Speaker 1 (00:00):
To not brush these experiences off, not feel guilty for not painting.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
This is the Bold Artist Podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
You have answers, and you're expressing them in your art. Your art is important, and it needs to be seen.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Welcome. And let's get started with today's episode. Welcome to the Bold Artist podcast. I am here with my co-host, Charla Maarschalk, and Charla's in a mood today because her headphones weren't working, but I think we've cheered her up.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Now I have to use these, and they hurt.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
We've cheered her up a little and we are ready to podcast. It is around the time of year when we're airing this, that it's Spring Break. And it might not be Spring Break in your area, but it is in where the area where Charla and I live. And so we got thinking about time away from our art studio and what that means for us as artists. Because a lot of times, and I know I can relate to this, a lot of times artists feel guilty when they're not in their studio painting. And then other times we, we really need that time away from our studio to gather inspiration and life experience, to bring back in and put into our creativity. So, Charla, would you share with us some of your initial thoughts about this taking breaks from our studio?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, I think it kind of was on my mind because I was thinking, um, just different things going on in life with family and other business and stuff like that. You know, I, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about other things right now and looking at other things... And I'm, as we all know, if you've been watching the podcast, I've been learning how to, I've been learning like how to handle firearms, and I've been taking a hunting course. So, all of these things are on my mind, and I'm thinking about, well, I'm not focusing on my art. I'm not in my studio. I haven't had like alone painting time in a really time. I've been working, and I've had, I've been creating classes for Bold School and what not, but I haven't been spending my own time in my studio, practicing my own, my own art skills.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And I was starting to feel kind of guilty about it. And then I'm like, well, Spring Break is coming. I wanna take the kids camping. That's more time away from the studio. And then I was just kind of reminded, um, listening to another podcast, about how these are the kinds of things that shape our, our character. They shape our experiences, they shape our life. And if you're not ever outside your studio, you're not gaining new perspectives. You're not working on relationships. You're not, um, I don't know, there's a million different things you could not be doing. If you're not doing that, what, what are you really bringing into your studio? What are you painting about? What power are, what messages and power are you putting into your work? How will it serve a purpose? If all you're doing is just painting, uh, a red rose for the sake of it.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
So I, I started looking at it differently. Like this time away was actually building up me, building up my character, creating more depth in the things that I understand and know. I bringing I'm bringing new knowledge into my studio. So, how do you, how do you put those things together? How do you form all of that? How does all of that inform our work and our studio time? And why is it important? What should we be doing? Should we all be doing hunting classes? I don't know. So, anyways, that was the thoughts that we're going through my mind and that I've kind of been ruminating on lately. And I thought it would make a really good discussion because I'm sure if I'm thinking about it, a lot of other people are thinking about it. And then I brought it up to Marijanel, and she had so many great insights as she always does.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Oh, well...
Speaker 1 (03:49):
So, that's my long introduction.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
I felt that my insights were a little all over the place, so to speak because I, I really feel that I am a better person when I have time away from my studio, better person in who I bring back into the studio because I absorb life around me, have experiences that generate creativity and, and become the drive of what I produce in my studio. But I also have this side of me that I am a worker bee. I am someone who loves to be productive. And that productivity drive is definitely evident in my studio, in, in my art creation. And when I'm not doing that, I do feel guilty. And I also feel obligated to my gift. And meaning that gift inside of me to create is so strong and passionate that I feel like that's all I wanna do. I could easily become very obsessive and fall into like the never ending rabbit hole of my studio, where my family's like, hey, where is she?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Yeah, and so, and that's exactly what I did in January. I never came up out of my studio for air, not once. And yet I still feel guilty for going and doing something outside my studio. So, it's that idea of like, need to execute, need to be productive.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
And so I have both sides. I have the side that the forest is calling me on a nature walk, and I feel like I need to breathe ocean air, and take trips, and go visit people that inspire me, and go look at other galleries. And I just, I feel like I want to absorb culture and experience. And then at the same time, the, the worker be part of me that wants to constantly have my hands and my busy creating is like, get in the studio, get in the studio. And so I have that little war going on, and I have to really teach myself to be in the moment. So, when I'm in the studio creating and something else feels to be calling me, and even my love for my family and spending just quality family time with them, calls me, calls my heart away from the studio.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Um, I have to teach myself when you're in the studio, be in that moment, soak it up, absorb it, put everything you have into those moments. When you're out of the studio, for whatever reason, even if it's to deal with boring business stuff or who knows, well, you know, but every moment that I'm outta the studio, I try to still be the artist that I am. But rather in those moments, I'm just like gathering my resources and emotional creative fuel to take back in the studio. And so it's a balance.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
And it's a balance to like calm the war and the struggle inside me, I just have to say, like, be in the moment. And so that's...
