Marijanel (00:02):
Welcome to today's show. Christmas is around the corner and Charla and I thought that it would be really fun to reveal to you some of our favorite art tools and gift ideas. Now, you might remember at the beginning of September, we kicked off a season with a What's in Our Art Bag episode, which was a big hit. And on boldschool.com, we also offer a downloadable PDF showing what's in our art bag. Now, this show might have some similarities because we're gonna talk about our favorite things, but I can promise you there's some big differences too. So stick around to find out our favorite things. But before we get started, Charla, I have to tell you what, what actually went down while we were on lunch break.
Charla (00:50):
Okay,
Marijanel (00:50):
So there's a, there's a little bit of story here and I'll try not to take too long 'cuz we wanna get to our favorite things. But, um, you know how you and I, we talk a lot about movies and, and we love, like, you know, just thinking about the, the whole culture of filming and what not. There's one pet peeve that I have to do with movies. It's when actors walk around with empty cups that I can tell are empty. I don't know if you've ever noticed that, but like, they'll be walking down the street
Charla (01:18):
You can, yeah.
Marijanel (01:19):
Know that it's too light, and that they're faking it with a empty cup. Yeah. Well, on lunch, because we knew we were gonna break out the Christmas spirit here on the Bold Artist podcast, we had talked about getting ourselves like cozy drinks. And I'm in my studio downtown and I thought, I'm gonna splurge. I'm gonna go not just to to Tim Hortons to get tea because you know it's really affordable at Tim Hortons, I thought I'm gonna splurge and go for the expensive tea that's a few blocks down. I walked all the way and got myself an expensive tea, came in the studio and dropped it.
Marijanel (01:58):
All over the floor. So, I'm gonna be that podcast host with the empty cup today.
Charla (02:06):
So funny.
Marijanel (02:07):
I'm truly disappointed, like in the bottom of my heart. I'm disappointed that my tea, I was so looking forward to it. I was gonna sip it with you and talk about our favorite things with a cup tea.
Charla (02:18):
Well,
Marijanel (02:19):
It's on the floor
Charla (02:20):
I'll, I'll just divulge the secret of mine because I've got a Starbucks. And I like, 'cuz we talked about this, but I actually didn't plan to do it. But my husband was out this morning, and he called, and it just worked out, and I was like, Yeah, bring me home a coffee. So, I've got one, but it's cold 'cuz it's after lunch. And we were working, and I decide I didn't drink it all and I was like, I should put a hot tea in here so I get the vibe of like a hot drink. And then I was like, I forgot. So, then I was like, well maybe I should just empty it out. And then I was thinking about no people could tell when it's empty. 'Cause that's the cold coffee
Marijanel (02:54):
I know.
Charla (02:55):
And I'm gonna pretend I'm sipping a hot one.
Marijanel (02:58):
Okay, so Charla is sipping a half empty cold Starbucks, and I am sipping nothing.
Charla (03:06):
And hopefully isn't how our Christmas is gonna go. It's, it's the vibe of early December, Christmas, crazy. You know, like by mid to late December we'll be having our hot.
Marijanel (03:17):
Yeah,
Charla (03:17):
Like eggnog lattes
Marijanel (03:19):
Promise you, by the time the December Bold Artist podcasts are over, we will have a full hot drink on the show. Um, but for now we're faking it. And welcome to today's podcast. I'm excited about this one. And I think that not only is it gonna give you great gift ideas for the holiday season, but it's also gonna show you a glimpse into a little more of who Charla and I are. You know, as so many of you follow the show and you're either watching on YouTube on the Bold School channel or you're listening on audio apps, you're, you're hearing a lot of, like, we share our thoughts, we start conversations. We... Charla shares her expertise of her years in the art world. And we, we talk a lot about, I'm gonna call it business and the business of art and serious things, but we have a totally fun side of us, too. We have a fun and very interesting, um, diverse taste in all of like, life around us, whether it be art or lifestyle. And we thought it'd be really fun to share it, but it is from an artist perspective. So, there is definitely the twist here that we are, we're keeping it through the lens of an artist, but sharing with you our favorites. So, Charla, where would you like to start today? What favorite item do we wanna pull out first?
Charla (04:40):
Let's start with favorite things in our studio and get people all inspired for what they, 'cuz it's still early December, so.
Marijanel (04:48):
Yeah,
Charla (04:48):
You still have time to get some stuff on your list. So, if there's anything here that's inspiring to you, you can get it on your list. Let's start with what our favorite things to have in our studio, which is how we set the scene. We trigger ourselves to go into creative mo mood, you know, creative mode. I'm not sure what the right one is. But I'm all for, like, setting the scenes, so when I sit at my easel, I can paint. And that's all year round, you know, like, every season. So, we need to... We, we both talk about it is how we have our favorite things around us to get us in that mood so we're in the right space to create. So, um, that's what I'd like to share with everybody 'cuz we aren't Oprah and we can't go. A favorite thing for you and a favorite thing for you
Marijanel (05:32):
We can't give our favorite things away, but we can tell you what our favorite things are.
