Starling
62 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago - ★★★★★ - 30 ratingsTopics and practices to explore creativity as a life enriching force. Artist and educator Amy Markham explores development in creative thinking meant to encourage personal growth and progress in all artistic endeavors. Join in as she discusses how an artistic practice can deepen and enrich our personal life experience. These discussions & exercise will engage your creative spirit and direct you towards finding your authentic expressive voice.
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Episodes
Enjoying The Process, Marketing & All
May 02, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 48.7 MBIn 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 marketplac...
Can Art Return Us To Ourselves?
July 19, 2022 02:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBIs 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.
Can Art Return Us To Ourselves?
July 19, 2022 02:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MBIs 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.
Gift Economy & Experiences
May 31, 2022 03:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBIn 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 @the...
Art Is Magic: More On The Divine Imagination
December 07, 2021 05:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBNot 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 ...
Art Is Magic: More On The Divine Imagination
December 07, 2021 05:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBNot 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 ...
Burtonesque: The Influence of Tim Burton
October 26, 2021 02:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBIt'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.
Burtonesque: The Influence of Tim Burton
October 26, 2021 02:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBIt'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.
Art, Science & Influence
April 27, 2021 04:00 - 41 minutes - 28.8 MBMany 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 s...
Sources of Inspiration: Muse, Angel & Duende
April 06, 2021 04:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBDo 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....
Finding Balance with Rachel Martin
March 23, 2021 04:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBKinesthetic 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 pract...
Design, Storytelling & Fine Art With Becky Kilimnik
March 09, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 48.5 MBHow 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 C...
Design, Storytelling & Fine Art With Becky Kilimnik
March 09, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 48.5 MBHow 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 C...
Imagination Is Divine
February 23, 2021 05:00 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBImagination 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 cou...
Images, Advertising and Our Imagination
February 02, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBHow 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 m...
Images, Advertising and Our Imagination
February 02, 2021 05:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBHow 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 m...
Cultivating The Inner Critic
January 19, 2021 05:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBAs 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 ...
Creative Play and The Goonies
December 15, 2020 05:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBAll 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 abou...
Creative Play and The Goonies
December 15, 2020 05:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBAll 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 abou...
Seeing vs Aesthetic Experience
November 24, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBHave 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 ...
May You Know Monsters
October 27, 2020 04:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBMonsters 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...
Once Upon A Time
October 06, 2020 04:00 - 39 minutes - 27.5 MBHow 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...
Artistic Discovery & Child's Mind
September 15, 2020 04:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBHow 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 the...
Enjoy Your Process
September 01, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBHow 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.
Enjoy Your Process
September 01, 2020 04:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBHow 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.
Themes of Human Experience
August 18, 2020 04:00 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MBBeing 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 t...
Spiral Through
August 04, 2020 04:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBIt'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 connec...
Symbolic Living
June 23, 2020 04:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBMany 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 th...
Symbolic Living
June 23, 2020 04:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBMany 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 th...
Attention & Authenticity
June 09, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBArtists 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.
Attention & Authenticity
June 09, 2020 04:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBArtists 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.
Artistic Avatars & Alter Egos
May 19, 2020 11:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBIn 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 a...
Home
May 05, 2020 04:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBIn 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.
Hope For The Humanities
March 31, 2020 04:00 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBSince my last episode, the world has changed. As we face this crisis, we consider whether entertainment, meaning or experience will help us through this...and how the experience we are all living through may be an invitation to return to Romanticism. In this episode we discuss the artist William Blake and the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and how their ideas might be relevant how we move forward from this quarantine experience. Discover all the curated content around the themes discussed...
A Search For Meaning
March 10, 2020 04:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MBArtists are products of the times we are imbedded in, and we give sound and vision to what we experience and imagine the next evolutions. Sometimes we are harbingers of a coming era, so what do we want that era to be? In this episode we look at rebuilding from the rubble of postmodernism and consider how we start to find meaning in a world that mocks human emotion. Read about the suggested practices, all the artists I discussed and other related content HERE.
Fallow Periods
February 18, 2020 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBMaybe it's time to take a break. How do you nurture yourself so that you can sustain your creative practice? In this season 2 opening episode I discuss the need for fallow periods and I share why that is especially important for me at the moment. We also take a look at how taking a vacation can give clarity to creative vision, as it did for the artist Paul Klee. Listen in and consider the importance of pausing, taking a breath and resting, so that you can have fertile ground for all the seed...
Dual Nature Creatives
December 17, 2019 05:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MBAs we wrap up Season 1 of Starling, we look at how our personality and psychological make up influence our creativity. There are many myths around artists and creative people being tourtured souls or egotistical weirdos, but...there is research that says successful creatives are actually something "different". As we explore 10 traits laid out by Hungarian American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, we connect it to other things we have discussed this season. Follow This Link to find to...
Dual Nature Creatives
December 17, 2019 05:00 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MBAs we wrap up Season 1 of Starling, we look at how our personality and psychological make up influence our creativity. There are many myths around artists and creative people being tourtured souls or egotistical weirdos, but...there is research that says successful creatives are actually something "different". As we explore 10 traits laid out by Hungarian American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, we connect it to other things we have discussed this season. Follow This Link to find to...