Speaker 1 (06:51):
It's like, It's yeah, that word like of being present. Right. Like, being present in what you're experiencing right now. Because even right now, I could be thinking about what I'm gonna be doing after we're done recording and my mind could drift into that. But what, but then I'm, I'm wasting time here, and I'm not really productively considering my task that I'm gonna do next, either. So I'm ruining this moment and that moment by not being present here in this moment. So, to focus and for this half hour, you know, just really focus and have this discussion. It will, it changes us and grows us to some degree and it's, then it becomes something we can give out to other people. So, being, being present, and I think running business and, and listening to other leadership, people learning from other leaders is the one thing they really talk about is to be present. Because I think as, as business owners, we, we tend to, um, like as an entrepreneur tend to work like 24/7, you're thinking about your, your business 24/7. And so, you're never present with your family, which is, you know, it's, it's, it's kind of a common issue. Most people who are, are working or in business, um, they always feel guilty when they're away from their company. And then when they're with their, when they're at work, they feel guilty for being away from their family. And then they never really present their best selves to either.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Exactly
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So, be present.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's present and intentional. And I found that, and you and I have talked many times on previous episodes about intentions and being intentional. And it does come back down to that because I know that I have to be really intentional to say, this is a studio day. And you're really good for that too. You'll you'll text me and say, this time's blocked off for studio. And, and that is, is very intentional and important. And so I notify my family. I let them know, I I'll, I'll, you know, text my daughter and say, I'm not on my phone for the next three hours. I'm in the studio. And she knows what that means. And it, yeah, it's just like, I have to be very intentional to block off the time for me mentally and emotionally to, and be present without all the distractions. And I think that's important too, because you know, there might be this notion out there that artists just, um, spontaneously create when we feel like. And that might happen once in a while.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I can look at like, I can look at like maybe two pieces of work that just kind of popped out at me and surprised me.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
But every other work of art that I've ever made has been very intentional where it doesn't just pop out and surprise me, I have to plan it and say, this is the time I'm going to do it. I need this and this and this to be in order before I do it. And that doesn't sound as romantic as artists just walking around and creating, whenever it inspires them, it's not that romantic. It's, it's work. And I think that's why we call it an artist's work or our life work, because it is an intentional job, an intentional work to create whatever it is that we're creating.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah. And I think it's a part of, of being, um, um, a, a, a good artist, a good business owner, like somebody who's productive and responsible. That's the word I'm looking for. A responsible artist. It is, is allowing yourself to be healthy. And part of being healthy is allowing yourself to be away from your studio to be present in those other moments. It just the same as taking a break every hour, getting up from your desk and walking out, when you come back, you're fresher and you work better. So, being able to leave your studio and not feel guilt over it, or not just be thinking about your next artwork and what color you're gonna use you are, you're becoming a responsible artist. You're growing as a human being, and you're getting life experience so that you can bring it back into your studio. I think it's, it's probably a struggle of everybody, I think, in, in our life really how to, how to figure that out. What are the, what are your, um, tips really? Like? What are your, I guess we could talk about like, what are our be the best ways that we combat that ourselves? And, um, I, yeah, I think that's probably where I'm trying to go.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Well, it's interesting because not only, you know, I, I just mentioned how sometimes there's this, this notion that artists can just create, you know, spontaneously. Yeah. Um, and, and that, isn't the case. We, we have to be very intentional, but being that artist are so passionate about creating, like, when I say passionate for me, I like wake up thinking about creating. Like I wake up, like, my breath is like, what am I gonna make today?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
You know, I am so like, you know, so oozing creativity that way, but what's really interesting about it is it doesn't mean I always feel like it. And that's, what's, uh, the sort of, um, contradicting factor with me. And, and I know a lot of creatives is that though we, we, we were built to create, and we, we love it, sometimes we just don't feel like it. We're like every other human being. We're like, I don't wanna do my job today.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Like I wanna...
