Work Ethic Under Quarantine

By Mary Rockcastle

I’m sure in the past week or so you’ve heard the fun fact that Shakespeare wrote not only King

Lear but also Macbeth while under quarantine from the black plague. The tidbit my dad keeps

using is that Sir Isaac Newton was sent home from school to be quarantined from the same

plague and conceived of the idea of universal gravitation, along with other great works. His

time under quarantine is known as his “marvelous years.”

Something about unexpected free time completely freezes my productivity. I sometimes flash

back to this series of therapy sessions I had years ago when I was an illustration major at a

design school in New York. My therapist was this really lovely woman covered in tattoos and

had the softest most calming voice in the world. I remember telling her how much anxiety I had

when I would miss class for being sick with a cold or something but not get anything done for

my thesis in my new found free time.

“So, you can’t get to class because you’re taking care of yourself by resting, but you feel guilty that you now have free time that you’re not being productive with?”

Yeah that’s about it.

The curse of always feeling productive is instilled in a lot of millennials my age, but I feel it

pulsing through my veins every godamn day of my life. If I just go to my full time job and come

home and don’t, i don’t know, knit or do laundry or mend or cook a big ass dinner or sew in my

studio or start a new hobby or do anything on top of what I’ve already accomplished that day

I’ve failed so horribly I might as well turn myself in to the police. Just going to my day job to

support myself and my family is not good enough, I must also be using my free time for more

artistic pursuits or else I’m just... not doing enough.

Quarantine for Covid 19 is obviously a bit different than a couple of sick days. There’s nowhere

to go, no errands to run or home projects to distract from the simple fact that I’m supposed to

be creating my great work. This is literally the perfect time to create a magnum opus. Start oil

painting again. Work on one of the graphic novels I’ve been thinking about. Even just drawing a

little bit.

The pressure to create a great masterpiece has absolutely paralyzed me. I can’t even decide if it’s safe to walk to my artist studio and clean which has kept me from being “productive” in any traditional way. So far on days I haven’t been working my day job this quarantine I’ve just watched a lot of tv in bed and consumed a lot of alcoholic seltzer. But I think (outside the drinking) that it’s ok not to be productive in times of horror and struggle, even if it results in free time. It’s the idea of an artist that they fill all free time with creative expression but that idea is just a stereotype. I’m not exactly the kind of artist who is constantly overflowing with rainbows of creativity every minute. Being creative takes time and effort for me and involves taking a check in with myself about whether or not I have the time and energy to fulfill my artistic pursuits. Some of my crafts, like sewing or knitting, are less difficult to work on. But drawing and painting is an emotional experience that sometimes I just don’t have the mental energy to do.

Follow Mary!

So it’s ok not to be “productive” during the epidemic. For right now I’m doing a lot of laundry

and mending some clothes that need it. It’s ok not to create a masterpiece. It’s ok just to survive.

All You Have to do is Notice Things

I've been a digital producer for a long time. Nearly two decades now. And while I consider myself to have been successful in what I do and diverse in my portfolio of photography, design, audio, video and now work around mental health empowerment with my podcast DOPEamine, I've mostly come to realize that my career has been built on a few main ideas. 

Consistent work, "taste" and "the art of seeing".

I think most artists will agree with this to some degree or another. Consistent work as a concept speaks for itself but I'll talk about it anyway because that's a thing I do.

Notice that I didn't mention anything about quality first because quality doesn't come first, no matter what angle you approach it from. Yes, yes, you've gotta make "good" work but that doesn't come out of nowhere.

I don't know too many children that pick up crayons and develop masterpieces on the first day (despite what mom or the fridge says). But does that stop them from scribbling something, calling it "Herbie" and being in love with it and demanding it be put on display? They keep creating and to me, that's all an artist is, someone who didn't stop creating. Consistent work is about being okay with the result not matching up with what you want or your sense of taste. You either do it and sometimes don't like but keep going anyway or you do it, don't like it and stop wholesale to become an accountant (no shade on being an accountant but it's not what I'd want to be is all I'm saying).

But then there's also that third person. You know, the one who doesn't take criticism well or at all and doesn't do "good" work by anyone's standard yet doesn't stop bragging about how great they're work is and people just "don't get it" and convinces themselves that it's the greatest thing since the invention of the meatball (sorry, this is not a vegan or gluten free article).

The difference between them and someone who makes work consistently is the evolution of taste amidst that process. I think anyone is capable of making space for someone who is growing and in-process but someone who never learns can give off the vibe that they're  afraid to put their ego on the line or its obvious that they're not being exposed to enough new ideas.

Taste comes in as the pathway to originality. Taste being a collection of inspirations, connections, and experiences that have resonated with boundaries being formed around what no longer inspires, resonates or connects. Sometimes that's personal and other times that's cultural. Even artists who go against the grain are operating from a perspective of taste. Knowing what the rules are in order to break them.

The challenge with taste is the dynamic and subjective nature of the content of taste. Taste being the development of the tuning fork not what's it tuned to. Taste is adaptable and changing, whereas a medium or message can become stale, static, and irrelevant.

Another way to look at it is that we all start by copying something we like as an expression of our taste. Little kids draw unicorns because they're rad and it's what they've been exposed to on Lisa Frank binders or cartoons. I like that and I wanna make that.  But then taste evolves as you add more elements into the stew. You give the unicorn a helmet and a jetpack but it roars like a lion and speaks German. Then you grow up and start a brewing company because your dad did it and now you want to so The German Unicorn is born. After some time you want to start a non-profit for people with ADHD because that's been a part of your story too, so you start The German Unicorn Jetpack Crew and ADHD foundation helping kids cope with their challenges.

While that's a ridiculous example, I think you see what I mean. It doesn't have to be linked to business or that kind of timetable or even linked to your past. It's simply an expression of what you love combined into a skillful creation meant to express who you are or make a connection. It becomes something original. Years or refining taste through trial and error, eventually landing on creating damn good work.

While the unicorn and brewing story is made up, the ADHD part is not. For me, ADHD is a big part of my story and has inspired me to create DOPEamine as a means to express my challenges with ADHD, cyclothymia and being a highly sensitive person. I use my digital production skills to create podcasts and YouTube videos with combined visual elements from astronomy, video games and elements of Philly culture, where I grew up.

None of that could've happened had I not opened myself up to seeing and experiencing. Life is all around you, so make sure to look up from time to time. You never know what you'll see.

What I love about the art of seeing is that it's a universal human experience. Even if you've never picked up a paint brush you can experience art at every turn if you listen to what activates a sense of joy for you. You can see reality as a limited experience or you can see it as an opportunity to take in everything around you that you have the opportunity to perceive.

The way the light hits a building, how the colors change in the sky, the patterns in a brick wall, or the shadows being created from a crowd of people, the reflections on a wet street, the way the trees line up, how the snow highlights tree branches, or amazement at the construction of nearly any building.

While consistent work and taste are important, perspective is what I value most. No one sees what I see the way I see it. No one sees what you see the way you see it.

