Survival as a Creative Act

A video replay of Saturday's Studio Visit!

From Saturday’s Studio Visit

Hi friend,

Over the weekend, I had the great joy of hosting this beloved community for a Studio Visit from my very first painting residency. I never feel more at home than when I’m in conversation with this community—you send in the most thoughtful questions, and you hold space for so much. I got to talk about my very favorite things: dogs, of course, but also allowing yourself to pivot, to try something new, to do it for no one but yourself. (Mine was a ceramics class; I made the world’s worst pinch pots.) I also got to show you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of my studio, what I’m making, and how I’m making it.

But maybe the part I loved most was gaining a new understanding of how creativity is contagious—specifically when I answered your questions about my mom, the visual artist Anne Francey, and our upcoming show, “The Alchemy of Blood.” What a joy to have this event spur new insights, new revelations, new ways of meaning making.

If you missed the Studio Visit, or you just want to revisit it, paid subscribers can find the replay below.

Toward the end of the conversation, a community member named Anita wrote in and said, “My question was going to be ‘Does our community of the Isolation Journals still give you sustenance, or is it a commitment that takes you away from your creative projects?’ But I think (I hope) you are saying you, like all of us, need our collaborative community.”

Anita, the answer is a resounding yes. I’m sending my deepest gratitude to you—this beloved, buoying, life-giving community.

Suleika