Season 2 Archives | Page 7 of 10

#119 Susan Lenart: Creating Sacred Devotional Jewelry

Susan Lenart is a jewelry artist, silversmith, and designer. Looking for inspiration, she traveled the world to study different cultures and their adornment. Digging even deeper, she studied how things physically connect, not just jewelry pieces but all kinds of things, so she could adapt these connection techniques to her jewelry. She has created a unique style of jewelry, and she shares her techniques through her books, classes, and retreats.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Susan Lenart

Here are some of the things we discussed on this episode (click on the names to follow the links):

Susan’s website is susanlenartkazmer.com.

Go to Susan’s Facebook page for her weekly Facebook Lives on Thursdays.

She also can be found on Instagram @susanlenartkazmer.

Susan’s free e-course is called The Alchemy of Soldering. You can sign up here.

Registration for her Intentional Metalsmithing six-month mentorship and training begins on September 20. You can sign up here.

Susan is hosting a retreat in Morocco in 2020. You can find out the information here.

Her calendar of other in person workshops is on her website here.

Be on the lookout for her re-release of her book Making Connections. That will be available in October, 2019.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

Offering an online class for free will enable your potential new students to see what you’re like and what you can offer. They will be much more likely to sign up for on of your paid classes if they’ve already gotten to know you. Susan has done this for her Alchemy of Soldering course.
Providing a Facebook group for the students who take your class is a great way for the students to show off what they’ve made and encourage one another. As the instructor, you can also answer any of their questions there.
Susan will be using Kajabi for her six-month mentoring program. Kajabi is a site where you can create online classes, develop online communities, and you can do group meetings.
When Susan wanted to write her first book, Making Connections, she wanted to do it a certain way, unlike other books she has seen. The publishers she spoke with didn’t see her vision, so she decided to self-publish her book her own way. Self-publishing is a great option, and is probably a lot easier now than when Susan did it back in 2008. If you’d like to hear how one of my artists self-published a book of her art recently, you can listen to my Episode #93 with Lara Chapman and my follow up Episode #94 about how to self-publish a book of your art.
Susan guides her students to make talismans that relate to themselves. She encourages them to look at the things that they collect, the items that they notice when they’re out in the world, and to consider using those in their art making. You can study other cultures as Susan has, but then she urges you to study your own life to make art that is personal to you.
Susan doesn’t use the word talisman lightly. She believes that a talisman is putting energy into an object, and when you wear the talisman, you will feel that energy. That is why it is so important to use objects that resonate with you, so that you will no what energy is coming from it.
Susan explains what she means by making a body of work. For her, she’ll be making many pieces that have similar materials, and keep the same voice, and keep the same direction. The many pieces together will talk as a bigger piece than one piece by itself. Keep this in mind when you are presenting your work in a solo show, or as many pieces within a larger gallery space.
If you’d like to be more like a visionary with your business, start planning things years down the road. It makes you more proactive with your growth and motivates you to move forward.
When looking to plan or attend an overseas retreat, look for locals who can help you with this. Susan has used Michelle Fletcher and her company Camels and Couscous to plan her Morocco retreat. Michelle has lived in Morocco for a long time.
If Susan is being paid to show up as a teacher, she shows up as a teacher. She tries not to leak the other aspects of her business over to her teaching jobs, so for example, you won’t see her selling her jewelry during her classes.

Post category:Season 2 Show Notes

#118 Melissa Partridge: Color Me Happy with Painting

Artist Melissa Partridge is from Massachusetts, and she paints in acrylic with a bold color palette in an abstract manner. It’s very different than traditional New England artists, who often paint scenes of the ocean or the Fall leaves. Melissa turned to painting as a healing mechanism during some rough times. She’s now created a thriving art business and teaches her intuitive style of painting to others.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Melissa Partridge

Melissa’s website is colormehappybymelissa.com.

Her Instagram is @melissapartridgeart.

You can also follow her Facebook page to find her events and workshops.

Melissa mentioned a few artists whose classes, both online and in person, really helped her when she was first painting and she needed healing. Click on each of these to go to their websites:

Rebecca Schweiger of NY Art Studio.

