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Hello, and welcome new subscribers! Thank you for being here and taking some time to engage with this content. Each time I begin to draft this newsletter I consider what seems to be most active for myself and for the artists I work with. Oftentimes the inspiration flows from a small spark ignited from a conversation, expanding as I follow the threads – much like making art itself. This month’s blog post gets a little personal as I connected the dots between something a coaching client shared with me in session and my own experience of finding meaning through acceptance of my brokenness. Again, life and art intertwine to guide us forward into meaning-making. How we relate to ourselves and the challenges we face, often reveals itself in our art-making. With that as our guide we can find more peace and ease in our process, simply by accepting. 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 some links to previous issues of this newsletter – full of additional resources for you!
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During a recent coaching session, a client reminded me of the centuries old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery, called Kintsugi. This ancient technique, also known as ‘Golden Joinery,’ involves rejoining broken pieces of pottery with a tree sap lacquer mixed with powdered gold, enhancing the break instead of hiding it. The repair elevates the beauty of the piece, transforming it into something more than it was before. The cracks are filled with radiant gold, taking what some might perceive as a flaw and declaring its brokenness as valuable, even precious. I loved this idea when I first heard about it years ago, and was grateful for the reminder offered through my client’s sharing. Instead of burying our brokenness away, it feels like a way of honouring it. I think it also has something to teach us about self-compassion and the value of building on the ruins of what has come before. This not only helps us in our lives, but can support our art-making as well. When we understand the value of failures, loss, and struggle, and how that builds depth and meaning, we can let go of resistance and stop hiding. We can reveal ourselves, to ourselves, and let that show up in our creative work. We can be vulnerable and trust that the mistakes we make are teaching us, and becoming the veins of gold that acknowledge our broken beauty. I remember feeling broken from a very early age, simply because I was sensitive and different. Many artists arrive in this world with heightened sensitivity. It’s part of what allows us to experience the world in the way we do and create our art. But it’s not always understood by others, and we may have been encouraged to be more normal, to fit in, and not attract unwanted attention. These well-meaning messages inherently tell us that there is something wrong with the way we are, and we might imagine that we’re flawed in some way – broken, not like the others.
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INSPIRATION FOR YOUR ARTIST’S MINDSET
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JOAN MITCHELL’S LADYBUG : HOW ART SPEAKS TO ANXIETY MoMA’s ArtSpeaks program offers us a personal view of how art can create a place to connect and decompress. In this edition, MoMA Lobby Manager, Christine Brown shares how Joan Mitchell’s painting, Ladybug, filled with seemingly chaotic brush strokes, actually allows her to catch her breath. As she communes with the artist’s energy imbued in the work, she finds that same space of release within herself. Art can do that for us, whether we’re making it or viewing it. All artists need to manage their inner space and find that equilibrium that allows them to make their most potent and personal work. In this additional short video clip, Joan Mitchell candidly describes “Big Joan and Little Joan” and the negotiations that take place between them. The act of art-making is always revealing ourselves to ourselves, and asking us to find the inner space to make our work from.
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FAY JONES : ARTIST TALK Seattle artist Fay Jones, who uses symbolic and dreamlike imagery in her paintings, talks about her exhibition of new work at Russo Lee Gallery in November of 2020. In this talk she covers her methods, thinking, and her choices around her work, giving us a look into her process. What stands out for me in this interview is the opportunity that arrived for Jones as the 2020 lockdown kept her away from her studio and turned her focus to the view from her home window. While much of her talk is focused on the work for the exhibition, she also shares how the huge changes in our lives throughout this pandemic influenced her to take something broken and move it towards connection, creating new relationships that she hadn’t previously considered.
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DANIEL LISMORE : MY LIFE IS A WORK OF ART This TED talk from 2019 with Daniel Lismore captures the essence of fearlessly stepping into our passion and ingenuity. Daniel’s clothes are constructed from found materials, ranging from giant safety pins and beer cans to royal silks. He creates striking ensembles and explores the idea of what it is like to live as a work of art. Daniel believes that everyone is capable of creating their own masterpiece, and tells us that we should relish in being ourselves, as everyone else is already taken.
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TAP INTO YOUR CREATIVITY INTERVIEW AND FUNDRAISER So many artists are rising up to meet these times in unique and inventive ways, and Sandra Felemovicius is one of those artists truly making a difference. Sandra is a contemporary abstract artist and hosts her Tap Into Your Creativity interviews every Saturday on Instagram Live. Each of the featured artists share their process, materials, and inspiration for their work. As well, each artist donates a piece of their work which is offered for sale during the interview, with 100% of the proceeds going to support Feeding America. So far Sandra’s efforts, which began when the pandemic hit last year, have raised $24,650 and provided over 250,000 meals for families in need. I was invited to join her lineup of artists for April and will be speaking to Sandra live from my studio on Saturday April 17th at 10:00am PDT, or 12:00pm CMT. We’ll be talking about art, mindset, and everything in-between. I am only slightly nervous, but mostly excited to contribute to such a worthwhile cause. You can follow Sandra on Instagram to catch this interview along with many others @sandrafeleart You can find me on Instagram @cheryltavesart and @insightcreativecoaching
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PAST ISSUES OF THIS NEWSLETTER
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For new subscribers – please enjoy these previous issues of my monthly newsletter. Thank you for subscribing! February 2021
January 2021
November/December 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
Links to additional back issues can be found on my website HERE
If you know of any Artists that could benefit from these monthly newsletters, please share and invite them to subscribe. They’ll receive my free PDF download on ‘How to Make a Creativity Journal’ when they do.
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Art-making is such a personal experience, always calling us forth and asking us to be more of ourselves, to trust more deeply and to show up for the work.
When we develop a healthy and resilient attitude towards the struggles we may be facing, we feel more balanced and set ourselves up for success. I hope this newsletter gives you some tools to help guide yourself towards more trust and awareness around your creative process. Thanks for being here…wishing you abundant creativity today and every day!
Warmly,
Cheryl Taves
info@insightcreative.ca
h: 250.360.1453
c: 250.818.3239
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