Artsy Types

Honesty is the foundation of good art, but is there such a thing as being too honest? Spurred on by a beautifully forthright statement that Teresa recently made on Instagram, this episode’s conversation explores where the line is between artistic confessionalism and trauma dumping. As the episode moves along, there’s a segment on “The Last Thing That Inspired Me” that brings out favorites in television and music, which naturally leads into. . .the Bermuda Triangle, Ouija Boards and quicksand, and finishes with a shout out to a special artist that, one might say, gave birth to Artsy Types. ~Show Links and Notes~Let It Happen by Tame ImpalaDavid Sedaris' Tips for Writing About People You KnowThe Conversation by Teresa Kiplingerhttps://silverpoet.com/blogs/gallery/the-conversationThe Surprisingly Simple Trick to Escape Quicksand This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

The resurgence of plein air painting, over-the-top maximalism, visibility of the artist’s hand laid bare in finished work, the way museums treat sensitive subjects--Joy and Teresa look at cultural and artistic trends, extending the topic all the way into the Gen X segment and debating whether any 80s trends should return. “The Last Thing I Wrote” segment comes back, bringing with it roadkill and an eerie take on the neighborhood reaction to the HOA. The episode ends with a look at the creator and ArtsyTypes Instagram follower, Arthur Hash, who uses 3-D modeling in his jewelry practice with wonderful results. ~Show Notes and References~Plein Air Painting Flourishes in the AdirondacksSchiaparelli's The Agony and the Ecstasy CollectionThe New Surrealism: On AI and HallucinationsThe History of AtariJeweler Arthur Hash This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Artists are creatures of habit, and those habits either help creativity flourish or get in its way. Teresa is sharing the habits that have helped build her metalsmith practice, and Joy is asking for ideas to combat the dreaded bad habit of social media distraction. The episode begins with an anecdote about how the art of Gerald Scarfe made an early impact and ends with a back-and-forth about the merits of high school class rings. Joy has discovered a podcast that focuses on grief, and Teresa has entered the rabbit hole of artist John William Waterhouse. Things wrap up with a surprise profile of one of the creators who follow the artsytypespod Instagram account.~Show Links and Notes~Illustrator Gerald ScarfeAll There Is with Anderson CooperJohn William Waterhouse This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

An accident, a coincidence, a life event. Conversations between mothers and daughters. Sheer boredom. Teresa and Joy are putting words to the alchemy that took place in their lives to transform daily routine into lifelong pursuits of creativity. Before taking on the task of unraveling creative alchemy, they do some quick warm up calisthenics trying to spit out words that start with GN, and they bookend the discussion with a rabbit hole into Mary Shelley’s favorite keepsake and a recommendation of Patti Smith’s new book, Bread of Angels. Teresa tests Joy’s memory of the various ways they paid for school lunches through the years, from tokens to college coupon books, and they end by highlighting an artist, jeweler and educator from the Artsy Types community on Instagram. ~Show Notes and Links~Mary Shelley's Favorite KeepsakeLove and Tragedy: The Stirring Saga of Mary Shelley and Percy ShelleyQueen Anne of Brittany's Heart Reliquary Patti Smith's New Memoir, Bread of Angels This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