Mati Rose, who does Daring Adventures in Paint and Abstract Bliss.

Alena Hennessy who teaches an intuitive art technique.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

Melissa worked for many years in the creative field of fashion merchandising. She didn’t turn to painting until after her father had passed away, and she used it as a healing mechanism for herself. I’ve heard many artists say that turning to creative pursuits have helped them through grief and other trying times.
Painting enabled her to release the stress that she was having during this time and to start to bring beauty back into her life.
If you are unable to find art classes near your home, search out online classes that you can take. Melissa was still able to receive the healing from the classes she took online. And by the way, I’ll list some of those that Melissa mentioned in the Show Notes for this episode, which you can find on my website.
When painting abstracts, Melissa uses a lot of different things as tools to dig into the many layers. You can get these tools for free, like silverware, utensils, and old gift cards.
Melissa does a form of intuitive painting, meaning she doesn’t have a plan ahead of time. She just keeps painting, adding many layers until it becomes something that satisfies her.
After you’ve made a few paintings, you will get the feel for when your painting is complete.
Melissa also offers her classes through AirBnB Experiences, and she gets international students.
Melissa advises her students to just play when they create: use different size brushes; paint with your non-dominant hand. Just play and experiment.
Consider creating Facebook event pages for the classes that you offer. That’s a great way to let your Facebook followers know what you’re doing.

Post category:Season 2 Show Notes

#117 Melissa Doty: Watercolors, Acryl Gouache, and Geometric Shapes

Artist Melissa Doty works with watercolors and acryl gouache. She has made an impact with her art through Instagram, and locally, as she was asked to paint a mural and participate in an art initiative in her community. She’s faced some medical challenges, which she does share with us. But despite that, she’s continuing to create new art and put it out into the world.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Melissa Doty

Melissa’s website is melissadoty.com.

She can also be found on Instagram.

You can find details about her Squareathon challenge on her Instagram account. It starts September.

You can read up on the paint she uses called acryl gouache here.

Melissa contributed to Kellee Wynne Conrad’s True Colors program. You can find details about that here.

Here are some great takeaways from this episode:

Melissa works with both watercolors and acryl gouache. Watercolors give a washy and dreamy effect, and the acryl gouache is opaque and goes on bold and super saturated.
Besides the opacity, another difference between the two is acryl gouache dries quickly and is colorfast, unlike watercolor which can change after adding more water.
Melissa hosts a twice yearly art challenge called The Squareathon. While it’s a challenge to create a piece of art every day for two weeks, she points out that for any challenge you need to only do what you want to do and don’t feel pressured to finish the challenge.
When you start painting, or whatever you’re doing creatively, put it out on Facebook or Instagram from the start and get used to people seeing your work and commenting on it. Don’t be surprised if people start asking you if your artwork is for sale. You don’t want to just keep your artwork all to yourself and not share it with the world.
Stretch out of your comfort level and accept offers to do interesting things, even if it’s something new to you. Melissa was asked to contribute a lesson to Kellee Wynne Conrad’s True Colors program, and while she had never created videos before, she figured it out and was asked to do it again.
Develop relationships with your town’s Mayor or City Commission and learn how they feel about public art and murals. Get your name on their radar, and they may think of you when they have a City art project they’d like to get done.
If murals are something that interest you, talk to other mural artists and see how they’ve gotten started. Don’t discount murals just because you work in a medium like watercolors. You can figure out how to get your designs on a wall using any kind of paint.
Try to utilize all the features of Instagram, because that is the platform where most artists go. Try Insta Stories, and put some of them on your Story Highlights. You should also try your hand at videos and IGTV, which are both very popular on Instagram.
On your regular Instagram feed, videos can go up to 60 seconds. On IGTV, they can go up to 10 minutes.

Post category:Season 2 Show Notes

#116 Ted Vadakan: A Creative Collaboration called Poketo

Ted Vadakan, with his wife Angie Myung, has created a lifestyle brand based in Los Angeles called Poketo. I won’t give away their story of how it started, because Ted covers that so beautifully in our conversation, but I will say that Poketo came from their desire to nourish other creatives in their community. What started as a small brand carrying a few artist-made products is now a thriving creative hub with four storefronts in the LA area. We also talk about their new book called Creative Spaces, which is available now.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Angie Myung and Ted Vadakan at Poketo in Los Angeles, California.

