Authentic Obsessions

Sue Bulmer is an artist, educator, Art Psychotherapist and Inspiration Facilitator. Her expressive, energetic and colourful work is inspired by landscape and seasonal alignment. Sue believes we are all creative souls and is a passionate advocate for the well-being benefits of living a more creative life. ​She has a deep understanding, stemming from personal experience, of the many benefits of living a more creative life and the barriers and beliefs that stop us. We chat about paying attention to when it’s time to rest, confronting the fear that tries to keep you small and safe, being stuck and what happens when you stop fighting it, putting yourself out there even though it can be scary, the payoff is worth it!Takeaways:Make art just for you.Nature takes a rest during the year. Why don’t we?Categorizing things help us understand things, but they come with rules and those rules can be limiting.It’s in the spaces that the ideas come.“Stress is caused by being here and wanting to be there.”It’s never too late.Sue BulmerSue Bulmer on InstagramSue Bulmer on FacebookSustain Your Creativity through Autumn & Winter, A free guide from Sue BulmerThe Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Florence WilliamsEnvironmental Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life, Ian Siddons HeginworthRick Rubin on Feel Better Live MoreSue’s Creative Soul Sketchbooks courseKellee Wynne Conrad, Build it RemarkableBeltane, Gaelic May Day Festival

Feedback loops in the art world, finding ways to accumulate more moments of joy, the in-between spaces, writing vs. storytelling, not fitting into a box, and the orange couch are all part of Bela Suresh Roongta’s story. Bela is a Milwaukee-based visual artist, writer and storyteller. She has shown in solo & group exhibitions, been featured as a writer & speaker and recognized for innovation and success in art and storytelling. Committed to the rituals of drawing, journaling and traveling, Bela makes art, writes stories and curates experiences that explore identity & place, dance with memory and tradition and tell of the times we live in. Her art and storytelling honors those who came before us, our shared experiences and our differences.Key Takeaways:The more personal you are, the more personal your work is, and the more universal it becomes.Find the magic in the unknown.Allow yourself to be seen so that others can be seen. The more story we know about you the more connected we feel.Art is a very self forward profession.Find ways to accumulate more moments of joy.Bela SureshBela Suresh on InstagramPart 1 | Night Country Origins with Showrunner Issa López and Executive Producer Mari Jo WinklerThe True Detective: Night Country PodcastSaint Kate Exhibition: Relief — The Stories We Carry by Bela Suresh RoongtaRobin Davisson Episode 69 on Authentic Obsessions

Susan Lerner is  a New York City based contemporary hand-cut collage artist drawn to vintage imagery and maps, evoking a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.  Her work is a reflection of the power of visual storytelling and its ability to connect us to our memories and emotions. Susan’s work has been published in periodicals and books, she’s the co-founder of the New York Collage Ensemble, and she is currently licensed with Jiggy Puzzles and Jiggy Studio. Enjoy our conversation about tag sales, boundaries, trying new things, taking pauses, and challenges of selling your work. Takeaways“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” Twyla TharpeHaving too many options can drive you crazy.Moving your body helps with problem solving and artistic creativity.Find different outlets to sell your work.LinksSusan LernerSusan Lerner on InstagramJiggy Puzzles, City of Dreams92NYHollie ChastainGalen Gibson-CornellArt and Cocktails podcastThe Jealous Curator, Art for Your Ear podcast

The feminine form has returned in Denise Daffara's latest work along with every day familiar objects such as her much loved chairs and cups of tea. Denise is an artist, soulful seeker, wild wonderer, deep listener, sacred space holder, Creativitea Time inspirer & private priestess, Intentional Creativity Guide & Certified Color of Woman Teacher.Denise's art practice is an intuitive, light and colour fueled exploration of her life’s journey. Her paintings are filled with Australian and New Zealand botanicals and plenty of tea related moments. You’ll also find Matisse inspired feminine figures visiting her painted interiors and table settings depicted in a non-realistic, contemporary style. Her art expresses the sacred union between beauty and healing for the heart.TakeawaysCreativity can help us hold space for our grief. Pay attention to the beginning, middle and end energy while you’re creating a piece of work.Share your art journey in an open and honest way.When it's more uncomfortable to NOT do it, creative inspiration shows up.“Your vision is stronger than your fear.” Kylie SlavikLinksDenise Daffara Denise Daffara on InstagramLittle dd on InstagramDenise Daffara on FacebookDenise Daffara on YoutubeInsights at the Edge with Tammy Simon podcast: Chip Conley: Midlife: From Crisis to ChrysalisGertrude and Alice bookstore and coffee shop

