I was talking to Sean Tucker the other day and I don’t remember what prompted it, but he asked me whether I’d seen some of the recent work our friend Maarten Rots was sharing on Instagram. I told him that I had and that it was terrific. “But do you know how he’s doing it?” Sean gave me a brief description of what was going on in the pictures and after going back and looking at Maarten’s feed again, I realized because his work flows together so beautifully, the “how” of the more recent pictures didn’t raise any sort of flag. It just didn’t register, so I reached out to Maarten to ask him about it and when he sent me a few behind the scenes shots of his setup, the photos took on a different meaning and I knew there had to be an interesting story about how he got there. CONNECT You can find Maarten on Instagram @maartenrots or on his website at maartenrots.nl. If you have questions, feedback on the show, or an idea for something you'd like us to talk about, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0 WANT TO SUPPORT THE WORK I'M DOING? Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts Tell Your Friends & Share Episodes Online: You can even share a favorite show clip using the terrific Recast feature. I’ve made a video showing you how: Create Custom Audiograms with Recast by Simplecast - YouTube Buy a copy of my book: Photography by the Letter

I spend a lot of time thinking about materials and objects as they relate to art and art making and I spend a fair bit of time talking about it with Jon. In this conversation, we’re talking about some of our first memories of art and of objects that we somehow recognized as “special.” We also talk about the how the contrast between the refinement of Europe and the chaos of India in Jon’s childhood contributed to and maybe even directly informed the type of work he produces decades later. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts | RSS CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have questions, feedback on the show, or an idea for something you'd like us to talk about, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0 WANT TO SUPPORT THE WORK I'M DOING? Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts Tell Your Friends & Share Episodes Online: You can even share a favorite show clip using the terrific Recast feature. I’ve made a video showing you how: Create Custom Audiograms with Recast by Simplecast - YouTube Buy a copy of my book: Photography by the Letter

When I was a kid, my mom used to say that if the house ever caught fire, the one thing she would grab before anything else was the box of family photos that she kept in her closet, which I’m sure was common for many of us before analog became digital. For my mom, those photos were the things — the objects —that she held most dear, more than jewelry or money or a favorite piece of clothing. They anchored her to specific memories and feelings and because of that were more or less irreplaceable. Objects have meaning and more importantly value, and to what degree we value the objects in our lives is different for all of us. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts | RSS CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have questions, feedback on the show, or an idea for something you'd like us to talk about, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0 WANT TO SUPPORT THE WORK I'M DOING? Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts Tell Your Friends & Share Episodes Online: You can even share a favorite show clip using the terrific Recast feature. I’ve made a video showing you how: Create Custom Audiograms with Recast by Simplecast - YouTube Buy a copy of my book: Photography by the Letter

At the end of May, I decided to take a break from social media so I could focus on making without the constant background noise that seemed to be sucking the life out the urge to create anything. It was a self-imposed blackout that I hoped would allow at least some of the creative light back in. Inspired by a recent documentary, I decided to work on a series of 12 paintings simultaneously rather than a single piece, and within a couple weeks I had completed twelve new pieces of work. Seeing them spread out on the bench was like fuel to keep going, so I set a fairly ambitious goal: to create 53 new paintings — including the first twelve — by my 53rd birthday on July 21st. Well, my birthday was yesterday and at about 4 o’clock, I put the final brushstrokes of black edging on the last piece, which was actually piece number 54. A week or so ago, when I still wasn’t quite sure I’d make the goal, I sat down with Jon to talk about the project. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts | RSS CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0 WANT TO SUPPORT THE WORK I'M DOING? Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts Tell Your Friends & Share Episodes Online: You can even share a favorite show clip using the terrific Recast feature. I’ve made a video showing you how: Create Custom Audiograms with Recast by Simplecast - YouTube Buy a copy of my book: Photography by the Letter Check out: my Patreon account

Last week, I decided to take a much needed break from social media. There’s just too much going on in the world that pulls my focus away from the areas of my life that really warrant - and frankly need - that focus - specifically my family and my art. In my final Instagram post before the break, I wrote that I wasn’t who I wanted to be lately followed by a list of distractions that to a lesser or greater extent contribute to it. After seeing the post, Jon reached out and asked if I’d like to talk about it. A CLARIFICATION: At one point in this episode, I refer to the "idiots on both sides" and I want to be clear that I was referring to Democrats and Republicans not hearing one another, not protestors and police. I cannot possibly understand what people of color are and have been experiencing and the anger and disappointment they must feel and I would never simply dismiss how they vent or express those feelings or equate that with police brutality. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts | RSS SHOW NOTES David Goggins - https://davidgoggins.com/ Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA Jocko Willink - https://jockopodcast.com/ Cal Newport - Deep Work* CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0 WANT TO SUPPORT THE WORK I'M DOING? Subscribe &amp; Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | <a href="https://www.google.