Charla (05:36):
We can tell you what you should buy
Marijanel (05:37):
Yeah. So do you wanna start> show me Reveal. Reveal. And, and I should say this, that so many faithful listeners are on our, our audio apps, and once again, this is a show that is probably better for the YouTube viewers because we're gonna hold some things up to the camera. Um, so if you're on audio, I apologize for the lack of visuals, but I'll try to describe, I know you're running on the treadmill or driving in the car, and you're highly entertained by Charla and I talking. And I'll try to be as descriptive as I can, but you might wanna hop over to the Bold School channel and see what we're holding.
Charla (06:12):
Yeah. See some of these things. So, um, my studio last year, if you were watching a year ago, my studio was my camp, my desk was flipped, and you could just see my art wall. But this year you can see my studio behind us. So, you can see a couple of things, which one is right there, which is my salt lamp. And I have those in every... not every room, but almost every room. My kids have one. Um, we have one in, we have a really big one in the living room. So, this one I love 'cuz it's like perfectly round is like this weird dome, whereas all the other ones are natural shaped. Um, but that's, I love my salt lamp. And that one is pretty much on all year round in here. Um, and then on this side which is harder to see, but right there there's a tiny little diffuser for essential oils. And I love Doterra essential oils. I know there's very, there's a lot of sides to,
Marijanel (07:05):
She's not being paid to say that. They're not sponsoring the show.
Charla (07:08):
Not. Definitely not being paid to say that. Um, but I love, I love Doterra oils, and that's I think a Doterra diffuser. But I love having that in here because I does, I don't always love the smell of the studio with all of the paints and different things that can be in kind of a chemical smell, I guess. And I had those two on my list that we, you know, has been preapproved by Marijanel to have on the show.
Marijanel (07:33):
She makes it sound like I'm the boss. I'm not the boss.
Charla (07:35):
There are just like thinking about my background. There's two things, two more things that I absolutely love because my, uh, diffuser actually diffuses the air. The salt lamp also diffuses the air. Um, I have, my son had some health issues when he was little, and my first salt lamp I got to put in his room, and he used to call it his special light 'cuz it was from his auntie. And you could almost, it almost smelled like salt water air. When I first put it in his room. His room was small, and it actually changes like the ions in the air or whatever and makes the air smell really fresh. And I just absolutely loved it, which is why I have one here in the studio. Although I don't think that was really big enough to, you know, clean all the air. So the diffuser, um, helps as well.
Charla (08:22):
And then right here, like this thing right here is an air purifier, which I talk about in different places. Um, I think it might even be on our blogs or maybe it's on my Instagram. Um, and it's a pretty high tech, uh, one, like it's not a tiny little one 'cause it's a big space, and it has a big job. Um, it's something that I wanted for years, and I finally got it about a year and a half ago, and it can recycle the air or like, not recycle. It can clean and filter the air, um, like four times an hour, six times an hour. So, on days when I'm painting, and there's paint just exposed in here, I have that thing running. It's pretty quiet. But that is one of, definitely one of my favorite things.
Marijanel (09:07):
It's not quite quiet enough to film with because we had to do some retakes of some filming at one point because it was on.
Charla (09:12):
It was on
Marijanel (09:14):
But, um, now all of these, I I'm gonna say this for the sake of all of our watchers and listeners, that all of these are like applied to favorite things of an art studio because they really set the mood.
Charla (09:26):
Yeah.
Marijanel (09:26):
And Charla's talked about like the chemicals in the air, and some of the odors that we have from our working tools. We have to be really conscious of like setting the mood, and keeping the environment around us in a, like, in something that not only inspires us, but that is healthy for us. And, um, and so that is one reason why these are all really applicable to artists and to our studios.
Charla (09:52):
Yeah. And, and this is like a big ticket item. You know, I think this version was about $1,200, but you can get
Marijanel (09:59):
She's speaking of the air, the air, purifier
Charla (10:01):
Air purifier. Um, but with the air purifier you can actually get one. I opted to get one that could clean the whole studio, but at the time when I was deciding between what I was gonna do, and what I could afford to, what I should spend money on, I found, um, really high quality ones, as well that could go on your desk. And they were just a couple of hundred dollars, and they were, they talked about like the air around it that it would clean. So, you could have one sitting next to your easel or on your desk in your studio and clean the air that you are breathing. So, and it's not as as expensive. Plus, if you have a smaller space, if you're like using a bedroom, or like the little tiny space you are in, Marijanel, you don't, and I mean, that's not your studio.
Marijanel (10:46):
And I have, well, in my studio is large.
Charla (10:49):
That's your podcast studio
Marijanel (10:49):
The cubicle that I podcast in is pretty small.
