Blog: ArtCollab

ArtCollab – Register for July 6th Zoomcast

The next ArtCollab zoomcast chat with Sarah Matthews and I is coming up on Tuesday, July 6th at 12noon. This time we are talking about a fundamental need of all people, including artists… It is REST! Yes even artists need to take a break and we’re chatting about how we juggle that along with everything else we have going on in life. Register HERE for ArtCollab Episode 5 – The Art of Self Care.

 

What is on the plate for ArtCollab Episode 5? The Art of Self Care – Let’s not forget to take time to breathe, reset, and make sure that our artistic practice is aligning with our purpose. It is time to talk about the Art of Self Care! As artists we have a go go go mentality and frequently wear many different hats as we juggle various projects, obligations, and revenue streams. When you are this busy, it is easy to forget to take breaks, but we are here to remind you that self care is crucial to success. We’ll discuss how to make sure rest is a part of the schedule and share our personal favorite ways to take a break. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how rest can help refine your focus as an artist – allowing you a moment to reflect on what you are creating, why you are creating, and any adjustments that you might need to make.

Register HERE to Attend

Are you new to ArtCollab? Each month my friend and fellow artist Sarah Matthews and I get together for a live zoomcast to discuss art topics and to share with you some of our current artistic collaborations. We cover a range of topics and each episode opens up a conversation that is often greater than what we planned. Last episode we tackled the Art vs Craft debate and we got into heavy discussion about our role as artists and using art as a platform and tool for social change. You can check out this and other past episodes of ArtCollab here in the Community tab on the website. See you at the next ArtCollab.

Nat

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ArtCollab -Episode 4 and Upcoming

Thank you to all who joined us for the ArtCollab Episode 4 zoomcast – Sarah and I loved having you there as we discussed our topic Art is Serious, Craft is Fun. Wow – what an episode, right?!? We laughed AND cried and it got very personal and it felt like we were truly talking BIG IDEAS in this one. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, you can watch a recording of it below.

Here is what we covered:

In this episode Sarah and I talk about that classic creative debate Art vs Craft and how it affects and influences how we work and what we make. Sarah shares her frustrations with having to make the distinction between art and craft in her own work. Nat feels that art and craft work together in what she is doing and explains, “There is no art without craft.” We talk about craft and craftsmanship as a set of skills, learned from another artist/culture/source and when we make it our own we feel we are creating art, and that sometimes comes with our desire to honor the source of inspiration. 

We look at artwork that has touched us and made us aware of new stories and perspectives and then we also share some of our own artwork that has made people react and feel (both positively and negatively). We discuss how art can be a mirror of our experiences, an expression of ideas and emotions, a way to facilitate thought and discourse, and fuel for curiosity. Our conversation gets intense as we share our desire and conviction to use art as a platform and tool for facilitating the discussion of important and sometimes difficult topics.

Upcoming Episode:

Join us for Episode 5: The Art of Self Care – Tuesday, July 6 at 12noon EDT(NYC time)

Let’s not forget to take time to breathe, reset, and make sure that our artistic practice is aligning with our purpose. It is time to talk about the Art of Self Care! As artists we have a go go go mentality and frequently wear many different hats as we juggle various projects, obligations, and revenue streams. When you are this busy, it is easy to forget to take breaks, but we are here to remind you that self care is crucial to success. We’ll discuss how to make sure rest is a part of the schedule and share our personal favorite ways to take a break. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how rest can help refine your focus as an artist – allowing you a moment to reflect on what you are creating, why you are creating, and any adjustments that you might need to make.

Register HERE to Attend

Nat

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ArtCollab -Episode 3 and Upcoming

Thank you to all who joined us for the ArtCollab Episode 3 zoomcast – Sarah and I loved having you there as we talked about our topic “I can’t do it” and how to get past that mindset and move to a much more healthy and productive one. Although we try to cover some big topics of discussion, we also just love getting together, joking around, and sharing a nice time with all of you. Check it out:

Here is what we covered:

In this third episode we kick things off by sharing some of the April ArtFoamies Challenge posts from Instagram. Then we jump right into our topic for the day and talk about how our own similar life experiences have helped us move past the negative mindset of “I can’t do it.” We also offer additional suggestions on how to get beyond it such as just jumping in, starting small, and using accountability with a partner or friend who you share your goals with. We discuss how the TV show The Great Pottery Throwdown actually has some really useful lessons in it with regards to this topic, and we talk about the benefits of taking classes in a new discipline and how you can always get something out of the experience. Finally, we both agree that as soon as someone says, “You can’t do that”, that is the ultimate motivation. To close, we share what we made with the items from the boxes we exchanged last episode and we introduce the topic for Episode 4.

Join us for Episode 4: Art is Serious, Craft is Fun – Tuesday, June 1 at 12noon EDT(NYC time)

We’ll be tackling that big debate: What is Art and what is Craft? Is there even a difference? What do the two terms mean to us? Everyone has different ideas about this topic and we want to discuss this live and see where it goes. We’ll talk about how our definitions may influence what we create and why we create, and how we perceive and react to audience expectations. Finally we’ll look at some art that may make us uncomfortable (or not) and chat about those feelings.

Register to join.

Nat

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ArtCollab – Next ZoomCast May 4th

I’m getting together again with my friend Sarah Matthews to quiet that annoying inner voice that sometimes says, “I can’t do it.” Come and join in on the discussion on Tuesday, May 4 at 12noon EDT (NYC time) and let’s tell that voice to shush it :) Register here to attend.

Episode 3: “I can’t do it.”
Join us as we discuss that negative mindset that can really get in the way of creativity. In Episode 2 you may recall that we opened up boxes of supplies that we sent each other, with an assignment to use the supplies, no matter what that little voice has to say. In Episode 3 we will reveal our creations in this episode and talk about how sometimes you just have to dive in and try things. You never know what will come out of it and honestly, what is the worst that can happen? Let’s get ready to say “I can do that” instead!

ArtCollab is a monthly zoomcast with the two of us: Sarah Matthews and Nathalie Kalbach (and occasionally other special guests too). Each episode we get together, collaborate on all sorts of unique artsy projects, share our process and offer updates and sneak peeks along the way, and of course we chat about all stuff art-related (and topics that go way beyond that too). ArtCollab is a real life look into the process of creating, collaborating, and the ins and outs of living an artistic life that is touched by others.

New ArtCollab zoomcasts will be live and happen every first Tuesday of the month. Sign up for my newsletter HERE or Sarah’s newsletter HERE to get all the details for upcoming zoomcasts.

Join in for an entertaining and inspiring interlude into the world of two artists who are working together in conversation and practice!

Nat

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ArtCollab – Episode 2 – Challenge Accepted

Our latest episode was such a fun time with my friend Sarah Matthews. We were talking about the topic of challenges and it was great to have the live audience along to ask questions and chime in with their experiences as well. Watch the recording:

ArtCollab – Episode 2 – In this live zoomcast we discuss why we do challenges, how to have fun with them (and not stress), and all the benefits we get out of them as artists. We share our latest collaboration – the April ArtFoamies Challenge (as we are both ArtFoamies stamp designers) that we put together for the month of April. We show you our artwork so far, explain some of our creative choices and the other challenges we encountered along the way, we talk about why we wanted to collaborate on a challenge in the first place, and why you don’t need a reason to create.

We also chat about thrifting, our love for vintage items, the enjoyment we get out of our artistic journey, and at the end we surprise each other with boxes we sent each other for the next ArtCollab ZoomCast.

Follow the April ArtFoamies Challenge on Nat’s Instagram and Sarah’s Instagram. 

Sign up for my Newsletter for info on the next episode – New episodes are LIVE so we hope you tune in :)

You can find info and watch past episodes of ArtCollab in the Community section of my website HERE.

Nat

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April ArtFoamies Challenge – Day 02

We’re on Day 02 of Nat and Sarah’s April ArtFoamies Challenge today! You can follow along on my Instagram feed daily with videos and photos, and I will post updates here on the blog too from time to time throughout the month. 

Day 02 and our prompt is Punch – I love my Fairview Fan positive and negative stamps – doesn’t it look in the beginning as if there is a punch out?

Everyone approaches Challenges differently. This ArtFoamies Challenge that Sarah Matthews and I came up with has had me thinking about how I want to approach it. In the past my Foam Stamplifier Challenge #foamstamplifierchallenge I used all kinds of different media, so I didn’t want to repeat myself. I also thought about how Sarah usually uses ArtFoamies with ink pads, while I use acrylic paints and the first parameter became clear: I will only use ink pads for the challenge. The other challenge is that I purchased an old ledger journal and I want to turn it into a pattern book. I usually make my own pattern books by binding loose printed papers into a book. This method has the advantage that if a print doesn’t turn out too great it can be discarded. By printing directly into this 125 year old ledger I have no out. So using my foam stamp designs to create patterns into a ledger book with ink pads is my challenge for this month.

Here is a look at that page too:

Follow along with the challenge on instagram  and post your artwork too with the hashtag #artcollabChallengeAccepted

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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ArtCollab – Next Monthly Zoomcast with Sarah Matthews

Join us for the next ArtCollab LIVE zoomcast with artists Nathalie Kalbach and Sarah Matthews on Tuesday, April 6 at 12noon EDT (NYC time). Register to attend. 

ArtCollab Episode 2: Challenge Accepted – In this second episode we will focus our conversation on the topic of challenges.

Tune in for the live zoomcast as we discuss why we do challenges and all the benefits we get out of them as artists. We’ll share our latest collaboration – our April ArtFoamies Challenge that we designed and are each participating in for the month of April. We’ll show you our artwork so far, explain some of our creative choices, and talk about why we wanted to collaborate on a challenge in the first place.

We would love to have you collaborate with us too with questions or by adding to our conversation – register here to attend. If you cannot make the live event, a recording will be available for viewing HERE afterwards.

ArtCollab is a monthly zoomcast with the two of us: Sarah Matthews and Nathalie Kalbach (and occasionally other special guests too). Each episode we get together, collaborate on all sorts of unique artsy projects, share our process and offer updates and sneak peeks along the way, and of course we chat about all stuff art-related (and topics that go way beyond that too). ArtCollab is a real life look into the process of creating, collaborating, and the ins and outs of living an artistic life that is touched by others.

New ArtCollab zoomcasts will be live and happen every first Tuesday of the month. Sign up for my newsletter HERE or Sarah’s newsletter HERE to get all the details for upcoming zoomcasts.

Join in for an entertaining and inspiring interlude into the world of two artists who are working together in conversation and practice!

Nat

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ArtCollab – New Monthly Zoomcast with Sarah Matthews

I’m so excited to announce a new project that I have been quietly working on now for months with my friend Sarah Matthews: ArtCollab

Here’s the deal:

ArtCollab is a monthly zoomcast with the two of us: Sarah Matthews and Nathalie Kalbach (and occasionally other special guests too).

Each episode we get together, collaborate on all sorts of unique artsy projects, share our process and offer updates and sneak peeks along the way, and of course we chat about all stuff art-related (and topics that go way beyond that too).

ArtCollab is a real life look into the process of creating, collaborating, and the ins and outs of living an artistic life that is touched by others.

Our first episode “The Beginning” can be viewed now – please check it out! Also there is a Podcast version that can be found HERE.

ArtCollab Episode 1: The Beginning: Get to know us! We are artists Nathalie Kalbach and Sarah Matthews. In this first episode of our new ArtCollab zoomcast we begin with a little bit about ourselves and how we came to work together. Then we dive right in to what ArtCollab is all about – 2 artists, collaborating on any number of artsy projects, insight into how that works, how we work, and a look at what magic comes out of it all.

In this episode we share a book exchange project that we created and explain how along with our artistic marks, trust, respect, and friendship also played a major role. We reveal to each other the finished books for the first time. The emotional reveal highlights all the best aspects of any artistic collaboration: enrichment, inspiration, excitement, and the motivation to do it again!

Here is a look at those book projects:

New ArtCollab zoomcasts will be live and happen every first Tuesday of the month. Sign up for my newsletter HERE or Sarah’s newsletter HERE to get all the details for upcoming zoomcasts.

Join in for an entertaining and inspiring interlude into the world of two artists who are working together in conversation and practice!

Nat

Comments (4)

  • Lisa

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    This was fun to watch, you two are so good together! Your collab had me wiping the tears away, too. Looking forward to more of the Sarah&Nat/Nat&Sarah zoom casts. :)

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Lisa, thank you so much – lot’s of sniffles in that episode but also laughter. Looking forward having you back!!!

      Reply

  • AnneLou Robkin

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    This was wondwrful! You two are relly fun to watch! I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next one! And the books were inspiring!

    Reply

    • nathalie-kalbach

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      Awe- thank you so much AnneLou!!! We had a great time- hopefully you can join us even live for the next one- I will send the information out soon!

      Reply

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