I may be standing in a spot looking in a direction at a time of day not commonly experienced, and especially not captured. I see it as my job to look for and capture those moments with considerations of my taste in how to line up the shot and taking lots of good photos.

What I ultimately hope to encourage with my work is that you look for similar moments yourself, to even see that the perspective is possible then when you're standing in line, being impatient, stuck in traffic or stuck somewhere you can find beauty in the difficult situation.

You probably have a smartphone. Take photos of what you notice. Appreciate the nuances of the world around you, develop your taste and do it often. Experience other people's work, then go see more work, then develop a skill and put those inspirations into the work, then attach all of that to something important. All you have to do to start is notice things.

Thanks!

Christian Rivera | Digital Producer
—
http://www.cnote.media
http://www.dopeamine.life

How to Incorporate Art into Your Home

How to Incorporate Art into Your Home

Originally published on Redfin

Adding art to your interior can be an excellent way to elevate the feel of a room. Depending on which piece you display, you can change the character of a space and create an aesthetic that is uniquely yours. 

Photo by Christian Rivera

Now, the location and context of your art can play a huge role in how it affects any given room. And unfortunately, if you're like most of us, you don't know much about either art or interior design. That's why we've rounded up artists from California to Pennsylvania to offer their best tips on how to choose the right piece and effectively incorporate it into your home. Below, you'll find masters of the craft explaining the science behind art, often using their own work as an example. Read on and enjoy this collection of unique work and expert tips!

Kristina Kaiser, The Yards Collective: "Here at The Yards Collective we rotate exhibitions about every two weeks, that’s a lot of art that comes through our doors! When collecting pieces for a home I suggest buyers select pieces that deeply resonate with them and can be timeless. Sure it’s nice to pick a piece that will go above your blue chevron sofa, but art is an investment and you need to think of it that way! I suggest buyers pick pieces that will complement a collection instead of just one room."

Reflecting on a BIG year!

by Kristina Kaiser

Photo from Floated Magazine

As 2019 comes to a close I have been reflecting on the many beautiful moments this year has brought us at The Yards. So I decided, why not review and share a few of my personal highlights?

In 2019 we had 18 showcases! I love that The Yards offers a unique venue where emerging artists can put together the exhibit they want to see. Often when I am meeting with potential exhibitors I like to frame the space as a blank canvas to create the show of their dreams. Depending on the show I can be pretty hands off; for me, one of the most exciting things in running this space is walking into the gallery and seeing how one individual's vision has transformed the space I have known so well and seen take so many forms. 

I don’t want to pick favorites because each and every exhibit was immensely impressive. That being said, I can’t just leave you hanging, right?! Here are my personal top three shows of the year, for different reasons. 

Gracia Nash, 2019

Nate Hodge Installation. November, 2019

I love the Politits Art Coalition Show, I may be biased because I am a juror of this exhibit but I really enjoy the diversity of works that are submitted and the international representation. These shows always have a really powerful message and I am looking forward to what will come to be in 2020. The 2020 Call for Art is out now, I strongly encourage applying!

Gracia Nash had a fantastic glass thesis exhibit this Spring. To be frank glass as a medium in a communal use space sometimes makes me cringe. I was thrilled with this exhibit and the level of play and vulnerability. I’m very much looking forward to following this dynamic artist in the future!

Nate Hodge Pop-Up! Can we just say holy smokes dude?! Do you sleep. Like ever? I was thrilled when Nate reached out regarding a unique and intimate pop-up style event. Nate had done our Residency twice but it’d been many years since working with him. It always warms my heart to see how artists work develop and change throughout the years and how certain styles of work feel so dang right in our space. Nate please do more shows with us!!!

Our programming also had a really refreshing year! Artists Talks, Figure Drawing, Flour City Readings, and Numerous Specialized Classes.

We were lucky enough to have Jim Mott join us on a very hot summer evening. He shared with his journey of 20 Years of Socially-Engaged Art Projects. It was an inspirational presentation and I know I felt compelled to deepen my connections within my own community.

Flour City Readings… so cool! As a 2-D artist sometimes I have a hard time connecting with literature. I was thrilled when Jennifer Kircher-Carr and Geoff Graser (both studio members) collaborated to propose this recurring event for the space. Curated reading series? Yes please!! Stay tuned for what Flour City Readings has to offer in 2020.

Our partnership with 540 West Main was an exciting new adventure! Unfortunately attendance during Sunday classes never really stuck. But that’s why we have a programming questionnaire to get your feedback. We’d love to hear how we can improve our programming, want to share your thoughts through our survey?!

Our 24-Hour Birthday Fundraiser...Ambitious? Yes. Crazy? Maybe, a bit. This was our most successful fundraiser to date and it wouldn't have been possible without the support of so many local artists and businesses. When this idea was conceived, it was with the thought that I wanted to pull off an event I hadn’t seen done in Rochester before. I also wanted to bring all the different parts of the Yards together that make our space great. Live music, restorative practices, silent auction, collaborative activities. We might have been a little insane, but we sure pulled off one hell of a party. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for believing in what we do here at The Yards!⁠

2019 was also a year for growth and doing things outside my comfort zone. Although I would wholehearted accept my role as a leader, my role as a spokesperson for the space doesn’t come as second nature, but really grew this year out of necessity. 

We had the opportunity to be featured in Print & Online with Floated Magazine. I got to stop by the Graphic Ear to chat on the radio with Sabra Wood about our Birthday Fundraiser. We even got to be on TV live with local news station WHAM 13 when they came to cover the Public Market’s Holiday Event and had an amazing opportunity to show off ourselves and our members to the community at large.

Growth and participation within our community here at the Yards has increased, this includes both makers and art supporters. We had four Members Showcases throughout this year and each one felt so different. We don’t curate these exhibits but I am always impressed with our hive mind and how we are on the same color palette wave length.

We closed out the year with a Members Showcase and Live Painting. I hadn’t done live painting in years and it felt like coming home. I am looking forward to some of the other Membership opportunities coming up in 2020. One of my favorite Members events of the year was our Friendsgiving event held in early December.

If you are interested in becoming involved or supporting The Yards I highly encourage becoming a Member. We are revamping the Membership tiers with some exciting new perks. Keep your eyes peeled for more info!

Looking ahead to 2020 and what’s in store for The Yards!

• Expansion?! We are working towards securing a sister space to accommodate more artists looking to dive into their practice. Hopefully if this space works out we will hit our long sought after goal of increased accessibility.

• Teem Ambassador Program! I am so excited to work with young adults in our community and share the resources The Yards has to offer. The first session starts in February. If you know a teen that might be interested please send them over to attheyards@gmail.com!

• We now have a committee. Say what?! Studios, Programming, Communications, and more! We have an amazing team of volunteers who are putting in a lot of hard work into the New Year to strengthen the mission and outreach of the Yards.

From the bottom of my heart thank you for your support. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without an amazing team behind me. I have grown so much through my experience at The Yards and I hope I can share what I’ve learned with our community. It has taken so many years to get where we are but I can’t wait to see what is in store for us in 2020. Cheers to the year ahead, continuing to learn, grow, and support each other in our practices and lives.