The monumental labors of women that often go unnoticed, and the resilience of women under the invisible weight they carry are themes interwoven in the current work of interdisciplinary artist Nirmal Raja. Nirmal's current solo exhibition at the Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art is titled Grace and Grit, and highlights her current authentic obsession with material intimacy.  Nirmal’s keen observations and curiosity during her 3-month Kohler Arts/Industry residency resulted in an inspirational and wide body of work, including works cast in iron and brass, sound recordings and photographs. Nirmal is also part of the Paglees, a feminist collective of artists of South Asian origin living across the United states, currently exhibiting their work at the South Asia institute in Chicago. Nirmal collaborates with other artists and strongly believes in investing energy into her immediate community while also considering the global.TakeawaysDespite all the restrictions, I am strong.“Share your excitement for your practice and your own work.” Jason Yi“There is mud and there is the lotus, and you cannot have the lotus without the mud.” Thich Nhat HanhPush against restrictive boxes we put ourselves in.LinksNirmal RajaNirmal Raja on InstagramNirmal Raja on LinkedinA Brush With… Cornelia ParkerPortrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art, Grace and Grit- solo exhibition South Asia Institute, The Paglees: Between Reason and MadnessGrace and Grit CatalogJohn Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry Residency Program

Stones, learning, confidence, pattern and line, expressing beauty, and promoting your work are just a few topics artist Rena Diana covers today.After retiring from a fulfilling career as an educator in Baltimore, Rena started focusing full time on her artwork. She worked every day in a studio at the Art Students League in New York City, where she began painting abstract landscapes. Rena is fortunate to divide her time between Baltimore and her home on Lake Champlain in Vermont, which is the source of much of her inspiration. Rena on art journals and sketching: "Throughout my adult life, I have kept notebooks chronicling my observations and experiences.  Gradually these became art journals, filled with sketches and collages, along with personal narrative and remarks about the creative process. As these notebooks evolved into more formal exercises, I realized that they were distinct art forms in themselves. At that point, I began creating larger, single pieces. These art journals remain a core part of my studio practice."TakeawaysYou develop confidence as you learn to trust yourself and the process. Believe in yourself and that what you have to share with other people is valuable.It’s a marathon. A long game.Learning is the best antidepressant.First think about who YOU are before you decide how and where you’re going to promote your work.LinksRena DianaRena on InstagramCity Arts and Lectures, Ann PatchettMary Lynn O’SheaThe Art Students League of New YorkLast Light, How Six Great Artists Made Old Age a Time of Triumph, Richard Lacayo

The challenges of creating on a deadline, having faith and trust in the thing you’re doing, and the feelings that arise when switching from the act of writing to marketing and promotion all come up during our conversation.Nick Petrie is the author of 8 best-selling Peter Ash crime fiction novels, including The Price You Pay, out February 2024. His debut, The Drifter, won both the ITW Thriller award and the Barry Award for Best First Novel, and was a finalist for the Edgar and the Hammett Awards. He is also  an excellent husband (mine!) and father (to our son Duncan).TakeawaysWinnow down and lean into the thing that is interesting to you and that you really want to pursue and then let go of the outcome when it gets out into the world.“Keep a clean antenna."Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.Seamus Heaney on the hardest thing about writing: “Getting started, keeping going and getting started again.” LinksNick Petrie’s websiteFollow Nick Petrie on InstagramFollow Nick Petrie on FacebookFollow Nick Petrie on XYour Brain on Art, Susan Magsamen and Ivy RossMystery Tribune, The Cleveland JobBill SchweigartBoswell BooksThe Poisoned Pen BookstoreMurder By the Book bookstoreKaye PublicityMichael Mann, Blackhat and CollateralThe Great Creators with Guy Raz episode 67 with Andy J Pizza of Creative Pep Talk

