here. Please take these as examples only. I never want to plant ideas that aren’t yours, or share blueprints for one way of doing it. But I also am aware of how beneficial examples can be. To understand what roots a value and how you can use it as a tool. And I believe in knowing my truths and sharing what has worked for me.

* Curiosity

* Process

* Intention/Reflection

* Multi-disciplinary

Resources

* Viewfinder, an audio class that literally and metaphorically explores the paper viewfinder as a tool to find your creative practice foundations

* Artist mentorship, month-to-month mentorship to explore your foundation together

* Building the House, Mary Oliver (download the essay from the artist's mixtape)

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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Threshold by definition is a point of departure and transition. A place or point of entering a beginning. The outset. It can also mean your limit or boundary.

Two weeks ago, I released a new class called Process Class. Process class was an idea I had in December of last year. I gathered my notes and continued to collect new research as I filled out this creative form. I’m always quick to act on new ideas, and I find it quite easy to be in the gathering stage.

I then went idle. I couldn’t decide between creating the class as a prerecorded experience or a live one. I worked through the decision (something I will probably talk about in a later episode), recorded the class, and released it for sale.

Check, mark, done.

But then I was met with many feelings - proud, excited, tired, nervous, anxious, restless, avoidance - I wanted to close the chapter and have the next one waiting for me.

The truth is, I don’t quite have the next one waiting for me. Sure, I have projects I am working on that feel ongoing - a body of work about atmospheres, and daily writing, but nothing that felt like a sure start, end, and middle.

And I began to think - I have to quickly move onto my next idea.

Yet - my next idea isn’t ready yet. It’s still incubating. I am still reflecting on what I want from it and if it’s really for me.

I realized I am in a threshold. I am in between. And this place can be beautiful, too.

viewfinder is a listener-supported podcast. To receive new episodes and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Reflections

* I can look at thresholds as an in-between moment, much like I look at the beauty of in-between moments in daily life.

* I need to move through thresholds to make my creative process dynamic.

* I have to sustain my mindset.

Resources

* Process Class, a 90-minute class is your gateway to tune into your life, trust your curiosity, and unlock your full creative potential.

* Finding the in-between, Lauren Sauder

Connect

If we haven’t had the pleasure of meeting - I’m Lauren Sauder, an artist, writer, and mentor. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider writing a review. Here are a few more ways you can connect with me:

* Download your viewfinder—Print it, cut it, and carry it with you.

* Download the artist mixtape—a mix of books, playlists, and residencies to provide inspiration and company in the studio.

* Receive letters from me—bi-weekly letters from me about what I’m working through in my creative practice and life.

* Enlist me as your mentor—if you are interested in unlimited support and guidance to grow your creative practice.

* Get in touch with me directly—send an email to [email protected].

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