In this second “Is This Something” episode, the tables are turned, and Joy and Teresa are thinking through Teresa’s idea fragments for a new collection based on Polaroids and poems she crafted last year while saying goodbye to her childhood home. The back and forth conversation is a template for how creators can talk through concepts to transform rough ideas into finished pieces of art. The creativity back-and-forth continues with a “last thing I wrote down” segment where they share notations from their journaling, and ends with memories from the dreaded “After School Specials” that contained dire warnings of the dangers of life for 1980s kids. The episode ends with a quick profile of Instagram follower @poeticallyfound and the world of blackout poetry. Salvador Dali's Surreal Jewelry DesignsAncient Tombs and Temples that Align with the SunThe Unforgettable Lessons We Learned from 80s After School Specials This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Joy and Teresa count down the three tips they each think every artist should know, and at least one of the tips is something that will surprise listeners! Whether you are a painter, a jeweler or an every day creative, there will be a takeaway to use from this episode. Teresa goes down a fascinating rabbit hole of video archives from days gone by and Joy does a round-robin of tv, book and music recommendations. The discussion wraps up with memories of 1980s soap opera, followed by a shout out of one of the many incredible artists who have jumped on board the Artsy Types Instagram account. ~Show Notes and Links~The Prelinger Archive at the Library of CongressThe San Francisco Library Collects Print Materials You Were Never Meant to SeeMIddlemarch, by George Elliot1980s Soap Operas@karlafullerartist on Instagram This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Joy and Teresa walk through the process for setting annual creative goals and lay out what they each hope to achieve in the coming year. From creating a collection of paintings, to writing a poem a month, producing a newsletter and improving photography, this year’s goals are ambitious and not without revenue goals and software tools to help achieve them. Teresa has gone down the rabbit hole of creating miniature crime scenes through craft, and Joy is recommending a new literary podcast that she thinks is intended for men. The Gen X discussion centers on school cafeteria food growing up. Any wax beans and graham crackers with pink frosting fans out there? ~Show Links and References~The Trello AppMurder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained DeathOld School with Shiloh Brooks (Book Podcast)Pizza Day Secret Recipe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Joy and Teresa are goal-setters by nature, even when it comes to creativity. To close out the year, they take a look back at the 2025 goals they each set as creators and disclose whether they accomplished them. Before kicking off the main topic, though, Joy quizzes Teresa on her knowledge of terms-of-art. . .for art! In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Teresa discovers a hidden message in an old book left behind by someone in her past, and Joy talks about writing reviews for Nancy Drew books when she was a kid. A discussion of favorite 1980s movies has the two podcasters revealing very different tastes in the movies they loved growing up.~Show Notes and Links~ChiaroscuroFrom Here to the Great UnknownWar GamesPretty in Pink This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

How do two Artsy Types celebrate the holidays? With home cooking, homemade crafts and one very peculiar tradition involving 80s vinyl records. Joy and Teresa also count down their favorite holiday songs, finding themselves knee-deep in a difference of opinion about the Gen X holiday anthem, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” The two also share memories of their favorite TV Christmas specials from the 1980s and reminisce about an early form of co-branding involving Norelco razors. ~Show Links and References~The Story Behind If We Make It Through DecemberThe Dark Legacy of Do They Know It's ChristmasTop Rankin Bass Christmas Special RankedThe Norelco Razor Commercials This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Sometimes creators need more than the voice in their own head--they need a nudge from a friend. Joy and Teresa assign each other surprise creative challenges in this episode, laying out a path for listeners to try their own projects. Joy kicks off the episode reporting on her visit to Milan to see DaVinci’s Last Supper. Teresa recommends an Instagram rabbit hole where followers can see famous songs coming to life, and Joy is recommending a thousand-page novel about building a cathedral. The discussion ends with contemplation of why time passes differently at various ages and phases and a memory swap of being in high school the day of the Challenger accident. ~Show Links and References~Leonardo's Last Supper MuseumFresco Painting Method@SongsBeingMade (Account on Instagram)Ken Follett Talks About The Pillars of the EarthThe Pandemic Altered Our Perception of TimeGen Xers wonder how the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy would be handled by adults today This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Whether or not to take commissions is a question every creator is faced with at some point. Joy and Teresa are talking pros and cons, logistics, and reliving a commission gone awry involving an airbrush and a Harley Davidson. Rabbit holes and recommendations is on a hiatus, and taking its place is a new segment, “The Last Thing I Wrote Down.” Joy is taken to task in real-time for gatekeeping Gen X culture, and Teresa laments not having any Garanimals in her closet as a kid. ~Show Links and References~10 Questions to Ask Before Accepting an Art CommissionArt Commission AgreementOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen KingA History of Garanimals This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Divine inspiration, random occurrences, ideas born from dreams. . .what are we to make of creative ideas that come to us in unconventional ways? Joy and Teresa look at famous examples of great works of art born out of dreams, then attempt to gain an understanding of how the supernatural can impact creation. The exchange leads to a practical discussion of ways artists can quiet the logical part of their minds and allow creative flow to the forefront. In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Joy talks about Paul McCartney’s book, “The Lyrics,” and Teresa has been listening to Thom Yorke’s “Dawn Chorus.” In a rare podcast role reversal, Teresa is in charge of this week’s Gen X flashback segment, and dives into the lost art of album covers and memories of prog rock. ~Show Links & References~Stream of Consciousness and Virginia WoolfHow the Experience of Awe Can Improve your Well-BeingSalvador Dalí’s Bizarre Napping Ritual May Tap Into a Hidden Power of the BrainBest Album Cover Art of the 70s According to RedditRick Wakeman's Myths and Legends of King Arthur Album Booklet This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Daydreams, hidden ambitions and a never-before-shared passion project—Joy and Teresa are telling each other their secret goals for the first time. A coffee table book, a herd of cows and St. Sulpice all get laid bare in this swap of secrets. In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Teresa has discovered a mysterious cure for insomnia, and Joy has discovered a band that everybody else discovered 30 years ago. The episode ends with both artists reliving the day in high school that they were put on a bus and taken to motivational speaker, David Toma, to get scared straight. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime! ~Show Links and References~Nick Bantock's Griffin & SabineAn Artist "Sketchbook Wandering" Wanders the St. Sulpice NeighborhoodPlein Air artists encountering cowsAI Generated ‘Boring History’ Videos are Flooding YouTube"Is This It" Debut Album by The Strokes1983 News Article about Speaker David Toma This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

