the cycle of creative practice that art school got right

I talk to Natalie Brite (they/them) of the incredible Do Good Biz Studio about forging our own paths forward as artists and building our own worlds for how our work is seen and understood. We get into art school critique drama, the promises and poverty of the paths the Art World lays out, the problems of Virality being the new “museum show” for artists, and more.  Read our collaborative Substack post on Natalie’s newsletter: The Rules of the Art World (and Who Wrote Them)Find out more about Natalie’s work on their incredible websiteNeed support building your own new and emergent art world container? Check out Craft Tutoring Not sure what we mean by International Art English, check out the original article by Alix Rule and David Levine in  Triple CanopyWant a compassionate critique community free from all the bullshit of Art School? Check out Emergent Classroom Here’s a link to the book Natalie Mentioned  We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat  from Bookshop.org (affiliate link)See the history of Subterranean GallerySupport the podcast & join the Persistent Bloom Discord via Patreon

Welcome back! This week we are getting into a fun detour about Phoebe Bridgers' The Lost Tour which has inspired me to guide everyone I bump into on the internet towards a tech-fast for November. In this episode I'll talk through my experiences and give instructions for building your own tech-fast to persist in more creativity as the weather cools and days get shorter. Support the show on Patreon or SubstackFill out the Survey to shape this work hereJoin my Collectors List email Info on the EBABZ zine fest happening December 12th!Want to read the original post in order to savor it more slowly? Do that here! Join us in the Persistent Bloom Discord Get the Hikers Way for just $79 to have extra support for your tech fast. Thanks for listening! If you love the episode, leave a review or share it with a friend <3

If you are a kid of the ‘90s or the early 2000s, you probably remember a show on MTV called TRL or Total Request Live. I was a huuuuge fan. TRL ran for 10 years from 1998 to 2008 and had a very simple premise: Let the audience vote on what they wanted to see and hear. This is how I teach now in Emergent Classroom. Each demo and mini class I make is in direct response to the needs and struggles of my students. Join us in Emergent Classroom!Sign up for my Teaching Mailing List Explore the Week of the ArchivistWork with me 1-on-1 in Craft Tutoringjoin our Discord communityEmail me what your favorite lesson was, or what you'd like to hear me teach about at [email protected] if you wanna read my full art resume aka my CV, do that here!

In this episode, Wes and I get into talking about carving time back from our day jobs, the impact of social media on fear and stagnation, and ultimately how community is at the center of creative persistence. Our chat today is a Book Club where we are discussing Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. The full bonus episode is available to listen to on our Patreon here + on Patreon you can join the discussion! Read this week's newsletterRevisit the reflective cycle dispatchExplore my newly updated Craft Tutoring page : )Join the Persistent Bloom Discord

It's October, so let's chat about art challenges and why SO MANY of us rarely finish them. Want to read the original post that inspired this episode? Do that -- and maybe subscribe to the newsletter -- here Join the Persistent Bloom Discord hereExplore the Patreon for bonus episodes and Emergent Classroom here!The only challenge I ever finished... plein air April and what I learned from itHere is my essay on getting to know your creative ancestors and strike up a conversation.How creative practice is shaped like a switchbackDemo on Emergent Classroom on how to study another artists' work, step by step. Ready to sign up for a tutoring session? Your first session is just $19Other Writers Work I mentioned:Death of the Follower by Jack Conte (the CEO of Patreon, who is also an artist sand musician)Enshittification by Cory Doctorow

this episode is all about making art while taking care of my mom after she had a major surgery. If you are an artist who feels like so much gets in the way of your practice, this episode and the gentle prompts in it will support you in persistence this fall. Join the Persistent Bloom Discord via Patreon here. One time and monthly options : )See the original article and sign up for the newsletter hereGet direct support with your art through Craft Tutoring. Want a low-risk way to try it out? Your first session is only $19! See the original painting I made in the hospital waiting room here. My friend Emily H. Cox's incredible article on studio spaces vanishing in Kansas City back in 2019. Cheap rent and studio spaces are rapidly vanishing from Kansas City’s arts landscape. What now?Want to support the show? Share it with a friend. Leave a rating on Apple Podcasts, or a comment if you listen on Spotify.

In this episode, I’m sharing some exercises and human creative prompts to build a centered and compassionate season ahead in your studio.Want to read the original post? Do that hereJoin the Persistent Bloom Discord & become a sustaining member to this podcast! Sign up for my Intro to Painting with Watercolor and Gouache from Intuition & Photo Reference and find out more about the class here Let me know what you think of the show, email me at [email protected] about the Week of the Archivist? Snag the self-guided version of the class hereSign up for the Persistent Bloom NewsletterResources from Labor Notes on unionizing your workplace

This week I’m feeling a little off from being sick, which means it’s time to check in around capacity. I’ll share a bit about how I use gentle energy level accommodations in my art practice, how the advice of our culture makes us push harder than we need to, and my advice for artists with day jobs.Sign up for the Persistent Bloom newsletterSupport the Pod on PatreonWhy I write intentions in my sketchbook to make it a teacher for my artRead my essays on creative cycles hereWant to learn the practice of writing a Did List?Creative practice is a group sport, join us in the Persistent Bloom DiscordRead my post about accommodations and my music practiceMy Doing the Hikers Way blog where I tracked my energy levels last fallExperience The Hikers Way pod-classReady to unionize your workplace? Check out the incredible resources from Labor Notes

Wes and I went on a hike to discuss an idea that comes up all the time for our artist friends -- being stuck. We eventually landed on the importance of returning to a sense of creative home, and that's the portion you'll get to listen to here today.I've been feeling into this frustration and analysis paralysis myself when it comes to music so we get into it, and the emotions behind it. The deep fear that can come up and the expectations we put between ourselves and the act of making.When we know our creative homes, we can find a place to make that reflects back our ideal version of our artistic selves. Listening to this will help you sense into how it feels to be there in your creative home.Want to get to know Wes' music? Listen to Wes' solo project Lentil Famine here or his band Farlowella here!This is an episode preview. Want to hear the full episode? Become a paid member and support our podcast on Patreon. You can do that here!If you choose to join as a member on Patreon, you'll get access to the Persistent Bloom discord server and more awesome exclusives like:- demos & mini class recordings from Mel- group tutoring sessions and feedback on your creative work from Mel & Wes- a book club exploring the works that have supported our persistence- & moresee what people are saying about the community and see some of their awesome work, here

Let’s get into the final episode of the Creative Cycles series, this one is all about the Learning and Research cycle. This was honestly the best thing I got out of art school and a really rich process to keep you moving towards long term, creative persistence. Read the original essay here & sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter Explore The Hikers Way pod-class and use promo code BLOOM-POD for $10 off before midnight PST on September 5th Persistent Bloom Patreon - support the show and get access to bonus episodes, patron exclusive videos, the Discord channel and more!Kristen Drozdowski article I quoted Finding Fulfillment in Research The book I mentioned, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (affiliate link)Explore tutoring with Mel, and get your first 20 min session for just $19Liked what you heard? Share the show with a friend. Audio recorded and edited by Mel Mitchell-Jackson with audio doctoring by Wesley Jackson