Where my artistic inspiration comes from, how I bring it all together, and the purpose behind my artwork Where does your inspiration come from? I think it’s important to look at who we are as creators and artists, acknowledge the different parts of ourselves, and think about where those pieces come from. In today’s podcast I’m sharing where some of my inspiration comes from and how I bring it all together to create my artwork. I use a lot of color, graphic design, auditory, and word elements in my work. Part of this comes from the influences I was exposed to as a child, from my father who was an architect and artist, and also from the 80s visual and pop culture that I grew up in. Humans have an amazing capacity to look both inside and outside of ourselves, accumulate ideas and emotions, and transform that into a creation from our hearts. I think this is why humans are constantly exploring and pushing our limits—because the more we explore, the more we understand ourselves. And that is what I’m trying to support with my art, creating a bit of a sanctuary so that we can let go and receive something new, something that will help us understand ourselves better. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com

Private View by Raw and Radical - bi-monthly diaries on getting real about being a woman in the arts

Private View | Finding Artistic Inspiration

Letting fear direct our lives and actions might mean we hold ourselves back from what we really want… what if we use fear as a compass instead? Fear gets a bad reputation as an emotion that holds you back. But I think that fear can actually be a very good thing for artists. Fear comes along when there’s a crossroad in front of us and we have to make a choice between what is familiar and the new and unknown—do we stay where we are, or do we take the new road? I see fear as a sign that it’s time to act, move forward, and go for whatever it is that we want. Experiencing fear doesn’t necessarily mean that we are actually afraid, either. It could mean that we are carrying the fears of our immediate and past family members, and we need to do work to let go of those fears. But whether it’s a generational fear or simply the fear of trying moving into the unknown, I think we can use fear to guide us through our lives and use it as a way to chart a new life course into something completely different and amazing. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com

Private View | Let Fear Be Your Guide

When everything seems to be going wrong, then we should use our creativity to create art, create meaning, and create change With all these hard things happening around us—the wildfires in Australia, the situations in the Middle East, the struggles that people are going through—I think it is important for those of us who are not living through those challenges to create. Those of us who are creating something are heros, in a way, because we are creating beauty and meaning for the world around us. As a society, we don’t tend to value making art as much as we value making money. Things that are poetical or theoretical or emotional don’t tend to be valued as much. But those things are what make life beautiful, and are how we relate to one another. I mean—can you imagine a world without music or the theater or artwork? This is why we should use our creativity and celebrate it. We all have creativity inside us, and I want to challenge you to think about what you can do each day to be a little more creative. If you need help, I created a five-step method for overcoming creative blocks (linked in the resources below), which I want to share with you. I think the biggest challenge is letting go of the temptation to compare ourselves to others. And even if you don’t feel like you “aren’t creative,” I want to challenge you to create something. Remember that it takes time for skills and creative vision to develop, and none of us started out knowing everything about photography or how to draw really well. If we can all do something creative, and step outside our comfort zones every day, the world would change so much! So I want you to take on this challenge, and create, create, create! Resources Mentioned: Overcoming Creative Blocks in Five Easy Steps For more information, please visit our website www.rawradical.com

Private View | Create, create, create!

We’re taught not to “brag,” but acknowledging the many aspects, accomplishments, and skills that make us who we are is important. Today I want to talk about changing the way that we recognize our whole selves, all that we are, instead of just one small part. Our culture has taught us that bragging is not okay, and so most of us try to be humble and don’t fully recognize all of our talents or accomplishments. But by doing this, we’re really putting ourselves down. One of my recent On Display interviews was with Barbara Polla, who is not only a medical doctor and a politician, but also a poet, a writer, and a gallery owner. During the interview we talked about how she managed to do it all, and how women can step into their power to do everything that they want to. In my studio, we also talked about a song that I wrote called “I am,” in which I talk about the many aspects of myself, such as being an artist, a mother, a sexual woman, an activist, and a feminist. I think it’s important to acknowledge that we are not just one thing, but many things, and there are many aspects to our personalities and who we are. Also related to this idea, I recently read a book called The Abundance Project, by Derek Rydall, and in it he mentions Henry David Thoreau, an American essayist, philosopher, and transcendentalist, who said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” I love this idea of “wealth” not being just money, but a wealth of ideas, of connection, of participation. It reminds me of the movie Yes Man, with Jim Carey, and also an art project “Yes To All” by Sylvie Fleury. The idea of acknowledging everything that we are is counter what we’ve learned and what we’re used to, but it’s really just acknowledging our true nature. For more information, links, and to subscribe to the newsletter, please visit www.rawradical.com and follow us on social media: Instagram @rawradical Facebook rawradical Twitter rawradical

