ART AND INTENTION

Hello everyone, and welcome to new subscribers!

As another month comes to a close I am reminded of how quickly time passes. It is in the broader blocks of time that open up to me after intense periods of focusing on coaching and teaching that I reconnect with myself and seek clarity around my work once more. Often I have been changed and informed by the experiences I have during the time I have spent working with other artists. I find it so beneficial to reflect on this as I reunite myself with my own art-making.

Every coaching opportunity I have enriches and expands me greatly, and our fall offering of the Vision + Voice Program was no exception. I am endlessly grateful to the artists who chose to join us. Their demonstration of trust, courage, and commitment to their artistic growth was truly inspiring.

In this month’s blog post I’m reflecting on what it means to work with a focus, or a vision, in art-making. I hope you find it helpful.

And just a reminder that my monthly blog post is also offered as an audio recording, allowing you to listen rather than read. To listen to the recording just click on the READ MORE OR LISTEN button in the ‘FROM THE BLOG’ section of this newsletter and you’ll find the MP3 file on my website at the bottom of my written post.

If you have any feedback for me, I always love hearing from you. Thank you for reading and sharing this newsletter…it truly is appreciated.

PS: For those of you that are new subscribers I have included a link to find previous issues of my newsletter – full of additional resources for you!

IT’S ALL CONNECTED

In recent weeks I have been immersed in coaching and supporting artists in connecting with and clarifying their vision for their work. The Vision + Voice Program, led by myself and my co-coach Kerry Schroeder, guided artists in an 8-week process of self-discovery and exploration into what it means to work from a creative position, one that is informed by a clear vision for the work. 

It was a richly rewarding experience and truly validated just how much this kind of discussion and learning is needed in an artist’s development. We heard from many of the participants that this was the missing piece they had been seeking. 

One of the common concerns that artists have around committing to a direction, or focused approach in their art-making, is that they’ll be unable to grow and develop in their art – that they will be restricted in some way. It’s true that most artists want to experience continual forward movement in their evolution as an artist, and not to be limited or trapped by that type of focus. So it can be a confusing aspect of art-making. 

This very real concern, or consideration, was one I also struggled with in my own growth as a developing artist. I needed to understand this part of the creative process and path, as it was actually limiting me from achieving what I wanted in the work, and from myself. 

In the book ‘Bound by Creativity: How Contemporary Art is Created and Judged’ by Hannah Wohl, I found some important pieces of understanding for myself. I was particularly inspired to read about the focus of many art collectors, as well as the regard they hold around the artist’s creative vision for their work.

In the discussion around what informs an artist’s vision, the book states, “During the creative process, artists’ particular emotional responses to their work influence decisions about whether to repeat, further contemplate, or abandon elements. Through a cyclical creative process guided by these emotional reactions, artists produce certain formal and conceptual consistencies within their bodies of work that they recognize as interesting and relevant to their creative visions.”

INSPIRATION FOR YOUR ARTIST’S MINDSET

PAINTING THE INVISIBLE : JILL STEENHUIS

For artists, art-making is often the vehicle through which we come to know ourselves and the world around us. To do this, we often have to loosen and shift our typical ways of thinking and move into a relationship with our subject, or vision that is rooted in sensing, communicating, and conveying something that only we can express – our truth of that moment, that exchange.

The relationship between artists and nature is beautifully expressed in this short excerpt from the full-length documentary called Painting The Invisible. Jill Steenhuis’ son, James Ruffato, combined three years of filming to pay tribute to the beauty and intimacy of an artist’s life and work.

Both in this shorter video, and the longer documentary, we can hear and feel Jill’s understanding of the value of capturing the essence of something, rather than depicting or describing it. She tells us, “I truly believe that what we cannot see is what we need to strive to see. With the seeing eyes of our soul we must dig beyond the surface to reveal the true essence of things, and that’s what I try to do with my art.”

