After a long silence, Staling returns with a deeply personal reflection on what happens when your heart is in the art of creation and you are pulled into the orbit of marketing and selling...and how to find your way back to the magic of making.

"In this episode I share how turning my work into a product drained the joy from my practice. Even all my own knowing didn't keep me from this trap and it has taken a long while to reclaim my creative self and find my way back to art. We will also touch on the overjustificiation effect, Self Determination Theory and hear an invitation for a simple practice to facilitate return to process." - Amy Markham 

In this episode I share a little about my own process and what I have been up to since the last episode, almost a year ago. Hint, I have been focused on my work as an artist and preparing a path for my art to be shared. I invited my friend and marketing expert, Michelle Mercurio, on to discuss why generic marketing does not work for artists, or anyone really. We also talk about how I am working to reconcile my own issues with selling, sharing and overall offering my artwork to the marketplace. 

I also announced that my new art shop is open at www.amymakesart.com and how I am hoping to find peace in the process of releasing these current works into the world. 

Is society's relationship to individuals reflected in the way art is received in society? Is the group more important than the individual. This one dives into how the individual artistic process could help us all restore a sense of balance to the groups we function in. 

In this episode we look at the powerful book The Gift by Lewis Hyde. I share a personal experience of gift economy at work that happened in New Orleans, a city that has offered me many lessons over the years.

I know it has been a while so I also share a bit about my thoughts on the podcast and my approach to content creation. Please check out this link for show notes with all the stuff I discuss in this episode, and more....

If you wish to connect with me you can find me on instagram @thestarlingcreative or just email me @starlingartstudios@gmail.com

Not that I have managed to actually hide that I believe art is a magical practice and spiritual tradition but in this episode I am more honest about that and share a bit about moving into alignment with the realm of Imagination. And how we are making so much more than a painting and stories when we are working from Imagination.

I also share that I am restarting my Creative Mediation Group in 2022 with an effort to cover more esoteric concepts with artistic exploration. To learn more email me (starlingartstudios@gmail.com), follow me @thestarlingcreative or visit starlingartstudios.com

It's been a while.  After a 6th month hiatus, I return with an episode on artist and director Tim Burton. Learn about the life ofTim Burton, his work and consider how making a connection with a living artist gives us touchstones in our own life process. I share my own relationship to his work and give some takeaways for you to consider in your own creative practice. For all the links and more info follow THE SHOWNOTES LINK.

Many people feel like the arts and the sciences are completely different fields that don't have much in common. But, that is just a lie we have been told. The Prussian scientist Alexander Von Humboldt understood how interconnected everything really is and in this episode we look at his influence on American art and so much more.

I feel like I was missed out on not learning about Humboldt earlier and hope you enjoy learning a bit this amazing naturalist, explorer, inventor, inspiritor and scientist. Follow THIS LINK for content discussed in the episode and a recap of practices discussed. 

Do you believe that there are mysterious forces and energies behind the creative process? In this episode we explore muses, angels and duende discussed by Federico Garcia-Lorca in his famous essay The Theory & Play of The Duende. Where do we connect with inspiration and what is the energy that moves us into artistic action. Whether you actually sense these personified energies or simply like the ideas and stories, considering how "they" influence human creation is an interesting exploration.

Learn more and find resources around this topic at THIS LINK. There you will find a recap of the practices mentioned, tons of content to explore and the playlist around the theme of Duende. You can find me on instagram @thestarlingcreative or see more about connecting with me at my website, Starling Art Studios.

Kinesthetic creative Rachel Martin joins me for a discussion on balance...and we had no idea how much we would have to recenter and remember to direct our attention until we started recording. Let's just say, symbolism and metaphor showed up to help us make the point in unique and interesting ways.

You can learn more about Rachel on her podcast Unraveling Rachel and follow her on instagram @unravelingrachel, where she shares a lot about her process and discoveries.

She sent me some practices by a favorite teacher of her's Irene Lyon and you can look some of the practices she covers on her blog at this link.

I am deep in my own process and am unsure whether the next episode will be an interview or a solocast...I will trust and find balance as I too explore and discover. You can find me on instagram @thestarlingcreative or see more about connecting with me at my website, Starling Art Studios.

