Society & Culture A Long Look Review

FAPA A Long Look
[00:00:00] Tim: You're listening to find a podcast about
[00:00:09] thank you for hitting play. I'm your host, Timothy chemo, Bryan. And I bring my experience with podcasting since 2006, as a listener and a podcaster. I am here to help. Outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge worthy podcast. Here's how the show works. I comb the millions of podcasts currently available for free on various platforms.
[00:00:40] And then I come back to you with what I've found. Sure. You can use search engines for recommendations from many podcast apps, but I feel. Getting a personal recommendation from a real live breathing person is still the best way to find the gems that are out there. The show is broken up into three halves.
[00:01:05] Yep. You guessed it. I'm a huge fan of car talk. Bear with me. The first half of the show is the stats. This gives you all the details about where to find the show, how many episodes who's hosting the shows. Basically, this is for those that just want the stats. The second half of the show, I dig deeper into the show that I'm reviewing and let you know how well the hosts interact.
[00:01:35] Talk about their audio quality and let you know what I think about the show. Now that last half of the show is where I talk about why the show is binge worthy, where to start your journey and. I'll be reaching out to the hosts to see if they would like to discuss their show a little bit and talk about their podcasting journey.
[00:01:56] So let's get going on this episode.
[00:02:06] Today's episode, I'm gonna take a look at a long look podcast. See what I did there. Normally I don't review a podcast on hiatus, but. It's my hope that you discover this podcast, reach out to the host and encourage her to get it up and running again. Now I encountered this podcast a few years ago while attending DC podcast and a few DC podcasters groups.
[00:02:36] A long look is run by Karen Jackson and you can reach out to her at a long look podcast, gmail.com. And you can go to her website along look, podcast.com. Now the average episode length is nine minutes and the first episode aired December 9th, 2017, just 10 days before my birthday. At the time of this recording, there are 70 episodes to Ben John.
[00:03:06] Now Karen describes her podcast as ever get museum fatigue, that overwhelm feeling. That when you try to see everything, then join me to discover a better way to connect with art. This podcast takes you through the experience of making of looking at art for minutes, not seconds. And you'll find out the history, mystery, or controversy about the work or the artist.
[00:03:33] This podcast is in society and culture and is done episodically. Now her podcaster link in listen note. Are in the show notes and listen notes rates her at the top 10% of her category. Her latest episode came out December 22nd, 2021. So it's not been on hiatus for too long. Speaking on going on hiatus, there are a number of reasons podcasters go on hiatus.
[00:04:05] Maybe they had a huge life event happen that they need to focus. They could just be simply refilling their motivational waters or like me. I run about nine podcasts and need some downtime for my other podcasts that I run in order to catch up or in my case record ahead. Now, when a podcaster goes on hiatus, that gives you the perfect opportunity to explore their back catalog and see the journey of the show, which can be very illuminating.
[00:04:38] And which you should do for this show.
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[00:06:03] All right. It's time to take a deep dive into a long look. This podcast is about you taking your time, looking at art hanging galleries or museums in order to fully experience what the artist has created. It also gives you a peek into the artist's. And the hidden meetings or choices in the work being presented.
[00:06:29] Now you might think, wait a minute, a podcast about visual art can't work, right. Well, you know what? You couldn't be more wrong. Karen has the unique ability to transport you with word pictures that truly bring the. To your mind's eye. The depth of the description speaks volumes of her work as a researcher and conveyor of ideas.
[00:06:57] This is a solo show, but every time I listen in, I feel like an old friend is getting me through some of the best artwork produced. And she doesn't seem like the college professors that many of us have experienced that can't bring these works to life. Now, since she's conveying these images only using audio.
[00:07:19] Let's talk about that for a moment. Her sound quality. Fantastic. It's neither too loud or too soft, and she knows how to use the microphone and her voice to draw you in. Now, there are some episodes where she does have some music that can trail on for a bit long when she transitions between segments of the show.
[00:07:41] But apart from that, her show would make many, a podcaster envious of her quality. Now going onto the format of the show, she starts off each episode, welcoming newcomers and longtime listeners the same way. And I really enjoy that approach in person. She's very welcoming. As I have talked with her in a museum in the past and how she is on the.
