[Insider 57] Sometimes your hobbies need hobbies
the best ideas from this week's recordings on the SneakyArt Podcast.
Dear Insider,
This has been a wonderful, busy week on the SneakyArt Podcast - I recorded three amazing episodes, the first of which releases this Friday. In today’s Insider Post, I share the best ideas from 10+ hours of conversation!
The SneakyArt (Insider) Post is a special edition written only for the readers and listeners who support SneakyArt.
Speaking with Samantha Dion Baker
My first recording of the new season was with New York-based artist, Samantha Dion Baker. We spoke about the role of sketchbooks in her art practice, how she came to her career as a graphic designer, and why she left to do her own things as a freelancer.
“The work I do in 3-4 hours now [as a freelancer] is as much as I would do in a whole week as a graphic designer.”
Samantha spoke about the tedium of “design by committee”. We discussed the tendency of meetings to collapse into groupthink - i.e. when the desire for harmony within the group overrides the need to make the best decision.
A quote from me -
“The collective IQ of a meeting is less than the sum of its parts.”
What do you think?
“An artist has never arrived. There is never an end.”
Samantha spoke about the vicious cycle of endless goal-setting. You reach a distant goal on the horizon, only to discover the horizon is still ahead. Endless horizons in a finite life, leading to endless dissatisfaction.
We discussed the need to derive joy from work that is untethered from professional achievement.
The episode with Samantha Dion Baker releases on October 14. Visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
Speaking with Amy Stewart
My second recording of the week was with Portland-based author, artist and educator Amy Stewart. Amy is a New York Times bestselling author known for The Drunken Botanist (about the plants we use to make various alcohols) and Flower Confidential (behind the scenes of the flower industry, from the soil to your neighbourhood florist). We spoke about her prolific writing career and the role of art in her creative self-expression.
“Everyone needs a hobby. And sometimes your hobbies need hobbies.”