How do you wear all the hats as a multi potential creative? In this episode I welcome graphic designer, podcaster and artist Becky Kilimnik to discuss some of the similarities and differences between fine art and graphic design. Becky also use to own an art gallery so understands that side of the art world as well. But, her passion as an art form is storytelling and she uses her podcast Homespun Haints to help other people capture their stories in their voice. Learn more about Becky at The Concept Spot, which is her business site and of course by checking out her podcast Homespun Haints.

I meet Becky when I was on season 1 to discuss ghost stories from my time living in the gatekeepers house of Hollywood Cemetery. I love what Becky and her co-host Diana are doing with ghost stories and also really believe that storytelling is an art form worth sharing and exploring.

Connect with me through my websites: Starling Art Studios or Starling Creative Living. Feel free to reach out on social media on Instagram @thestarlingcreative of follow me on facebook at Starling Creative Living.

I am not making a playlist this week but you can find all the previous ones if you follow me on Spotify. 

Imagination is one of the four realms I call The Artistic Realms. In this episode we explore the shoreline of Imagination and I offer you the map William Blake created of the levels of imagination as he understood them. We will explore those levels as well as some takes on the imagination by Coleridge and Barfield, and of course my own commentary. 

The Human imagination is infinite and awe inspiring. When creating this episode I felt a bit overwhelmed and tried to just pick one map that could be a good guide to encourage you to go deeper into your own explorations. I have all the content I used to research this episode and articles I mentioned at THIS LINK as well as information about Starling Art Studios and how to find me on social media. 

How do the images of marketing and advertising connect to our imagination? Is it for better or for worse? And how does it affect what creative people create? This episode looks at the father of modern marketing, Edward Bernays, and considers how his tactics have moved from being used on us to being used by us. It asks us to consider how our imagination is often directed towards creating a parallel reality of what we could buy, have or be rather than being used to develop our own art.
Find more information and content including a recap of suggested practice and the Spotify playlist around this theme at THIS LINK 

As 2021 starts, I feel it important to discuss how we cultivate our inner critic. After spending time with creative play we have to switch roles and see how our critical self helps the creative self become fully realized.The 4 step process of art criticism is a great guide to build a foundational understanding that can support our opinions, help us reevaluate our ideas and fully develop...not just the art we make, but who we are as individuals. In light of all that is happening in the world at this moment it is vital that we understand how to use our judgement in supportive and useful ways. Art can be a structural system to support our development as individuals in a society, and the critical understanding art provides us in evaluating art can help us evaluate so much more. 

Explore the curated content around this subject AT THIS LINK. There you will also find information about the classes and groups at Starling Art Studios that are currently enrolling for February, a recap of suggested practices, link to the Spotify playlist around the theme and how to connect. 

All work and no play makes us dull...uninspired, bored and boring. In this episode, I share some characteristics of play meant to help us notice the difference between work and play. It is important to think about what the difference is between work and play, and how we can allow creative play to guide us to personal treasure for our creative process. Metaphorically, the American classic film, The Goonies, is a guide to finding the right orientation towards play and I share my own ideas about how it communicates to us. Follow THIS LINK to the curated content around this episode including a recap of suggested practices, the playlist for this theme and anything else I mentioned.

Have you had those moments of aesthetic experience, when all your senses align and you feel in tune with the universe. That is really different than just seeing things. Our visual senses may be overwhelmed, as we live in a world of constant imagery. And during 2020 our experiences have been more limited than normal. In this episode, I invited my friend Beth Griggs-Anderson to talk with me about seeing and experience. This episode is a little different format, cause I rarely have guests. But I have really been working through my own understanding of how our visual experience can dictate our lives, and I wanted to talk it out with someone else. I can imagine I will be having more of these discussions because....observation is a really large realm and needs more time for exploration.
Click THIS LINK for the curated content around this episode. 

Monsters are so important to know, to create and to attempt to understand. In this episode I share a little about monsters in art and a lot about my favorite monster...The Monster that Mary Shelley created in Frankenstein. We discuss how he is the patron monster for artists and how Frankenstein is a cautionary tale for creatives. Discover curated content at THIS LINK, including images of the art I discussed, links to information about the topics discussed, how to join Starling groups and the Spotify playlist around "The Monster." 

