The Power of Conversations: How Three Women Shaped My Career

As I reflect on my career, I realize that there were three conversations with women that had an outsized impact on me. These encounters not only provided valuable insights but also helped shape my perspective and approach to art.

One of the earliest and most significant influences was Jac Cen Jean, a renowned artist and sculptor. When I was just six years old, I spent countless hours in her beautiful Pottery Studio on Cape Cod, surrounded by the trappings of creativity. It was there that I met Jaceen, who treated me like a peer, allowing me to explore my artistic inclinations without hesitation. Her approach to art and life had a profound effect on me, teaching me to take risks and trust my instincts. Even though I don't recall specific conversations we had during those summer visits, her presence and encouragement instilled in me a sense of belonging and creative freedom.

A few years later, when I was 19, I met Jean Sty, the wife of the celebrated children's book author Bill Steig. Her home, filled with an impressive collection of art and objects she and her husband had created, became a sanctuary for me as an artist. It was there that I saw my first exhibition of my work, which included a piece featuring an empty box in the middle. Jean Sty's thoughtful feedback on this early work meant the world to me: "I really appreciate the courage you had not putting something in that little empty box and just having someone see into your creative process." Her recognition of my artistic vision and willingness to engage with it on a deeper level inspired me to continue pushing boundaries.

The third conversation, which took place about two years later when I was 21, was with Jean Sty's mother. During a dinner party, she casually asked me, "What do you think you'll be doing in five years?" This seemingly innocuous question caught me off guard and made me realize that my expectations for the future were still fluid and uncertain. Her response, "I think whatever you're doing in five years is going to be absolutely surprising to you," became a mantra for me: embracing change and being open to unexpected paths.

These three conversations not only marked significant moments in my career but also expanded my perspective on art, life, and the value of taking risks. Each woman's unique approach to their respective crafts – Jac Cen Jean's Pottery Studio, Jean Sty's creative collaborations with her husband Bill Steig, and Jean Sty's mother's unorthodox method of encouraging growth – offered a different lens through which I could view my own artistic aspirations.

In the years that followed, I found myself grappling with the notion that my creative trajectory might not be as linear as I had initially assumed. Rather than being bound by traditional expectations, I began to explore unconventional paths and experiment with new mediums. My art became a reflection of this newfound freedom – full of unexpected turns and surprises.

The lessons from these three women have stayed with me throughout my career, reminding me that the journey is just as important as the destination. They taught me to trust my instincts, be open to serendipity, and celebrate the beauty of uncertainty.

In many ways, I believe that this mindset has allowed me to approach art in a more holistic way – one that considers not only aesthetics but also the emotional and intellectual resonance of each piece. By embracing the unexpected and being willing to take risks, I've been able to create work that feels authentic and true to my vision.

As I reflect on these pivotal conversations, I'm reminded that the most powerful influences in our lives often come from people we least expect – those who challenge us to see the world in a new light. These three women not only helped shape my artistic perspective but also instilled in me a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me.

