This is not a “best of post”, but a compilation of insights from creatives that I hope will encourage and inspire you on your own journey. Thank you to all of my guests this year for sharing your time and your stories.
Why you should be dancing
I am an advocate of dancing for fitness. You can search online for all the health benefits and how dance and music help with dementia, balance, physical fitness, and the aging process. None of us are born dancers and were all beginners when we started. The biggest hurdle for some is just getting past the fear of feeling incompetent, making a fool of yourself or just afraid you won’t be able to do it. The dance communities are so welcoming to new dancers it makes it easy to fit in and create your dance family. Jeffrey Munson, Dance Instructor
About the healing properties of art.
This is an art process with the premise that art is a way of knowing and that each of us has the ability heal through art. The focus in on the art making process and what we can learn from that as well as the end product. Paulette Gill, Artist/Art Therapist
I met Tina Drakulich in 2016. She was at the Air Base where I worked and saw the welded trophies I made for the Family Day car show. After asking around, she found my office and saw how I decorated my military office with the objects I had created, especially the furniture. After a few months of friendship, she convinced me to do an art show she would curate at her Foundation. I made a dozen new creations for the event and became insanely hooked on making art. It wasn’t until I retired a few years later did I realize the process of finding, assembling and showing off my creation, was a form of mental therapy exercises for me. Tina showed me how art therapy can control my demons and anxieties. She truly is my real life hero. Rob Garrett, Artist
For those about to entrepreneur
Take your time, have a plan, trust your instincts, and surround yourself with people who support your dream. Shelley French, Type Townsend Proprietor
On discovery and the creative process
Assemblage is a fascinating process for me, because it’s really about finding ideas out of the unexpected. I’ve always found a blank canvas to be incredibly oppressive. You have the big white void in which you must invent the universe. Personally I prefer to have something that drags me into an unexpected direction. Perhaps that is because, I seldom have a set idea of what I want to create. I don’t want to have a preconceived notion of my creation…I would prefer to be surprised. Why create on canvas when you can create on a shovel instead? Michael deMeng, Artist, podcaster
On Podcasting
Invest in audio! As someone who listens to many podcasts, the difference in audio can keep me coming back or turn off, if I feel I need to “fight” to hear what people are saying. Also, being a part of a podcast where we interview, I have found it helpful that guests receive questions ahead of time. We can still “riff” off of these – and some of my favorite moments are when we do! – but having an outline and predetermined questions gives me an anchor-Whitney Wilson, Author, Musician, Podcaster
On Returning to School
Going back to school as an older student has been a great experience and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a break from work and devote all of my time to reading, studying, and working on my artistic practice. Bobby Lee, Photographer
On transitioning from music to art
After hanging up my hat as a musician, I struggled to find what genre of art I was going to specialize in. I had the fortunate dilemma of being interested in too many different types of art. Whenever I read a success story about an artist, they always seemed to specialize in one thing and they’d stick with it so that could become their “brand. “ I finally decided that all of my ideas could be expressed through circus banners, as painted 2-dimensional art. It was not one week after making this decision that I was contacted by American Horror Story to paint the circus banners for “Freakshow.” It was a sign! Molly McGuire aka “Magwire”, Artist/Musician
On balancing day-to-day commitments with creative pursuits
I’m a mom to two toddlers, so I have to cherish a stretch of quiet when I get it. My husband is great about taking the girls sometimes so I can escape to a coffee shop and sketch or paint. However, as my girls get bigger I’m trying to teach them to love art as much as I do so that in time we can enjoy creative pursuits together. My 4-year-old, for instance, loves watercolors right now. I have to be careful, though, as my almost 2-year-old is really into painting too… on walls, doors, dressers, etc. Her creativity knows no bounds.-Jenny Kane, Watercolor Artist, Writer
While I was a full-time software engineering manager in the Bay Area, I began working five to nine as a filmmaker and photographer. I am naturally driven, and creative work energizes me. I keep detailed lists and decompose tasks to enable forward progress even if I have only small blocks of time available. I also work in parallel on more than one series so I can move forward when one of the projects isn’t going well. Most importantly, my husband is extremely supportive; he is unfailingly helpful when I am in crunch mode. He has a high pressure job too, and we prioritize the demands of each other’s work. I’m a huge believer in persistence over time.-Anna Newman, Film Maker, Photographer, Musician
Create on the Side Blog 