Persistent Bloom

Mel Mitchell-Jackson
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Arts
  • Updated Monthly

Is a podcast hosted by Mel Mitchell-Jackson, an adventure artist, writer, musician, and slow hiker about how artists and creative humans can re-wild their practice to persist in making as a wellness practice and as an act of resistance. In this show we’ll question how status-quo systems, strategies, and ways of being an artist need to be re-molded to fit our real lives. We'll also discuss adaptation, chronic illness, and normalizing the rest or fallow period our bloom phases need

Episodes

  1. Sep 4

    how to adjust your creative practice to fit your capacity

    This week I’m feeling a little off from being sick, which means it’s time to check in around capacity. I’ll share a bit about how I use gentle energy level accommodations in my art practice, how the advice of our culture makes us push harder than we need to, and my advice for artists with day jobs. Sign up for the Persistent Bloom newsletter Support the Pod on Patreon Why I write intentions in my sketchbook to make it a teacher for my art Read my essays on creative cycles here Want to learn the practice of writing a Did List? Creative practice is a group sport, join us in the Persistent Bloom Discord Read my post about accommodations and my music practice My Doing the Hikers Way blog where I tracked my energy levels last fall Experience The Hikers Way pod-class Ready to unionize your workplace? Check out the incredible resources from Labor Notes

  2. Aug 20 ·  Bonus

    the importance of finding our creative home as an artist

    Wes and I went on a hike to discuss an idea that comes up all the time for our artist friends -- being stuck. We eventually landed on the importance of returning to a sense of creative home, and that's the portion you'll get to listen to here today. I've been feeling into this frustration and analysis paralysis myself when it comes to music so we get into it, and the emotions behind it. The deep fear that can come up and the expectations we put between ourselves and the act of making. When we know our creative homes, we can find a place to make that reflects back our ideal version of our artistic selves. Listening to this will help you sense into how it feels to be there in your creative home. Want to get to know Wes' music? Listen to Wes' solo project Lentil Famine here or his band Farlowella here! This is an episode preview. Want to hear the full episode? Become a paid member and support our podcast on Patreon. You can do that here! If you choose to join as a member on Patreon, you'll get access to the Persistent Bloom discord server and more awesome exclusives like: - demos & mini class recordings from Mel - group tutoring sessions and feedback on your creative work from Mel & Wes - a book club exploring the works that have supported our persistence - & more see what people are saying about the community and see some of their awesome work, here

    the importance of finding our creative home as an artist

  3. Aug 12

    the cycle of creative practice that art school got right

    Let’s get into the final episode of the Creative Cycles series, this one is all about the Learning and Research cycle. This was honestly the best thing I got out of art school and a really rich process to keep you moving towards long term, creative persistence. Read the original essay here & sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter  Explore The Hikers Way pod-class and use promo code BLOOM-POD for $10 off before midnight PST on September 5th  Persistent Bloom Patreon - support the show and get access to bonus episodes, patron exclusive videos, the Discord channel and more! Kristen Drozdowski article I quoted Finding Fulfillment in Research  The book I mentioned, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (affiliate link) Explore tutoring with Mel, and get your first 20 min session for just $19 Liked what you heard? Share the show with a friend.  Audio recorded and edited by Mel Mitchell-Jackson with audio doctoring by Wesley Jackson

  4. Jul 26

    goodbye for now, YouTube

    Farewell fickle algo, and what's next for my work! Today I'll be digging into my choice to take a massive and potentially indefinite break from YouTube. Why did I do it? What has changed? Let's discuss. Read the original post, goodbye for now YouTube Sign up for my newsletter! Listen to the episode of Soil & Stars with Emily Hall — Earth Intelligence and AI Sobriety Book a Tutoring Session with me! Use the discount code “AUG-POD” for 15% off before August 15th The book I mentioned in the episode, The Score by C. Thi Nguyen (affiliate link for my bookshop.org store) Read my essay on defeating the inner critic  The videos Wes and I are most proud of and the inspiration for the films we will make next.

  5. Jul 20

    creative prompts to trust your steps and let your practice be more wild

    This episode is an audio version of the July 2026 Creative Prompts I wrote in this article here. This is also where you can read the transcript of this podcast episode, or upgrade and access the exercise of an anti-artist statement for paid supporters :)  Wanna try out Oblique Strategies? That’s the purpose of this cool website, and you can also buy a physical deck from Brian Eno (not sponsored) If you’re really resonating with this, consider joining the Persistent Bloom Discord or signing up for Emergent Classroom

  6. Jul 9

    ready to stop the urge to scroll? here's how to root into the integrative cycle.

