Artist Workshop

City of Austin hosts new workshop series for the creative community

There are three workshops in the "Get Noticed!" series.

Photo by Adrienne Breaux

As the city population booms, it can become increasingly difficult for artists in Austin to cut through the din. A new workshop series from the City of Austin Cultural Division wants to help artists "Get Noticed!"

In addition to providing cultural contracts to artists, the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division offers a variety of tools to help support the creative community — including educational workshops and professional development tools. The upcoming "Get Noticed!" workshops are part of this free programming.

Kathleen Stimpert, PR and marketing specialist for the Cultural Arts Division, is leading the three-part series, and Krissi Reeves is lending her experience as a publicist, performing artist, and former venue owner who now serves on the City of Austin Arts Commission.

"The goal of the workshops," says Reeves, "is to provide actionable plans, valuable insights, and handy tools for succeeding in the often murky and confusing worlds of PR and marketing. Empowering individual artists and arts organizations with PR and marketing skills will only help to elevate the creative community as a whole — and that's what we're aiming for."

Reeves moved to Austin in 1998 "hopelessly naive," but over time, "the city delivered me an invaluable gift: a nurturing creative community that enabled and inspired my artistic curiosity. That gift — that is so unique to this city — still exists here in abundance."

Like so many creative folks in Austin, Reeves worked in bars and venues for many years to supplement her income as a writer and performer. Music and performing arts venues were at the center of her world for a decade and that experience gave her the "opportunity to regularly witness the successes and struggles that artists face on both sides of the curtain." She understands the commitment it takes to create and produce a show. But, the work doesn't stop there: You have to hustle and fill the seats. And maybe even work a bar shift after the final bow. And that's just the artist's journey.

Reeves was a co-founder of the popular East Austin performance venue The North Door. That experience and perspective fuel her work with the Cultural Arts Division. "Venues have their own unique set of challenges and having worked in them for so long, I have an especially empathetic approach to supporting Austin's arts and music venues.

As the city grows, it has become more challenging for artists to connect with the new generation of Austinites, and Reeves sees affordability as the most challenging issue facing the arts community. Despite these challenges, Reeves remains "shameless" in her optimism about Austin's artistic future.

"I see generations of Austinites working together to continually create innovative and impactful art. I see audiences discovering a revived sense of curiosity and support for the arts. I see the community and leaders continuing to find ways of ensuring that Austin's legacy as a creative mecca lives on. I know all of that takes work. I also know Austin's creative community to be populated with remarkably industrious badasses, so we should be good."

So far there has been a tremendous response to the workshops, and they fill up quickly. "There was a hunger for this information and the amount of initial interest has confirmed that these workshops are necessary," Reeves says. "We are very excited to offer the information and resources to the community."

---

The second event, slated for September 5, has reached capacity. The final workshop, an arts media roundtable, is scheduled for October 4. More information can be found on the City of Austin Cultural Division website.

east-austin

Outside the Lines

Buda artist releases intuitive drawing book with fun prompts

Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Artist Ronald Gross creates an intuitive drawing with crayon, which he considers a "joyful" medium.

Buda-based artist and writer Ronald Gross released a book in November called Unlock Your Creativity: A Guide to Intuitive Drawing, which will walk aspiring expressers through drawing without worry. On December 6, he'll be on hand to help in an intuitive drawing demo at Buda Public Library's Holiday Open House.

The book is a hands-on guide that teaches readers how to lean into their own desires and intuitions when drawing, whether they feel like an artist or not. In this way, intuitive drawing should feel relaxing, meditative, and ultimately, beneficial for mental health. If you find coloring books relaxing and meditative, intuitive drawing may have the same effect on you.

"Intuitive drawing is the practice of creating art without a specific plan or outcome in mind," says Gross. "It’s about letting your hand move freely, guided by emotion, curiosity, or subconscious impulses; not about making something perfect."

An intuitive drawing by author and artist Ronald Gross. Intuitive drawing is simple, joyful, and according to Gross can calm the mind much like meditation. Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

This book presents exercises to access a mindful state: freeform doodling, blind contouring drawing, drawing from the imagination, and drawing from emotions. For artists feeling stuck, Gross also includes plenty of exercises for overcoming creative blocks and even discusses ways intuitive drawing can be applied to other creative projects and areas of life.

In the December workshop, Gross will give a quick demonstration on how to create an intuitive drawing using nothing but lines, shapes, and simple marks. Then participants can try it out with a variety of crayons, because crayons are "tactile" and can quickly transport people into a "playful, unselfconscious space," according to Gross.

"The workshop is all about creating a supportive, judgment-free space to explore intuitive drawing," he says. "Attendees will leave with tools to keep practicing on their own and, hopefully, a renewed sense of creativity and playfulness."

An intuitive drawing from author and artist Ronald Gross. In college Gross was taught how to take a doodle and elevate it into fine art.Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Gross's own journey into intuitive drawing started at a young age, when he would doodle and sketch throughout the school day. Years later at the Academy of Art University, a professor encouraged him to lean into this more intuitive and abstract style of art. Since then, Gross has been exploring intuitive drawing's ability to access a meditative state, as well as tap into the subconscious mind.

"When you draw intuitively, you’re fully present in the moment," Gross says. "Your mind quiets, and you become attuned to the flow of your thoughts, feelings, and physical movements. It’s akin to meditation, only instead of sitting still, you’re actively channeling your inner experience onto the page."

An intuitive drawing by author and artist Ronald Gross. Gross's intuitive drawings each evoke a different feeling through his simple use of color and linework. Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Gross adds that over time, doing some of the exercises included in the book may even help boost confidence, since intuitive drawing can help people learn to trust their instincts.

"Intuitive drawing can unlock creativity, reduce stress, and help people reconnect with their inner selves," he adds. "It offers a space to process emotions, spark ideas, and break free from perfectionism or overthinking."

visual art drawing books