Jumping Through Hoops With Jane Almirall
December 03, 2019 05:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBHave you had an existential artistic crisis? In this episode I talk with Kansas City based artist, Jane Elizabeth Almirall about how she got through her personal crisis with creativity to rediscover her own vision. We talk about the struggle to find a "clear" path to becoming considered successful in our relationship with art & creativity. Learn about her art background and all her plans, then how those plans didn't get her where she thought they would. Jane also gives some great practices...
The Borderlands: Chaos & Control
November 19, 2019 06:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBChaos, Control...Chaos, Control...You Like? You Like? Have you considered how you walk the edge between chaos and order in your artistic practice? In this episode we explore the borderlands, the area that the artist works from when creating art that moves culture forward. Like an explorer, an artist must be willing to move with the unknown in order to create something new. We will talk a bit about the movie Six Degrees of Separation, Kandinsky and Romare Bearden as we discuss the bond an art...
The Borderlands: Chaos & Control
November 19, 2019 06:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBChaos, Control...Chaos, Control...You Like? You Like? Have you considered how you walk the edge between chaos and order in your artistic practice? In this episode we explore the borderlands, the area that the artist works from when creating art that moves culture forward. Like an explorer, an artist must be willing to move with the unknown in order to create something new. We will talk a bit about the movie Six Degrees of Separation, Kandinsky and Romare Bearden as we discuss the bond an art...
Check Yes If You Are An Artist
November 05, 2019 05:00 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MBCan you claim the title of artist? How does your personal expression get seen in the world? In this episode we talk with Yoga Therapist Elizabeth Griggs about her creative practice. As a kinesthetic creator, she has had to struggle with the boundaries of where there is a product and if it can be considered art. We discuss how our childhood home life sets up our artistic understanding, discuss receptive and expressive traits, question who we make art for and get off on a tangent about Billy J...
How Challenging
October 29, 2019 04:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBHow can we create a structure to make sure we are challenging ourselves? Are you looking for ways to push yourself forward in your creative development? In this episode I discuss a personal creative failure and how that reminded me about the importance of self evaluation. We will also look at several different creative challenges and decide which developmental structures could actually help us get out of our comfort zones and move towards our goals. To learn about any of the topics I discu...
How Challenging
October 29, 2019 04:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBHow can we create a structure to make sure we are challenging ourselves? Are you looking for ways to push yourself forward in your creative development? In this episode I discuss a personal creative failure and how that reminded me about the importance of self evaluation. We will also look at several different creative challenges and decide which developmental structures could actually help us get out of our comfort zones and move towards our goals. To learn about any of the topics I discu...
That's What Friends Are For
October 22, 2019 04:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBHow do our friends support our creative practice? In this episode we look at a few artist friendships and think about the way we connect to the friends in our life. Did you know Duchamp and Dali were good friends? Let's consider how using the buddy system may help our artistic output as well as enrich our lives. Follow this link to all the curated content for the episode: Click Here
Residual Imagery
October 08, 2019 04:00 - 25 minutes - 17.2 MBLet's consider the haunting power of art. How does it allow the dead to speak to the living and what will our art say long after we are gone? Indulge in a few art related ghost stories this week as we look at the spirits that dwell within out own creative practice. To learn more about the artists and topics discussed in this week's episode (including links to other art related ghost stories, my own spooky stories and this weeks playlist) follow this link to the show notes.
In The Dark
October 01, 2019 10:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBAs we enter the season of the darkening of the light...fall, we look at how shadows shape our reality and our artwork. Discover a bit about how darkness enhances form and how shadows give depth to everything they touch. Learn about how the shadow has evolved through art history and evaluate your own relationship to...the dark. Contemplate what you may be projecting into the darkness and whether it can help your creative practice. Follow this link to the show notes for more about all the top...
Creativity Can Help
September 17, 2019 05:00 - 42 minutes - 29.4 MBHow can creativity help us recreate the stories we tell ourselves? In this first ever interview episode of Starling, writer, brand catalyst and firebrand Michelle Mercurio discusses using creative practice to help heal grief. In workshops, Michelle helps grieving families create stories that connect and soothe suffering. Listen in to hear her approach and a little about her personal process. Follow this link to the show notes to learn more about Michelle, the topics discussed and to find thi...
Inner Organizing Principles
September 10, 2019 05:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MBHow do we organize our thoughts and inner world to bring order to our creative process? In this episode we look at how exploring philosophical and psychological concepts can give structure to guide our artistic development. Follow this link for the show notes that include curated content around the topics discussed and as always a weekly playlist to accompany the ideas: https://www.smore.com/h4k8p
Art & Identity
August 27, 2019 05:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MBHow is what we create connected to who we are? In this episode we look at the role of identity in our artwork and in our existence in general. Follow this link for all the content I discuss in this episode such as personality tests, artist information and of course this week's playlist.