Speaker 1 (12:23):
I'm tired.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
And so for one of the tips that I would have is that I, I be very intentional of setting aside creative time. I have to be mentally prepared, emotionally prepared for that creative time. But a lot of times I still don't feel like it. So, I will practice going into the studio and giving myself some basic, like warmups to just say, okay, Marijanel, if you do this, this, and this, and you still don't feel like it, then you're off the hook. But generally, if I go through all the intentional steps I need to do to get in the studio and start creating and give myself those warmups, suddenly the inspiration starts to flow. And that comes through everything from setting the mood with music, making sure or the phone is off, making sure the lights are right, you know, like just everything.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
And then you get in the mood and begin to flow. And that sounds, that sounds like a lot of work and it is. And yet it's so worth it because when you begin to get in the flow and the, that you really creating from the depths of you, and you see this magic begin to happen, it it's just so worth it. And those are the moments like there's every once in a while and I'll relate it, I, I created multiple ways, I'm a multiform artist, but I'll relate it to painting for a moment. There's every once in a while on a canvas, I'll hit that brushstroke where I was like, that was the one I was living for.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah. It's so good.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Suddenly it'll be behind me. And I forget about it. And I cover it up with something else. But like, I'll just have these moments where I'm like, I was alive for that brushstroke. And it feels like such purpose. And, and so finding purpose, being in our purpose, is actually intentional. And it's a lot of work, goes into it of just saying, I wanna live my life that purposefully, that I set myself up to succeed as an artist, to, to be intentional with my time in my studio.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
So, then how do you live with that same purpose when you're not in your studio? How do you, you have that? 'Cuz it doesn't feel very purposeful when you're cleaning the kitchen, or even some, it, it can even be that way when you're, you're going away on a vacation, you're going camping with your kids on Spring Break and you're gonna go visit family and you're sitting there thinking, okay, this is nice and all, but I could be painting. So how do you find the purpose in those moments so that you can bring it back to the studio?
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Well, I definitely have tasks in my world that I do not care for things like cleaning the kitchen's. Okay. Like I can actually enjoy some cleaning. I find it a little bit therapeutic to tidy up and get things in order. But I definitely don't like anything to do with the bookkeeping and the, um, numbers that, you know, calculating.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Yeah. No purpose in that for me.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
And that's a whole part when you're, when you're an entrepreneur, there's that whole aspect. And I dread those kind of tasks and I, I do dread sort of that mundane get it. Oh, I really don't like grocery shopping. And so, I have these, these tasks that don't feel enjoyable to me at all. But one of the ways I view them is that they enable me to have purpose. So they are the small things that set us up for fulfilling, bigger purpose. Like we can't fulfill bigger purpose if we don't keep our bodies healthy and exercise.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
If we don't, you know, go to the Superstore and stock up on groceries. If we have a terribly messy kitchen, we're gonna be super disorganized and not be in purpose. And so all of those mundane, regular jobs that don't feel like purpose are things we just have to do so that we can be in purpose. But what I also find is that those mundane tasks we don't like build our character. You talked in the beginning here about charact,er and they build our character by being faithful in the little things. So, every day that I unload the dishwasher, so hoping that everyone else will do their jobs and load the dishwasher, it's building, it's building me the character, um, just being faithful to do that. And, um, being faithful to do all those little mundane tasks that we don't enjoy, um, lead up to those moments of bigger purpose and bigger, let's say, spotlight moments