You can watch the full-length documentary film ‘Painting The Invisible’ HERE.

INSIDE MAYA LIN’S ART AND ARCHITECTURE : ART21

At the age of 21, Maya Lin became one of America’s most recognized artists with her design for the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.

In this Art21 presentation of her life and work, we follow her process of merging art and architecture as she takes on a commission to reinvent an urban park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Throughout the video we witness Lin’s process of being an artist that also works in architecture, and how they meet and yet remain separate for her.

While working in various mediums and modalities can be challenging, what holds the work together is the anchoring vision that the artist is exploring. Most always, it’s deeply personal and important to them – connected to who they are, and where they are coming from.

I am fortunate to be mentored by Bill Porteous, an artist who works in abstract painting and large scale sculpture for public spaces. His work is always informed by his vision and sensibilities, and in the case of his commissioned sculpture work, the environment the piece will occupy and interface with.

What I have learned from Bill is that art-making is not limited to a specific medium of expression, but rather that materials and mediums are in service of bringing forward the art we envision.

PAINT A SHAPED, COLOURFUL CANVAS: ELIZABETH MURRAY

Many years ago in art school, I was introduced to the wild and zany shaped canvases by the artist Elizabeth Murray. We had many discussions around her work, as it invited questions about what painting was. They seem to read as both paintings and sculptures with colourful animated forms in some sort of playful, expressive conversation.

In this Art21 video, we get to have a view inside the inner workings of Murray as she shares her process with us. She tells us, “There are so many different combinations of things. It’s like being a safe breaker, and you’re listening for the right click, for the cylinders to like drop down….I’m just painting and painting and painting until the right thing happens. I want there to be tension and, yet somehow, I want to make these very conflicting things live together and not just butt up against each other, but really live together.”

Murray begins with sketchbook drawings to warm-up and give herself a place to start from. She says it all starts with drawing. She also invites her two daughters into an insightful critical discussion around a piece she is working on. They are both honest and deeply connected to her intention as an artist, which allows them to brilliantly help identify for Murray what is needed for the piece to feel more aligned with what they know about her work.

This video reveals that no matter how long we have worked as an artist, how much recognition we may receive, or what level of success we may experience, art still requires us to humbly show up to do the work, and navigate the creative process, with all its intricacies, once more.

OFFERINGS FOR ARTISTS

The 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge Course is an affordable, content rich, self-guided course that can be started at any time, and is always available for purchase on my website.

Once purchased, you’ll have lifetime access to the course and can repeat the Challenge at any time in the future, giving your art-making the boost it might need.

This course also touches on many of the essential aspects of the Artist’s mindset – the ways we can think about and approach our creative work to move past fear and limitations, opening to what is possible for us.

You can find out more about The 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge Course HERE.

You can also email me at info@insightcreative.ca with your questions or for more info.

The Vision + Voice Program is a personal and transformative deep dive into who you are as an artist, helping you identify what supports you in expressing yourself fully and authentically. You’ll discover YOU in your art, allowing you to bring your vision forward, and to clearly connect with your unique voice. 

In collaboration with artist and coach Kerry Schroeder, we created a unique and inspired 8-week program that addresses many of the core concerns artists face. Our intention was to inspire and empower our participants to work with passion and conviction while trusting themselves in the process. 

Our first offering of the Vision + Voice Program has just concluded this month, and we’re so pleased with how it unfolded, and the progress the artists made in connecting with, and articulating their vision for their art-making. If you’re interested in joining us for Vision + Voice 2025, you can join the mailing list HERE.

THE GIFT OF SHARING

For new subscribers – please enjoy these previous issues of my monthly newsletter.
Links to additional back issues can be found on the right sidebar of my blog HERE.

If you know of any artists that could benefit from these monthly newsletters, blog posts, or any of my Course Offerings, please share this email with them and invite them to have a look. They’ll receive my free PDF download on ‘How to Make a Creativity Journal’ when they subscribe.

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