Much Love, KK

A Q & A with Michaela Chan: Former Resident, Current Renter

Q: Who are you?

A: I am Michaela. I am a storyteller. I make these lies come true with pictures and words. 

People ask if my parents are artistic-- 3 of their 6 children have gone this path. Mom would say, Not like you kids, and Dad would shrug. I say yes. Artists prod the substance that envelops them-- then delight in the response. While sometimes a thrilling response is absence, my parents’ preference is thumping vibrance. They are artists of chaos. I think I have grown among that.

This is me and Bae-K, who is Jiayu but no one calls her that. The teal dress served me well.

Q: How did your journey begin?

A: How did my journey begin!? I feel each day it begins again, but maybe this is beginner’s luck. I sought perfect handwriting in second grade. Then I made still life arrangements out of classroom objects, and these doodles continued in the margins of notebooks up to age 21. I think I was playing volleyball when I tore some stuff in my knee, and that shabang  --,,suffering,,-- pulled me out of my skin. I bolted from my laboratory chair into the wilderness of a summer camp to be a counselor. Wonderful! Except… me and my friend Nai were the onliest non-whites. (And do I even count?) A summer of conversations, and I needed to make a left turn. I applied for a fifth year scholarship to study American Race Relations. I found stories again, casting many kinds of shadows. 

I am supremely grateful to have molecular collisions as a formalized framework to conceptualize life. I am, however, more grateful to have ripped my knee’s bungee cords and padding a couple times. Through my physical dissatisfaction, I discovered a more interesting (to me) way to explore the mystery of life: that macro phenomenon, humans and their wants. In storytelling, I seek an understanding of life that walks with the inconsistencies of humanity.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m making a book!!! I am three exclamation points excited about it. I don’t know if you’ll like it though. It’s a little scary. It’s about biology research in the second decade of the 21st century. It’s also about (love). It’s made out of words and pictures.

This breaks my heart for some reason. A December ‘19 work.

Q: Who is your audience?

A: My brother asked me this question last winter as I formulated EmptyFullEmptyFull for the Yards January Residency. I said, rolling like a trapped, turned over turtle on the sofa, ‘I don’t know!! I don’t know!! Have you always been this intense about asking questions!!??’ I hugged my knees and said ‘I just want to write a story!’ I have since understood that understanding who I write to is important. Last Friday this question was asked again, and my diva ego whispered, ‘high school students of 2100 who complain they have to read ancient books.’ 

But to answer the question realistically: my audience consists of people curious about scientific validity in this contemporary and ancient tradition when stories alone make truth. I hope my audience wants to know more about what it is to fall out of love with a person. And I further hope my audience wonders about the boundaries of I, you, them.

This is

排骨

( Pai Guat.)

Two truths and a lie:

-His name is a food Chinese people eat.

-I have a tattoo of him.

-I ate him.

You might find me digitally at www.michaelachan.com. Besides a blog I keep up with, there may even be some embarrassing love poems posted. Thank you for reading. I hope you breathe easy.

This is part of EmptyFullEmptyFull rough draft. Made during Yards January Residency.

Storytime with RAD

Storytime

with Rachel Anna DeVona

I hold children’s books in high esteem. They house some of my favorite memories. From before we could walk and talk, our parents had been reading to us, my brothers and I. Family favorites like Burton and Dudley, Two Bad Ants, White Dynamite and Curly Kidd, My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother, Firemouse, Little Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear, Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna, or any Bill Peet book, to this day fill me with wonderment and entertainment while giving me a sensation of home, comfort, and love. 

As we each reached elementary school, part of our morning routine, along with breakfast, chores, packing our lunch bags, and in my case, brushing and braiding my 2.5 foot long hair, was sitting in Mom's lap as she read to us from chapter books. Over the years as we waited for the bus we heard all about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family as they moved west through America, from their little house in the big woods, to the dugout house in the plains. We journeyed through the wardrobe as we traveled to Narnia and back, then all the way to The Last Battle. We read Beverly Clearly favorites, laughing along with the escapades of Ramona Quimby, Ralph S. Mouse, Henry Huggins and Ribsy. We heard the ancient and original fairy tale renditions of Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm, as well as other beautiful hardcover editions from the Illustrated Junior Library.

When my older brother was six, soon to turn seven, I was born, so I had the benefit of hearing stories read from him as I grew up! And then I was eight when our youngest brother was born, so he enjoyed a houseful of accumulated stories and books! There are cassettes of us reading our favorite books we taped, as we anxiously anticipated a new sibling, bursting with excitement to share with them our favorite books! The idea being that the baby would want to hear our voices at all hours of the day, maybe when we're gone at school and couldn't actually hear us, that this tape and these stories would bring comfort. 

If you browse our family bookcases, you'll find inscriptions inside the covers.  Children’s books with love notes from my Dad to my Mom, before they ever even had kids! Books wishing us happy birthday or a merry Christmas from grandparents, aunts and uncles. Books with our handprints drawn inside, nesting in each other, signed and dated. Books with our names scrawled in them as we learned to write, sporting the occasional backwards letter. Looking back, these inscriptions stamp each books with another layer of story to tell, marking the time and place with the handwritten ink from my family’s hands.

I remember the first ever real chapter book I bought myself from a Barnes in Noble in second grade (Chasing Redbird). I remember as I advanced as a reader, still wanting to go to the children's section in our elementary school and local library, because, well, I like the illustrations and I wanted to revisit some old favorites! I remember listening to Harry Nilsson's The Point and illustrating it as the story was told and sung on giant rolls of kraft paper with my dad. I remember listening to my little brother retell stories he had been read, cute, backwards, and sleepy. I remember storytime at the public library, being four years old and trying to understand that all these books are free and I can take them home! I remember my dad home from the hospital and being worried at six years old, but we snuggled right in and he read me a story to calm me down and return us to normalcy. I remember the lyrics to Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton! I remember Jim doing the voices spot on as he re-read aloud his favorite childhood series to Joe. I remember everyone taking their turn at making up bedtime stories for Joe. I remember my grandparents reading me a story they read to mom as a girl. I remember flipping through an animal encyclopedia and each choosing a side to draw in our own sketchbooks with Jim. I remember being in middle school and going downstairs with some other classmates to read to the kindergarteners, where Joe was a student. I remember dad coming home from a meeting at Barnes and Noble and when he came in to say good night he gave me my first Harry Potter book (which was the third one, Prisoner of Azkaban!) just as JK Rowling was taking off when I was in third grade. I remember other kids saying, "Well of course you like reading, your dad is the librarian, you have to read!" Sigh, no kids, I like to read because it's fun and awesome and there are so many stories out there. I like reading because I am so lucky to be a part of this family. Where reading, storytelling, imagination, creation, drawing, thinking, playing and making are all connected and a part of life! Dad being a librarian is just a perk of this life! I am certain, even if he wasn’t a librarian, that our habits of reading for the joy of it would be the same.