Charla (10:53):
You don't need this.
Marijanel (10:54):
Yeah. All I need to do is open the window and I'm good.. Although my city sort of has some strange odors going on.
Charla (11:00):
Yeah.
Marijanel (11:00):
Which I noticed when I went to get the tea, I was thinking, hmm, it's not smelling so good out here today.
Charla (11:07):
And I think that's like a very practical item, but for artists, it's for me it was, I was so excited. It's one of my favorite things in my studio.
Marijanel (11:16):
Yeah.
Charla (11:16):
I'm grateful for that thing every time I look at it.
Marijanel (11:18):
Wow.
Charla (11:18):
So those are a little bit more practical in what you can see behind me, but getting to be a little bit more fun. I'm trying to remember what's all our lists are so I don't,
Marijanel (11:27):
Well we, we not only wanted to share what our favorite things were in our studios, but some of our favorite giftsa that we've received and that we love to give because it is the giving season. Um, you know, as far as the, the things in my studio, I, I have to say Charla actually stole two of my ideas because I'm the one that said my salt lamp and my diffuser.
Charla (11:50):
You said them both.
Marijanel (11:51):
I said them both.
Charla (11:51):
So I went and put them in my shot.
Marijanel (11:53):
We really share those, those in common.
Charla (11:55):
For sure.
Marijanel (11:56):
When I, when, when we were talking about what we would want to share with everyone about what our favorite studio items would be, I, I said it's, it's the things that set the mood for me because we've already reviewed like what's in our bag and some of our favorite tools that we take on the go. And of course we have favorite art supplies. Charla has lists. Um, you can get a tool list from boldschool.com that has all of her, her tools listed in a pdf. That's a free resource, so hop on the website and, and make sure you get your hands on that. But for me, some of my, I guess other favorite things tend to be either inspirational or mood setting and also special. I tend to have in my, I was, I was telling, um, Charla and another artist, we were having lunch, and I was saying how my home is very minimal, where I keep like everything is real, like clean and basic because it's good for me not to have a lot of distractions. But funny enough, in my studio, I tend to add all these tiny little things that make me feel like a kid again or really just warm and cozy and
Charla (13:03):
Nostalgic and
Marijanel (13:04):
Yeah. Nostalgic. And so I have a lot of like my childhood items, and little gifts, and my kids art and, and that kind of thing around my studio. And those are my favorite things. It's nothing fancy. It's, and also, I, I did wanna say this that, um, we've talked, I think similar in, in podcast pass, but um, we, we've talked about, you know, selling our art, and giving our art, but I wanted to say, do yourself a gift and keep some of your art and some of your favorite pieces. Because I don't have any to pull up here on the camera right now, but especially in my working areas, I have kept some of my very favorite pieces for the purpose that they inspire my future work. It doesn't help me to just keep a photo of them and pull it up digitally on my phone. I really need that tangible item. And so I do find that around my studio I have pieces that if I'm having that down day where I just don't know how or what to create, I will look at that piece from the past and go, right. Like, that's what I love about creating, and it will propel me forward.
Charla (14:22):
Yeah.
Marijanel (14:22):
And so I do say give yourself a gift and keep some of your best.
Charla (14:26):
Yeah. I think it's great advice. I heard years ago that as an artist you should always keep a couple of pieces from your collections each year of, of painting and not sell everything. Because one day, um, you know, the idea of purchasing, selling art is that it's an investment, and as your reputation and career grows, your art will become more, more worth something. Worth more.
Marijanel (14:52):
Yeah. Worth more.
Charla (14:52):
And so, um, at the end of your life, 50 years later, a hundred years later, you wanna have a personal collection for your family as a legacy for your family. So, I was like, okay, that's important. And that gave me permission to keep some of my favorite pieces because I would always put them in shows, and then I'd panic when they sell.
Marijanel (15:10):
Yeah.
Charla (15:10):
So, I started keeping some of my favorite pieces, and just like you said, they're, they're my favorites, the ones I connected with.
Charla (15:17):
And so they inspire me on a daily basis. And.
Marijanel (15:20):
Yeah.
Charla (15:20):
The Santa that I have here on my easel in the background, I call him my Quilting Santa, I just painted him last year, but he, I had, I had him put away 'cuz he was a Christmas piece, so he was like, you know, stashed away. And I just took him out when we were getting ready for the show today, and I re I just felt so excited. Like, it felt so good to see him because.
Marijanel (15:42):
Yeah.
Charla (15:42):
I just, I I love that piece. Just brings, there's lots of reasons why I love that piece and won't need to go into it, but it just felt so good, and I was so happy that I had him, and I didn't sell him last year. So yeah. I think that is like really, really important. We, we, we create our spaces, but you also need to make sure you keep some of your favorite work.