Back in January, I came across a terrific piece of writing by author Paul Jarvis. One part of it in particular really spoke to some of the things I’ve wrestled with over the years — loving what you do, following your passion, and the costly obsession that often goes along with each of those things. I ended up subscribing to Paul’s newsletter and regardless of whether you’re a full-time creative, an enthusiastic amateur or someone in the middle just trying to live a more creative or interesting life, there are so many valuable insights and observations that it’s quickly become one of my favorite weekly reads. I shared the piece with Jon and while he wasn’t familiar with it, he had actually spoken to Paul before. Since Jon is just as big a fan of rabbit holes as I am, I thought it might be fun to unpack it a little. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS | Stitcher If you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or rating wherever you listen or sharing it on social media. LINKS Paul Jarvis - https://pjrvs.com CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

Several years ago when I wasn’t really sure what direction my life was taking, one of the ideas I kept coming back to was getting a Volkswagen Westfalia van and just driving around the country, allowing the universe to put interesting people and experiences in my path rather than trying to follow a specific plan. I hadn’t started podcasting yet, nor had I picked up my paint brushes again, so the “what I would be doing to actually support myself” aspect of it was pretty nebulous. Still, I loved the idea and for years it was a running joke between my friend Jude and me. Whenever one of us was dealing with some sort of personal or existential challenge, the other would respond with “well, you could always get a Westfalia van and just drive around.” For Dutch photographer Maarten Rots and his wife Anne, the dream of van life has become a reality. For 6 to 8 months a year, they trade their home in the Netherlands for a Ford Transit camper van and travel throughout Europe, often without a fixed destination. For Maarten, this way of traveling almost by instinct has proven to be the catalyst for some of his most compelling work both as an itinerant solo artist and as a collaborator with other artists he meets along the way. While I know the reality of it is not always as romantic as the way we see it from a distance, I can’t say I’m not just a little envious. In this conversation, I caught up with Maarten in Portugal where he was preparing a pop-up exhibit of his work, appropriately titled In Transit, at a local gallery. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS | Stitcher If you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or rating wherever you listen or sharing it on social media. CONNECT You can find Maarten on Instagram @maartenrots, or on his website at https://maartenrots.nl. Also, be sure to check out his magazine March &amp; Rock. If you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

A couple weeks ago, I got a text from my friend Sean who had just gotten out of the cinema seeing 1917, the new World War I epic from director Sam Mendes. The text simply read “so good.” I remember seeing the trailer for the film months ago and thinking that it looked incredible. But most of recent the buzz about the film seemed to center around the idea that it was all shot in one continuous take. In fact, the first plot keyword you’ll see in the IMDB listing for the film is “one take.” You’ll also read it or a variation of it in virtually every review of the film. The problem is it’s not true. 1917 was filmed to appear as one continuous shot, which it is a remarkable achievement on a film of this scale, but that doesn’t make it any more true. When I got the “so good” text from Sean, I remember asking him whether the one shot thing worked or if it came off as more of a gimmick. “I don’t know,” he responded. “I have mixed feelings I think.” Now that we’ve both seen it and had a chance to think about it, I thought it might be fun to talk about it. As you’ll hear, and as is often the case when Sean and I talk, the conversation went down a number of rabbit holes, which is one of the reasons I love talking to him. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS | Stitcher If you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or rating wherever you listen to help others discover the show. LINKS 1917 on IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8579674/ Roger Deakins Filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005683/ Making a Murderer - https://www.netflix.com/title/80000770 Don’t F**k with Cats - https://www.netflix.com/title/81031373 Cartel Land - https://www.amazon.com/Cartel-Land-Dr-Jose-Mireles/dp/B078SDYF83/ Kelly Slater 24/7 - https://www.hbo.com/specials/247-kelly-slater Werner Herzog Masterclass - https://www.masterclass.com/classes/werner-herzog-teaches-filmmaking Of Walking in Ice - https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Ice-Munich-Paris-November-14-December/dp/0816697329/ CONNECT You can find Sean on Instagram @seantuck, or on his website at https://www.seantucker.photography. Also, be sure to check out his YouTube channel, where he has just released a brand new video called “Balancing Your Photogr...

The recent death of Rush drummer Neil Peart hit me like a ton of bricks. While I consider myself a visual artist, I can’t think of a single painter, or sculptor, or photographer whose death has or even would affect me as dramatically as Neil’s has and I can’t really reconcile why that is. It’s just not a simple answer. I’ve been a Rush fan since 1982, but as I’ve said before, it wasn’t the music that grabbed me initially, but the lyrics. Yes, the musicianship was superb, but the themes and the language that Neil used to explore those themes was unlike anything I’d ever heard or more to the point read before. There was also the timing of it all – that time in my life when who I was or was becoming had not yet solidified and I was still malleable and curious and full of wonder. All of this has gotten me thinking about the ways and degrees that others inspire us throughout our lives and I thought it might be interesting to spend some time unpacking it a little with Jon Wilkening, who always helps take the conversations in directions I wouldn't have thought of. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS If you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or rating wherever you listen to help others discover the show. &nbsp; LINKS Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage The Joe Rogan Podcast Tim Ferriss Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable &nbsp; CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0

I have a question for you, and the answer depends at least partly on the primary perspective you take - either as an audience member or a maker — when you think about how to answer. It centers around effort in art-making and to what degree the visibility of that effort affects how we connect to the work, both as the artist and as a viewer. Again, the answer is entirely subjective, but it’s something I'd like to continue to explore in multiple conversations over time. But before we get to that, we’re talking about culling our creativity — letting go of some of the distractions both literal and metaphorical and keeping — and really leaning into — the things that continue to challenge and inspire us to make. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Overcast | RSS If you enjoy listening to In Between, please consider leaving a review or a rating on iTunes to help others discover the show. &nbsp; CONNECT You can find Jon on Instagram @jonwilkening or on his website at jonwilkening.com If you have an interesting story to share, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Instagram @jefferysaddoris. &nbsp; Music in this episode: Take Me Higher (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0