[00:08:10] Is how she is in person. Next. She goes right into describing the piece for you. So what do you 
[00:08:19] Karen: first notice a solitary man stands with his back to us knee deep in a green and gold field. He wears a Saurian blue jacket, move pants and a small black cap. His head is turned right to look at a tall stone wall running alongside the field.
[00:08:37] He's about halfway down the left side of the canvas, which is 18 inches high by 24 inches wide about the size of a poster 
[00:08:46] Tim: from this clip. You can, he, you can just about reach out and touch the man she is describing. This is why her podcast works so well in the format she's chosen. Sometimes I don't even look at the show notes, which always contains an image of the painting she is describing.
[00:09:05] And I do. Just to see what it looks like in my mind. Now, most of the time I'm right on the money with the image that she's describing. The last part of the show, she tells you a bit more about the history of the work and the artists. Now, these extra tidbits are what I really enjoy. How else would you find out about these?
[00:09:26] Unless you're an art historian and you know what, that's why I love podcasting so much. You can get an education while mowing your lawn. However I'd recommend not listening to the show while doing that. At least I don't, because I wanna focus on everything she's saying this show is not background music.
[00:09:47] It does require you to pay attention in order to get the full effect of the show. And what she's trying to accomplish, all of this content is packed in less than 10 minutes, and it doesn't feel rushed at all by the time she's. I'm usually wanting to go research the artist because now my interest is peaked.
[00:10:07] So what kind of value can you get with this show? Well, not only will you get a very precise and mentally stimulating description of a work of art that you might not have been aware of, but you do get some great information about the artist and how they make their work come to life. 
[00:10:26] Karen: Pham blue, AKA Berlin blue was invented by accident in Berlin by a scientist named Johan Jacob Deach.
[00:10:37] He had intended to make a red pigment, but accidentally mixed in a new oil invented by his labmate Conrad dip. The result was this amazing rich color, 130 years later, it became available in Japan and artists just loved. Hoi was one of the first to really showcase it like this. 
[00:10:58] Tim: Did you know that was how prion blue was made?
[00:11:02] I certainly didn't maybe if you're an art historian or worked in the field, but as a painter myself, I had no idea. And I watch Bob Ross all the time. It's information like this, that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Another point I wanna bring up is that I don't feel like I'm being talked down to rather, this feels like a conversation between friends and one of these friends just happens to be really into art in the history behind it.
[00:11:34] And isn't that? What all good podcasts should aspire to be? Lastly, Karen brings some fun into each episode. It's almost like she's learning right along with us on this journey. She inserts her brand of humor, which may be a bit dry for some folks, but I really enjoy dry humor. Bob Newhart is one of my favorite comics and I'm in no way saying that Karen is the next Bob Newhart, but the humor is not the reason you come to this show.
[00:12:05] It's for the educational aspects and the enlightenment you come for the humor. Well, that makes you stay for a while. The last topic. That I wanna bring up is each episode, you know, focuses and supports the overall theme of the show. It doesn't matter really what episode you listen to. They're all set up in the same manner, which brings a familiarity to the show.
[00:12:33] Now don't get me wrong. Some people are gonna think, well, if I heard one show, I've heard 'em all format wise. She is very consistent, but the way she describes each piece, The myriad of historical fact, she brings with her changes depending on the piece itself. I'd say even if she only focused on one artist in all of her episodes and used the same format, she would be able to change things up enough so that it wouldn't be mind numbingly, repetitive.
[00:13:05] She knows why she's here and you know what to expect each. Nohow is phoned in. She is truly passionate about her work and her audience. And for me, that makes me wanna listen even more.
[00:13:24] If you like what you heard so far, then I'd like to ask you to reach out. You can email me directly Timothy, find a podcast about.xyz or leave me a voicemail at the website. Find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z. I wanna help you find your next binge worthy podcast. And if you want me to find you a podcast in any category that you are interested in, let me know.
[00:13:53] Now, if you're a podcaster and feel that your podcast would be served by appearing on the show, I wanna talk to you as well. Use the same methods to reach out. Now I'm on Twitter at find a podcast. Facebook at find a podcast about another thing I'd like to ask is if you found value in this podcast, pass it along to a friend.
[00:14:20] Lastly, doing this podcast is a labor of love, but love ain't cheap. So consider donating to my, buy me a coffee fund right on the website, or go to buy me a coffee.com/. Find a podcast about each episode takes about five to seven hours of researching about two to three hours of production time, about 10 hours for each episode.