Marijanel (16:01):
For sure. For sure. Yeah. So Charla, if you were going to give a gift to a creative person, and I'm gonna say creative, whether they're into fine art or art creation. Uh, I, 'cuz I find that yes, I give a lot of gifts to artist friends, but a lot of times I'm giving more gifts to creative individuals, family, friends, that, that lean into creativity. What do you usually choose to give?
Charla (16:34):
Um, well this actually reminds me of a podcast we did I think in the summer, over the summer about gifting your art.
Marijanel (16:42):
Yeah. Well we said, we said don't assume everyone likes your art enough.
Charla (16:47):
Yeah.
Marijanel (16:47):
If you give them a piece of your art, you wanna make sure you're giving it to the right recipients.
Charla (16:52):
Yeah. If you are. So, go listen, if you're thinking about giving your art away this year, go listen to that podcast. I forget the episode number. We can link it. Um, but it's in the summer and it's about gifting your art. And I think it was some really good insight, and we got a lot of feedback from that show about people who had not thought about that.
Marijanel (17:09):
Yeah. A lot inside the Bold School community, um, we had a lot of people respond saying this was very timely because I have been thinking about like all the art I give or I've been thinking about giving, and people responded to my story where I said I had give or I had wanted to give a piece and the the recipient declined. It's a little bit of a funny story. You have to listen to the episode to note.
Charla (17:33):
Yeah.
Marijanel (17:33):
But everyone thought that that was funny in one like kind of haha way. But they were also saying Marijanel, I totally relate. And so it, it became a bit of a talk inside the community. So
Charla (17:47):
Yeah. Like, your art isn't for everyone. So, I will rarely gift a piece of art unless somebody talks about it. Like if somebody came here every month and was like, I love that Santa, I love that Santa, I love that Santa. And then maybe the following year I'd say, Okay, I wanna give them that Santa.
Marijanel (18:02):
By the way, I love that Santa. I love that Santa
Charla (18:05):
You're not getting my Santa. How about you love? I'll find one you can love.
Marijanel (18:09):
I love that Santa.
Marijanel (18:12):
Uh, so, um, yeah. So, you would tend to give them, were you about to say to give them art, or...
Charla (18:18):
No, I wouldn't give them art.
Marijanel (18:20):
Okay.
Charla (18:20):
Unless they said they loved a specific piece, like for a year straight. And then I might contemplate it. But normally I wouldn't for all the reasons listed in the other podcast. So, I would do things like give them my, one of my favorite books from this year. So, this was a book we studied in our community book club Steal Like an Artist. And I had heard a ton about it. I decided this might be a good book club book and I purchased it for that purpose. And it's turned out to be one of my favorite books. It's just full of like, it's easy to read, and it's full of just really nuggets of information that makes you want to dig deeper.
Marijanel (18:57):
It's, it's inspirational and also challenging.
Charla (19:00):
Challenging. Yes. Yeah.
Marijanel (19:00):
It has challenging, a lot of challenging aspects. So Charla's holding up Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, I believe that, that's how you pronounce, um, the author's name.
Charla (19:09):
Yeah.
Marijanel (19:10):
And it is a very good gift idea for an artist or a creative. It's got lots of challenging nuggets.
Charla (19:16):
Yeah. And it can be like a table, a coffee table book.
Marijanel (19:19):
Yeah.
Charla (19:19):
'Cuz it's little, it's nice, it's graphic, so it's nice to look at. It's just a really simple easy book. It's fun. It's not a commitment to read it, and you can read like a couple of pages at a time. So, it's inspiring, and beautiful, and it's one of my favorite things from this year, and one of our fa my favorite things from our community. So, I think this is a favorite gift to give to somebody if you're looking for something for somebody else, and buy one for yourself too. Um, something like, I do like to give art, but it wouldn't necessarily be one of my giant original pieces. It would be something different. And one of the things I like to make and give is, um, my felting.
Marijanel (20:03):
Yeah.
Charla (20:03):
Which I searched high low and couldn't, couldn't get at my Christmas boxes to get a couple out 'cuz we don't have our tree up yet. I know that you have something to show, but we'll save it for later. So that's the type of, like, you could call it a craft item. It's, I like to think of it as a practical item. Something that you, like I give to somebody they can hang on their tree. So, they don't have to say, Oh this big beautiful painting you gave me, now I have to hang it on my wall. And they don't even like it. But if I give them a little piece of art, they can hang on their tree. You know, even if they don't love it, it, they can hang it there and they don't, it doesn't ruin their life. But, um, something I don't really do a lot is make small, tiny art that's a little easier to give, but I've been the recipient of them, and I have this one piece that's definitely one of my favorite, um, things. I don't like calling it things because
Charla (20:56):
So, who is the artist of the piece you're holding up, Charla?
Charla (20:59):
This is an original piece of art from the one and only Marijanel that she gave me last Christmas. And you might say, why is it still in its plastic container? White plastic wrap. I have it actually displayed in my house inside a frame that my son made at school, but it doesn't fit quite properly. So, I don't wanna take it out, and get it dirty or anything until I get it it's own frame. But I do kind of like it in that frame 'cuz my son made it. I just wish
Marijanel (21:27):
Might just need another mat.