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And those, I think daily activities that you have to do. Um, what I find if I don't do them, if I'm really busy in this week has been a good example for me, I've been busy like 12 hours a day. And so I'm like, whatever, I don't care what anybody eats. I don't care if the kitchen's cleaned up, I just need to get this, this, and this done. I need to live through it.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
But three days in everything's a disaster and I'm like, I can't think straight anymore. So, in part spending half an hour, cleaning up the, making something healthy to eat and, or, or tidying up my desk, which right now is a big mess. Um, it clears my mind and then allows me to think more. So, letting that stuff go, you think is going to give you the time that you need to succeed.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
But in a very short amount of time, my brain feels like my house looks. You know, since we're talking about it's true house house duties.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
It, it feels like that. So then I can't think, and I can't work. So it's, it's just, uh, it's, I'm more productive when those things are, are done.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
And off my plate's true and the laundry's done that kind of a thing. So yeah, I think that's really important. And then it, um, it, I mean, there's all sorts of things that getting those tasks, um, does for us and benefits lots of ways that it benefits us just as human beings. Um, but I do think for me, one of the big things is just, it allows my mind to be clear.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Absolutely. And I found that there was a number of years living as a creative individual that I would eat on the run. I would eat fast food and just whatever was available because I was so focused on my purpose that I was just, let's say, eating poorly and something began to shift. And I think this might also come with age where you realize your body is aging, but I began to realize how much more productive would I be if I took even 30 minutes to plan a healthier meal and to meal prep and then consume more nutritious food, would that give me more energy for my purpose? Would it give me a longer life for my purpose? And it began to change my mindset. It also shifted how I include movement into my day, because if I'm exercising, then I'm, I'm fueling the ability and more energy to have purpose.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Whereas I didn't see it that way for a long time. And I think that I was just kind of sabotaging my time by eating poorly or, you know, just not taking care of myself that way. And so the, all of these things that we don't really want to pay attention to, like staying organized and, and taking care of our health, they are important foundations to being the creative artists that we are.
Spekaer 1 (20:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
And, um, you and I have talked before about how we come from a wedding photography background, excuse me, where, um, we, we both had careers where we were out shooting weddings. And I
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Remember I was thinking about that while you were talk, you were talking, I'm like, yeah, like wedding shooting, it's so hard to be healthy, eat healthy when you're doing that.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
And you, I would eat like just granola bars through the day, and running, running from here, from one location to the next location.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Aid dehydrating. Ugh. Wouldn't drink any water.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Barely taking care of yourself. But what's interesting is usually the day before the wedding, when I was charging batteries and getting camera gear ready, I treated it like I was an athlete preparing. And I was so focused on, I need to make sure I don't get sick. I need to make sure I get a good night's sleep. And I was so intent on taking care of myself and then it kind of all would unravel on the day of the work. But I look at that now and, and take some of those same mindsets where just to live my life, fulfilling my purpose and destiny to create, I wanna approach it like an athlete where I say, I need to train. I need to stay in shape. And I'm not, I'm talking metaphorically here. What are the things that we need to do to stay ready for a purpose?