From Sylvia Plath to Wayne Thiebaud, Joy and Teresa are talking about the creators who’ve inspired and influenced their work. Whether it’s Plath’s ability to impart “an impression of a feeling that you don’t know what to do with,” or Thiebaud’s colorful shadows, these old-school influencers are at the heart of an interesting discussion about early inspirations. In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Teresa talks about the Symbolism Movement and her discovery of a haunting painting, while Joy recommends an under-the-radar Jack London book. The unlikely piece-de-resistance of the episode occurs when Joy closes the episode quizzing Teresa on 1980s alcoholic beverages, including the (thankfully) long-forgotten Hairy Buffalo. ~Show Links and References~The Applicant by Sylvia PlathThe New Oxford Book of American VerseArtist Wayne ThiebaudIsland of the Dead by Arnold BöcklinHairy Buffalo Drink RecipeThe History of Wine Coolers This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Joy and Teresa are back at it, starting season two by workshopping four seemingly-eccentric journal entries (rodents seeking revenge, a strange golf tournament, big strawberries, pickups at the gym), determining which “is something” that could be transformed into a developed story. The twosome workshop the ideas, settling on a concept, sharing their creative process as the discussion moves along. Teresa goes down a rabbit hole to explore Cabinets of Curiosities, and Joy raves about the André 3000 interview on Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast.The episode ends with Joy and Teresa sharing memories about the first time they each went on the internet and what web browsing was like for young GenX’ers, the last generation to know life without the internet. ~Show Links and References~Meetup WebsiteSteven Pressfield: The Foolscap Method of Story OutlinesThe Erewhon Viral StrawberryMassimo Listri Cabinet of CuriositiesAndré 3000 Interview on TetragrammatonGabocorp WebsiteThe History of Netscape This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

