Make Do

We discuss that feeling where there's absolutely not enough time. And we're taking the summer off!

We're joined by the wonderful Mike Hendley to talk about mushroom ink, oomph, and other great stuff.

It had to be done. We talk about how to be new at things, and what we would and would not tell our newb selves.

Four years, one hundred episodes, lots of feelings. We share our thoughts on where we started and where we are now, and share some messages from friends and listeners.

How has art and making changed over the past two years? When you absolutely positively cannot watch anything else on Netflix, and all activities are canceled.

Happy chaos - it's our style, and it's this episode. (Please send us your stories of the past four years!)

Fan art - is it art? (Spoiler: We're going to say yes.) Is it about the fan part or the art part?

We check in on the color palette experiment, and what we're making and doing.

Julia got some arty homework from her therapist and Tiff has Big Feelings about her color challenge.

It's time for our January challenge - making art using only three colors! Who is happy with the selection they got, and who is a little scared and confused?

It's time to look forward again! Carefully and softly.

We share some things to give to makers, and some things to give from makers and small businesses. And add some things to our own wishlists in the process.

What sets us off on a specific project? Do we even know?

We talk about the things we have around us that inspire in different ways. What makes you an art collector?

Julia catches everyone up on what's been going on, including why she had to call a brief hiatus. But also some good things that she's been doing!

Tiff had a bigger and awesome market, so we talk a bit about table neighbors, future plans, and all that fun stuff.

What are some apps we use for inspiration and creativity? We talk about: Snapseed Phonto Retouch Magic Hour Photoshop Express Year of Color Copic Collection Art Anatomy Procreate Art Studio Pro

Sometimes you just have to roll with where your mood takes you. And sometimes that mood is not for making.

We do a little feels and project catch-up, and Tiff blows Julia's mind.

After a quick update on Julia's application situation, Tiff shares her experiences selling at an art show.

We're joined by Josh Millard from MetaFilter who tells us about drawing horses and sponges and cubes, and trying lots of things.

Julia has some failure to try and figure out, so we talk through rejection and frustration.

How do you name your business, your art pieces, or your knits? Turns out, we have a lot of feelings.

We read a lovely listener email and discuss how you can pin down the idea butterflies.

When does making a thing start to feel like doing An Art? Also: Julia shares the projects for her art school applications.

Julia has made kind of a big decision, and Tiff has a lot of questions.

How do we share - and not share - our spaces? Sadly, Julia's suggestion for an app that pairs people according to how much room their hobbies need is not yet a reality. Also: What was "the nost brautiful thing" Julia had ever seen?

A check-in and catch-up also turns into some deep musings. Including how being less of an artist can make you feel like more of an artist.

Tiff shares some new thoughts on selling her art pieces, and then we discuss why so many people are getting into making and crafting during quarantine.

The clock app has turned out to be a really good place to find inspiration and encouragement. We share and discuss some things that hit us in different parts of the feels.

How do you figure out when to introduce more grown-up crafts and tools to tiny beings? And then, how do you go about it?

Well, that was a year. We discuss things we made and what we're - maybe, possibly, carefully - planning for 2021.

John Siracusa comes on to talk about the skill tree of art and making, over-encouraging, and lots of different things.

How do you take a commission? Should you? We try to figure it all out.

Julia has been thinking about what it would be like to lose pottery entirely; she and Tiff cheer each other up.

We take on some great listener questions about important topics like retreats, planning and overplanning, and desserts.

Tiff reports on her stained glass and Inktober adventures, and we talk about the magic of simplicity.

We get into Tiff's new hobby, and talk a little bit about getting into new things.

Is realistic art better than not? Is it important to be able to draw or sculpt with a realistic result? How many times can Julia say "yes and no" in one episode?

It's OK to not want to be super best - but if you WANT to get really good, how do you do that? We discuss motivators, tips and tricks, and plain ol stubbornness.

Tiff did the thing and sold her stuff at a walking art fair! We talk about how that feels, and about some of the practicalities.

We take on a book about shaking loose your creativity.

We think of three fun and-or weird projects for each other to do. And then just keep coming up with stuff!

We talk about people who inspire us in different ways - but also why it can be hard to feel that inspiration and encouragement.

We talk a little bit about what to do when you can’t make things, for whatever reason. Is it always a bad thing?

Do you have a special hat you put on to paint? A candle that helps you write? We discuss the rituals and habits we create around our art – and what to do when those rituals don’t, in fact, trick the muse into showing up.

A listener email has us talking about the differences in getting ready to do BIG projects and smaller ones. Does the giant mountain start to feel smaller after you climb it once?

Julia talks to writer and podcast neighbor K. Tempest Bradford about being a creative, teaching people how to write, and whose stories get told and by whom. (Content note: There is discussion of racism and some of the less pleasant things that can happen to women and minority groups in literature, especially sci-fi and fantasy.)

We take on a listener question about feeling like you’re not doing your hobby right and producing worthy things, and how that can make you hesitate to even do it at all.

A whole room? A rented space? A tiny corner? There are lots of ways to set up a studio for the stuff you make. Not everything will work for all people, but there are a lot of things that can be good to think about.

When do you give up on things? Or entire crafts? Basically, we try to answer the fundamental question: ”What IS fun?”