In a world where conformity is often celebrated, these conversations served as a powerful reminder that true growth and creativity can arise from embracing uncertainty and taking bold steps into the unknown. As I look to the future, I know that I'll continue to draw inspiration from these three women – not just for their artistic achievements but also for the profound impact they've had on my own life's journey.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enThomas Essen asks a question which I really like uh they say what's a profession you're curious about but unlike say astronaut Puppeteer or Chef or swordsmith that you've yet had the opportunity to interact with a practitioner of said profession okay in other words in other words a subject that still prompts you to remark if I ever meet a professional blankety blank I'd love to ask them blankety blank um look I'd love to talk to an elephant an elephant Wrangler about the personalities of elephants um obviously I'd want to talk to one who's dealing with elephants in a in a non-performance atmosphere because I don't think that's great and slowly people have been realizing around the world that you shouldn't keep elephants in captivity um but I do it's funny the first thing that came to my mind was elephant researchers whale researchers I have met whale researchers and I have talked to them about the personalities or potential personalities of whales um we are very close as a species to having the ability to interpret the speech of whales this is true we are very close to being able to interpret um and I'm riveted by what they might have to say don't get me wrong I am pretty sure that we're not going to like what whales have to say if they have any actual culture and and knowledge of the past uh I uh one of the people uh uh let's see I was at this conference recently and this uh uh Asar Rasin was saying to me isn't it ridiculous that we call Poison Ivy by the single worst thing it can do to us we've classified the plant by its worst quality and he said it makes you wonder what what whales might call humans do they call us genocide monkeys which is to be fair probably exactly what they call us uh and uh genocide monkeys awesome name for a band um so Thomas I think in general with your question I there's some intersection there but I'm also I took another tangent on this which is is there a profession because because there is actually a profession within the realm of of professions or jobs that I have never done and always wanted to try uh and that is artist in Residence um if you're unfamiliar with this term or the concept um it's pretty descriptive uh but but you might be surprised at how far and wide it ranges there there are artists and residents at Nasa uh there are artists and residents at many government institutions many companies hire artists and residence one of my favorites is the San Francisco dump for 30 plus years has had an artist in Residency program I applied for it as a young maker way back when and didn't get accepted but that's totally fine I probably wasn't qualified in the early 90s but I love the idea of an artisan residence really appeals to me because it is about it is about an institutionalized artistic recapitulation let's talk about what I mean by that uh I was just watching this lovely interview with uh friend of mine friend of tested Greg Broadmore amazing designer down at Wet a workshop designed all the weapons and and Military alien technology for District 9 uh Dr Groo Greg is a absolute God of design and a lovely human being and in this interview at the very beginning he was saying I think Art and Science are pretty much the same process um but just two different facets of a similar process and I I he is I agree entirely with Greg's assessment I think Art and Science are both ways in which we parse the world it's there are both modalities in which we contextualize the world for us ourselves science is a rigorous one based on observation and prediction uh and art is one also based on that but based on a much more subjective approach to this but both are ways in which we we we we we help scale the world the universe the re reality to ourselves so I love the idea of I years ago I once read this book I found this book at Green Apple Books and it was a Bizarro little book about an artisan Residence at like a paper Factory in the Midwest and the factory was just trying something different they hired this guy and he came in and he gave questionnaires to the employees and the answers he got back from them made it clear that they were like who is this guy what is this about this is dumb this is ridiculous and still his job was to sort of look at the totality of the company and what they built and what they did and how they did it and then respond to that artistically I mean that's such a kind of wide open fascinating charge I think that is really neat now don't get big Ideas necessarily about inviting me to be an artisan resident somewhere this is my full-time gig and it takes a lot of time um but and frankly what I get to do here is react artistically to a lot of different things so I do get I think a lot of benefits of what I like about the Artisan residence as a concept um but there's a there's an essential way in which I think um it can yeld new and interesting contextualizations uh and again I know that wasn't necessarily your your your overall question but Artisan residence it's a great convention old but not dead one asks we've all had conversations that change our lives that take our Outlook and bring it to a new point on the compass what do you consider the most important conversation that had an outsized impact on your career I think of three and I think of three uh three women specifically that gave me perspective at different times um and as a very young person like five six years old um I specifically remember my parents had uh these friends that lived out uh not too far a drive from our house on Cape Cod where we would spend every summer and we would drive to jacen and V's house and jacleen had this beautiful Pottery Studio I mean it was absolutely gorgeous if you know Outer Cape Cod Truro is where they were and it was idilic and beautiful uh and jacleen had this gorgeous uh Pottery Studio and I remember spending time with her in there making stuff and I don't remember a specific conversation but I remember remember conversation in general was that she treated me like a peer I was like 6 years old and she was just like handing me stuff let me go and there's an essential way in which her doing that made me feel like I belonged in that room a few years later uh another amazing artist