Charla (21:28):
Well, I, yeah, I did think about that too, which I find even harder to, I don't even have a clue where to find a mat. I used to have a mat cutter when I was
Marijanel (21:34):
Me, too, I have a mat cutter, but I'll just say Charla's pulling up an original by me
Charla (21:39):
Yeah
Marijanel (21:40):
Of a lighthouse in a bottle with teeny weenie little whales. It's a small scale water color.
Charla (21:45):
I just really love it. On so many levels.
Marijanel (21:46):
But see, Charla grew in Newfoundland, and around the ocean, and she had actually seen me post a reel, this was a long time ago, post a reel on my illustrative, uh, Instagram account, and I was painting tiny whales and she was like, love it, love it, love it. And I just, you know, just remember that. And so, um, I wasn't actually even sure that you would want that kind of art in your home 'cuz you can love something but not necessarily want it in your home. But then I saw you did have a little bit of nautical leaning in your, in certain rooms, and I thought,
Charla (22:21):
Yeah,
Marijanel (22:21):
You know what? I think, I think she'd take this piece of art, and she loved it, so Yeah!
Charla (22:27):
And I did. And it actually made me feel emotional. Little teary eyed maybe. 'Cause I actually, I love tiny things. I love miniature things. I love miniature little places. And that's what this reminds me of is like a little world plus it's my little world in my, in my heart, you know, in my whatever. So,
Marijanel (22:45):
Right, oh I didn't even think of it that way.
Charla (22:45):
That's what I love about it. Yeah. It makes me feel all those types of feelings, and I just love it. Um, so this is, this was like the perfect giving of your own original art. And yeah, that's one of my favorite things that I've been given. And then I've got this other thing in my studio that I absolutely love, which is what I call my bold color blanket. And I love it for lots of reasons.
Marijanel (23:09):
Your bold color blanket is, is keeping your microphone from your mouth. So, you need to put down your bold color blanket so we can hear you.
Charla (23:17):
I love it. I love my bold color blanket for many reasons. It's bold color, so it suits my studio. It's cozy and warm, and it's real wool. It's, it's like the real deal. And it was purchased at a store where it was a quarter of its regular price. And so I got this for my mom for Christmas, and I got it for myself last year. So.
Marijanel (23:37):
It's beautiful.
Charla (23:37):
It's one of my favorite items in here, and I'm scared to use it because I do not wanna get paint on it. Um,
Marijanel (23:43):
Yeah.
Charla (23:43):
And I, I was was going to say the name of it in case you love these kinds of things. It's, um, M i s s o n i, Missoni Home. Missoni Home. Um, so anyways.
Marijanel (23:59):
Beautiful. And, and I've seen it in persons very soft. Very soft.
Charla (24:02):
Yeah. Very soft. So, and I think you can even wash it. I can't quite remember, but this is definitely a favorite. I know it's not an art item, but I think a lot of artists are, are tactile, people are textural, you know, like the fibers. It's real. It's authentic. It's bold color. It's cozy.
Marijanel (24:21):
Yes.
Charla (24:21):
All those kinds of things. So, even though it's not a piece of art or art related, it's important in the studio. Um, but I'm trying to remember what else I had. I had, Oh yes, I have my, this wasn't a gift to give or um, a gift I was given, but it's an art tool that I wanted to show because it, um, it's my new favorite thing. So.
Marijanel (24:41):
Okay.
Charla (24:41):
And then I'm gonna let you some of your
Marijanel (24:43):
Stuff. I think if you've been following Charla's reels on Instagram, you're gonna know what her new favorite thing is.
Charla (24:48):
Yeah, it is my Copic marker. Growing collection.
Marijanel (24:54):
Yeah.
Charla (24:54):
This might look small, but these markers are
Marijanel (24:58):
Oh, Charla's holiding up a, uh, sort of bag that we haven't seen quite what's inside yet, but
Charla (25:03):
Yeah, so it's a bag where the markers can stand up inside, which is, I just got this little bag on Amazon. It's made for markers, not Copic markers, but it's, it was, that's what I searched for. And so the markers will stand up in it so I can see all their colors, which was really nice. This is a very small collection, but when you look at Copic markers being $8 to $10 Canadian each. This is a rather large collection
Marijanel (25:28):
That's a big investment in Copic markers.
Charla (25:32):
Yeah. So this is still, um, a, a big investment even though it looks quite small.
Marijanel (25:37):
Yeah.
Charla (25:37):
This is one of my absolute favorite, most inspiring things right now. And I would love for everyone to get me a marker for Christmas.
Marijanel (25:45):
Woo. We'll start send, send a marker to Charla. One of those chains. Yeah.
Charla (25:51):
And then I could buy a few more bags.