In this highlights episode, Joy and Teresa bring back several of their most popular segments. Their discussion about what to do when you’re too busy for art struck a creative chord with listeners who shared their own hacks for making time for art after hearing this discussion. Teresa goes down the rabbit hole that is Elizabeth Siddal and Joy is dissecting the old-fashioned card game, cribbage. The two end by pondering one of life’s more perplexing questions: why are banana clips and Candie’s clogs back in style? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Joy and Teresa are on hiatus enjoying the final days of summer by taking a holiday in the South of France. Just kidding! Joy is getting kids back to college and Teresa is helping her mom move to a new house. In the meantime, they have carefully assembled a “bespoke” offering of their favorite segments from season one. From losing a limb to having a bunny mistaken for a gopher, they are opening up about the fears they each have as artists. They try to figure out how to write in the style of the Twilight Zone, discuss the hidden messages in flowers and recount the horrors of the President’s Physical Fitness Tests of their youth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Sunlight, sound systems and storage: in the finale to season one of Artsy Types, Joy and Teresa talk about the studio spaces they have, and the studio spaces they dream of. The episode kicks off with shared updates on Teresa’s poetry workshop and Joy’s attempt at playing Camille Saint-Saens on the piano. In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Joy is diving into the Andy Warhol Diaries on Netflix, and Teresa is reading The Book of Symbols. The two also reminisce about 1980’s board games including Mouse Trap, Monopoly and Uncle Wiggily. The podcast will be on hiatus until after Labor Day but will return with listeners choosing the first topic of the new season via an upcoming follower poll on @ArtsyTypesPod on Instagram. ~Show Links and References~ The SwanIs Dark Academia the Only Microtrend Built to Last? Architectural DigestIn Her StudioThe Andy Warhol Diaries: the inner life of an artist no one really knewThe Book of SymbolsMouse Trap Board GameUncle Wiggily Board Game This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Making money, going viral, and having peers compliment your work are all ways of measuring results as an artist. Joy and Teresa are trying to figure out the best barometer for success in art. In the penultimate episode of season one of Artsy Types, they’re asking if there’s shame in chasing social media, if wanting to have sales is a bad thing, and they’re confronting the daunting possibility that creators may never know if they’ve arrived as an artist. While not the bibliophile Joy is, Teresa confidently claims her territory as an audio-bibliophile and surprises with a recommendation instead of a rabbit hole. Joy has just discovered an R&B EP that re-imagines Radiohead classics. She deftly asks permission to interject princess snark into the segment and wraps the episode up with brief musings about walkie-talkies, but not before the two commiserate that “bespoke” has made its way into the mainstream.~Show Links and References~Follow Artsy Types on Instagram for more conversation and references that relate back to the show. Humanity, Can We Please Stop Abusing the Word 'Bespoke'?Joy's Short Story: The BatsLearn about the Libby App for AudioBooks, e-Books and MoreThis Album of Mashed-Up D'Angelo and Radiohead Covers Is All You Need This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

From catastrophes to rolling vineyards to beautiful, but sorrowful, felled birds, Joy and Teresa are talking about the themes that make repeat appearances in their artistic expressions and try to understand why. They share a story they received in response to the last episode that talked about creative ways to find time for art. In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, the discussion starts with the early works of Thomas Kinkade and moves to Elizabeth Siddal, one of art’s most famous muses and the surprising twist to the story of her life (and death!) This episode’s nostalgia segment puts to rest the story of how Teresa was allowed (and whether she even had permission) to paint a Peter Gabriel mural in her college dorm.~Show Links & References~The Unseen Art of Thomas Kinkade by James GurneyThe Art of James GurneyOphelia by Sir John Everett Millais, 1851The Pre-RaphaelitesElizabeth Siddal as Herself: Artist, and Muse.Highgate CemeterySo, by Peter GabrielThe Art of the Band T-Shirt This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Teresa and Joy commiserate that their creative pursuits have been put on the the backburner as Teresa helps her mom move and Joy has kids home from college. All hope is not lost, however, as the two share ideas for keeping creative sparks alive when life gets hectic—including a technological idea that may surprise! In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Teresa raises the bar with her acquisition of a Chautauqua Desk and Joy immediately lowers it with a glowing recommendation of. . . truck stops. The episode ends with memories of two books from their childhood, a Tolkien classic and Misty of Chincoteague, a beloved story of a horse that results in a meandering discussion of plastic cemetery flowers. ~Show Links & References~The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos WilliamsThis is Just to Say by William Carlos WilliamsBilly Collins's Tips for Writing PromptsChautauqua DeskLove's "Travel Stops"Time Magazine's Retrospective on The HobbitSmithsonian Magazine's "True Story of Misty"Misty of Chincoteague FoundationEtsy's Selection of 1970s Plastic Flowers This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