Carol Paik, a New York based artist, is interested in many different media, but really found meaning working with repurposed textiles. After years of buying expensive and often toxic materials for her work, her goal now is to create art exclusively out of the unappreciated, overlooked, landfill-destined stuff she finds around her, of which there is never a shortage.She most enjoys taking something that is overlooked, and looking at it closely. Or, taking something too frequently seen, and looking at it slightly differently. She is interested in the emotions that we bring to the things we discard: nostalgia, guilt, desire, and loss, and her goal is to give these objects--and, by extension, ourselves—new possibilities.During our chat, Carol talked about the idea of leaving a mark without marring a landscape, specifically in relation to her cairn projects, but it got me thinking of that in a broader sense. And she also assured me that sometimes finishing a project is overrated.photo by Sharon SchuurTakeawaysAsk yourself: Why do I need to do it THAT way?Keep your eye on the road because wherever you’re looking is where you’ll end up.Take a closer look.If you limit yourself, you’ll look at things in a different way.Look around for things you can reuse for your projects.LinksCarol PaikCarol Paik on InstagramHeidi ParkesNina KatchadourianNatalya Khorover

K. Woodman-Maynard’s obsession with emotional expression comes out not only in her graphic novels but also through anger journaling and diary comics. She loves tree time, cold water swimming, running and cross-country skiing. Katharine is a sequential storyteller and an artist who writes (as opposed to a writer who draws) and loves to mentor other creatives. Her debut, The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation was called, “hugely rewarding” by The Wall Street Journal. TakeawaysBe present and enjoy yourself.What can I do for social media, not what social media can do for me.Get some tree time.Bring in people for feedback during a long term project.LinksK. Woodman-MaynardK. on InstagramK. on FacebookK. on LinkedinK. on PinterestGreat Gatsby Graphic Novel, K. Woodman-MaynardThe Big Leap, Gay HendricksHealing Back Pain, John SarnoArt Matters, Neil Gaiman 

 From chenille bedspreads & fringe vests to mosaics & ceramics, Andryea Natkin shares her journey as a seeker, always on the lookout for what is truly hers so she can express it. She  was born into a family of artists, which gave her that foundation of permission to trust herself.  Andryea persevered and eventually received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, all along working in a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, printmaking, mosaic and ceramics.TakewaysBe wasteful and make ugly things.Make a lot of mistakes.Don’t judge yourself while you’re making.Inspiration comes from my heart, not my head.Turn the fire up. It’s time to get going.LinksAndryea Natkin  Andryea on InstagramAndryea on FacebookYour Brain on Art, Susan Magsamen and Ivy RossArtery Ink

Joanne is an artist and photographer whose work is “based in semi-abstraction, purposefully balanced between representational and the imagined. in my role as an artist, these two elements have become an integral part of my motivation to create, with the ‘doing’ often as important as the outcome. I firmly believe that natural curiosity and creative pursuits are essential to healthy living, regardless of age or education.” Jo shares her experiences and how they impact her daily life and her long term connections. Her obsession with fragility and delicacy is linked to her fascination with awe and transience, resiliency, and mortality. TakeawaysIf you really listen to people, you hear more. If you really look, you see more. If you care, you get more.A piece is finished when it stops talking to me.Resilience is tolerating emotional discomfort.Ask yourself, “And what’s so bad about that?”Accept limitations that some things just can’t be changed. We can only change our bit.LinksJoanne OlneyJoanne Olney on InstagramJoanne Olney on Facebook Joanne Olney on PinterestAWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, Dacher Keltner