This is all just a long winded attempt, to simply say, reading is awesome. Children's books are wonderful windows, influential and memorable. I have been lucky enough to meet an author who wanted me to illustrate her story, and now that book is done and ready and it's very exciting! The book is “Arlo’s Garden,” and if you read it, you’ll meet Arlo, an elderly racehorse. He finds himself in a new home with some delicious life changes ahead of him! How the world knew to bring the author, Lisa L. Lynn, and myself together, I’ll never know, but I’ll be forever grateful. Our meeting has rekindled the horse girl in me, reminding me to play, run, have joy, and yes, let loose the occasional nicker! The eight year old girl that still resides within me is so proud of what I’ve made, and she thinks you should read the story, and look at the illustrations. I’ve illustrated a children’s book, and it’s been an amazing turn of the page on my career path. I feel like I can create art, keep aflame that childlike wonder, have a foot in the literary and educational world, while still being my own boss. It’s also scary and difficult, but life is about learning! 

Support a local artist and a local author, just a couple of grown up horse girls, and buy our book:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/arlosgarden

Visit us at our Book Release Party at The Yards on Saturday, November 30th from 10 AM till 2 PM. Both myself, Rachel, and the author, Lisa, will be there to sign and sell books, talk horse stories, have a read-aloud and play host on Small Business Saturday. All thirteen original illustrations will be hanging on the gallery walls.

Read aloud, read quietly, be read to, create a story, draw that story, retell that story, make it rhyme. You can take reading with you YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!

We are almost there!

We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for your support during our 24-hour event last weekend. We had so much fun and are delighted to share some photos of the event with you captured by our studio member Mark Widman of Go Nomadic. 

If you weren’t able to make it out last weekend but want to show your support we have a couple different ways you can help us through the rest of our Birthday month!

Since we were so close to achieving our goal of $8,000 we started a GoFundMe for $2,000 to make up the difference. 

We are also extending our Silent Auction through this weekend October 26th and 27th due to some stellar last minute donation!

The gallery has also been reset to highlight pieces that may have been harder to reach for bidding. So even if you came out last weekend we would encourage you to stop by this weekend as well!

Interested in what we are raising funds for?! We did a little break down and hope you’ll consider a contribution. Every little bit goes a long way and we want to grow to be the best we can be for our artists and community!!!

Our Goal $8,000

Programs- $1,600

Flour City Readings

Teen Ambassadors

Figure Drawing

Scholarships- $1,550

Collaborative Residency

Emerging Artist Showcase 

Studio Space

Maintenance and Repairs- $850

Consumables- Paint, Paper Products, Etc

Studio Upkeep

Facility Improvements- $1,000

Lighting, Signage, Etc

Staff Stipend- $2,000

Non-Profit Legal Counsel- $1,000

A quick reflection from Kristina Kaiser

As The Yards prepares for it’s 8th anniversary, I am both excited and overwhelmed reflecting on all the growth in the past year. (Also if you know me, you know I don’t like the term anniversary, I much prefer Birthdays)! 

I am lucky enough to have witnessed and contributed to The Yards for the past 7 years. I started at the space in 2011 as a doey eyed intern eager to make my career in the arts.

Founders Sarah C. Rutherford and Lea Rizzo were wonderful mentors, along with Heather McKay who was renting an area in the “BackYards” space. I met numerous strong women making space for themselves and others, this demonstration of support and community are what tied me to the space. I finally felt I found somewhere belonged, where I could grow, and be with my people. 

Often those early days seem like a million miles away and it’s hard to keep track of what year we did what event. Sometimes it’s wild to think how I got to be where I am now and that somehow with the help of many, MANY, people we are inches away from making this space truly sustainable.

Part of the budget we are raising money for are items that would make the space operate more efficiently. New hardware for installing gallery exhibits, a projector with wifi connection, along with updated tools in our wood-shop that are safer and easier to use. With 20 members in our studio space we go through a large amount of consumables. Rotating shows every couple weeks means we go through a lot of paint and a lot of labor. 

From a business perspective the simple option would be to raise rental rates. But I know if we did this we would lose the demographic I feel most compelled to work with, support, and represent. Emerging artists have very few spaces to show their work, try out new ideas, or get experience installing an exhibit. This is especially true in Rochester where I feel the majority of representation in established venues is dependant on the ability of the work to sell. The Yards was once that accessible space for me, I want to continue that legacy and keep our space as economically feasible for emerging artists as possible.

Another big chunk of what we are raising funds for is to continue our low cost programming. We have a number of folks that volunteer their time to strengthen the space, which we are grateful for but want to start compensating these class facilitators for the work they put in. 

We are also in the progress of developing a Teen Ambassador program that will give teens a peek into the art world and how community spaces function. We hope to share tools to build self confidence, engage with arts consumers, and leave us with basic sales and community engagement experience.

Some funds we are earmarking for three sponsored exhibits focusing on new media, installation, and performance works. We want to also offer two scholarships to our Collaborative Residency Program that will enter its 7th year of operation this January. 

Music, food, art, collaboration, installations, and discussions. The essence of what we do has been distilled in a colorful and multifaceted 24-hour event. What we have put together for you this year are all the things I consider to make The Yards great.

We hope this weekend you will help us as we look ahead to the future and Celebr8 the past!

Love, 

KK

Being an Artist in Rochester

Choosing this life is deceptive; it feigns freedom and opportunity, to create that which you decide you should, without revealing the sobering reality that financial success is not guaranteed.  It stokes ego, pushing your passions into the realm of thinking you can support yourself with your art, without admitting that creating art is merely a fraction of the overall job of being an artist.  These are not new revelations, and I take no ownership of these statements, I only convey my personal experience to reinforce them.

“How have I been successful? Beyond my own skill and creativity, I try very hard to be a decent human being.”

Growing up, I had two passions: art and science.  I originally chose science for a career, and the universe laughed at me.  To put it lightly, I failed out of college for trying to pursue something I was not as good at.  To make matters more complicated, my academic reset was at a school with few connections in the art community.  The programs were strong, but realtors are right: location location location—my school was too far away from any major city to make an impact.

Coming home to Rochester, I was a step behind.  Finding creative work was incredibly difficult, so I went the path that most artists take to make a living: working retail.  The benefit there was invaluable training in how to talk with the general public (As an artist selling their work, you’re going to have to talk to people).

Finding Work as An Artist

When I did find work as an artist, it was the exactly the situation I had hoped to avoid: I hated my job, and therefore hated what I was good at.  I was in an extremely toxic environment of corporate bullshit.  For all its negativity, it was a great lesson in knowing exactly how NOT to run a business and how NOT to treat people.

These experiences ultimately led to my starting my personal project: Transit Apparel, and formally entering the Rochester Arts Community as one of its working artists.  I have been fortunate enough to enjoy success with my project and grow my work these past six years.  I had no connections or friends when I started, only an idea.  How have I been successful? Beyond my own skill and creativity, I try very hard to be a decent human being.  And this community is pretty observant to who is civil and who is not.  For the many circles of Rochester’s creative world, I have witnessed MANY egos shot down and left to rot.  It doesn’t matter how good you are or think you are, there will ALWAYS be someone better than you (I tell you this not as a resignation, but to convey that there is always more to learn).

