Changing Topics Conversation: Getting Started with New Ideas

Artists in "Getting Started" from L to R:  Dennis Meiners, Ben Skiba, Jordan Pieper, Aleka Tomlinson, Ivan Carmona, Thomas Orr, Grace Weston,  Joanna Bloom (not pictured),  Suzy Root .

"Getting Started" is a topic we like to revisit each year at Ash Street Project, and this September was no exception.  We invited several Portland artists to join us, each bringing their own experience and history to the table.  One underlying theme that emerged was how to deal with the interruptions, innate to studio artists, whether they be due to a move or the back and forth of a supporting job.  Though it is hard to find definitive solutions to some of these issues, a consensus was reached that success is directly proportionate to time in the studio.  It is always valuable to see where these issues intersect between seasoned and emerging artists, and getting started (or maybe restarted) seems to be a universal challenge.  

Thank you all for your inspiration and honesty.  Again we are so grateful to have such a rich community from which to draw.