Weather, layers, inner worlds, thick living and 10,000 folded paper cranes. Brianna’s work is driven by world-building. She’s interested in exploring possible and impossible landscapes that may or may not exist on this planet, in this dimension, in a memory, a dream, or a vision…they may never have existed anywhere — until now. Her creations convey an architectural/organic world which thrives in paradox and ambiguity; it’s a place that gives voice to so much more than can be articulated with sound or words. Each piece she creates is an earnest translation of the feelings, ideas, images, landscapes, and visions of her inner world — for Brianna, the ultimate goal of her creative life is to ardently impart to your inner world what she can from her own.TakeawaysWe are all complicated nuanced onion layers of humans.We are all works in progress.The lessons are everywhere.Sharing of the art is just as important as the creating of the art.There are no mistakes in art. If you think it’s not right, it’s just not done.We are little time tornadoes creating our own weather.LinksBrianna MartrayBrianna on InstagramBrianna on FacebookBrianna’s YouTube Video: "The Making of a Public Art Installation at Denver International Airport" (June 21, 2011)Tim HeckerLee Bontecou 

Rachael is an experimental textile and mixed media artist living in West Yorkshire, England.  She describes her residency at the Nature in Art Museum and Gallery as a “cocoon of delight!” If you listen deeply and look closely, you will see how Rachael’s obsession with stone and stone walls seeps into all her work. Her feelings and experiences and surroundings all contribute to unique and thought-provoking pieces of art. During our chat, she talks about containment and constraint, delicious boredom, and Helen Keller’s keen observations.Takeaways“Music is the space between the notes.” Claude DebussyYour work teaches you AFTER you've done it.You need other people to notice things in your work that you may not see.Look down and in for creativity and up and out for a sense of well-being.Take time to contemplate and mull, and simply look long enough to see things from a distance.LinksRachael SingletonRachael on InstagramRachael on FacebookBlue PeterKim ThittichaiNature in Art Artist in Residence programDo: PauseKrystyna PomeroyHenry Moore, London’s War: The Shelter Drawings of Henry MooreThe Song of the Stone Wall, Helen KellerJacob Nordby

During our chat, Anna talks about receptacles, the Minystery of Consideration, discovering and processing beauty, permission, belonging, and what makes us tick.TakeawaysJust do your job.Don't do other people's jobs.It doesn’t get any better or more beautiful than this.It’s all here already.Do what’s real and what’s true, and remember that you don’t always get there while you’re walking upright.LinksAnna van der PutteAnna van der Putte on InstagramLesley HillingScott RobertsJohn T. UpchurchAlison Jackson-BassOffice of CollectingAja LundHedi Kyle book artsStephanie Hüllmann Atelier-Talk podcastThe Secret Life of Lance LetscherBig Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert

Finding your people, measures of success, optimistic teenagers, and soft pants vs. hard pants with high school English teacher, former professional actor, and author Nicole Kronzer! There’s also some chatter about thinking you’re too weird for the world, and how to fit our weirdness into a greater life.TakeawaysPeople who read fiction are nicer.“Write with the door closed, edit with the door open.” Stephen KingKeep going.It's OK to find the thing that makes your heart sing.Keep your eyes on your own paper.MentionedNicole KronzerFollow Nicole Kronzer on InstagramThe Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be, Shannon GibneyThe Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, K. Woodman-MaynardEmotion ThesaurusOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen KingBig Magic, Elizabeth GilbertStory Genius, Lisa CronWhere You See Yourself, Claire Forrest