Private View | All That We Are

When we find ourselves in the “same” situation over and over again, intuition can help us break free from repetitive old patterns. How many times have you told yourself “never again,” only to end up in the same situation a few days or months later? The people involved or the circumstances might be different, but the underlying situation is the same, and it is frustrating every time it comes up. It’s normal to think that something must be “wrong” with us, but I think it’s really about our egos and intuition. As humans, we’re scared of change, whether that manifests consciously or unconsciously. We also know, intuitively, what needs to happen for us to create the change we want. But when we step out of our comfort zones, the ego tries to protect us by throwing up obstacles. I began thinking about this because I recently found myself repeating old patterns of behavior with a project I have been working on. I’d been planning this project for a long time and was very excited to start, but once I finally did start working on it, my brain started telling me that I still had other, more important tasks to complete. I realized that the resistance was an old behavioral pattern that I thought I’d overcome. I think the best way to overcome this problem is by being very aware of our intuition and listening to our hearts. Also, Alan Seale, who is a wonderful coach, has some good insight into how it is our ego trying to keep us safe rather than a deliberate attempt to self-sabotage. For more informations and links, please visit www.rawradical.com Subscribe to the newsletter for more inspiration and follow us on social media: Instagram @rawradical Facebook rawradical Twitter rawradical

Private View | Breaking Free of Repetitive Patterns

Knowing the “why” behind your art is important for maintaining your creative drive and passion I think it’s important for us, as people and artists, to identify and examine what motivates us to keep doing the work we do. Determining our motivators that not only helps us keep our focus, but it helps keep us in touch with what makes life worth it and keeps us moving forward in a direction that is aligned with those values. One of my favorite artists, Louise Bourgeois, said that “Art is a guarantee of sanity.” I really agree with this assessment. We are lucky, as artists, to have an opportunity that many other people do not—the opportunity to create something that could really affect someone else deeply. The possibility of affecting someone else and this idea of taking part in something that is bigger than myself is a powerful motivator for me and a big part of the reason I create my artwork. I want to find a little poetry and beauty in the middle of the crazy lives we lead and through my work, inspire other people to live their best lives and step out of the mould that society has created for us. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com and subscribe to the newsletter. Visit us on social media @rawradical

Private View | What Moves Me

Do creative people ever feel like they fit into society? Our current model is unsustainable for artists, and we must step back and question what we’ve learned. Do any of us ever feel like we truly fit into society? I’ve been contemplating this idea recently, especially as it relates to thinking about my role as an artist and where I have the most impact. As artists and creatives, we continually are building and expanding on what has been handed down or modeled for us by others. But how do we feel about this process of just building and expanding on what has happened before? Do we really feel like we fit in and are making an impact with our work? I am also thinking about this question from the perspective of whether our current society is sustainable and good for us, the animals, our planet, and the environment. If we look at the future and what seems likely to happen, it seems like this societal model really isn’t sustainable. Because of that, I don’t think artists, creatives, and sensitive and intuitive people will ever feel like they truly “fit,” because we cannot relate to how things work now. So my question for you is how do we expand our minds and go beyond what we know, to imagine a completely different society? Can we truly construct something new based on the perspective we have now, or do we need to start fresh and question everything we think we know? I think it’s important for each of us to figure out how we can change things to make society more welcoming and nurturing for both artists and the rest of the world. For more information, please visit http://www.rawradical.com and visit our social media channels on Instagram, facebook and twitter @rawradical

Private View | "Belonging" in Society

Every artist experiences negative comments and self-talk. How can we use negativity to fuel our creative energy and projects instead of getting discouraged? Welcome back to the second season of Private View! Today I want to talk about negativity and how that can affect our ability to be creative and enjoy the work we make, both during the creative process and the final product. Negativity is something that everyone has to deal with. It seems like people generally focus on the negative parts of life or their bad experiences instead of the positive things. Unfortunately, this can become a habit, creating a snowball effect that doesn’t stop until we, ourselves, decide to change our attitudes or pay attention to something else. For artists, negativity can be particularly damaging when we experience it in relation to the work we’ve created—in the form of negative comments about a piece, for example. This can hurt us on a deep emotional level, affecting how creative we feel or even changing how we see ourselves, our identities, and our ability to be creative. To deal with negativity, I think it’s important to identify where it’s coming from. Are we getting negativity from an outside source, or is it coming from our own self-talk and fear? How is what we’re hearing from the outside world playing into what we tell ourselves, and what kind of fear is it triggering? I like what Brené Brown, a researcher on shame and vulnerability, says in her book Rising Strong about negativity. She says that no matter what we try, if we put our whole heart into it, we’re going to experience failure and heartbreak. It’s so important to really grasp that idea, and learn how to keep negativity from influencing us on a deep, personal level. Instead, if we stay aware of our emotions and responses, we can turn our negative experiences and self-talk into a positive force and use it as a new way to experience and create our art. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com

