Iterations

Last week, I decided to take a much needed break from social media. There’s just too much going on in the world that pulls my focus away from the areas of my life that really warrant - and frankly need - that focus - specifically my family and my art. In my final Instagram post before the break, I wrote that I wasn’t who I wanted to be lately followed by a list of distractions that to a lesser or greater extent contribute to it. After seeing the post, Jon reached out and asked if I’d like to talk about it.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts | RSSSHOW NOTESDavid Goggins - https://davidgoggins.com/Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MAJocko Willink - https://jockopodcast.com/Cal Newport - Deep Work*CONNECTYou can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.comIf you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at talkback@jefferysaddoris.com or connect with me on Instagram @jeffe

What happens next? That’s the question isn’t it? It’s something I get asked a lot, especially lately, both from friends and from strangers. I wish I had an answer but honestly I’m still spending a fair bit of time struggling to answer “what now?” I’m sure most of you are thinking about it too and maybe you even have an answer. Eventually, we’ll all have to think about it. What happens when we can go outside — without a mask — to grab dinner with family and friends, go to the movies, see a baseball game and just get back to something resembling normal? But, what does normal even look like in the wake of this?SHOW NOTESIf you’re a gamer—and even if you’re not—the tech demo for Unreal Engine 5 running on the PS5 is pretty damn impressive. The level of detail that’s possible is just incredible and in many ways it’s a quantum leap over the already impressive Unreal Engine 4, which in addition to being used to power AAA games was also used to create the virtual environments on Disney’s The Mandelorian.PS5 Unreal En

As much as I love working with acrylics in my paintings, because many of them are literally dozens of layers of pigment, collage, found objects, and thick layers of acrylic medium, it can take weeks to finish a single piece just waiting for layers to dry. A few years ago, I began looking into using encaustic, which offers the ability to create work with a similar aesthetic to my acrylic work in a fraction of the time. In doing the research, I came across the work of Lisa Pressman. Lisa is a fabulous artist from New Jersey who works in both encaustic and oils and has been exhibiting her work for nearly four decades. In addition to making her own work, she inspires others to start their own artistic journey through her workshops and one on one mentoring. Lisa and I have spoken a few times and I’m so grateful that we were finally able to hit the record button. LINKShttps://elizabethmurrayart.orghttps://rbleckner.com/http://www.gregoryamenoff.comhttps://www.terrywinters.orghttps://www.wikiart.org/en/philip-guston

Back in January, I came across a terrific piece of writing by author Paul Jarvis. One part of it in particular really spoke to some of the things I’ve wrestled with over the years — loving what you do, following your passion, and the costly obsession that often goes along with each of those things. I ended up subscribing to Paul’s newsletter and regardless of whether you’re a full-time creative, an enthusiastic amateur or someone in the middle just trying to live a more creative or interesting life, there are so many valuable insights and observations that it’s quickly become one of my favorite weekly reads. I shared the piece with Jon and while he wasn’t familiar with it, he had actually spoken to Paul before. Since Jon is just as big a fan of rabbit holes as I am, I thought it might be fun to unpack it a little.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS | StitcherIf you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or rating wherever you listen or sharing it on social media.

Do you know the Serenity prayer? Even if you don’t know it by name, you’ve likely heard it. It goes:“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”Originally written as part of a sermon in the 1930s by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, the Serenity prayer has been adopted by a number of twelve-step programs, most notably Alcoholics Anonymous.Regardless of whether or not you are religious or part of a twelve-step program, the core of the Serenity prayer - change and acceptance - are ideas that virtually everyone struggles with at one point or another. I know I do.If you enjoy listening to Iterations, please consider leaving a review or a rating on iTunes to help others discover the show.LINKSRegina GimenezThe Price of EverythingUnder the (Ray) Gun: Chris AshworthMusic in this episode: The Wrong Way (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

Several years ago when I wasn’t really sure what direction my life was taking, one of the ideas I kept coming back to was getting a Volkswagen Westfalia van and just driving around the country, allowing the universe to put interesting people and experiences in my path rather than trying to follow a specific plan. I hadn’t started podcasting yet, nor had I picked up my paint brushes again, so the “what I would be doing to actually support myself” aspect of it was pretty nebulous. Still, I loved the idea and for years it was a running joke between my friend Jude and me. Whenever one of us was dealing with some sort of personal or existential challenge, the other would respond with “well, you could always get a Westfalia van and just drive around.”For Dutch photographer Maarten Rots and his wife Anne, the dream of van life has become a reality. For 6 to 8 months a year, they trade their home in the Netherlands for a Ford Transit camper van and travel throughout Europe, often without a fixed destination. For Maar