[00:14:48] Let me tell you that's a lot of coffee. And like I said, the best recommendation comes from a real person. So. Fill my coffee cup and I'll help you outsmart the algorithm.
[00:15:05] All right. Here's the point in the show where I turn you from a listener to this show to a binger of a long look podcast. If you think about this historically common folk like you and I wouldn't be able to view these works in the past. Even now, if, if the work is sitting in another country, you're not necessarily gonna go to that country to view the work.
[00:15:29] Since the pandemic, I've seen many museums go online in order to remain relevant and the technology is there to support it. But there's something about being in the same room with a piece of work. Yeah. I'm a bit of an art nerd. And since I can't travel all over the country or all over the world to see these works.
[00:15:49] For me, sometimes it's hard to get up to DC from my home here in, uh, Fredericksburg to see these works. So that's why I come back to this podcast time and time again, Karen has done something that is preached to many podcasters, which is nicheing down as far as she can go and be passionate about what she's talking about.
[00:16:11] Think about how many museums are out there and how many painters from history. She could go for centuries and never get caught up, but she sticks with paintings that resonate with her. And I love how she starts each show. As you can hear it in this clip 
[00:16:31] Karen: Americans on average spend about six to 10 seconds looking at works of art museums.
[00:16:37] The slow art movement encourages people to slow down. And spend more time with the work of art. So join me while I take a long look at works in the galleries 
[00:16:46] Tim: collection. Now I've been to several museums and I've done the audio tours, but usually the voice that comes outta my headphones doesn't have the passion that Karen conveys her reasoning for doing this podcast is crystal.
[00:17:02] Claire, let me in, let me let you in on a secret. I listen to the show before I look at the artwork that she puts in the show notes, I want to see, and yes, I'm using air quotes there. I want to see her word pictures in my head and then compare them to the actual painting. Many times it's spot on other times I notice if it isn't spot on, it's usually a problem with me doing something else while I'm listening to our podcast.
[00:17:34] now keep in mind. The average episode is about nine minutes, and I think you can find 10 minutes in your day to turn off all distractions and listen to a grand tour of a painting. Now, if you can't find the time, then stay tuned, cuz I'm sure I'll be reviewing a podcast. That'll help you manage your time better now.
[00:17:53] Like you, I hadn't heard about the slow move. In looking at paintings and Karen gives us a great description of the slow art movement in this 
[00:18:02] Karen: clip. So this is what slow art is all about. You don't have to see everything when you a museum, just find a few pieces that catch your eye and let yourself really look closely.
[00:18:12] Let the art kind of reveal itself. The slow art website recommends five to 10 minutes. I hope you'll try this out on your next museum visit and you can find more info@wwwday.com. 
[00:18:26] Tim: I was guilty of practically running through the Louv. When I went, uh, there on my honeymoon and even running through, we weren't able to fully go through one of the three wings there.
[00:18:40] Now I know next time I had to Paris, I'm gonna plan my trip better and take in a few works and fully experienced them. I just wish this podcast was available way back when I went to Paris in 2013. With our fast paced world. This is a great way to force ourselves to slow down, present and enjoy what we have and really experience life.
[00:19:06] Instead of trying to fit everything into bite size packets that we enjoy momentarily. If you don't think you're gonna be able to get to a museum or gallery where the work is on display, then this is a great way to experience the. And learn a little bit about the history of the artist and some of the underlying meaning behind the works that can't be put on those little index size cards that we see in galleries or museums, where they try to fit in all the history of the piece and the artist into one paragraph.
[00:19:38] Now, if you need to slow down and have nine minutes to take a listen, then this is for you. If you enjoy looking at art or want to learn more about the artist and the creative process, this is your podcast. If you like a little bit of mystery and intrigue, bust out your headphones and give this one a try, be careful though.
[00:20:00] You may just become a painter in order for Karen to feature you in her next episode. Let her know that Tim sent you.
[00:20:14] So that's the episode. I wanna thank you again for taking a listen. And if you wanna outsmart the algorithm and have me review a podcast, email me Timothy, find a podcast about.xyz or go to the website. Find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z, where you can listen to all the other episodes and leave me a voice.
[00:20:37] I'm here to help you find your next binge worthy podcast.