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah. I love that. I don't think I've really considered that or compared it to wedding photography until you started talking. But I did the same thing the day before I would eat really good meals, lots of proteins, salads, you know, vitamin C, go to bed early and I'd get up and have a big breakfast, whether I was hungry or not. Yes. By the end of the day, you've just fall down where you're standing because I haven't drank any water in 12 hours. I haven't used the bathroom in 12 hours. I haven't sat down. So I, and I don't think I've ever really done that in. It's so much easier because not being in your studio, doesn't feel physically tasking. So, it's easier to not prepare for it that way. I find that. That's really interesting to think about that a little bit more.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Except that in the world where, where you and I are, we're not only painting and creating in that realm, but you and I work in such a way where, where we create digitally, even this podcast, the Bold Artist podcast, I even approach this, uh, as with the same mindset. So on a, a night before a podcast, I'm in bed early. You know, this morning I was, I have already done an interview this morning with a guest from Sweden, and I was in bed early last night and got up and had my vitamins and, you know, just the whole, the whole thing to make sure of that I'm present. And you mentioned in the beginning of today of just being in the moment, and that's really important to me to get here early, to get set up and be present so that my mind is in the right space. And just, you know, there is grace because I know that life isn't perfect. And sometimes unforseen things happen and we are unable to control circumstances and things don't go, right when we, when we approach work or art, or like the time we podcasted and I had forgotten we were on the schedule.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
And that was the, I, I won't even mention which episode it was because, but if you go through all the episode, you'll know, because my hair was not done. And, uh, that kind of thing happens. And yet there's grace for that because life is real. Life happens. And, and
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Because you've trained and you've practiced, you can handle those once in a while. Right?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
And actually that is such a good point Charla because, because we are so intentional of, I guess, teaching ourselves how to approach, um, that kind of mindset, then when things go askew, like I was able to pull myself into the podcast mindset pretty fast. I was like, oh, I, I forgot. We're supposed to be on the air right now. And I really quick did something here. I put like a bobby pin there. And I was like, okay. And boom. And I was honestly, I was fully engaged in that podcast, even though it kind know, ripped me out of a, another situation 'cuz I forgot. And that doesn't happen often. That's really unusual for me. And yet that's how life goes. Like, life is, is that way it could be a roller coaster.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
That's true. You know, what I find interesting is that we started the podcast talking with the intention of talking about how do you take your experiences outside the studio, into your studio with purpose. And my thought was talking about our, our time, like on the beach or on vacation or at a family's event or whatever, how do you build purpose in that and bring it into our art. But instead we talked about all these other like more, the mundane task of, of life. So, I'm thinking like this is very interesting, 'cuz it's very telling in our lives. I think of what we're focused on. We haven't spent much time in family events and on beaches lately. We've been working and trying to keep our kitchens clean.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
That's so funny. Well, let's not minimize the fact that, um, these vacations that you had on your mind when we started the show are so important. And I, I don't mean a literal like book a vacation with a travel agent, but these even mini excursions out of the studio, I have gone on day hikes, like, Steve and I will, will just take a drive and go on a day hike and explore. And I remember one from last summer where we saw some waterfalls I had never seen before. And I, as I stood near the falls and the mist was like, just sprinkling on me, and I was so fully overwhelmed by the magnitude of nature. I just, I wanted so bad in that moment to be creating. Like, give me anything to create with.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Yeah. The, the point that I was thinking I wanted to really get across in, in this conversation is to not brush these experiences off, not feel guilty for not painting or, or not think that cleaning your kitchen doesn't matter or you're taking a, a really somewhat boring hunting class all week. Um, what is that time worth? What am I gonna do with that time? All of that is building you up. It's changing you, it's growing you, your, your just your mind is expanding. And it will, if you intentionally consider it, it will come into your work and your message and, and, and people will see it, I think. There's ways for people to see it. So maybe we're gonna have to have another, a show where we talk about how, how you take that from here to there. Yes. Not just, not just a don't feel guilty over it.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Yeah, no, it is. There is definitely an art to bringing our fullness of experience into our art form. And I do know that when I'm creating, I feel all of me being put into that piece. And so, I think that's what it is is we let what's over here, change us and mold us, so that when we're creating over here, it's not literal. It's not necessarily a, you know, obvious connection, but who we are in the heart is coming out. And so we need to be open to new experiences and not being guilty to be away from the studio and being very intentional when we are in the studio, uh, and, and focused and treating it like, you know, an athlete getting ready for purpose.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Yeah. Yeah. I agree.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
So, in closing, do you have any last remarks for us, Charla?
Speaker 1 (28:05):
No, I think I've, I've covered it. I think the fact that I started talking about hunting is a good place for us to end the podcast.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Anyway. Well, thanks for joining us on the Bold Artist podcast today. Everyone, you can find us on the Bold SchoolYouTube channel and on all audio apps. You can search Bold Artist podcast. We'd love for you to find us on Instagram @boldartistpodcast, and share with us some of your thoughts. How do you get intentional when you go into the studio, and what are some ways that you find purpose outside the studio? We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep creating.
