No Exceptions

Funny how the right combination of words on the right day can cut through all sorts of rubbish. There have been many phrases that have spoken to me over my long years of admiring quotes, but right then and there, this one kind of shouted.

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This isn’t to say I’m personally looking to start wearing big, red feathered hats. (I do love hats, but they tend to feel like a bit of a ball and chain, a cumbersome accessory that you have to hold if the wind blows.) But it does mean you get on with things. With gusto. No hiding behind ancient lessons of modesty (to the point of it being a flaw, not an asset), or memories of insecurity (too tall, too skinny, too short, too fat, not enough this or not enough that), or playing down your virtues to avoid someone else possibly feeling “less than” (after all, it’s very possible to be all you can be without being brazen or inconsiderate or creating psychological torment in others).

We all have merits and strengths just as we have faults and weaknesses. To hell with the latter. Why give them any more muscle. As I’ve heard somewhere along the way, we ought to afford ourselves the same benefit of good lighting that we often give to a painting on the wall. And do it now. Today. No exceptions.

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Tuesdays with Chris: “The Gift of Listening”

Chris Staley, early work

In his typically wise yet humble way, Chris covers another of my favorite subjects in this last video of the series ~ unobtrusively reminding us that the world could use quite a bit more good listening.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the series as much as I have. It’s been a pleasure filling our Tuesdays with the creative insights from a great teacher, a great person, a wonderful artist and an old friend. Thank you Chris, for the opportunity for more of us to listen to you.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Life & Death in Art”

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A wonderful examination of the concept of cave paintings and their possible purpose, intertwined with thought-provoking questions about our modern experience with the environment, our surroundings and asking ourselves what’s of real value.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Advice for Young Artists”

A delightful spectrum of views from do what you love, to stay vulnerable, to never give up, to make friends, to don’t do it for free ~ you’re gonna love these snippets of advice for young artists. :  )

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Learning to Learn”

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How do we learn? In particular, how does someone who might be unfamiliar with art learn to express themselves through an art class setting? With the premise that art is about a sense of wonder and the asking of questions, Chris shares a number of fun exercises he’s used to help students find their own voice.

Whether experienced or beginning artists, I get the distinct impression that Chris has a talent, not only for clay, but for gently drawing out people’s creativity, allowing them to discover what may lie sleeping deep beneath the surface.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Tight or Loose Pots”

Every art form has two distinct expressions on either side of the creative spectrum: the articulate and the free form. Like ballet to modern dance or abstract painting to realism, a potter’s work can be tight or loose. And what can set a piece apart is what Chris calls a “sense of gesture”.

There’s an ongoing process of being in control and out of control. There’s presentation, and there’s representation. Chris is a master of both.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Body as Vessel”

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In this video, Chris eloquently describes the symbolic correlation between pots (vessels) and ourselves, and teaches that the strongest piece of pottery has a sense of breathing, of expanding and contracting. Personally, I found this one particularly intriguing, as I’ve long had a fascination with painting pots (on canvas) ~ something I eventually understood as subconscious expressions of the body as a vessel. So I was really interested in his point of view!

In the making of pottery, “the answer lies inside the pot”. Listen and learn why.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Unconscious Muses”

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Today Chris shares a couple of personal stories that revolve around the concept of triggers, epiphanies, and threads that weave consistently throughout our lives, our work and our psyche. The unconscious muses, as he calls them.

We all may recognize something of ourselves in what he says. And I’ll bet that my fellow artists out there will relate to his insights at the end ~ I know I did!

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “Slow Time”

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“Beware the emptiness of a busy life.”

Oh boy, I think we can all relate to this video’s message about time…  Beautifully done ~ and a beautiful horse, too! Thanks Chris, for this wonderful reminder.

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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Tuesdays with Chris: “God and Art”

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On a snowy mountaintop, Chris ponders God, love, curiosity, and art. As ever, one of the things I like most about this presentation is his sharing pearls of wisdom from both heart and mind in such an unaffected and accessible manner ~ even on a topic so broad and deep as “God and Art”.

And today, after listening to this, I feel inspired to walk somewhere I’ve never walked before… Thank you, Chris!

(If you missed my introduction about Chris Staley, master potter, educator and Penn State Laureate 2012-2013, you can read that here.)  Enjoy!

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