Embracing the Struggle Part One

The struggle is real in the world of artists but it is not necessarily negative. Struggle can lead to a gentle curve in the road, a major breakthrough in an artist's style, or even a new way of doing business. In this episode, Val and Armin will discuss their personal challenges, frustrations, and yes, struggles in their own art practice. The goal is to embrace the struggle and let the journey through it lead to art-making sessions that are effortlessly in the zone or in the flow. Val, ever the optimist, feels that struggle can be thought of as perseverance and necessary for growth while Armin is a bit more angst driven in the discussion. They bounce ideas off of one another and in the end there is more in common than not which is the hallmark of great conversation. This two part series will focus on creating artwork in part one and part two will deal with the struggle of selling art. Part two will air on Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Check out our sponsor Golden Apple Studio and Art Residency. Located in Down East Maine, Director Shelley Stevens invites artists to apply for the 2022 Residency Summer Season. Just a few vacancies and partial scholarships are available. http://www.goldenapplestudio.com/art-residency Armin references In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Here is more about that song by Iron Butterfly.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Interesting article on the struggle of creating art for social media posts by Christine Nishiyama of Might-Could blog. https://might-could.com/essays/social-media-for-artists-make-art-for-you-not-likes/ Definition of being in the Flow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) Armin's website: www.arminmersmann.com Valerie's website: www.valerieallenart.com Facebook page for Art Ladders: The Creative Climb: https://www.facebook.com/artladderswitharminandvalerie