From Andy Warhol to Picasso to a few sayings that just get tossed around, we’re counting down the quotes that rattle around our heads while we’re creating. Teresa’s rabbit holes have again led to photography techniques, this time exploring the history of spirit photography and methods for recreating ectoplasm tintype photographs, while Joy is at the kitchen table playing cribbage. In the throwback segment, Joy quizzes Teresa on her memory of banana clips and Candies clogs, while Teresa disavows the invention of scrunchies and comes clean on her history with Birkenstocks. ~Show Links & References~Picasso QuoteThe History of Spirit PhotographyRecreating Ectoplasm Tintype Photographs Alarming Examples of Creatures in Medieval ArtHow to Play CribbageHow to Play Spite and MaliceCandies Clogs at Free PeopleThe History of Banana Clips This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

In the first of what will be a recurring segment featuring case studies of artistic failures and attempting to turn them into opportunities, Joy unravels after not being able to paint a basic lemon tree, while Teresa provides input on what might be happening and methods for turning lemons into lemonade—or in this case a painting that works! In Rabbit Holes and Recommendations, Teresa introduces the concept of a poetry volta and Joy is studying the Twilight Zone. There’s also discussion of Easter Hymns, Enameling and the Schwabinchen fair ride (who was the wench in the middle of that ride?) ~Show Links & References~What is a volta?Writing in the style of the Twilight ZoneSchwabinchen Fair RideBayern Kurve Fair Ride This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

Teresa is helping to pack up her childhood home, documenting the process with Polaroids, while Joy sketches poolside in Las Vegas. The two get into a discussion about the role mentorship plays in the development of an artist, and end with their rabbit holes and recommendations segment, where Teresa discovers braided hair in her mom’s attic and Joy eats an exotic fish. The show ends with a memory from the late 80s that involves a cassette tape, the basketball playoffs, Three Dog Night and AC/DC. ~Show Links & References~Teresa's mentor, Pamela ArgentieriVictorian SpiritualismThe History of Victorian Hair JewelryBobby Flay’s Amalfi in Las Vegas This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

After a quick update on Teresa’s recent collection release, Joy and Teresa get into the topic of artistic fears, with each counting down fears that accompany creating and sharing their art. While some of the fears are universal. . .several are surprises. In rabbit holes and recommendations, Teresa talks about discovering ex-voto paintings and Joy makes a confession. Closing out with an anecdote from growing up together, the two recount the horrors of taking the President’s Physical Fitness Test in gym class.~Show Links & References~ Teresa's Dead Poets Society Collection“Ex-voto: The Mexican Art of Gratitude,” by Jimena Escoto Daily Art Magazine Graphic Audio Version of A Court of Thorns and Roses“The Origins of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test” by Vince Guerrieri. Mental Floss This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

With time on their hands, new artists emerged during the Covid years. Joy and Teresa discuss how the art world views newcomers to art, seeking input from accomplished artists including a goldsmith, painter, ceramicist and writer. Teresa gives an update on her signet ring collection and goes down a rabbit hole into the language of flowers. Joy talks about oil painting on wooden cigar boxes and reviews J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf’s memoir. The episode ends with the twosome discussing the dangerous playground equipment they enjoyed as grade schoolers and lamenting the loss of the Witches Wheel.~Show links and references~Mrs. L. Burke's "The Illustrated Language of Flowers" from 1867: https://archive.org/details/illustratedlang00burka/page/26/mode/2upExamples of playground equipment mentioned, including the Witches Wheel (also called Witches Hat) https://honey.nine.com.au/parenting/retro-dangerous-playground-equipment/78495888-3249-4de9-86c1-7f0db3a1d129#15 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com

In the debut episode of Artsy Types, Teresa and Joy talk about the magical concept of talent and the role practice plays in artistry, but not before a shot of tequila. The two artists have a quick discussion of signet rings, their high school English teacher Dr. Henery, and the composer Sibelius. ~ Show links and references ~Read one of Joy’s short stories, The Bats.See Teresa’s signet rings.Listen and learn more about Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artsytypes.substack.com