    Today we will be discussing the integrative cycle. The magical cycle that keeps me from craving a scroll session and connects me to the abundance in my practice. THIS is the cycle that keeps me from touching generative AI. As a reminder, I’m AI sober and it feels delicious. Sign up for the Week of the Archivist! All Live sessions are recorded, and all students get access to a secret Discord channel for ongoing accountability with your classmates : ) Read the original post after or while you listen  Join the Persistent Bloom Discord Server See my map for the Integrative Cycle   See my Obsidian web I mentioned See my computer organization after years of maintenance work Need help with a social media fast? Here’s an essay I wrote about it.  Hank Green’s Chewy Decimal System Final audio editing by my partner, Wes Jackson.

  7. Jul 2

    how savoring permission to rest led to making more art

    This week, I’m taking a gentle pause from the essay series on our creative cycles due to a health scare upon returning home from the Eastern Sierra. I’ll be okay, but my energy and capacity is much lower than usual. I’ll be back with another essay on the integrative cycle next week! This short essay is a gentle show-and-tell of sorts about the things I made while out in the wilderness. . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Join the Persistent Bloom Discord Read the original post, and see the art from it here Why hiking was out of reach for me last year, an essay on how I injured my back. Join the Persistent Bloom Discord Buy my Art! The book I mentioned, The Overstory by Richard Powers (bookshop.org affiliate link) . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

  8. Jun 26

    how the reflective cycle serves the sustainability of our craft

    Last week, we talked about the productive cycle of our craft. Today, we’re going to deepen into the phase that tends to follow intense periods of making, the reflective cycle. This is one of the more overlooked cycles of our craft but totally necessary to really honor the effort of making something. It’s the cycle where we look at our work and review what we’ve done, apply to shows, invite studio visits, journal, and on occasion, make a social media post. The longer I have allowed myself to linger in this cycle, the more I can identify what is Quality and what isn’t, what’s working and what’s not — completely independent from algorithms. The deepest reward of the reflective cycle is how it connects us to reciprocity and appreciating our gifts instead of chasing prestige. I just redesigned my entire website, you should go check it out! Subscribe to my Newsletter Join the Patreon & Sign up for my Discord Community Listen to Shannon Algeo on Off The Grid Read Against Analytics by CJ the X my interview with Misty Granades about long term sustainability! If you want to read the original essay you can do that here Sign up for Craft Tutoring here: https://melmitchelljackson.com/craft-tutoring

  9. Jun 16

    why we can’t always be in a productive cycle

    the real shapes of our creative cycles don't look how you'd expect. Today we will explore the productive cycle, the expectations we tend to put on it, and I'll help you feel into whether or not this is actually where your art sits right now. If you want to read the original essay you can do that here: https://melmitchelljackson.substack.com/p/why-we-cant-always-be-in-a-productive if you’re ready to gently improve your skills in drawing, painting, procreate, knitting, photography, or tech tools, i’d love to work with you 1-on-1. The way that it works is: you sign up for a time, I send you an email, you share what you’ve been working on and I think on itThen we meet! I’ll give you feedback on your current work, show you a demo of the technique you should focus on right now, and send you a human-written follow up email to connect all the dots. Sessions are normally $40 for 30 mins or $70 for an hour, but both are 10% off if you book before June 30th with code SOLSTICE 🙂 if you learn best in a group, hop over here and sign up for the waitlist for one of my upcoming classes, or join the cohort in my alternative art-school, Emergent Classroom over on Patreon I am running an almost-summer sale on all of my self-guided classes! I’ve got The Hikers Way on how to rewild your art with time in nature ($99), another on working with collage to make flyers and images for the internet that are distinctly Anti-AI ($39), and my most popular gouache and watercolor class for beginners all available to do at your own pace ($89) if you want to spend a guided weekend in nature learning how to transform your creative practice back into one of wellness and divorced from social media stats, book a creative retreat with me!

  10. Jun 11

    how to infuse more art into the beauty that summer offers

    hello and welcome (back) to Persistent Bloom, 4 years later we've reset and are sharing essay dispatches in an audio format to see how sharing as a pod once again feels if you would rather read this essay, or read along while you listen, find that at the link here! . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Here are the links I mentioned in the vid: Get early access to reading essays like this one by signing up for my Substack newsletter here explore Group Tutoring in the Emergent Classroom on Patreon Did list video  Work with me in a tutoring session Explore my art & internet world on my website See my old videos  This podcast was not created or written using AI, you can learn more about my AI Policy, here

    how to infuse more art into the beauty that summer offers
  • 10 Episodes

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Is a podcast hosted by Mel Mitchell-Jackson, an adventure artist, writer, musician, and slow hiker about how artists and creative humans can re-wild their practice to persist in making as a wellness practice and as an act of resistance. In this show we’ll question how status-quo systems, strategies, and ways of being an artist need to be re-molded to fit our real lives. We'll also discuss adaptation, chronic illness, and normalizing the rest or fallow period our bloom phases need

Information

  • Creator
    Mel Mitchell-Jackson
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mel Mitchell-Jackson
  • Show Website
    Persistent Bloom

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