Jean sty wife of Bill sty who wrote Shrek and a million other amazing children's books Bill sty William sty uh New Yorker cover artist since the 1920s one of my dad's best friends um and Bill sty and Jean had this incredible house in C sorry in Connecticut with an it was a museum of lovely things of objects that they had both made but jean was the physical sculptor and my first I think true influence as an artist as a as a aesthetically minded human being uh and also like Jac Cen Jean took me seriously as an artist and um when I was 19 I made this piece and it had an empty box in the middle of it and I remember her seeing it and saying I really appreciate the courage you had and not putting something in that little empty box and just having someone see into my creative process to that level of granularity and talk about it like a fellow professor professional really moved me so then cut to about two years after that this is all before I'm 20 uh I'm in New York and I'm dating this woman and we're hanging out with her mom and her mom is like a hilarious Bohemian and her mom says to me I'm 19 years old she says what do you think you'll be doing in five years not a question that I regularly asked myself at that point in time and I said I I don't remember what I specifically said but I started to like prognosticate and she just stopped me very quickly and said I think that whatever you're doing in five years is going to be absolutely surprising to you I don't think I and I think that will that process will repeat itself throughout your life I think you are going to continually end up in places that are totally surprising that you didn't expect and yeah each of those conversations gave my developing brain a kind of wider aspect ratio to take in what might be coming in because you can have aesthetic thoughts and athetic responses to stuff but if you're like 13 14 you have this aesthetic response and you do a little drawing and you make this little drawing about the thing that you're interested in and you do it and someone else sees it and goes that's dumb you are plausibly going to shut that part of your brain down those moments are so important of like that someone that someone uh blows on that flame I've been watching uh John plant from primitive Technologies has been releasing more videos lately and I'm super happy about it especially because I get to watch him start a fire like with the sticks every single time but there's this careful way in which once he's got the spark that he wants he very carefully puts the stick away Taps it moves it way and then picks up the dander and then and that's what I think about all three of those conversations that was someone holding me like this a little Ember and giving a little bit of oxygen to it letting it see a little bit farther um encouragement encouragement to tell a young person that's playing the guitar that they're out of key isn't encouragement not to say that you shouldn't tell someone about how they're playing but you also have to recognize that it that that's what's happening is more than just the sum of its parts and it is really important to let someone know no matter how they're doing that there's a safe place to experiment well that went farther than I expected it to thank you for watching that video are you as sick of the tosses to membership as I am good cuz here's a brand new one that I recorded today and it's nice and short there are three tiers to tested membership and they all offer awesome stuff find out about it by clicking the join link below we'll see you thereThomas Essen asks a question which I really like uh they say what's a profession you're curious about but unlike say astronaut Puppeteer or Chef or swordsmith that you've yet had the opportunity to interact with a practitioner of said profession okay in other words in other words a subject that still prompts you to remark if I ever meet a professional blankety blank I'd love to ask them blankety blank um look I'd love to talk to an elephant an elephant Wrangler about the personalities of elephants um obviously I'd want to talk to one who's dealing with elephants in a in a non-performance atmosphere because I don't think that's great and slowly people have been realizing around the world that you shouldn't keep elephants in captivity um but I do it's funny the first thing that came to my mind was elephant researchers whale researchers I have met whale researchers and I have talked to them about the personalities or potential personalities of whales um we are very close as a species to having the ability to interpret the speech of whales this is true we are very close to being able to interpret um and I'm riveted by what they might have to say don't get me wrong I am pretty sure that we're not going to like what whales have to say if they have any actual culture and and knowledge of the past uh I uh one of the people uh uh let's see I was at this conference recently and this uh uh Asar Rasin was saying to me isn't it ridiculous that we call Poison Ivy by the single worst thing it can do to us we've classified the plant by its worst quality and he said it makes you wonder what what whales might call humans do they call us genocide monkeys which is to be fair probably exactly what they call us uh and uh genocide monkeys awesome name for a band um so Thomas I think in general with your question I there's some intersection there but I'm also I took another tangent on this which is is there a profession because because there is actually a profession within the realm of of professions or jobs that I have never done and always wanted to try uh and that is artist in Residence um if you're unfamiliar with this term or the concept um it's pretty descriptive uh but but you might be surprised at how far and wide it ranges there there are artists and residents at Nasa uh there are artists and residents at many government institutions many companies hire artists and residence one of my favorites is the San Francisco dump for 30 plus years has had an artist in Residency program I applied for it as a young maker way back when and didn't get accepted but that's totally fine I probably wasn't qualified in the early 90s but I love the idea of an artisan residence really appeals to me because it is about it is about an institutionalized artistic recapitulation let's talk about what I mean by that uh I was just watching this lovely interview with uh friend of mine friend of tested Greg Broadmore amazing designer down at Wet a workshop designed all the weapons and and Military alien technology for District 9 uh Dr Groo Greg is a absolute God of design and a lovely human being and in