Ted and Angie's book Creative Spaces has just come out. You can find it through their website or at most bookstores.

Click on the links below for more information.

Their website for Poketo is, of course, poketo.com.

You can also follow them on Instagram @poketo.

Details about their book Creative Spaces and their upcoming book tour can be found on their website here.

Poketo has four retail locations in the Los Angeles area. Here is a list from their website.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

Work together with your artist friends to create popup shows. Think of what would sell and create something just for the show, like Ted, Angie, and their friends did when they first made artistic wallets to sell at their shows.
Look for exhibit spaces that you can rent cheaply for just a couple days so you can host a popup art show.
Attract people to the show by placing large art in the windows, but then make sure you have smaller affordable pieces in the show too.
If you’re doing a popup, and you’re not sure if it will just be one time only or a longer term project, give it a name so that you start with some branding. Ted and Angie called their very first popup Poketo, not knowing that it would eventually become an online store and then four physical stores.
When creating a line of products, gradually add more over time. Don’t add too many at once.
If you’d like to get your art products into stores, go to trade shows to pitch your work. Or just walk into stores and show them what you have. You don’t necessarily need to follow the traditional rules.
Ted and Angie found that offering a community space in their stores brought more people into the neighborhood. They offer workshops and still do popup events there.
Their new book called Creative Spaces includes profiles of over 20 different creatives from all over. If taking on a project where you’re meeting lots of people, consider making it a road trip that you go on to meet and talk to everyone. That will make it a much personal book than if you just talked to people over the phone or email.
Ted and Angie will be promoting their book through a book tour. In keeping with their style, as they have always done events, they will be making each event different. Some will have panel discussions, some will have workshops. Make your events uniquely your own.

Post category:Season 2 Show Notes

#115 Lucie Duclos: Surface Pattern Designer, Instructor, and Mixed Media Artist

Lucie Duclos is a graphic and surface pattern designer, illustrator, teacher and mixed media artist. She works with collage, watercolor, monoprints, and acrylics. She has worked in publishing and package design and illustration. You can find her surface pattern designs on Spoonflower and her mixed media art classes on Skillshare. She makes her home in Victoria, British Columbia.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Lucie Duclos

Lucie’s website is duclosdesign.com.

Her online classes are hosted through Skillshare, but you can use the links right on her website. She is offering two free months of Skillshare classes when you use the link on her website.

Feel free to follow her on Instagram @lucieduclos.

You can find her surface pattern designs on Spoonflower.com.

Lucie is the Uppercase Magazine Issue 41 cover artist. To learn about Uppercase and get a subscription, go to their website here.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

Make sure that you have time to make not only the art that is for clients, but also the art that is just for you.
Lucie has done some big projects where after she has hand drawn them, she scans them in as a vector image in Adobe Illustrator. This enables the drawing to be blown up as large as you want. She did this for a drawing that became a large mural.
If you’re thinking of moving to an area, consider applying for an art residency there first to see if you like it. That’s what Lucie did when she did a residency in Port Townsend, Washington.
An artist residency is also a good way to really concentrate on a project and get clarity on what you want to do, because you’ll have uninterrupted time to work on it.
Lucie teaches online classes through Skillshare. She likes that she is able to teach people from all over the world.
Skillshare is a subscription site, so as a student, you just pay a small monthly fee to gain access to all the classes.
Lucie likes to keep her classes to about 30 minutes long.
Repeat patterns are a design method you can use to develop fabrics or wallpaper. Spoonflower.com is a website you can use to upload your patterns and print products on demand.
Also on Spoonflower, other people can buy your designs in fabric, wrapping paper, or wallpaper.
Lucie uses Adobe Illustrator to create her surface patterns. You can also use ProCreate.
Lucie doesn’t buy papers for her collages, she uses the scraps that she’s created and are left over from other things.
You can get first notice of Lucie’s classes by getting on her email list.

Post category:Season 2 Show Notes