The Sage Arts

Sage Bray Varon

Supercharge your creativity, motivation, and artistic style through novelty, story, conversation, and community. The Sage Arts podcast offers artists ways to further hone their unique voice, increase their joy and productivity, and create their version of meaningful artistic success. Part advice and inspiration, part thought-provoking diversions, this podcast is a varied mix of artist interviews, historical and listener stories, productivity advice, design guidance, and motivational ponderings. There will be a-ha moments, laughs, avalanches of creative inspriation, and ideas for new and novel experiences to shake up your muse. Join artist, writer, publisher, and creativity coach Sage Bray Varon, for these energizing forays into cultivating a fun and meaningful creative life. read less
ArtsArts

Episodes

The Big Color Mix-Up
Mar 10 2024
The Big Color Mix-Up
Does color theory and color mixing ever just make you feel stupid? Have you felt like there's a secret to understanding and working with color that just hasn't been revealed to you yet? Well, today, I'm going to demystify the concept of color and give you a very straightforward and rather fun way to understand and work with color that'll show you that, all along, it wasn't you. It was the system! By the end of this podcast, you'll know why color has been difficult to mix and how to mix with control, with pigments or visually. It will take an immense shift in how you think about color but it’s like having the fog blown away, the clouds opening, and the sun finally shining. You’ll know the secret you suspected was always out there.So before diving in, visit the website at https://thesagearts.com/2024/03/10/ep-053-the-big-color-mix-up/ to get visuals to support all of the amazing information I have for you. Even if you're familiar with the modern color model I'll be talking about, you may discover new things about the history and the science behind it, and leave with an elevated understanding and appreciation of what you're working with. Other Resources mentioned:Get a CMY color wheel or anything else in the Tenth Muse Arts shop for 15% off, promo code: CMY15https://tenthmusearts.com/Promo code is good for all items in cart, even sale items, but not shipping. Cannot be used with other coupons or discounts. Good through June 30th, 2024, or maybe even later. Try it out or write for an updated code.-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoColor wheel graph by Sage; Background image, Two Women by the Shore, Mediterranean (1896) by Henri-Edmond CrossMusic by Playsound
Exploring Design: More Composition - Leading Arrangements
Feb 11 2024
Exploring Design: More Composition - Leading Arrangements
How and why do you arrange the elements in your artwork the way you do? Sure, you can just put it down so it “looks good” but did you know that you can direct your viewer and add to the experience and feel of your work through intentional arrangements? With a few guidelines and an understanding of how people take in visual work, you can lead the viewer through your art to give them specific experiences and enrich what you are sharing with them.In this episode, learn about some of these guiding principles, along with the how or why they work the way they do so you can assess how they contribute to great art along with discovering ways to use them to improve and polish your own work.-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoCover Art: Delicate Tension by Wassily KandinskyMusic by Playsound
Exploring Design: Compositional Instinct
Jan 13 2024
Exploring Design: Compositional Instinct
We’re diving into the wonderful world of composition here, especially the composition you already instinctively know, if you know what to listen for. We’ll talk about focal points, grids and guidelines, and classic compositional approaches but mostly, this is about your awareness of how you arrange elements in your work and the effect it has on your viewer.Come join me for the first installment of this two-parter on the wonderful and beautiful world of Other Resources mentioned:Fibonacci squares and the golden spiral image:https://i0.wp.com/www.thepolymerarts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/fib-gr-grid.jpg?resize=350%2C319&ssl=1Examples of the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio/Spiralhttps://artulens.com/blog/2017/1/25/the-golden-section-vs-the-rule-of-thirds -Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoMusic by PlaysoundFor Transcript click on the episode here: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/
Amuse Yourself: A Mindful Practice w/co-host Chisti Friesen
Jan 7 2024
Amuse Yourself: A Mindful Practice w/co-host Chisti Friesen
Do you have ready access to your child side? Do you often create just to amuse yourself or do you find you are primarily motivated and maybe get lost in your obligations to other people or a sense of being of service to other people and the betterment of our world in general?As you'll hear, none of these approaches are exclusive of each other but sometimes the balance between taking care of ourselves and taking care of others, attending to our needs in order to better attend to others, kind of gets out of whack. So today, for this first podcast of the year, I’m creating a tradition of having my first guest ever, Christi Friesen, return for a bantering conversation about these questions. Come along and consider where you are on that spectrum of having a good balance of self-care and self-amusement while caring and fulfilling obligations for others in your life. Contact my guest:https://www.christifriesen.com/-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoCover Art, Little Worlds project by Christi FriesenMusic by PlaysoundFor Transcript click on the episode here: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/
Beauty is a Promise
Dec 23 2023
Beauty is a Promise