Marijanel (25:54):
The only problem I have with that Charla is you need to give me your marker chart so I know which ones you have already.
Charla (26:00):
Yes. And I do have that, so I'll send that right over.
Marijanel (26:02):
Yeah, you send that right over so I can keep track of the marker gifting.
Charla (26:06):
Right over.
Marijanel (26:07):
Organize the marker gifting campaign.
Charla (26:09):
Yeah. So Copic markers, um, you don't need every single marker. You can actually start a pretty practical collection right off the bat. But they're my favorite things because they're fun, they're easy, they're bold color, and you can, you can just, uh, work away in or out of your studio. But I've talked about them lots on the podcast.
Marijanel (26:26):
Yeah.
Charla (26:27):
I am just looking around quickly. I think that's, um, a lot of my list. So,
Marijanel (26:32):
So, if I was going to give a gift to a creative person, I tend to, I mean, first you're gonna think about who the person is and what they're gonna want. But if you're looking for sort of a general gift of just, I'd love to give someone possibilities.
Charla (26:50):
Yeah.
Marijanel (26:50):
And so to me, a gift with possibilities is a journal, sketchbooks, and books that open up the mind and the heart in a really inspirational way. And so, you know, that's, that tends to be what I would lean into as far as giving someone, um, possibilities. I, I have samples here in the studio, but, um, I think that when.
Charla (27:15):
So beautiful.
Marijanel (27:15):
When people go shopping, they'll find what they want. But there's lots of gift shops that have beautiful hand bound journals and, um, I was given one last Christmas, and I tend to love to give those, as well.
Charla (27:29):
I'm an artist, and I would totally love a leather bound, hand bound journal like the one you're holding up.
Marijanel (27:35):
And I like that Santa. What kinda show is this turning into? I'm just, what are Charla and Marijanel gonna give each other for the holiday?
Charla (27:45):
Validating. We're just validating each other so much right now.
Marijanel (27:47):
Yes. Well, while we're validating each other here, um, I did... So, this is about our favorite things. Our favorite things is artists and, you know, what inspires us to give and to receive. But I, I do love to receive handmade gifts. There is something very special about what is made from the hand and things that take time. So, if I can get a little deep and insightful here, you, you can replenish money, but you never replenish time. And when someone gives you the gift of their something that, you know, they're, they poured time into you, they gave a piece of their life, they're not gonna get back.
Charla (28:31):
Yeah.
Marijanel (28:31):
And so I have felt that way about when I mentioned like the ki my kids giving me art, or people giving me things that are time consuming labors of love
Charla (28:43):
And, and that they brought from inside of them
Marijanel (28:46):
Out
Charla (28:46):
Out into the world.
Marijanel (28:47):
I'm very sentimental about that type of thing, that type of gift. And um, last year, so I had this sort of hint that Charla was gonna be giving away some of her felting. I kind of knew, okay, well there might be some felting gifts given away at Bold School. But I had no idea that she would take it as far as to felt one of my illustrations onto a Christmas ball. So, I need to hold this up and please, if you're listening on audio, do hop over to YouTube to see this, because first I'll show you that this is, um, one of my little illustrations that is a Christmas card that sells, like, my local gift shops. And it had been for a while available on my website. And it's a really cute chubby mouse holding a gift package. It says Joy, it has snowflakes. And this is just like a nelMarijanel style illustration.
Charla (29:46):
Original.
Marijanel (29:47):
It's an original, although it's a reprinted card. And I had this out there floating around. I don't know if Charla had a copy or how she got ahold of it.
Charla (29:56):
Instagram.
Marijanel (29:57):
Instagram. And then I went and opened my Christmas gift last year. And she had taken hours upon hours of her life,
Charla (30:08):
Upon hours
Marijanel (30:09):
To felt me the same little mouse that is on the card.
Charla (30:16):
He's so cute.
Marijanel (30:17):
He is so cute. And she had a hard time, I don't know, you can't see it on my webcam too good. But he has a teeny weeny little nose that comes out of the Christmas ball, and she had really hard time with his nose, and had to redo it.
Charla (30:32):
It was so hard
Marijanel (30:33):
This little guy, he's out all year long. He doesn't go away. He was out all year in my studio. And you know, when you have gifts like this that are the, the labor of love of someone's time, but also that they were very thoughtful. So like there was a lot of thought behind herre recreating my illustration. And so when it's that meaningful, it's also inspirational to have those items out in your studio. It brought me a lot of like, wow, if Charla believed in my illustration so much to spend all that time, well today I can illustrate and feel good about it. You know, I don't know, that that's kind of a funny connection, but it it brings a lot.
Charla (31:20):
It's uplifting.
Marijanel (31:20):
It is.
Charla (31:21):
Yeah.