Secrets of the Trade

Within the circle of artisans, I’ll share with you a secret: for every art show or festival you apply to, there is a black list.  That list is full of egotistical artists who don’t play well with others, and the organizers have grown tired of dealing with their antics.  It is best not to make that list.

So in trying to wrap this up into something useful for those of you trying to make it as an artist in our little slice of paradise, I wish to impart this wisdom: be a decent human being.  It is a fantastic personality trait if you don’t have connections from school, artist collectives and groups will be much more open to you, and galleries and shows will be much more eager to exhibit your work.  Great work is great work, but who will see it if you can’t get it displayed? And yes you can go about it yourself with your own public space or forum, but as I said earlier, as an artist selling their work, you’re going to have to talk to people.  And in Rochester, we’ve been through too much to put up with bullshit.

By Matt Rogers

https://www.transitapparel.com/

Finding Place with Sowolu

I first heard of The Yards in late 2017 from an art friend I made while curating shows for a small—now defunct—coffee shop on the Erie Canal in the ‘burbs. It was the lovely and talented Amber Tracy, who was a renter there at the time and told me about the Collaborative Art Residency.  It sounded exactly like the opportunity I had been waiting to come along. I was in a dark place at the time and had been trying to bring my art practice, which I hadn’t touched since 2009, back from the dead.

At Amber’s recommendation I applied for the residency, lo’ and behold, I got accepted! It was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time, and I’m still grateful to my husband and employer at the time for their patience with me. I had to cut back on my work hours a bit to make time to work the minimum hours in the studio and be present for open studio Saturdays.

I was blessed with the humans I got to share space with during my January 2018 residency, I’m sure every resident says that but mine still felt special. It was Kristina’s first year officially steering the ship as executive director, and it culminated in a pop-up show at the Memorial Art Gallery. I’m still friends with some of my residency mates and am so grateful for that.

The experience meant a lot to me because I had been feeling very disconnected, I couldn’t relate to anyone around me anymore. Here at The Yards I was finally with like-minded individuals, who actually couldn’t be more different from each other, but shared a passion for exploration, questioning and of course, art. These things had been missing from my life for much too long.

I quickly fell in love with the space and the people, so when a studio space opened up later that spring I hopped on the chance, now my husband and I share a space in the corner of the main gallery. Making it work with rent and jobs is worth the struggle, but what I get from having a space dedicated to my art practice and in the midst of other working artists has been invaluable, how you do measure that?

I love walking up the street on Saturdays and seeing all the people swarming the public market, the dogs, the strollers, the couples, the buskers. I love saying hi to anyone I may know and greeting strangers. For some reason I love walking up our crazy stairs and seeing how the light is different that morning. I love walking to my studio door and opening it up to see my studio, every time. I love saying hi to my fellow renters as they trickle in for the morning. I love taking smoke breaks on the fire escape and watching the streets bustle while I listen to the conversations at Java’s beneath me.

Sometimes it’s hard to find thins to be grateful for, especially these days. I’m grateful for finding The Yards, a place I can feel comfortable to be my weird art self, and not do it alone.

By: Lisa Rickman
@Sowolu

sowoluphoto.com

Flour City Readings—A New Reading Series at The Yards

by Jennifer Kircher Carr

When I invited a friend to my recent reading, she told me she had never gone to a reading before, and didn’t know what to expect. 

“It’s the best!” I told her. “Story time for grown-ups.” Three excited smiley face emoji (yes, I also talk to others mainly via text). 

When we’re kids, story time is a given. We all sit together on the floor, huddled around some adult with a book, listening aptly as the pages turn and the story unfolds. But as we get older, the chances of that type of experience are fewer and farther between. Yet still, hearing words aloud in the room brings us together. There is something about being there with others who are hearing the same words take shape in the air before us, the story being painted in each of our minds simultaneously, laughing or gasping at the same time. For a few precious moments, those of us in the room put the rest of the world on hold and come together in the shared experience of story. 

I admit that I first thought of starting a new reading series for selfish reasons: I wanted to have a regularly-scheduled event in Rochester where I could go hear a range of work and voices. Luckily for me, another resident writer at The Yards, Geoff Graser, had a similar vision. As we met to discuss what we each wanted to see in a new series, we knew a key component was to create a series that could also help support The Yards—an amazing arts collective housed within the Public Market (with lovely studio and gallery space) that supports local artists and community members in so many ways, including an art lounge open to the public on Saturdays during Market hours. As an art collective largely created by visual artists, Geoff and I also had the goal to spread the word about The Yards to the writing community about all the goodness The Yards contains and brings. Art supports art! We’re all in this together. 

But what else? We started dreaming a little…

Inexpensive yet high caliber. Diverse voices from Rochester and beyond. Easy parking. Always a mix of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Time-boxed! Wine and niblets… 

… and out of the fog a specific vision emerged into what we now call Flour City Readings at The Yards. This new bi-monthly series offers audiences the chance to hear exciting work from Rochester-area writers as well as from visiting authors. The curated format features four readers at each event, chosen specifically to include diverse voices in poetry, non-fiction, and fiction, with pieces that are riveting on their own and (we hope!) mesh or juxtapose with the other pieces to create a singular experience. 

Plus, the setting in the gallery at The Yards Art Collective is a great backdrop for a reading. Featured in a restored 1920s brick warehouse in the Rochester Public Market, its high ceilings, worn wood floors and exposed beams lend to a vibe I’ll call industrial-elegant. The intimate space offers nice acoustics (i.e., no steam wands screeching through a mocha latte right at the best part!). As a working gallery, often the reading takes place inside an existing visual arts exhibit—wonderful to browse during intermission and after! (And I do have a soft spot for the amazing creative space of The Yards, as my own little studio is tucked in the back…) 

We decided to ask for an optional $2-3 donation at the door because we want each reading event to be accessible to everyone. But that said, any donations above and beyond are gratefully accepted, and go directly to supporting The Yards and Flour City Readings. (Niblets are free and donated by your hosts!)

If you’re a writer, we encourage you to submit work to us, as we’re always looking for new voices. There’s something that transforms in us as artists when we read our work aloud. It’s one thing to be published on paper or online, but that still creates a singular experience between writer and reader. But to read your work in front of a live audience brings it alive in a new and exciting way.

Link to submissions (scroll to bottom of page):

http://theyardsrochester.com/programming

Our next Flour City Reading is Saturday, July 13 at 7:30 (doors open at 7 p.m.). We have an exciting line-up, including Stephen J. West, an essayist published in Brevity, Fugue, and PANK: Rachel Hall, author of an award-winning collection of linked stories; Aceyon Owens, slam poet and award-winning actor and director; and visiting poet Katherine Lazarus, who holds an MFA from Bennington College comes to us from Middlebury, Vermont. 