Let’s talk about the relationship between beauty and art. How are they related? Are they synonymous? Is all art supposed to be beautiful?I’ll answer these questions and much more as we take a deep dive into what beauty has to do with art, why we as humans seek it out, the different types of beauty to be found in our work and process, and how to use this understanding to guide your creative career or journey.Just a little something to help with the planning for the New Year!Other Resources mentioned:John Keats poem snippet from “Ode to a Grecian Urn”:When old age shall this generation waste,Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woeThan ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know.-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design and photo by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoMusic by PlaysoundFor Transcript click on the episode here: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/
The Lone Wolf Artist
Dec 9 2023
The Lone Wolf Artist
How much are you influenced by others in your artwork and do you think it helps or hinders or is just kind of a neutral aspect of your interaction with the people and world beyond your studio?I’d like to put forth an argument for being a lone wolf. When you try to belong there is a danger that your efforts are made and your focus is determined by the pack mentality. The Lone Wolf, on the other hand, finds its own path, discovers things in its less intrusive, less disruptive and quieter steps. There are things that we will be open to, ideas, inspiration, and motivation we have access to in going it alone that is not present to the group.Come explore this idea and find ways to be the lone wolf when you need it while still being a part and getting your muse feed by your chosen pack. Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoWolf art—Creative Commons licensed. Attribution still being sought.Music by PlaysoundFor Transcript click on the episode here: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/
Interpreting Texture & Time Off for Sage
Oct 8 2023
Interpreting Texture & Time Off for Sage
How often, when you are creating something, do you ask yourself “What kind of texture do I want?” Or, more importantly, “Why did I choose this texture?” I think we can all agree that texture is an extremely important part of all types of arts and crafts, but why do you choose a smooth texture versus a rough texture? Or a simple texture versus a busy one? What is that mysterious decision making process that goes on subconsciously in your very own brain?October is texture month, at least in the world of Sage, so we’ll take a deep dive into redefining texture for the visual artist, how to interpret them, ways to mix it up with texture and why all this nonsense is so essential to artistic design… and so easy to do.-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoMosaic art by Christi FriesenMusic by Playsound
The True Source of Your Art
Sep 23 2023
The True Source of Your Art
For Episode #42, I couldn't go small. This had to be the answer to life, the universe, and everything (nod to my fellow nerds out there who get the reference.) But seriously, this is a really full, rich episode contemplating everything from the source of our unique voice to how to process inspiration to combating the overwhelming noise of today's modern world. In this essential discussion, I break down the difference between our source of artistic creativity versus sources of inspiration, why access and awareness of this inherent source of creativity is important to you and your art, and define ways to keep that internal well full and available to you in a world filled with so much distraction.-Resources mentioned:Miyam Bialik - 2 Weeks Unplugged; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gM-kwqZuyUMiyam Bialik’s Breakdown Podcast: https://www.bialikbreakdown.com/Sage Arts companion podcasts to listen to: The Necessity of Doing Nothing: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/918599/Feed Your Muse: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/860948/-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal· Buy a STICKER! (Get 2 per order as of this release.)· Buy polymer art books and magazines-CREDITS:Cover design & photo by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoMusic by Playsound
Remodeling the Creative Mind w/Christine Dumont
Aug 26 2023
Remodeling the Creative Mind w/Christine Dumont
How do you get your mind out of it’s usual ruts to find new and exciting solutions and ideas for your creative work? It’s more than just looking for new inspiration. It takes a little mental remodeling.Find out more about this remodeling of the mind along with thoughts on learning design, embracing contradictions, and rising to the challenges that our art brings us. My guest Christine Dumont helps illuminate the reasons our brain gets stuck, offers steps to get ourselves out of our ruts, and shares her stories of crazy bold moves she’s taken in her life, regardless of starting out shy and doing a lot of transcontinental and career wandering.Contact my guest:https://allovercreation.net/www.facebook.com/christine.dumont.7 www.instagram.com/christine_g_dumont/Email for classes: cdumont@allovercreation.net Other Resources mentioned:Ursula Morley Price: www.artnet.com/artists/ursula-morley-price/Tehri Tolvanen: www.terhitolvanen.com/-Leave a COMMENT: https://thesagearts.com/episodes/-CONTACT SAGEEmail Sage via the contact form or send a voice mail (use the red button, bottom right) on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/And join Sage on social media:Instagram www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/Facebook www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast-GET WEEKLY PODCAST NOTICES & BONUS MATERIAL:https://sagebrayvaron.com/the-sage-arts-podcast/-JOIN THE COMMUNITY:The Sage Arts Share Space on Facebook-SUPPORT THIS PODCAST· Buy me a coffee!· Give back with PayPal-CREDITS:Cover design by Sage; Illustration by Olga KostenkoMusic by Playsound