Marijanel (31:21):
It is uplifting. So, thank you again. And I'm glad that this mouse has made his debut on YouTube and,
Charla (31:29):
And, and I just, I just love those types of things. Um, I love making those types of things 'cause it's different process than being in the studio and painting.
Marijanel (31:38):
Yeah.
Charla (31:38):
And to be able to sit and, and make something that is original from my own hands and be able to give it for Christmas is, is fulfilling and fun, and all of these types of things. And I think that's why people love to give their art because they put love and care into the creation creations of, you know, their paintings and work, and why we wanna be able to give them away. But it's just art can be so, um, subjective, you know? Like, people have to connect and love it. So, these types of things are equally, you know, as beautiful and, um, sentimental I guess. And that's what I love about doing it. It's hard to find the thing that you love to do outside of your studio, but for me, that's one of the things that I just love. And I just, I get my felting out every fall, and I'm already working on stuff for this year, so
Marijanel (32:31):
Oh, I know. It's exciting. So in closing of today's favorite things show, do you have anything else that you wanna add? And I'll take a sip of my empty tea just for the full show.
Charla (32:43):
I could, I could add like a million different things. Actually, one of the things that, um, you wanted to show that you didn't have at the studio, but I have is something that my sister, it's a craft, a craft, an art that my, it's actually an art that my sister does, which is jewelry. And she creates jewelry out of sea glass. So, this is one of her rings, and I just absolutely love them. She travels to Greece every year in Newfoundland, and she actually purchased it from different sea glass collectors around the world, and makes these amazing pieces of silver, and sometimes a rare opportunity you can get gold. And I've bought stuff from her, and I've gifted stuff of hers.
Marijanel (33:25):
Yes.
Charla (33:25):
So, Marijanel has a piece of this that I gave her, and I know I'm telling the story, but she wanted to show it really badly.
Charla (33:31):
And I was like, I wanna show it too, because my sister gave it to me. So this was also, I mean, we're artists, we're artisans and having these kinds of things just, I mean, I love my Apple watch, but there's nothing, It's just an Apple watch, you know, like there's nothing sentimental about this thing. But when I look at this ring that's on my finger, it just, it just has all the feelings. Everything's attached to it, and it's real and it's, you know, it just, it just adds layers and depth to your experience, which I believe adds to your art experience when your days and your spaces can be filled with these types of important quality real items. You know, they're real, they're not Home Sense. They didn't, weren't bought at Home Sense or Winners.
Charla (34:13):
Yeah.
Charla (34:13):
I love Home Sense and Winners, but
Marijanel (34:15):
Yeah, absolutely. There's a time and place for all of it, for the store bought goodies, and for the handcrafted items that you can never replace again because someone's love and, and time was poured into them. So, uh, hopefully this gives everyone some ideas. Now, you had listed out, um, some very specific ideas kind of going in order of like less expensive to more expensive. And I'm gonna just put them out here now. Charla, are we gonna provide any kind of list or resource, like on our blog or anywhere on Bold School or,
Charla (34:48):
Well, there is a gift list from 2021 and more than likely there will be one from 2022. I just know it's not ready yet. Um, but last year's list, I, I actually looked at it recently when we were planning the show and it's, I still love most of the things on that list. Our supply list that's on the [email protected] has a lot of really amazing items in it, as well. So if you're a practical gift giver, or you're looking for things to put on your list, because we all need to be making those lists, too, um, go and grab that list on the homepage at Bold School, which is our supply list. And it's extensive. It's got a lot of ideas from, um, really like inexpensive items to go all out items for your gift giving. So, that's a really great resource I think, 'cuz it's, it's more, more extensive than a 10 best items list or something like that.
Marijanel (35:39):
Absolutely. So, but here's some ideas to close off the show going, ranging in less expensive to more expensive. A, um, tube opener, but you have a word here. Charla. Gripper?
Charla (35:53):
It's called Gripper. G R I P R. It's just this like little black tool, um, that grips the cover of your paint and turns it off. I talk about it in all my classwork.
Charla (36:05):
Okay.
Charla (36:05):
Because I used to use my teeth. And so it is just a way to get those stuck,
Marijanel (36:08):
Don't ruin the teeth. Opening your paint tubes. Get a GRIPR tube opener in the great stocking stuffers. Leather brush roll. The book, The Artist's Way. Now that's a bit of an intensive book, so if you're looking for a, a lighter hearted book, that would be the one that Charla held up called Steal, Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. But, um, the book, The Artist Way is a deeper Dive. Definitely a good book, though. Excellent gift for someone for
Charla (36:34):
For an artist that's stuck. Yeah
Marijanel (36:35):
Portable Art Bag. Copic markers. Um, a book about their favorite artist, like inspirational or books with their favorite artists.
Charla (36:46):
Yeah.
Marijanel (36:46):
Art is really good. And then going a little more expensive, tabletop easel. Um, now you have a box here that I'm not quite sure what, what is this box from?
