October Sparks, Art In Motion

The month kicked off like a creative sprint—teens asking to guest on the show, paint-streaked fingers from Iris Scott–inspired experiments, and a calendar full of community art events that turned blank spaces into living galleries. We open up about what it takes to build a studio that puts joy and access first, from rolling the art dice with students to running lessons that nudge confidence higher one brushstroke at a time. Between laughs and paint splatters, we also get candid about the moments nobody posts: the wrong mic turned on, the edits we let go, the faith to publish anyway.

You’ll hear why a conversation with Beth Buffington’s mastermind felt like a turning point, surfacing the quiet truth that creators at every level need encouragement and a circle that elevates rather than drains. We talk through practical ways to find those people, protect your focus, and keep showing up when perfection tries to slow you down. There’s exciting news, too: our studio was selected for a local award announcement, a reminder that community-centered art—classes, pop-ups, youth programs—does more than teach skills; it builds belonging. We spotlight new work on our walls from photographer and designer Glenda Hake, fresh off a ribbon-stacked showing at the Canfield Fair, and share why her pieces have visitors leaning in and talking to each other.

From painting 250 pumpkins in Hartville to gearing up for another amphitheater session, the theme is simple: create anyway. Start where you are, with the tools you have, and let progress beat polish. If you’re a parent, educator, or maker looking for real-world inspiration and practical ideas to spark creativity, you’ll feel at home here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge to start, and leave a review to tell us what project you’re daring to launch next.

Chapters

• 0:06 October Check-In
• 0:28 Teens Join And Doodle Plans
• 0:53 Finger Painting And Studio Lessons
• 2:08 Mastermind Talk And Encouragement
• 3:41 Imperfect Action And Resilience
• 4:55 New Artist Feature And Events
• 5:53 Pumpkin Painting And Sign-Off

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:06

Hello everyone. Happy October. I'm very excited to be back. Um, I had a lot going on when the month began. I was on a podcast uh recording, it's going to be released next week. So with Beth Buffington. So I'm very excited about that episode coming out. So I was doing that last week. And then my homeschoolers, they were very interested in being guests on the podcast. So I asked them to get parental permission. And so next week they are going to be on the podcast with me. And I think we're going to uh doodle, bring that back. I'll roll one of my art dice so we have a subject matter and talk about what interests teens nowadays in art. Uh they come on a weekly basis, and we've been exploring everything from line drawing to um wire work to painting with tool. Uh today we did finger painting with wonderful Iris Scott's um book. It's just this great tutorial book that uh shows you how to use um oil paint. We used acrylic, but it was still a lot of fun. Uh, one of the gals she did that at our summer camp and loved it. So we picked another um illustration and practiced that today. So I really had a good time doing that this week with the kids, and um, I've had private lessons all week, and those, oh my gosh, those kids are just so talented and they are so cute. I love working with them. So we've just had a blast, and I love October. I have all kinds of seasonal things to do as a pop-in, as uh classes. I really enjoyed the month and just I love fall. So you can see my shirt if you're watching on YouTube. It's one of the Queen of Sparkles with all of the trick-or-treaters on it and their monsters dancing. I guess it's more monster mash than trick-or-treaters, but I think it's really fun. So I am very excited about recording with them, and I'm really excited about Beth's um podcast coming out. She asked me to be part of uh kind of a mastermind, sharing how I started the space here, encouraging others to do what they loved. And I was just so honored that she felt that I would have something to bring to the table. And it just reminds me of you don't know who's watching and what you're doing to encourage someone. And I look for encouragement all the time. I totally need it. It may not seem like I do because I'm always really positive, but trust me, I get in those funks like anyone else. And I'm just like, oh my gosh, what's gonna happen? And so I look for that in other businesses with other people. Love talking to people that bring me up and elevate me, and I encourage everybody to find others that are positive like that. So I did get to speak to her mastermind group and I get to come back and talk to them about their projects they're working on at the end of the month. So I'm super excited about that. And I was told by a group here in town that our business was awarded something coming up, blown away by this. So I can't wait to share what that is in the coming weeks. And I am very humbled by being seen in that light. So I'm anxious to share more when they do their press release. So um, again, I just wanted to start a business that I loved and I wanted to do something in the community with stuff that I love, with art and being creative and encouraging others to find the space to be creative. And um, and I'm not perfect, the things that we do aren't perfect. We just enjoy creating together, and so that's the whole you know basis of what I'm doing here, and that has resonated so well with others. So I just encourage you to do what you love and find a way to make it work the best that you can and where you're at, at where you're at too, because I was not a hundred percent ready, and I'm still every day making sure that I can make things work. Sometimes my podcast sounds crazy for because I forget to turn the right mic on. Um, but I still publish it anyway. I mean, I do the best that I can, and that's all that you can do. And you're gonna have people cheering you on, you're gonna have people rooting for you to fail. It doesn't matter. Don't listen to either side, do what makes you happy and just try your best every day. That's all you can do. And you're going to be happier by listening to that intuition than anything else. So I'm just wanting to give you an update of what's going on, and I can't wait to share the other podcast with you and everything else that we're doing. I'm hoping to have some new guests on. Um, yeah, I gotta arrange those times with everyone. So uh we have a new uh artist on the wall, Glenda Hake. And so I'll be recording with her shortly this uh month, and you're gonna learn more about her process and her work, and so I'm really excited to bring her to you and hear more. She does photography and design. Um, she was in the Canfield Fair, she said, and had 14 submissions for the art, and she got 13 ribbons, and it's just everyone really loves her pieces that are on the wall, and it's been a really cute show. And we had a reception last weekend, so again, it was a very busy start to the month, and I'm very happy about um everything that's coming along in the next three months for um the end of the year. So um, yeah, this weekend I'll be painting more pumpkins. Last weekend I painted 250 pumpkins with all the kids in Hartville, and so this weekend I have another event from noon to two at the amphitheater here. So uh busy, busy, busy. Thanks for tuning in, and I will talk to you uh next week with some kiddos. So take care and uh have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the fall. Bye.