Call me by my title: Am I an Artist?

Somewhere along the line I stopped referring to myself as an artist. I felt uncomfortable with people calling my studio space an “artist studio.” I referred to myself as a maker, which is a term I stole from my woodworker boyfriend.

It’s not that I never was an artist, or was always uncomfortable with the term. In high school and early college I mostly was an oil painter and identified a lot with being a fine artist. I painted not only life studies but also spilled my feelings about a trauma I had experienced at 17 out onto canvas. For months I felt like I just dripped oil paintings out of my body, bleeding out and coping with paint. These paintings are what got me into the best design school in the USA, and I moved to New York at 18 to “be an artist.”

In New York, going to Parsons, I discovered an ethereal light around those who identified as “fine artists” and not just designers. I struggled to declare a major after my first two semesters, swaying back and forth between fine art and illustration. Fine artists were thoughtful, curious, and experimental people, and I felt if I couldn’t push the boundary of art itself I would never be a successful “fine artist.” See? even here I keep writing “fine artist” in quotations because the definition of it is so swiftly changing. Chameleon like, shifting definition from person to person. I don’t even feel comfortable defining artistry and I went to school for it.

I chose to major in illustration. I loved my time as an illustration major and at the time I absolutely reveled in being called an illustrator. I loved being associated with children’s books and comics, two of my favorite things. However, college was difficult on my mental health. I scraped my way out of my depressive mood swings by picking up a job at Purl Soho, a knitting and fabric store in Soho. I had become convinced in my depression that my illustration skills weren’t good enough, and if I wasn’t even the best illustrator in my graduating class, I would never be able to support myself as a freelancer. Spoiler alert: I graduated in 2015, and just now in 2019 I’m starting to rekindle my love of illustration again. Once you take the pressure off to be a Professional IllustratorTM you can actually take the time to make good stuff.

As I was graduating in 2015 I had a bit of a rebellious moment: Oh, did I just get this expensive BFA in Illustration? That’s funny, because i’m a SEAMSTRESS NOW. I sparked joy by distracting myself from the pressure of using my degree by sewing garments and quilts. It’s still my preferred hobby.

Here’s where we really start struggling with labels. There’s no really good term to call yourself when you make garments for yourself. Seamstress connotes that you alter other people’s clothing, and fashion designer has a glamorous aftertaste. I was making clothes from patterns, posting them on the internet, and bonding with other people doing the same. The sewing community coined the term “sewists” which works pretty well but it’s not widely known and autocorrects often to sexists, which is annoying as balls.

After moving back to Rochester and sewing on the side, I flopped around with labels and professions. After everyone told me I was a fashion designer I decided to try being a fashion designer, and I hated it. I had a children’s accessory line which I also hated. I flopped all over the city like a confused salmon, just trying to make things and hope people liked them.

About a year ago I started making banners out of canvas and felt and I really enjoyed it. I changed my business name and started peddling my wares at local craft shows. At the time I was making these banners out of the studio apartment my boyfriend and I shared and it clearly was not working. I decided to pursue a studio space where I could make these banners and also continue to sew garments. Luckily for me, a spot just my size opened up at the Yards in December of 2018.

I love the Yards a lot, but it’s starting to give me a complex about the title of “artist.” We have monthly resident meetings where we meet and discuss the space and upcoming events, but we also recap what we’ve been working on and our successes of the month. At first I was like “Ah yes, you are all fine artists and I, a plebeian, make products for the masses to consume.” but slowly I’ve started to rethink my position on this. The title of “artist” isn’t as black and white as I used to think it was. You can be an artist and make things to sell. You can be an illustrator and not be working in the business. You can be a lot of things, I think. All at the same time.

Learn more about Mary and visit her website!

Welcome, June 2019 Residents!

During the month of June, selected participants will be embarking on a collaborative journey with the goal of enhancing their own practice and the practices of others. The Yards Collaborative Residency program is upon us, beginning on June 5th and coming to a close with a “First Friday” showcase on July 12th (Rescheduled due to the Holiday). This month, we are proud to host six talented artists in their collaborative exploration.

Artists in residence will be able to draw from each other’s practices for guidance and inspiration in order to create a month-long body of work. Not only will they be able to utilize the creative minds around them, but it will also be important for their own knowledge and experience in their artistic practice to be shared and considered among their colleagues. In addition to collaboration with each resident, either in ideation or in physical practice, residents will be able to work with our team of permanent studio renters and community members. They will receive studio visits from local guest critics, and in turn make their own gallery visits in the Rochester area. At the conclusion of the month, our June residents will have gathered the resources to create something new and inspired, with the option to exhibit this work at their own exhibit in our gallery space.

Here is a look into the current practices of the six artists who will participate in the June Collaborative Residency:

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Megan May

Megan May is a multi-media artist based in Southern California and New York City. Putting her own body and practice at the heart of the work, May utilizes psychologically engaging tools like meditation, kundalini yoga and body movement practices to confront the interplay between physical and energetic facets of human embodiment.

“Moving away from object-oriented art-making into a performance-based practice I am a conduit for the experience. I build through daily personal practice, prayer, and communion with the moon and the elements. My attunement to the intelligence of non-human aspects of our reality informs my movements, my symbols, and my installation space. Drawing on esoteric knowledge, wisdom teachings of various traditions, depth psychology, psychoanalysis, somatic therapy, critical race, gender and sexuality theory, and feminist writings on women’s spirituality I bring a wealth of knowledge and insight.”

Instagram: @the_creative_cycle

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Terri Zebrak

Instagram: @terrizebrakdesigns

Terri Zebrak was born in Arizona, but has spent most of her life various regions of the U.S. as well as a few years abroad. The artist currently resides in Fairport, New York with her husband and three children. Her work is influenced greatly by her family. She has earned degrees in Literature, Education, and Graphic Design/Studio Art and recently left teaching to pursue a career in art.

On her artist statement, “I don’t quite know what it is. I suppose it all stems from fear…the fear of time. Time, the juggernaut, is an unstoppable force that can never be conquered. My art reflects my fear of time. I paint peaceful moments that can be cherished or distorted by memory.”

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Adair Finucane

Adair clams to be prone to using whatever media is on hand to depict her subject matter--but is partial to watercolors in small dimensions. She finds a sense of accomplishment in making small pieces that can be finished quickly, preferring to make art for herself rather than for a larger statement.

“I like to paint animals. I've been joking for a while that when I finally have an art show, that will be my artist statement. But really, I like to paint animals. In addition to creative energy, I try to channel…attention to detail into my artwork. My process is less about making a statement than it is about making time for myself and creating.”

Instagram: @yoga_adair

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Karrah Teague

From painting to tattooing, Karrah is an artist of many practices. Walking a line between minimalism and abstraction, Karrah’s work lends to tensely balanced outcomes of colorful, morphing shapes.

“The immediacy and texture of acrylics allow me to slash and jab about the canvas, physically navigating the space between intuition and purpose. I rarely paint without a concept in my head, but it’s often so ambiguous that the only way to carry on that conversation is visually. Continuing or attempting to resolve the intangible internal is what drives most of my work.”

