This is a replay from Season 1. A single line from Cy Twombly cracks open a huge question for artists: “One must desire the ultimate essence even if it is contaminated.” We sit with that tension between purity and grit and ask what “essence” really means in abstract expressionism, mark making, and the real studio process where rust, dust, scraps, and revisions refuse to stay out of the frame.

From there, we trace why Twombly still feels so magnetic and so misunderstood. He left few interviews and little public persona, which forces viewers to do the work themselves. We talk through Joshua Rivkin’s Here We Go Chalk and the image that won’t let go: the unswept floor. What’s more contaminated than what falls, gets cast aside, and ends up as leftovers? Rivkin treats that debris like a mosaic, and it becomes a clean way to see how Twombly gathers fragments of history, poetry, the body, and the mind, then buries and reveals them through layers.

We also get practical about how art communicates. What does it mean for a painting to “claim the room it inhabits” when the artist is not there to explain it? How much context should titles and statements provide, and when does mystery make the work stronger? If you’ve ever stood in a museum and felt pulled into a surface like an archaeologist, this one puts language to that experience and gives you a better way to look.

If this sparks a reaction, share the episode with an artist friend, subscribe so you do not miss the next conversation, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

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@justmakeartpodcast @tynathanclark @nathanterborg

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Nobody is asking you to make your art. Jeff Musser thinks that’s exactly why you have to make it anyway.

Jeff is a Northern California figurative painter who builds images from collage, family photographs, sketches, and historical source material. We talk about painting as a primal need to make marks, why the studio can feel like a scratch-off ticket you keep buying with your time, and how the best ideas often arrive only after you start. Along the way we bounce off quotes from artists like Jenny Saville, Julian Schnabel, Kerry James Marshall, Ai Weiwei, Lisa Yuskavage, Gerhard Richter, and Chuck Close to get specific about process, risk, and the messy realities of creative work.

Then the conversation turns toward meaning. Jeff shares how his work takes on the history and construct of race, especially the invention and evolution of whiteness, and how that construct shows up in family history and private thought. He also reflects on living in China as a visible outsider, experiencing attention and privilege that made power dynamics impossible to ignore. We talk about art as a form of self-repair, and why serious subject matter still needs play to stay alive.

If you’ve been waiting for permission, this is your reminder to build momentum and make the work. Subscribe, share this with an artist friend, and leave a review.

Find Jeff Musser on Instagram: @jeffmusserart and online at jeffmusser.com

Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast @tynathanclark @nathanterborg

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,

https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast

Three artists. One exhibition. A decade of friendship that turned into fuel for making braver work. Ty sits down with Vy Ngo and Eric Breish to explore how creative community shapes everything—from the courage to apply, to the way we process rejection, to the rituals that help us recover after the lights go down.

We start with origin stories and the rush of seeing our pieces hang together at Art Center Waco’s Amplified show. Then we dig into the practical spine of a thriving art practice: how to pick the right opportunities, why research beats volume, and how strong documentation (clear, well-lit photos and short videos) becomes your first studio visit. We talk about building a cohesive submission that tells a story instead of tossing in disconnected “greatest hits,” and we unpack the difference between galleries that simply move product and those that invest in your evolution.

The conversation gets honest around critique and growth. Safe feedback from trusted artist friends can be uncomfortable and necessary—pushing you to clarify intent, separate your voice from influence, and keep evolving. When no arrives, confidence returns to the work itself. One pivotal story turns a painful rejection into a better fit with a smaller gallery that encouraged risk and led to the most personal show of a career. The lesson: alignment and patience create momentum.

We also name the quiet crash after big openings—what we call post‑artum depression—and offer tools to navigate it: nature days, spiritual or wellness practices, journaling, and time with people who truly understand. Finally, we celebrate DIY paths and authentic networking. Show up for spaces you love without treating every hello like an angle. Be interested before trying to be interesting; your people will find you.

If this resonates, follow, share with an artist who needs it, and leave a review so more creatives can find the show. Your support helps us keep bringing real conversations—and practical tools—to the studio.

Vy Ngo: @vjngo_art

Eric Breish: @eric_breish_art

Send us a message - we would love to hear from you!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram here:
@justmakeartpodcast @tynathanclark @nathanterborg

Watch the Video Episode on Youtube or Spotify,

https://www.youtube.com/@JustMakeArtPodcast