2. Surface prepping
and sharing four sources of energy
This past Sunday, I was feeling super overwhelmed and overstimulated. Once I got to the studio at 5pm, all I could bring myself to do was add the date and initials to an acrylic painting on wood panel that had been sitting there waiting to be signed for several months, and sand and gesso some more panels. My mind, on its wild rampage, lacked the ability to settle on a task, so I let my body decide what we’d be working on and these wooden boards were what it grabbed. I’m grateful because these tasks turned out to be manageable and somewhat satisfying in that they were clear cut and had defined end points.
I’m also grateful for Unpublished, the podcast that kept me going that evening. It’s first on my list of four things that have energized me recently:
Unpublished, a podcast hosted by writers Amie McNee (@inspiredtowrite on IG) and James Winestock. I recommend it so strongly to anyone trying to build a creative life. If you already listen or you end up listening to it I would love to know what you think. I have found it incredibly transformative, comforting, and encouraging. Some of my favourite episodes so far are Repairing Your Relationship with Achievement and Hustle, Running a Creative Business, and How Much Work Do We Actually Do? If you’re more of a YouTube person, this is a nice introduction to Amie’s world.
Provenance, a beautiful EP made by the Bayash Sisters from Ottawa. It has kept me company on walks to the studio through Parc Jarry. I catch myself singing the bridge of “A Living” over and over again.
Sultanna is a Moroccan Jew Who Makes a Moroccan Rug, a film by Sultanna Krispil (38:14).
“The filmmaker grapples with a self-imposed challenge of crafting her own Moroccan rug, a symbolic expedition towards understanding and embracing her roots. Is the film a vlog? An animation? A DIY lesson in rug-making? Or is it a small whisper to her Agadir-born ancestors?”
Thanks to my long-long-time friend Laura for inviting me to the screening of this thoughtful, hilarious, and tactile (!) masterpiece at the Museum of Jewish Montreal.
Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, a book by David Bayles and Ted Orland published in 1993. I picked this book up off the sidewalk at the everything-left-is-free point of this year’s Great Glebe Garage Sale. What a find. I devoured this book. Just one of the many gems inside:
“Unfortunately, expectations based on illusion lead almost always to disillusionment. Conversely, expectations based on the work itself are the most useful tool the artist possesses. What you need to know about the next piece is contained in the last piece. The place to learn about your materials is in the last use of your materials. The place to learn about your execution is in your execution. The best information about what you love is in your last contact with what you love. Put simply, your work is your guide: a complete, comprehensive, limitless reference book on your work.”
Thanks for reading! Spreading the word about this bébé publication is the best way to support it at this stage, so don’t hesitate to share this post with a friend or on social media.
xx Clara
“All I ever really want to know is how other people are making it through life—where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside of it.”
― Miranda July, It Chooses You