Iterations

Jeffery Saddoris

Iterations is the audio version of my occasional journal/newsletter where I share stories, personal experiences, and ongoing questions around creativity, process, and making things that matter. Some episodes are more reflective, some are more practical, and some are just me thinking out loud and trying to make sense of things.

  1. What Rust Remembers

    6 MAY

    What Rust Remembers

    "Sometimes the thing you’re skilled at needs to be broken a little before it can surprise you again." For the past several years, I’ve primarily identified as a painter, despite the fact that the most consistent work I’ve done is writing. That said, lately I’ve had the uncomfortable thought that I might not want to paint anymore — at least not the way I’ve been doing it. Not because I’ve lost interest entirely, but maybe because I haven’t lost it enough. I can pretty consistently make paintings that “work” on some level, and, honestly, that might be part of the problem. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    10 min
  2. Small Is Still Significant

    5 MAR

    Small Is Still Significant

    Lately I’ve been feeling the weight of how complicated everything seems — I even wrote a bit about it in the last Iteration. It seems that the scale of it all — the speed, the certainty, the volume — can often make even small efforts feel almost invisible. I’ve caught myself wondering whether the things that I make or the conversations I have matter in any “real” way, and honestly, that unsettles me. And I suspect I’m not the only one who’s felt that. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    7 min
  3. You Have to Start Making Decisions

    27 JAN

    You Have to Start Making Decisions

    Towards the end of last year, I started thinking about building a new website for myself. Not just another vanity site (although I’ve built plenty of those), but more of an archive of the various things I’ve done over my career and a hub where I can share stories around what I’m thinking about and what I’m working on that aren’t dependent on The Algorithm. After years of inconsistent, and if I’m being honest, fairly half-hearted efforts to play the social media game, I’m finally done. I have no more interest in chasing likes or followers or the ever-elusive “brand deal.” I just want to make stuff in my quiet little studio and write about what I make — but also, and maybe more importantly, about what others are making, doing, and thinking about. In fact, in many ways, I kind of want my making to be a byproduct of what others are making, and maybe that includes you. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    9 min
  4. Let Go Lightly

    29/12/2025

    Let Go Lightly

    About 18 months ago, I started seeing a therapist. I had gotten to a place that I’ve only really been once before and Adrianne encouraged me — actually, she implored me — to talk with a therapist. She once said to me, “Every day, I’m terrified that I’m either going to come home and not find you, or worse, that I will.” I’m not going to lie, that hit pretty hard. I knew I was in a dark place, but we often think that we are the only ones who know just how bad it really is — that we are somehow hiding it from the rest of the world. It’s not true, of course, but that was me in that moment, and to hear the person I love the most in the world say that to me…let’s just say that it shone a light on the dark that I felt surrounded by. So for the past year and a half, I’ve been having the sessions and doing the deep work of unlearning what I had learned and letting go of some of the limiting beliefs and behaviors that have seemed so hell bent on keeping me out of the light. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    9 min
  5. The Weight of Waiting

    23/09/2025

    The Weight of Waiting

    It took a bit to fire up, but once it did, the familiar rumble of my Dad’s 1974 Ford F100 took me right back to my childhood summers. As Art slowly backed the truck off of the trailer, Adrianne commented, “It’s smaller than I thought it would be, given how large it looms in your history.” Indeed, I thought. One of my earliest memories of this truck is of waking up on the bench seat at Buckskin State Park on the Arizona side of the Colorado river. It was cold that morning — though it was light, the sun hadn’t yet crested the red rock hills that bordered the campground to the East. Dad and my stepmother Linda were both awake after having spent the night in sleeping bags in the bed of the truck. Dad had made a small fire that was crackling and popping and I remember the faint smell of coffee on the chilly morning air. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    8 min
  6. Style, Stunts, and a Tiny House

    02/09/2025

    Style, Stunts, and a Tiny House

    I’ve shared this story before, and regardless of whether it’s true or just the stuff of photographic legend, it’s so good that I think it bears repeating every so often. The story goes that a photographer was presenting his portfolio to the great Jay Maisel. He asked Jay how he could take more interesting pictures, to which Jay immediately replied, “become a more interesting person.” It may sound trite, but I think it’s often easy for makers to become myopic in terms of the types of things that inspire them. Painters are often looking at other painters, photographers look at other photographers, musicians are often listening to other musicians, and so on. If you’re always looking (or listening) to what’s familiar, the odds of you arriving at something that’s unfamiliar (even if it’s only unfamiliar to you), are pretty slim, which is why it can be helpful to look outside of your comfort zone for inspiration. I’m interested in almost everything so as you might imagine, my feeds are pretty eclectic. While I’ve gotten away from posts like this over the years, I think I’d like to jump back in and offer up an occasional look at some of the things that have caught my attention, and might catch yours. LINKS Long Hot Summers / The Story Of The Style Council Mubi interview with Lee Pace The incredible tiny home of Masato Igarashi You can find all of the links I mention in this Iteration on my Substack. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    5 min
  7. Making and Money

    27/08/2025

    Making and Money

    For a long time now — years, in fact — I’ve leaned toward the belief that I deserve to be paid for the creative work I do. And to be clear, I don’t think that’s unreasonable, at least not from a certain point of view. After all, in a capitalist system that’s sort of how it works, right? You do a job, you earn money, you buy things. On the other side, goods and services cost money and we generally accept that premise. Cars, houses, a gallon of milk, a bucket of chicken — whatever it is, we accept that acquiring those things is transactional. I exchange the money I earn for the thing that you produce. The same goes for services like electricity, gas, your phone bill, or internet access. That’s just how the system works. But there are gray areas. Some types of goods and services seem to be more or less exempt from that agreement — namely creative ones. Music, movies, and software often fall into that bucket. And, to make it more personal, art. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    8 min
  8. I Buried Another Bird

    30/06/2025

    I Buried Another Bird

    Yesterday, I had a heart-wrenching experience. I was out for a morning walk with Adrianne and Cooper when I spotted a bird flailing in the grass under a tree. As I got closer, it struggled to escape, its life force fading away. When it finally stopped moving, I knelt down and tried to comfort it with a damp leaf (Adrianne advised against touching it directly due to the bird flu). Watching it die right before my eyes was incredibly painful. I still don’t know what happened, but it clearly had endured some serious trauma. Tears welled up in my eyes as I confessed to Adrianne, “I hate this.” She replied, “I know, but in its final moments, you showed it kindness and love.” A NOTE: I know this isn’t the usual fare for Iterations, but I think quiet moments like this can be just as important as the big existential ones. I have dozens of these types of vignettes — sometimes it’s just me taking notes on my life and the observations and feelings are just for me, but other times, like this one, I think they are worth sharing. CONNECT WITH ME Visit my Website: https://jefferysaddoris.com Get my Newsletter: Subscribe Email me: talkback@jefferysaddoris.com

    4 min
See All (141)

About

Iterations is the audio version of my occasional journal/newsletter where I share stories, personal experiences, and ongoing questions around creativity, process, and making things that matter. Some episodes are more reflective, some are more practical, and some are just me thinking out loud and trying to make sense of things.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeffery Saddoris
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    141
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jeffery Saddoris
  • Show Website
    Iterations

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