After picking up a new corner trowel today, I thought about how becoming an artist really is a lifelong journey. People usually talk about how it takes decades to fine-tune a creative practice. I agree; I’m also fascinated by how simply gaining knowledge of materials can be a lifelong pursuit.

In the course of making art, an artist might teach herself anything from casting concrete, wiring a chandelier, streaming data into a kinetic sculpture, or simply building a wall. A large portion of my time is spent seeking materials outside of baneful art supply chains,* in specialty outlets for hardware, lumber, framing, photography, paper, stationery, jewelry, welding, film industry expendables, equipment rentals, lighting and more.

As I’m leaving graduate school, I’m thankful for the knowledge I’ve gained, and inspired by the vast information I’ve yet to learn. I’m looking forward to accummulating knowledge about materials and techniques as I move on to bigger and better projects.

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*About art supply chains: While I have to rely on them, I’m turned off by the attempts to commodify creativity to take advantage of people (often women and parents) who are seeking means of self-expression. For example, I’ve seen design-your-own gift card kits, which are essentially packages of folded paper (!) and envelopes. Second, some of the upcharges are obscene. Michael’s Arts & Crafts store sells double-stick tape for scrapbooking for almost $6, but you can get basically the same thing at an office supply chains for half that.