Private View | Overcoming Negativity

Women artists are affected by societal and cultural expectations that restrict our ability to make meaningful art. It’s important to share our experiences. I define “confinement” as the idea that women artists are still very controlled and repressed by the boundaries and expectations that our cultures and countries impose, and it’s a subject I like to talk about a lot. The effects of confinement on our emotions and energy—and consequently the art that we can or are allowed to create—can be brutal. In some countries and cultures it’s very obvious when a woman is being restricted, and other times (like where I live) it’s more subtle, taking the form of lack of access or comments or even our own conditioning telling us that we shouldn’t do something. Confinement is something I struggle with as a person and in my own artist practice. Even though I’m a full-time artist, it is still hard to set aside a chunk of quiet, uninterupted time to create. Sometimes I have difficulty disregarding the expectations of other people and my own culture so that I can get out of my head and create meaningful art. I think part of the problem is that our lives and careers as women artists are still not seen as “normal,” even now in these “modern” times. But by talking about this and sharing our experiences, I think we can help each other overcome this challenge.  For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | Confinement

Developing and following a creative process is important to the work we do as artists. The process I follow gives structure and support to the work I create. Summary:  Being an artist and making art is rarely about creating something simply for the sake of creating. We usually have a message or experience we want to convey through our work. Using a good creative process can help and enhance our efforts.  In my creative work, I’m trying to breach the barrier between two different worlds: the physical world that we “know” and experience with our five senses, and the inner world that we pay less attention to. This inner world is made up of “invisible” magic or spirituality, sensitivity, and emotion.  The creative process I use is made up of phases, which gives structure and support to the work I create. Through the process of gathering ideas, reflecting on and refining them, and then finally acting on those ideas, I am able to create a body of work that makes sense and conveys the message I want to send to my audience.  For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | Creative Process

Resistance isn’t the negative thing we think it is. Here’s how confronting the internal and external resistance you face can be a positive, empowering process.  Every artist is familiar with “resistance” and how it shows up in all sorts of ways, making our dreams and goals seemly impossible to reach. I recently realized that there are two major kinds of resistance: inner resistance, which often shows up as fear, doubt, and confusion – and outer resistance, which can show up as people being upset with you, or as obstacles between you and what you want. Resistance came up in a very personal way for me when my husband and I decided to take our children and move to California for a month. When I stepped back to confront the objections from everyone around us and my own inner doubts, I realized that these outer and inner forms of resistance are actually very intertwined and connected. In the process of planning for our trip and overcoming my doubts, I learned how confronting inner resistance can help overcome outside resistance, and how both forms of negative resistance can actually become something very positive and empowering. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | On Resistance

This is a big-time important and interesting theme for me. I have been investigating for a long time about this subject because I feel often a pull and a push on the idea of fitting in the society we live in. What I realized is that feeling this way is not very empowering and therefore to position myself in a stronger position where I am not depending on what is going on around me, I need to take a stand and act on it. Therefore, I am raising the questions of changing the society and our role as cultural agents and if we can truly change society if we keep building on what exists in this same society, on what is? For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | Fitting In

Today I am exploring what I believe vulnerability brings us and how it is important to welcome it along with fears in our creative process. I think it is at the heart of changing society and bringing positive change to the world. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | Vulnerability

In this episode, I talk about the void in our daily life as artists and how I believe that this void or blank page has so much meaning and power and how it is so important to confront it and embrace it because ultimately, we want to create our own void to create pieces that we can truly contemplate.  I have two pretty awesome quotes for this episode. The first one is from Deepak Chopra "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you" and the second from Levi Strauss "If the composer withholds more than we anticipate, we experience a delicious falling sensation; we feel we have been torn from a stable point on the musical ladder and thrust into the void." Food for thoughts!  For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | Facing the Void

After dealing with a huge fire in the parking garage of my studio and home and having to evacuate and not be able to return for a long time, I bring you the insights and symbols of what started a new practice for me. For more information, please visit www.rawradical.com Follow us on: Instagram Facebook Twitter

Private View | Fire

Getting real about being a woman in the arts with artist Mauren Brodbeck. Bi-monthly podcasts for female artists and creatives aiming to make a mark, change society, ignite their inner volcano and belong to and create a rocking community. Let's get real about living a life in the arts and the multi-faceted roles of being a creative woman. For more information, visit us at www.rawradical.com

hubhopper

Private View by Raw and Radical - bi-monthly diaries on gett...

hubhopper