Instagram: @the_grim_weeper

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Taylor Mica Kennedy

Taylor primarily uses pastel drawing as her medium to create portrait or scene based works, to capture the memory, humor, satire and melancholy found within family dynamics. Taylor’s use of illustrative marks, pattern, unusual perspective and rawly crafted figures depicts the day-to-day in an attempt to convey and capture the cyclic behaviors and routines of people.

“Moving home has been a story within itself, and my quest during the residency is to ground myself artistically using the duality of knowing two very different places (Upstate, NY and NYC) in my practice. I returned home to have my practice be at the center of my life again.”

Instagram: @taylor_mica_kennedy

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Emily Harper

Instagram: @emmalaurharper

Emily has been working on and off as a geologist and alpine ski tech while making time to travel and create art for the last decade. Emily is generally self taught, though draws much of her practice from inspiration of other artists. She incorporates repetition of basic graphic elements and color gradation into surreal or geometric landscapes and portrait-like images of plants and other circular forms.

Creating has been a long time meditative practice for Emily, branching from freehand ink mandalas into further explorations of shape, color, and repetitious patterns navigating the wiry world of adulthood and gathered life experiences. Patterns and shapes found in the earth and in foreign landscapes seep into compositions along with jarring, saturated color schemes.

Bring Back the Mixtape: A Remedy for Creative Block by Christie Nesbit

I can’t imagine my art practice and my studio without music. Music in the background, music in my headphones, or music left lingering in my mind. Much as food is the sustenance of life, music is the sustenance of creativity.

My first and most special music memories come from my late aunt. A textile artist, she was always hunting for the next great album to play in her studio. I can remember rolling down the highway with her singing and adding percussion with the shakers she stored in her cup holders. She taught me the significance of lyrics, their meaning, and the instrumentation so carefully paired.

Not only was my aunt always on the hunt for beautiful music, but she felt it was important to “gift” music. That is, to share her discoveries. We always spoke at length about what we were listening to. I can still remember when we shared excitement over the new artist we had both discovered: Amy Winehouse.

Beyond vocalizing her new discoveries, she gave physical gifts of music. She was known for her carefully curated mixtapes with beautiful covers she had designed. And, at Christmas, she would send family and friends her favorite album of the year.

This tradition left an impression on me. How simple to share something that you love, that is making you happy, that is feeding your creativity with those you love? A timeless, meaningful gift.

After her passing, my partner and I decided to try our hand at making mix CDs for loved ones. I’ve found it’s not only emotionally rewarding, but a great way to push through a creative block. Crafting a mix CD will push your mind into different creative tasks. It will stretch your right-brained muscles as you problem solve:

• Choosing the music: For a lover? For a group of friends? Do you want them to dance or be in awe of the lyrics? Do you want them to remember a specific time or trip?

• Track order: Once you’ve chosen the songs, it takes consideration to order them appropriately. You will be contemplating transitions, the mix of fast versus slow, total length, and a possible hidden track. This is an art form in and of itself – not a step to be missed!

• Album title: Here’s your chance to be witty as heck and name your first album! Think about the content, the audience, and occasion.

• Album art: Armed with your album title, think outside the box and design the album cover. This is a perfect opportunity to experiment! Try a new technique, process, and/or materials you’ve been considering using in your visual art. I’ve used photography, printmaking, and most recently, collage.

• Track listing: Give credit where it’s due! A track listing allows your recipients to dive deeper into artists of tracks in which they fall in love. Make sure you measure twice and cut once so that your insert fits.

These are tasks which most visual artists are not familiar with practicing. It gets the creative juices flowing in a rewarding, fun way. Also, you’ll feel warm and fuzzy giving the gift of music!

Here are a few examples of mix CDs we’ve made over the years:

Interactive Storyteller, Community Activist and Artist Ray Ray Mitrano

An Interview with Ray Ray Mitrano written by Lisa Rickman

Ray Ray’s signature portraits.

Interactive storyteller, community activist and artist Ray Ray Mitrano loves to participate in community-centered events, performances, workshops and group exhibitions. Whether it’s drawing, animation, education, performing, videography or multi-media, he loves making interaction and participation the focal point of his work. Ray Ray truly embraces collaborative improvisation and has brought that exciting energy to The Yards. He was kind enough to be interviewed for you wonderful blog readers.

“Rochester is in a moment where it can go a lot of different directions, especially within its arts communities,” says Ray Ray. “I think now is the time to collectively shape it into a sustainable and accountable future.”

He says he finds the most satisfaction out of working with people in his neighborhood, especially on issues that affect them the most.

“Working in context with the people in my neighborhood and the groups, businesses, and issues surrounding our local environment is what makes my arts practice meaningful,” he says. “If my work is without social connection then it can only go so far in what I need it to be. I need it to be part of my relationships with people. It needs to lead to something else I didn't expect.”

Social commentary on New York State’s closed two-party Presidential Primaries.

During his masters program with the Visual Studies Workshop Ray Ray explored civics through art over the course of the 2016 US Election campaigns. During a series of performance demonstrations on the sidewalk in front of the Monroe County Board of Elections he challenged them to address NYS’s closed primary system.

“How do we grow diverse candidates to harvest in the fall when the spring planting lacks everyone's seeds?” he asks. “What hinders the cultivation of elected representation? Why can't I vote in my tax-payer funded elections?”

If he could organize an event with anyone, Ray Ray says he would love to organize an event with the Monroe County Board of Elections to “creatively 'placemake' election culture throughout the city.”

Ray Ray creating a portrait for one of his favorite clients, Olive.

He encourages group activity more than anything, especially if you find something you’re struggling with, from civic action to simple play. Ray Ray tells us to start by finding a group of people you want to do things with. "’We do by doing’" he says, quoting one of his college professors.

“Once you have people you can trust and experiment with in a safe space, you'll find all sorts of creative approaches to working playfully,” he says.” Come to the Yards Lounge weekly Saturdays and we can try out some things at the paper crayon table!” Or, weather provided this summer, perhaps sidewalk chalk while we talk?

Ray Ray says his favorite Yards portraits session so far was with a toddler he was drawing who was simultaneously drawing him, while someone else was drawing both of them! “It's great when everyone is doing something with each other and by themselves at the same time” he says.

Currently, Ray Ray is based in Rochester, NY and for hire as a documentary illustrator of events, all-ages art workshops, creative activism, promotional design media, and stop-motion animating.

He is also one of the founding visionaries behind the Artist Sustainability Survey (@ass.roc on Instagram, podcasts available at www.mixcloud.com/assroc). Together with Gary Crocker and Reb Ayse they ask local artists of all crafts important questions about work, pay, and the sustainability of working artists in Rochester.

Come find him Saturdays at The Yards during Saturday’s public market hours, 10am-2pm, get your picture drawn and have some great conversation.

Please check out Ray Ray’s website to learn more about the artist and his work at www.rayraymitrano.com.