This is probably my last episode for 2020....as I have a lot to consider and cultivate in my own creative process. 

How have the stories you interacted with influenced your life? Your art? Your creative development? What about the stories you wanted to avoid or ignore? How have those influenced you? Humans learn through narrative and artists have always been able to use story as inspiration in their work. In this episode, we discuss the power of "once upon a time" and delve into why we need the dark scary stories as much as the happily ever afters. I also share a little of my own personal mythology before sharing suggested practices around story as inspirational. Find curated content, the playlist around the theme of story, ways to connect on social media and more at THIS LINK 

Contact me at starlingcreativeliving@gmail.com or visit starlingcreativeliving.com to learn more 

How do artists make discoveries? It often means going deep into the cave we fear to enter....at least we are often afraid to enter it as an adult. Kids love to explore things adults find scary. We know too much and limit ourselves. "The creative adult is the child who survived" - I love this quote by Ursula K. LeGuin and the idea that my adult self has just been a vehicle for my child spirit to have an experience here. If we can bring that child along for the whole ride...without killing them off or losing them to trauma...you have a creative adult. Of course...I believe you can revive that child no matter what. In this episode we consider this idea, while learning about the art that started it all, cave art. Discover more at THIS LINK. There you will find a recap of suggested practices, curated content...including my playlist around this theme...where to RSVP for our Thursday meetup and how to get in touch. 

How is your relationship with your muse? This episode goes into the creative process and our relationship with creativity. Learn a little about the Process Art Movement and how process is seen in the music of William Basinski. Discover more about the topics and practices discussed at THIS LINK. 

Being an artist means moving beyond subject matter and what we see with our eye and into themes of human experience. Learning to transform a simple subject into a way to discuss deeper personal connections and understandings allows for our own personal development and helps awaken connections within those who relate with our work. CLICK HERE for all the curated content, links and ways to connect. You will find a recap of the practices discussed, the playlist around theme and details on how to join us for our first Zoom meetup on Aug. 27th @7pm. 

It's been over a month since my last episode on symbolic living, and a lot has changed. I have had to resign from my teaching job, because I felt it was unsafe to return to school with the rising virus cases here in Tennessee. This has had me reflecting on where I am, who I am and how I got here. The spiral is a symbol that has shown up a lot for me personally, and I have been connecting it to a lot of aspects of live progress and development. I've looked at art, poetry and music that connects with the spiral theme and taken notice of where the spiral appears throughout our natural universe as well. Discover more in the detailed show notes and the playlist for this episode at: THIS LINK.  Listen in and consider whether you feel you have developed more linearly or in a spiral. 

Many people struggle to understand the difference between a sign and a symbol, and what symbol creation is all about. In this episode we discuss how signs work with our consciousness and symbols work within our unconscious. We also take a peek at what happens when a culture cannot agree on it's symbols. Listen in to the episode at the link below and explore curated content around this topic of symbolic living. Follow THIS LINK to explore curated content around this topic.

I also mention that this is my last episode for a while, as I have to prepare for how coronavirus is changing the upcoming school year. Join our private online FB group to meet other like minded artists developing their own practice. We will be having some virtual meetups there throughout the summer there and the conversation continues within that group. 

Artists must find a balance between focusing their attention on their creative work and seeking attention to have that work seen. How do the issues around attention help or hinder creative process? How does our personal relationship with attention enable connection with our authentic artistic vision? Follow THIS LINK for curated content around this episode, a recap of the practices discussed and the Spotify playlist around the theme of Attention & Authenticity. 

In this episode we move into imagination, and the discussion gets a little more esoteric and metaphysical. Discover curated content and info at THIS LINK. Join in as we drop an anchor into art history and explore ways artists have used avatars to map their inner worlds and non physical reality. Through discussions of avatars used by Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington we see how this device can allow imaginative explorations and help us move from work based in observing material reality, into art from our own creative spirt.

For images, resources, a recap of the practices and the Spotify playlist around this theme of Artistic Avatars click HERE.

In this episode we contemplate the influence and idea of home, and its impact on our creative development. We also discuss my favorite artist, Marc Chagall. For curated content around this episode and more information about Starling follow THIS LINK. There you will find information about Chagall, images of places I have called home and a link to the Spotify playlist around the them of home.