Art Juice: A podcast for artists, creatives and art lovers

This week saw us both experiencing self-doubt brought on by limiting beliefs. This inspired us to create a list of the most common beliefs that we feel hold artists back. This is so important, because these beliefs are often unspoken and we might even experience them, not as beliefs but as facts of life. When this happens, we don't even realise there is anything we can do about them. By bringing them out into the light and questioning them, we can often gather the courage to move forward despite our fears or doubts. So, join us as we discuss these pesky beliefs and share our thoughts on how to manage them.

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Alice is feeling a shift in direction and has been exploring the idea of intention for her work. This sparks a discussion about the role of intention in art-making. Do we need it? Do we have to decide it right from the start? Or can we find it as we go?

We explore the pros and cons of intention in a discussion that ranges from the compositions of an art-making chimpanzee to Steve Jobs’ wise words about how we can connect the dots.

We also discuss the perennial topic of studio flooring, ponder the challenges of teaching art workshops and reveal our thoughts about fancy dress (Gold star if you can guess which one of us has never ever worn a fancy dress costume!)

This week's discussion was sparked by a question we received from a listener. AJ asked this question about commissions: “I am an up and coming artist with a handful of commission requests. I would love to learn about the professional way to handle commissions. How do you and Alice do this? How much do your charge? What do you do about edits? Should the client pay upfront or give a deposit?”

The question led us into an interesting debate about how formalised a commission process should be. Alice sets clear parameters and her process has worked very well for her, while Louise has found that any kind of commitment feels heavy. She is therefore taking a much more informal approach (including refusing commissions unless they feel just right).

We discuss practicalities (pricing, process, deposits etc), share our successes (as well as those that didn't go so well), and debate the pluses and minuses of allowing client input during the creative process.

In the end, we both agree that there is no one-size-fits-all "professional" methodology and that the most important thing is for each artist to determine an approach that works for him or her (and make the parameters very clear to the buyer in advance).

This week we also share some exciting studio news, celebrate the success of a fellow artist, and (literally) get a little bit potty-mouthed (!)

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Most of us spend our lives trying to fit in; to get it right; to avoid causing offence. If we have unusual personality traits or experiences, we tend to keep them hidden from all but our closest friends.

This episode was conceived after a personal conversation during which Alice shared a major event in her life. That event played a major role in the way her art has developed and yet she has not discussed it publicly until now. We explore how such experiences can shape our art and whether this is something we should share with others. Does it help us connect with art buyers more authentically? Or is it too much information? And what are the potential downsides of being open about our lives?
Our discussion touches on the work of Brenee Brown, covers what to do if you don't like exposing yourself, and includes a brief discussion of whether galleries approve of artists being vulnerable online. We also catch up with Alice after her workshop in Yorkshire and hear how she kept herself occupied during over 12 hours of driving (spoiler alert: there was singing!).

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This week we’re diving into the topic of email and newsletters. For many artists, the thought of sending a regular email is daunting (what do you say? How do you say it?) Others haven’t even collected email addresses in the past.
We’re hoping today’s discussion will inspire you to get started and/or to crank up your current efforts. The truth is that email has an important role to play in your marketing mix. Yes social media is important, but when someone gives you their email address, they are taking a step closer to you - giving you a valuable opportunity to make and keep a connection.

We share tips, discuss areas where we could improve, and invite you to sign up for both our newsletters, so you can experience what happens when you do. All this as well as Bake-Off chat, new studio news and the exciting nature of the creative cycle.

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Today’s discussion was inspired by a book and TED talk by Simon Sinek, both entitled ‘Find Your Why.’ Sinek's main point is that when you know the purpose of what you are doing, it is so much easier to make the right decisions, achieve good results, and sell it to others.

As artists, we can explore this on several levels - why do I make my art? Why am I making this particular series of paintings? And, at the granular level, why am I making this one specific painting?

Our wide-ranging conversation spans the desire to create things, the need to be seen, the drive to communicate our internal experience, and whether what we are really seeking is love. (Deep stuff!) We also get into how you find your purpose. It isn’t something you can just come up with in 5 minutes. For most of us, it is a gradual process of discovery and it arises from the work we do. We also acknowledge that so much of this changes over time - even if we know our why at this moment, it may well change in future years.

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In this special episode we discuss some of the books that have inspired us over the years. Our choices may seem surprising but we hope they are all enlightening. They include a collection of letters from one poet to another, a book on marketing (with a twist), two very different artist-written books, and two diverse guides to living an easier and more joyful life. We could not fit all our recommended books into one podcast, so we've created a special download for you with a total of 14 amazing reads. (see below for links). Even if you think some of these books are not for you, it might be worth trusting us and trying them anyway - each one contains amazing wisdom to enrich our lives and our art-making.

We also answer a listener question about how to judge our work. Is there any such thing as a perfect painting? And how do we know if what we are making is good? In fact, who decides what is good?

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Do you feel the need for a “good” result every time you paint? Or hope for a painting that looks good at every stage?

This can bring an added stress to making art and limit your ability to experiment. We discuss what might be at the bottom of this, quite natural, desire to feel satisfied and how we can work this into our process.

Also, one listener asks "Am I not going to move forward in my art if I keep using my phone?" and we have some ideas of the advantages and disadvantages of using your phone as a recorder and where it may be holding you back.

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Kyle Cease podcast interview - creativity and taking that one step (Warning; curse words!)

Settle down, you are in for a treat in this discussion of the artist as problem solver!

Megan Woodard Johnson is a mixed media artist who layers vintage paper ephemera with paint, various drawing media and found objects to tell evocative stories within her work.

Alice talks with Megan about that fact that an artist's growth is rarely linear and how we can only make sense of it all when we look backwards at everything that happened.

The wide-ranging discussion also covered building a creative practice alongside a family, how to find honest critiques of your work, and how new classes and experiences can invigorate us as artists. Megan also offered practical tips for loading your car (!), teaching workshops, and how creative collaborations can allow you to blossom.

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See more of Megan’s work at:

Today's special guest believes creatives best get clear "with our mouths open" . Talking, and more importantly, listening is key to her role as a coach. Judith Morgan has been coaching for 15 years and Alice's coach - rather on a whim - for the past 5 years and today we are talking about what exactly coaching involves, sharing some of the practices which have helped many different creative entrepreneurs and discussing impatience, creating a sanctuary, the impact of emotions, leaving an imprint and the risks of helping others at your own expense.

If you've ever wondered about how coaching could help you, we hope this might clarify your ideas about what to look for to choose the right way for you. After all, that's what we both strongly believe is the only way. Do you agree?

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