Charla (36:56):
I'm not sure how to pronounce it. It's like Prochade Box or pro kay box. I'm, I'm not totally sure. But it's these tiny, I I want one of these too for anybody looking on my list. They're just so cute. There's just these tiny little portable boxes, that you can take your little sketchbook, and your little paint set in that got little tiny drawers and little hooks and.
Marijanel (37:17):
Okay.
Charla (37:17):
They're so cute.
Marijanel (37:18):
Where do you get them from?
Charla (37:21):
Um, well, people like hand make them on different websites. I think you can buy versions on Amazon. They're just these tiny little cute little portable things that I imagine like going to the top of a mountain and, and painting little mini landscapes. I don't do either of those things, but I just think that'd be super cool.
Marijanel (37:37):
It makes you want to, right? Yes. And then of course more expensive would be an iPad. The, ipencil, the Apple pencil, I should call it. Procreate. Um, which is a,
Charla (37:47):
for the digital artist,
Marijanel (37:47):
Which is a digital art program, um, for the iPad. Um, prints from their favorite artist, a leather made anything so textiles and authentic, um, real like items, or handmade
Charla (38:00):
And bags and boxes, like storage items, things like that. Everything, anything made out of leather, you know, that authentic material, I think. Just so inspiring.
Marijanel (38:09):
And then getting to more of the sentimental special, um, side of things. Of course. Then there's the sketchbooks, watercolor pens, a homemade apron for the studio, which we've had debates about whether or not everybody likes apron, but, um, but aprons are a good thing to consider.
Charla (38:27):
Well, homemade, like made out of denim or made out of some kind of really interesting fabric, you know, like.
Marijanel (38:32):
Right.
Charla (38:32):
Not a frilly one from the 1970s, what you mean, but
Marijanel (38:36):
Online classes now you can find online classes at boldschool.com. And you might have a creative artist or person in your life that has been wanting to join Bold School, well, consider that as a gift. Um, we have subscriptions, we have community passes that like... There's just an array of ways that you could get them involved in our art community as a gift. And that's a pretty cool gift.
Charla (39:00):
And that happens a lot. We have a lot of artists that say, now sometimes it's the artist that gives the idea of the gift, but they do come in and they say, I was given the subscription last Christmas or my birthday, or whatever it was, and they're like, It's the best thing I've ever had. So it, people do give it. It's a, it's a really beautiful, worthwhile gift.
Marijanel (39:20):
Absolutely. Yes.
Charla (39:21):
Yeah.
Marijanel (39:22):
And then, uh, framing their art. So like, if they have kept a piece of their art in their studio, because like the reasons that Charla and I were sharing where it's really important to them to keep their art and, you know, it's sentimental, well, being sneaky and framing it is a really, really great idea.
Charla (39:43):
Showing them that you appreciate their art, that it's valuable
Marijanel (39:45):
And another... Yes. And another really, really creative gift would be to purchase their art as a gift. So, investing in them or making some kind of gesture that says, I want to invest in you as a creative person, as an artist, I wanna purchase this piece. Um, that's really a creative angle because you're not only, you know, giving them a monetary, like, what they've asked for the art, but you are showing your support, um, in that way. So, that's kind of a neat angle. And, um, and did you say a massage? Because you have how hard artists work?
Charla (40:26):
Seriously, if you gave an artist a massage and you'd say, I know you work really, really hard and you deserve to, like, take care of yourself because so many people think artists live the life, you know, it's such a great life. You get to do what you love all the time, and you just inspired all the time.
Marijanel (40:41):
Yeah.
Charla (40:41):
But art is a hard life. It's a hard business. It's a, it's hard to stand at your easel for 12 hours trying to get that painting to work. So, if you actually gave an artist a gift, like a massage or, a manicure, I don't know, I hate manicures, but something that is, you know, showing that, you know, they work hard. I think, I really think that will get at the heart of any artist.
Marijanel (41:04):
Yeah.
Charla (41:05):
Anybody, anybody loves massage
Marijanel (41:07):
Pretty neat ideas. And you maybe wanna go shopping, so we need to end this podcast. I gotta go get a real full cup of tea and go shopping for Christmas.
Charla (41:17):
Yeah, me too. And I, I've took one zip outta my cold coffee
Marijanel (41:21):
So, thank you everyone for joining in here at the Bold Artist Podcast. I hope that you've been inspired by some of Charla and my favorite things that we love to have in our studio, give and receive. We hope that you join us throughout this whole entire holiday season because we have all kinds of special, heartwarming, inspirational episodes ahead of us on The Bold Artist Podcast. You can find us on boldschool.com. Don't forget to hop on that newsletter to get all of our updates. And don't forget that there's resources, classes, and community on boldschool.com. Lots to get involved in, lots to give, um, over the Christmas holidays. And then find us on Instagram, @boldschoolinc. And YouTube, the Bold School Channel. We look forward to sharing this holiday season with you. Until next time, keep creating.