This might be one of the most process driven episodes of Process Driven yet. I’ve known Karl Taylor for more than a decade. I was introduced to his work by my friend Patrick in the form of a DVD of Karl‘s Photography Master Class. What struck me straight away was Karl‘s enthusiasm for photography – that and his encyclopedic knowledge of the medium. 12 years after its initial release, Karl has created a brand new remastered version of his original introduction to photography built on a decade of learning and refining what was already an incredible understanding of both the art and science of photography. In this conversation we talk about some of the things he’s learned over the past 10 years, including a deep-dive into the biology of how we see and process images. CONNECT WITH KARLWebsite: https://karltaylor.comPlatform: https://karltayloreducation.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/karltaylorphotography MUSICPlease Listen Carefully (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

When I saw the work of photographer Ryan Struck, particularly his surf and lifestyle photography, I knew I wanted to talk to him. From the first photo, it was obvious that Ryan wasn’t just an outsider simply documenting this lifestyle, he was living it and I bet he had an interesting story to tell. Turns out, whether he’s self-funding a documentary about the community surrounding an all-female surf competition, or photographing abandoned televisions on the streets, interesting stories don’t just fuel his photography, they fuel his life. LINKSTofinoQueen of the Peak CONNECT WITH RYANWebsite: https://ryanstruck.com/Instagram: @ryanstruckMUSICPlease Listen Carefully (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

A couple weeks ago, I got a text from my friend Sean who had just gotten out of the cinema seeing 1917, the new World War I epic from director Sam Mendes. The text simply read “so good.” I remember seeing the trailer for the film months ago and thinking that it looked incredible. But most of recent the buzz about the film seemed to center around the idea that it was all shot in one continuous take. In fact, the first plot keyword you’ll see in the IMDB listing for the film is “one take.” You’ll also read it or a variation of it in virtually every review of the film. The problem is it’s not true. 1917 was filmed to appear as one continuous shot, which it is a remarkable achievement on a film of this scale, but that doesn’t make it any more true. When I got the “so good” text from Sean, I remember asking him whether the one shot thing worked or if it came off as more of a gimmick. “I don’t know,” he responded. “I have mixed feelings I think.” Now that we’ve both seen it and had a chance to think about it, I tho

The recent death of Rush drummer Neil Peart hit me like a ton of bricks. While I consider myself a visual artist, I can’t think of a single painter, or sculptor, or photographer whose death has or even would affect me as dramatically as Neil’s has and I can’t really reconcile why that is. It’s just not a simple answer. I’ve been a Rush fan since 1982, but as I’ve said before, it wasn’t the music that grabbed me initially, but the lyrics. Yes, the musicianship was superb, but the themes and the language that Neil used to explore those themes was unlike anything I’d ever heard or more to the point read before. There was also the timing of it all – that time in my life when who I was or was becoming had not yet solidified and I was still malleable and curious and full of wonder. All of this has gotten me thinking about the ways and degrees that others inspire us throughout our lives and I thought it might be interesting to spend some time unpacking it a little with Jon Wilkening, who always helps take the conver

I have a question for you, and the answer depends at least partly on the primary perspective you take – either as an audience member or a maker — when you think about how to answer. It centers around effort in art-making and to what degree the visibility of that effort affects how we connect to the work, both as the artist and as a viewer. Again, the answer is entirely subjective, but it’s something I’d like to continue to explore in multiple conversations over time. But before we get to that, we’re talking about culling our creativity — letting go of some of the distractions both literal and metaphorical and keeping — and really leaning into — the things that continue to challenge and inspire us to make.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSSIf you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or a rating on iTunes to help others discover the show.CONNECTYou can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.comIf you have an interesting story to sha

In the last Iteration I talked about the importance of giving yourself little victories in the work that you do — tiny wins that you can finish in a day or two that can often re-energize you or jumpstart your creative momentum on larger, more time-consuming projects. In this episode, I want to share a couple of examples of little wins that I’ve given myself in the last week. You may have noticed — or you may not have, and that’s okay too — but I’ve given the cover art for each of my three current podcasts a slight redesign. They still have a similar feel to the previous versions, but they all work together a bit better and feel more on point with my overall design aesthetic if that makes sense. I’ve also made some tweaks to my website — nothing really major, but I’ve tweaked the fonts and the color palette so there’s a bit more visual cohesion between the design of the show covers and the site.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSSIf you enjoy listening to Iterations, please consider leavin

We’re getting close to the end of the year and if you’re like me, you’re already looking ahead to 2020 – maybe you have been for a while – trying to come up with some great new project or maybe multiple projects that will make the next year better than this one.I love the idea of big projects and in fact I’ve already started laying the groundwork for what’s looking more and more like the biggest solo project of my career – but while I’m more excited about it than I’ve been about anything in a while, I’m also terrified that I won’t be able to pull it off or that it will end up being less than what I think it could or should be. Big projects are great when you finish them but, man, they can be a slog. And typically the bigger the project, the more we hope or expect from it in terms of response once we actually do finish it.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSSIf you enjoy listening to Iterations, please consider leaving a review or a rating where you listen to podcasts to help others discove