Lisa Kellner went through a major transition in her work life, moving from a textile installation artist back to her true love of painting.  Over the course of a few years, she dug deep, got really honest with herself, and saw how all the intangible parts of herself find their way into her work. Lisa uses a reductive language and intuitive approach to make paintings and sculptural constructions about the environment, societal constructs and how we occupy space.Takeaways1. Is there urgency?2. Make sure your roots are strong.3. Give space between you and your work.4. Find comfort in the space of not knowing.5. Don’t discount those parts of yourself that you can’t quantify or measure. LinksLisa KellnerLisa on InstagramLee BontecouElizabeth MurrayLisa Kellner’s paintings and sculptural constructions have been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. Her work can be found in private residences and commercial spaces in the United States, Europe and Japan. Exhibiting institutions include the Bellevue Arts Museum (WA), the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY), the Brooklyn Arts Council (NY), the Weatherspoon Museum (NC), the Islip Art Museum, Washington Project for the Arts and the Muscarelle Museum of Art (VA), among others. She has created site-responsive installations for institutions including the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (FL), the Bellevue Arts Museum (WA), Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space (NY), Brooklyn Arts Council (NY), the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (ME), Lehman College Art Gallery (NY) and the Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory (VA). Kellner’s work has been reviewed and mentioned in publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Sculpture Magazine in addition to several podcast and interview series. Lisa has received several awards including the New Media Invitational from the Target Gallery, DC and was nominated a Joan Mitchell Emerging Artist semi-finalist. She recently completed an artist residency at Don Pedro Island Preserve; a place dramatically impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Robin shares her life changing week at The Penland School, the importance of doing experiments to get to the truth, and the exhilaration of discovery and curiosity. Robin's lyrical, process-driven work is rooted in eclectic curiosity and the material surprises she discovers working with her finely developed visual vocabulary. Takeaways1. It is important to keep doing experiments so you can get to the truth.2. Pay attention to your materials and their ability to constantly surprise you.3. Just make more time for it.4. The more you learn about the business side of things, the more confident you get in your art making. And the more confident you get in your art making, the more confident you get in running your business.5. “The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels, that's creative living.” Elizabeth GilbertMentionedRobin DavissonFollow Robin Davisson on InstagramStudio Lab introThomas Gleaner aka Brad ThomasPenland School of CraftEmily Mason

Takeaways1. You can’t say yes to everything or everyone.2. The more structure you add into your week the more flexibility you have.3. We make HARD a problem, but it’s just part of life. Without the hard you don’t have the good stuff.4. It’s just a layer.5. What’s the next right step?MentionedLea Ann SlotkinFollow Lea Ann Slotkin on InstagramCy TwomblyLukas paintDo You Want to Slow Down? Anna Sale on awe as an antidote to anxiety, on The Science of Happiness podcastLea Ann creates bold and colorful mixed media paintings and collages, focusing on the background layers, which gives her work a lot of energy & visual excitement and leaves little hints of magic peeking through to leave space for wonder and reflection about one's own story.  During our conversation we talk about nature, boundaries around our time, and how putting some structure in your week can be pretty freeing. 

Wanderlust, giving ourselves permission to do more than one thing and the inspiring non-fiction books that are holding our interest these days are just a few topics we chat about as we go down the beautiful meandering path of Tina Norén. Tina is an artist and designer, 2nd generation Filipino-American and mother to three school-aged children. Tina has designed and painted several murals, including 3 at elementary schools, as well as the mural in the Art Park at the Santa Paula Art Museum, where she also works part-time. Her art is bold and colorful and is often filled with meditative and therapeutic repetitive lines.Takeaways1. Consider saying no without giving an excuse or a reason.2. Embrace the fact that your creative practice is helping you be a better parent and partner. 3. If you often have kids or family barging in on you while you’re creating, try to find work that allows you to be interrupted.4. Don’t say you don’t have enough time to do something just acknowledge that you haven’t prioritized it yet.Mentioned Tina NorénFollow Tina on InstagramFollow Tina on FacebookRuth AsawaFour Thousand Weeks, Oliver BurkemanUnfollow Your Passion, How to Create a Life That Matters to You, Terri TrespicioEssentialism, Greg McKeownAtomic Habits, James ClearFrom Strength to Strength, Arthur C. BrooksTen Percent Happier, Dan Harris

Takeaways1. There is no overnight success. Everyone pays their dues, one way or another.2. Every human being is unreliable in the way they tell stories.3. Take pleasure in the striving aspect of the process. The fact that you worked really hard and accomplished the goal is the thing.   “It’s not the having, it’s the getting.” Elizabeth TaylorMentionedSamantha DowningSamantha Downing on TwitterSamantha Downing on FacebookSamantha Downing on InstagramParasiteI Care A LotDaphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca