Bastards Of Art: Too Polished For Folk Art, Too Punk For Fine Art.

Innovation. After social learning from imitation becomes futile, innovation starts to develop. As an artist you will start to problem solve with personality.  You ability to confidently find new answers for common problems will shine on you almost intuitively. Using the building block you learned from watching others your next step is innovation Matt Hodel…

Imitation What is the difference between imitation and mimicking? When an artist copies someone else work, they have no interest in the intent of the original artist. They just want to to steal some glory. When you imitate art work, you are studying the original art. The process of dissecting someone else’s process in order…

Sensory, Perception, Reasoning It is these 3 steps that challenge the viewer to understand what they are seeing.  Our eyes bring us information without prejudice. What we perceive from our eyes is not straight forward.  What we perceive from what we have seen should not be trusted.  It is the second part of the cognitive…

Holy Moly! It is 2018 and you have already stopped making time for your projects? Don’t stop now! you have it in you to do great things. Matt Hodel is here to pick you up. Listen to Episode 46 and immediately revisit the promises you made to yourself. Itunes – Soundcloud – Contact – YouTube – Stitcher

Hello! I am very excited to introduce my friend Haram. I meet Haram last summer and she introduced herself as a person interested in learning tattooing.  It didn’t take much to convince me that she had the aptitude and commitment required for a true apprenticeship. Please take a listen to this special Bastards of Art…

Happy New Year! 2018 brings us a clean slate to keep building on what we have accomplished.  Living in a world of art, I hear the words “do something different” quite bit. This is mentally hard to accomplish and there is a simple reason why. Logic + Data + Emotions In this podcast, I discuss…

Everything you do does not suck, even though it can feel that way. Having an adjustable plan of attack and destination will keep you from hanging out in the float.  Write a mission statement of who you are and what you want to do with art.  Now that you have a path, start your journey!…

“Marks or shapes can happen spontaneously as we explore with tools, media, or substances for pictorial, textural, or sculptural effects and, in the process, decide on what is beautiful or exciting without consciously knowing how and why. We may pour in feelings and emotions during the process, resulting in a kind of artistic expression that…

New workflow can be awkward and painful.  If you don’t mix it up with some newness in your life, you will repeat the same thing for infinity.  I don’t think this is helpful to a long career.  No-one wants to look up after 20 years and wonder why everything looks the same.   Trying something…

Plan for the unexpected. They say success is opportunity meeting preperation.  (Or something like that) I recently filmed a commercial.  What impressed me was how prepared the crew was onset. They had the day planned to the minute. The were ready to move and grove but even with their high expectations, the crew also rolled…

Get Loud! Matt answers some questions about moving to a new market in a different city. It is always scary to get a fresh start in a new town.  Matt’s advice is to get loud! Start an Art Show! Get in the local publications. Meet everyone on your new circle. Do not sheepishly enter a…

Understanding Money. As artists we work with abstract thinking. We see the world slightly different.  When it comes to money, we have a hard time understanding the abstract nature of a dollar.  What is it worth? What does it represent? Why can’t I keep more? Most people say “Time is  Money”.  In this podcast, Matt…

A joke is only funny if the other person laughs. Drawing for others is how most artists are going to make a living.  Removing yourself from your art and listening to the client is important.  Helping someone to tell story with visual literacy is fun. In this episode, Matt talks about being confronted with the…

Lead the Eye Making the eye go where you want it to go in a composition is a huge part of visual story telling. How your optic nerve and your brain work together is very clever. Understanding that relation ship is how we can get the viewer to read our images. In this episode of…

Don’t Wait for Permission What are you waiting for?  An Invitation from the Art World? It is up to you to put yourself out there.  Don’t be afraid.  You don’t need someone to tell you you are ready. Itunes – Soundcloud – Contact – YouTube – Stitcher

Mix It UP!!!   Getting stuck with your progression can make art feel like a task.  Creating art should be an adventure.  Exploring different mediums is a great way to push though a developmental block.  By trying art mediums outside your comfort zone, you will be forced to see art differently.  Enjoy Matt Hodel’s Monday…

Sharing is Caring. “There was a Farmer who grew excellent corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford…

Unless you are try to be an elusive artist like the infamous Banksy, you need a web page. In this episode, Matt gives a basic overview of where to go to get started! Itunes – Soundcloud – Contact – YouTube – Stitcher

Anxiety and the Artist Sometimes I think I should have named this podcast “The Anxious Artist” This title would have been more appropriate and reached out to a lot more people. While I don’t think artists have more anxiety than the average human, I do feel that the effects on a creative brain are amplified.…

Where is your Signal Line? Stop beating yourself up and and stop under valuing your worth.  This character trait that artist share may be the biggest flaw that holds us back. You are worth a lot more than you think. So stop thinking. When you are in competition with others, you get bitter. When you…