“THE WORK SHOP”

Really creative title huh? It’s a work in progress :) just like us! Some of you have asked me what this workshop is it exactly? On one hand, I have a 3 week past, present, future detailed, structured plan for the things we will do, on the other… that all depends on you!

What I know…

It is magic when you get artists in a room together where we can connect and talk about our selves, our art and our process. I have also read a lot of art books and workshops that for me miss the mark because they are too much, too Jesusy, not deep enough, or I just don’t like the tone. So, I want to try to figure out what works here for us. I also know that it is hard to make time to be and artist much less to meet with people to talk about that process, so THANK YOU for taking the time. 

What I don’t know…

What the ideal workshop is for you and your art. I know the things that work for me and am happy to share my structures, tools, and down right dirty tricks I use at times to get through the creative blocks, the crises of meaning, and the relationship problems that inevitable effect our artistry.

THE PLAN:

We will meet up three times May 18, May 25 and June 1 at Booby’s in Carbondale from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

WEEK 1: MONSTERS in our past

We all have those things that keep us from being creative. That voice in our head that is our biggest critic. This week we will dig in and get to know them and each other a little bit. It’s not as scary to let them out from under your bed if your friends are with you at the sleepover!

WEEK 2: MAGIC in our present

YOU ARE MAGIC. That is why I asked you to be in this workshop. I see such incredible talent and value in each of you and I want you to see yourself for the magical creature you are RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, in the present. We will do a few exercises and readings designed to help us to encourage each other and really champion ourselves and our work.

WEEK 3: MANIFEST-O for our future

This week we will create a blueprint for how we can create a heathy, sustainable future in which we embrace ourselves and our creativity. We will articulate some dreams, make some plans, and double dog dare each other to be the artists we dream of being, together.

Before our first meeting

Please take some time to complete the following:

• Short reading of “Negative Core beliefs” from Julia Cameron’w The Artist’s Way (below).

• Affirmations activity in workbook (right before week one graphic)

• Decorate the cover of your book (we will share these with the group at our first meeting, there are NO RULES!)

NEGATIVE CORE BELIEFS (read me)

AFFIRMATION ACTIVITY (also in your workbook).

Looking forward to seeing you soon! Don’t forget your notebooks!

xoxo

MONSTERS

MONSTERS, DEMONS,& INNER SABATEURS, OH MY!

We all have them. We just have different names for them. Lynda Barry, whose work you will encounter momentarily will call them Demons. Julia Cameron calls them Monsters and “the censor.” RuPaul Charles calls them our “inner sabateur.” It’s that nasty voice inside you that constantly tears you down, and tells you that you can’t, shouldn’t, never could, are too stupid to, or that everyone is going to laugh at you if you do.

This week we opened up and shared with each other what those bastards have been up to lately. I hope that hearing other artists’ stories will help you realize that you are not alone in your battle with your monsters.

As we head toward next week I have a few things for you to do to prepare:

• take 3-5 art breaks (a lunch, a pause, a thought before bed, a doodle in your notebook about what you are learning about yourself as an artist)

• make a monster in your workbook to share with the group next week (it can be as elaborate or simple as you want) Share as much or as little as you like, the goal here is just to make SOMETHING.

• say your affirmations a few times out loud (I know it’s weird, just try it).

INSPIRATIONAL READING

I love Lynda Barry’s work. If you liked this intro, you might love her books! What it is is one of my favorites 10/10 highly recommend.

MAGIC

This week we turned our attention to the Magic of our present. During the meeting, we discussed the following:

1) ARTcards (because of course we did)

2) Check-in where we shared about the assignments we did: Monsters and our ARTbreaks.

3) We shared our “AHA” moments and epiphanies we had this week about our art and process.We discussed Magic or what it’s like when our creativity is really cooking. I shared how for me it feels fizzy, like dropping a tab of alkaseltzer in a glass of water, how it changes the chemistry of my body and my mind. I asked them to answer the following questions about when it happens for them:

Where are you?

Who is there?

When does it tend to happen?

How do you feel in your body when it does?

Do you have any tricks to summon it.

If it was a spell in a cauldron, what types of things need to go in for the magic to happen?

4) We interviewed each other about being artists, some of the things we focused on were process, materials, theory, method, display, marketing, how you know when something is done, how you know when something is ready for the public, challenges, and how do you get ideas?

After the interview, we introduced each other to the group mirroring back the things we heard from one another. Next we each shared some things we admire about that artist and what we see in them that is unique and valuable.

5) Being present and making a record.

We make art or creative projects all the time, often without realizing it because we are not really present. with ourselves and our process. When we skip this part we miss out on the sort of spiritual aspect of art making.

I gave the example of being in a museum and seeing a piece of art with the maker’s name, but not having an artist statement or a body of their work. You miss out on context and are unable to really understand their work fully. We do this with ourselves. We don’t tap in, we just wander the halls of our creativity without really taking the time to consider our development, our process, ourselves as artists. That is the MAGIC of the present.

The other thing we don’t do is make a record. We maybe make a bunch of stuff, but we don’t essentially publish it anywhere. This could be your notebook, a blog, your social media, whatever works for you. When you take the time to record your work and articulate it into the world and share it, it makes the world a little bit better and brighter.

6) We discussed quickly Manifestos: essentially a document of some sort that says what you as an artist stand for and what you want your work to do in the world. To begin this process you will make two lists:

10 things you think artists should do/be

10 things you think art should do in the world

MANI FESTO

Manifesto: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer.

I like to think of it as a way to manifest or to infuse our artistry with intention.

To begin, I invited you all to make a list of 10 things you think artists should be/do. Next to make a list of 10 things that artwork should be/do.

These lists will serve as the materials with which you build your manifestos. I also thought it would be useful to give you some examples of how they can look/sound, and some possible ways to structure them. My favorite of which is the Guerrilla Girls Manifesta.

I found this great set of 10 manifestos from artists and activists that seemed well suited to do just that.

In addition to your manifestos. I encourage you to continue recording your ARTbreaks in your notebooks and continue to consider how to be present with your work and how to record it. I also encourage you to use your affirmations or maybe make some new ones in the process of making your manifestos.

Next Monday, we will share our manifestos and have a little celebration.

Thanks again for going on this little journey with me!

Consider bringing a little something for your fellow artists as a memento of our time together. It is not mandatory, there is no pressure, just an opportunity to give them a lil something to remember this group by :)