“So much goes into it and I’m finding even for myself the stuff I’m learning or the stuff that’s changing who I am isn’t necessarily reflected visually in the final image.”One of the first photographers I reached out to when I started recording conversations and podcasting was John Keatley. I was introduced to his work by my friend Kevin and what struck me straight away was how seamlessly John’s commercial work fit with his conceptual photographs. Though each body of work is distinct, John’s eye for detail and his love of ambiguity runs through all of it. While we don’t talk often, when we do I find that the conversations stick with me and often they inform the way I think about my own work as well as the work of others. He’s recently entered the world of fine art photography with a project called UNIFORM that centers around his personal exploration of identity and, as he puts it, “a deep need to be seen.” In addition to a series of limited edition prints, UNIFORM is available as a book, John’s first in fact,

My dad and I never really did a lot together when I was growing up. I mean, yes I spent summers with him and my stepmother Linda in Arizona but it was always with a group of people – and don’t get me wrong, it was a terrific way to spend the summer. But rarely was it ever just the two of us.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSSIf you enjoy listening to Iterations, please consider leaving a review or a rating on iTunes to help others discover the show.LINKSCharmolipi: joy making sorrow – Full FIlmAn Intimate Look Inside The Art Studio Of Scott AvettColor Grading Netflix’s Mindhunter Music in this episode: The Wrong Way (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

“Because I had really poor depth perception, everything in my world flattened into two dimensions. I struggle to incorporate depth into my work because that’s not how I engage with what I see.” — Jo MackbyIf you listen to any of my other shows—particularly Iteration 52—you know that earlier this year I had surgery on my eyes to correct a condition called Strabismus. About a month ago, I got an email from a listener and a photographer who recently had a similar surgery although I’ve since learned that her condition was much more dramatic than mine. I’ve never met anyone else with the same condition, let alone had the surgery to correct it. I responded to her email and asked if she would be willing to have a conversation about how her experience compared to my own, specifically around how it shaped her approach to art, both as a viewer and as a maker.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSSIf you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or a rating on iTunes to help other

In 2020, I’m launching a brand new show that will be my most ambitious project to date. A Day’s Work is a podcast about how we spend our time when we’re not with family and friends. Inspired by the landmark work of Studs Terkel, I’m having conversations with everyday people and going beyond the small talk to really explore the deceptively simple question: “So, what do you do?”Subscribe to A Day’s Work to get the first episode the day it drops. Or you can subscribe to Jeffery Saddoris: Everything to get everything I produce, including Process Driven, In Between, Iterations, and of course A Day’s Work when it launches next year.I hope you’ll join me for the next chapter in my podcasting journey. I can’t wait to share this with you.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS CONNECTI’d love to hear from you. Email me at talkback@jefferysaddoris.com or connect with me on Instagram or Twitter @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Algorithms (Chad Crouch) / CC BY-SA 3.0

The tormented artist. You’ve heard the term — hell you may even be one yourself. I know I was. For years, I was absolutely convinced that if my art wasn’t the albatross around my neck, that I was somehow unworthy of the title. Why is that? Why do so many of us feel at one point or another that the suffering is necessary — that it’s somehow inexorably linked to the intrinsic value of what we make? That’s exactly what we’re talking about in this episode and it all begins with a Nine Inch Nails concert in 1990.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSSIf you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or a rating on iTunes to help others discover the show. CONNECTI’d love to hear from you. Email me at talkback@jefferysaddoris.com or connect with me on Instagram or Twitter @jefferysaddoris.You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

I got an email a couple weeks ago from a listener asking if I had any advice for finding a mentor. Now, while I have been incredibly fortunate to have had – and frankly still have – some amazing people in my life who have in one way or another taken on the role of a mentor, I can’t say that it’s ever been intentional in the sense that I want to connect with this person or that person so they can be my mentor. In my experience, mentors find their way into my life at just the right moment – and it may only be for a moment. Here’s a piece of a conversation with my friend and not so occasional mentor, Jon Wilkening.Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS Music in this episode: Brain Power (Mela) / CC BY-SA 4.0

Earlier this week, Adrianne and I watched the first episode of the new season of Abstract on the Netflix . For those of you who haven’t seen it, Abstract is a fantastic show about art and design. It follows roughly the same format as something like Chef’s Table — which is also an excellent show — where each episode profiles a specific artist or designer. Last season included Tinker Hatfield, Paula Scher, and Platon among others and this season starts out with someone who I’ve never heard of by name though I have seen his work. Olafur Eliasson is an artist and architect whose large scale works are focused and really dependent on the user or viewer’s experience of them. Many of his works center around light — specifically, the effects and manipulation of light. For example, one of his earlier pieces is called “Beauty” and it was his attempt to create a rainbow by lighting a gentle waterfall of very fine mist. The effect was such that no two people experience exactly the same rainbow, since the color and intensi