Three Reasons Why Instagram is an Amazing Tool for Artists

Three Reasons Why Instagram is an Amazing Tool for Artists

by Molly Elizabeth aka The Darling Rage

I started posting art on my Instagram only three years ago, and it was out of a place of desperation. Not desperation for likes or a following, or anything that you may be thinking. I posted to Instagram because I needed a way to pull myself up out of darkness. Art was that thing, and Instagram was the vehicle for accountability to myself.

As a young mother fresh into a second round of postpartum depression, I had committed myself to making something for at least 2-5 minutes a day for the rest of the year. Because I had a history of struggling with long commitments, I knew I needed an external way to keep myself going and making. So I decided to post to Instagram. Not for anyone else but me, and as a way to visually congratulate myself that I had made something new that day. I had no idea how much it would end up growing, or that I would be able to start selling my work professionally (later on) as a direct result of showing up on Instagram.

I posted my first picture on March 17, 2017 - the start of something new. From that point on, I have grown immensely as an artist and a person, and made the most amazing connections all over the world through this platform. It wasn’t just because of my work, it was because I started showing up and sharing my story. I’ve learned a ton along the way, so today I just want to give you three reasons why I love this tool so much as an artist, and how it can serve you too.

1. People don’t buy art, they buy artists - in a world of social connection, people have literally endless options at their fingertips all the time. They can buy anything they want at the click of a button, yet some of them choose to buy ART from me. This was shocking to me when it first started happening… but what I realized is that they weren’t necessarily just buying the art I was putting out their for its quality (that’s another discussion for another day) but because they were identifying with my story. They were getting to know me as another human, and they cared about me. Think about your own buying habits… aren’t you much more likely to support a store, cause, person… who you KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST? Someone you believe in? Someone who is open about themselves and their experiences? Social media can be challenging sometimes, but it is also amazing because of its endless capacity to connect us in ways we never have been able to connect before, across miles! Speaking of connections - you are also connected to galleries and brands around the world who are looking for artists to work with, which brings me to reason #2…

2. Social media is an opportunity to have a digital portfolio - Think about what artists had to do to get their work out there in the past. Not that long ago, if you were an artist and you wanted gallerists and other people to see your work, you would have to physically bring it to them. As in, carry your pieces, or photos of your pieces, to those people. You’d have to reach out and it took a lot more steps than it does now, thanks to social media. Now, all you have to do is start putting yourself out there digitally. You can post a picture of a painting you’ve just finished, or better yet, of you’re creative process… and immediately you’re able to invite people from all over the world into your studio for a first hand look at what you have to offer. Brands and galleries are all on social media too, and Instagram is the perfect opportunity to show off your work without ever leaving the couch. In fact, I had a gallery in North Carolina reach out to me several years ago when I was still pretty new to all this because he liked what he saw and wanted to include me in a group show - which he did. Pretty rad, right?

3. You can find your people - Instagram presents a very real opportunity for your to connect with real humans from all over the world. People that you would never have access to otherwise. Almost everyone is connected by the internet now, which means that it doesn’t matter how weird you are (the weirder the better, actually!) you can find people who resonate with you and your work. Is it as easy as just posting something and expecting them to come to you? No. Instagram like everything else has a learning curve and requires intentionality and strategy. The good news is, you’re not alone in this journey.

This Wednesday, April 10, I will be teaching my workshop “Creating a Digital Presence as an Artist” at The Yards - 7-8:30pm. Not only will I be going much more in depth with you about all the reasons you should be using Instagram for your art, I will also be taking you step by step through strategies that I have used in the past three years to show up authentically, share my voice, and grow my group of darling ragers. (I’m on Instagram as @TheDarlingRage if you need proof)

I love Instagram. It has been a tool to connect me to so many amazing humans and opportunities, and I’m so excited to show you more about it. Grab your ticket and join us! And reach out to me on social media - I’d love to chat!

Instagram: @TheDarlingRage

Email: darlingrage@gmail.com

Twitter: @heydarlingrage

Facebook: The Darling Rage

Reflections on the Residency with M. Victoria Savka

This past month at the Yards was so fruitful!  Quite literally the first week was spent stretching my hibernated watercolor muscles by painting tangerines. The fruits were just stepping stones into a grove of forgotten ideas.  As I stretched my arms, I had to stretch my mind.  For multiple years I had focused narrowly on a specific group of work and my mind was uneasy and unprepared for something new.  Where were my ideas!? 

To tell you the truth, they usually sit and live either on small scraps of paper in various folders, or somehow they float about in my mind, usually held down by a single string.  If I do not jot them down within the minute they have more than likely floated away.  So I quickly turned to those ideas I had recorded.  Within a plastic folder I found a collection of journals from 2015.  They aren't exactly your typical school grade journal, but rather a collection of various illustrations.

For the past three years I have been 'journaling', but in a more abstract manner.  I have been jotting down succinct words or phrases that describe a day, an experience, or an idea that I wish to remember.  From there I created maps, or small illustrations reflecting those notes.  They have become what I call now, "Mind Mappings".  They are small glimpses into cherished moments, salty memories, or merely nostalgic thoughts that bring a smile to my face.  These journals give me time to reflect and dissect events. They help me understand how I've grown and changed from those experiences. They are mind maps full of abstracted memories and feelings. 

During this past month of reflection I completed many of these Mind Mappings that had not yet been completed since I jotted down my thoughts.  Refreshed by this breeze of nostalgia I began to consider less about the past, but more of the present.  Where I was, right then and there!

As January had become a month of reflection I decided to create a series of six drawings based on this month. Each focuses on a specific part of this past month and its importance to me.  By considering my many actions, ideas, and choices I reflect how they shape the course of my life.  I asked myself many questions:  How can minute details can shape you?  What about your 'routine' can influence your outlook in life?  Do you enjoy the small pleasures in life?  What are they?  "Write them down, Victoria!" my brain shouted!  Thus I created a lively abstracted collection of January.  I have continued reflecting into the month of February and have been planning on reflect much more as this year progresses.

I am so grateful to having the opportunity of being part of the Yards Residency program.  The A-I-R has given me time to reset my brain in order to pursue a new group of work.  Being part of the Yards has provided me space, time, and a community that helped me to brainstorm and bounce my ideas.

Reflections on the Residency with Charity 'CAKE' Hamidullah

On the road to Residencies (Excerpt)

Leading up to my first artist residency I had a million and one things I wanted to create. I was reading blog posts about how to execute them well. It was clear to me that I was going to make my presence known with precise execution. But, life said differently.

For those who are unaware. An artist residency is a time where a creative can focus on their craft. Residencies can be a month to a year; maybe even longer. Most residencies give one to opportunity to have access to studios and supplies. While others may provide housing to the artist while they create. This description is just the tip of the iceberg because they truly can be artistically extravagant.

On January 2, 2019 I returned to the gallery I was interning at . For the prior month I was warmly welcomed into this collaborative artist studio space called The Yards. Never have I been in a space where the egos were dropped and their hearts were wide open with art on their mind. This was everything I hoped for in a community.