John Thompson

In the beginning of his discussion, Thompson said that the "studio is where you can be yourself." I thought this really applied because in order to make art you are truly proud of, you have to be comfortable in your environment. I also liked his metaphor of studios as islands, because others can visit, but at the same time you are isolated. He talked about working for the sake of working, which may seem pointless, but is actually good to make sure you don't lose momentum with your work. Thompson also suggested taking a break and going somewhere you can "react to something,"which I thought was good advice because sometimes going somewhere different can be refreshing and inspiring. He mentioned that he takes pictures of his pieces as he goes along to use as reference points of where he made good decisions vs. bad decisions. I really liked this idea because sometimes it's good to look back at the progress of your work and see where your stronger and weaker points are.