this interview at the very beginning he was saying I think Art and Science are pretty much the same process um but just two different facets of a similar process and I I he is I agree entirely with Greg's assessment I think Art and Science are both ways in which we parse the world it's there are both modalities in which we contextualize the world for us ourselves science is a rigorous one based on observation and prediction uh and art is one also based on that but based on a much more subjective approach to this but both are ways in which we we we we we help scale the world the universe the re reality to ourselves so I love the idea of I years ago I once read this book I found this book at Green Apple Books and it was a Bizarro little book about an artisan Residence at like a paper Factory in the Midwest and the factory was just trying something different they hired this guy and he came in and he gave questionnaires to the employees and the answers he got back from them made it clear that they were like who is this guy what is this about this is dumb this is ridiculous and still his job was to sort of look at the totality of the company and what they built and what they did and how they did it and then respond to that artistically I mean that's such a kind of wide open fascinating charge I think that is really neat now don't get big Ideas necessarily about inviting me to be an artisan resident somewhere this is my full-time gig and it takes a lot of time um but and frankly what I get to do here is react artistically to a lot of different things so I do get I think a lot of benefits of what I like about the Artisan residence as a concept um but there's a there's an essential way in which I think um it can yeld new and interesting contextualizations uh and again I know that wasn't necessarily your your your overall question but Artisan residence it's a great convention old but not dead one asks we've all had conversations that change our lives that take our Outlook and bring it to a new point on the compass what do you consider the most important conversation that had an outsized impact on your career I think of three and I think of three uh three women specifically that gave me perspective at different times um and as a very young person like five six years old um I specifically remember my parents had uh these friends that lived out uh not too far a drive from our house on Cape Cod where we would spend every summer and we would drive to jacen and V's house and jacleen had this beautiful Pottery Studio I mean it was absolutely gorgeous if you know Outer Cape Cod Truro is where they were and it was idilic and beautiful uh and jacleen had this gorgeous uh Pottery Studio and I remember spending time with her in there making stuff and I don't remember a specific conversation but I remember remember conversation in general was that she treated me like a peer I was like 6 years old and she was just like handing me stuff let me go and there's an essential way in which her doing that made me feel like I belonged in that room a few years later uh another amazing artist Jean sty wife of Bill sty who wrote Shrek and a million other amazing children's books Bill sty William sty uh New Yorker cover artist since the 1920s one of my dad's best friends um and Bill sty and Jean had this incredible house in C sorry in Connecticut with an it was a museum of lovely things of objects that they had both made but jean was the physical sculptor and my first I think true influence as an artist as a as a aesthetically minded human being uh and also like Jac Cen Jean took me seriously as an artist and um when I was 19 I made this piece and it had an empty box in the middle of it and I remember her seeing it and saying I really appreciate the courage you had and not putting something in that little empty box and just having someone see into my creative process to that level of granularity and talk about it like a fellow professor professional really moved me so then cut to about two years after that this is all before I'm 20 uh I'm in New York and I'm dating this woman and we're hanging out with her mom and her mom is like a hilarious Bohemian and her mom says to me I'm 19 years old she says what do you think you'll be doing in five years not a question that I regularly asked myself at that point in time and I said I I don't remember what I specifically said but I started to like prognosticate and she just stopped me very quickly and said I think that whatever you're doing in five years is going to be absolutely surprising to you I don't think I and I think that will that process will repeat itself throughout your life I think you are going to continually end up in places that are totally surprising that you didn't expect and yeah each of those conversations gave my developing brain a kind of wider aspect ratio to take in what might be coming in because you can have aesthetic thoughts and athetic responses to stuff but if you're like 13 14 you have this aesthetic response and you do a little drawing and you make this little drawing about the thing that you're interested in and you do it and someone else sees it and goes that's dumb you are plausibly going to shut that part of your brain down those moments are so important of like that someone that someone uh blows on that flame I've been watching uh John plant from primitive Technologies has been releasing more videos lately and I'm super happy about it especially because I get to watch him start a fire like with the sticks every single time but there's this careful way in which once he's got the spark that he wants he very carefully puts the stick away Taps it moves it way and then picks up the dander and then and that's what I think about all three of those conversations that was someone holding me like this a little Ember and giving a little bit of oxygen to it letting it see a little bit farther um encouragement encouragement to tell a young person that's playing the guitar that they're out of key isn't encouragement not to say that you shouldn't tell someone about how they're playing but you also have to recognize that it that that's what's happening is more than just the sum of its parts and it is really important to let someone know no matter how they're doing that there's a safe place to experiment well that went farther than I expected it to thank you for watching that video are you as sick of the tosses to membership as I am good cuz here's a brand new one that I recorded today and it's nice and short there are three tiers to tested membership and they all offer awesome stuff find out about it by clicking the join link below we'll see you there\n"