Well, hello and welcome to this rather different episode where Alice is put on the spot (gently!) by Jo McCarthy who works as a mentor for creatives - and also within Connected Artist Club (it's open now - but we close on 31st May, so don't delay!) This conversation digs a bit deeper into what it really means to build a creative life... is it always easy? And if not, then why is it so important? ‘How does she do it all’ could actually be the wrong question - why does she do it all We talk...

This week Louise is joined by mindset and business coach Georgina Noel. Georgina regularly works with artists who want to take their business (or their life) to the next level and she's here to drop some truth bombs on us! Our conversation centres around our mindset and the limiting beliefs we carry with us. Georgina walks us though some of the most common limiting beliefs she has seen in her artist clients, and also explains just how easy it can be to let some of those things go once we have...

Robin's aim is to subvert some of the traditional, outdated aspects of the art world that keep art out of reach for many and to make it more attainable for all. It didn't start out this way. In fact, it started (as for many of us) by taking over the end of a table and choosing just to create. Today Alice is talking with Washington DC artist Robin Davisson, and a member of the Connected Artist Club, about a career shift from science into art. She now has a shop-front store; StudioLab RD where...

Have you ever been worked really hard at something and then been told you were lucky to have it? This week, we're diving into the topic of luck - how much of what happens to us is simply good (or bad) fortune, and how much is within our control? Last week, guest artist Faye Bridgwater talked about the importance of being your own champion. This week we're following up and exploring this idea of making your own luck. Is any successful person there by luck alone? Do "lucky" people get away...

Today we hear from award winning south coast artist Faye Bridgwater. Faye makes bright, uplifting paintings from her home studio, but it hasn't always been this way.... At various steps over the last few years some bold moves have been needed. We talk about growing in to your own space and investing in yourself. While it's up to you to be your own advocate we also discuss how you can work to your own strengths by involving others to support different elements of being an artist. And we...

If you have ever wondered how to sell more art, this discussion is for you. This week, we dive into the topic of making sales in a discussion that touches on the importance of email marketing, the value of a good social media presence, and the need to reduce friction wherever possible. We both believe in the power of an effective launch, but we also believe that selling is not a one-time thing. The reality is that we are always selling ourselves and our work, and the only question is how well...

Alice first discovered Denise Gasser as she was sharing the challenges of making art as a mother with young children with her "Art After..." project. There was a refreshing honesty, which also showed up in this reel Denise filmed in her car which meant we finally connected to record this conversation about two ways social media could be impacting the way art is made.... what we see others do as markers of success, and our own need for validation which can lead us away from making our truest...

This week, we're dealing with two seemingly unrelated topics, but actually they are both linked by a common idea. That link is the idea of looking at things from a different angle. A listener asks why she constantly moves between projects without ever finishing anything, and we suggest some questions to ask and some viewpoint shifts. Meanwhile, British artists Damien Hirst launched a new project which we initially found somewhat laughable, but which morphed into something else when we gave it...

This week, we answer a listener question about what it means to work in a series. What is the difference between a series and a collection? And what is a "body of work"? As we break down the idea of a series, we cover the importance of an initial idea or line of inquiry; the role of parameters; and some of the things that could define a series. As always, we come at this from slightly different angles, but hopefully we can clear up some misconceptions about what it means when an artists says...

This week, we tackle the topic of overwhelm. What causes it and how can we get past it? This is our second time talking about this subject, but it is fresh for us this week because Louise has just ridden the 'overwhelm wave.' We discuss how it feels to simply have too much to do and break down the difference between "real" and "perceived" overwhelm. We also discuss our coping strategies when life gets a little too hectic, including the value of outside perspectives; how you can use a brain...

We can hardly believe it, but it's 4 years on and 200 episodes in and we're still going strong. This week, we're celebrating our anniversary by doing something a little bit different.  We've both chosen questions to ask each other - these span important topics such as "what's your favourite easy dinner recipe?" and "if you could time travel, where would you go?" but also deeper questions such as "what is your greatest strength?" and "what character flaw would you like to change?" We had fun...

This week Art Juice reached a milestone - 3 million downloads! This somewhat arbitrary number got us thinking about the whole topic of achievement - about the goals we set and the things we choose to measure. When are goals and numbers a useful way to stay on track and when can they pull us off course? And how do our goals and measurements change over time? Our conversation touches on the various goals we have set over the years and the things we have measured including art sales, social...

This week, we're discussing what it means to be an artist. Renowned music producer Rick Rubin has written a book in which he argues that the artist is a conduit for creativity comes from source energy. Therefore, he says, the artist’s job is to open themselves up as much as possible to receive whatever wants to come through them. His book is "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" and it really is about life as well as about art. In this episode, we pull out four key ideas and offer our own...

Today we welcome international author Damian Dibben to the podcast. He joins Alice to discuss his book The Colour Storm; an artistic thriller, set in Renaissance Venice, but the conversation goes further than that. Yes, the book is a great read - bringing to life the artists of the era and a search for a stunning new pigment, so there is a lot about the power of colour itself... but we also talk about the patterns of a creative practice. What role does luck or choice have? Working across...

This week, we're thinking about what comes next. We're both working on new paintings and both facing different issues. Louise veered temporarily off track once she started trying too hard,  and Alice is wondering if some things are coming too easily. By definition, the life of an artist is about growth and change, and this week definitely highlights that fact. Is it OK to find things easy, or do you need to step it up at that point? How important are deadlines? How do you get back on track...

This week, Louise is joined by Californian artist Bibby Gignilliat for a discussion about starting an art career later in life. Both Bibby and Louise had corporate careers and then founded businesses that had nothing to do with art. In this conversation, they share their experiences of starting an art career as a second act. Both learned extremely valuable lessons that they brought with them into their art careers, but the strategies they employed are available to anyone. All it takes is a...

What would your perfect day look like? Or your week. What would you like to bring into your life? Today we are asking about your One Direction and how that shows up in the way you make art. Finding the core thread in your art; the chinese whisper that runs through a painting or making sense of the world…and finding “the edges”. We ask about how this feeds into the visual elements of the work you make. And if universal experiences are also personal, how much emotional context do you need in...

This week, we follow on from last week's discussion on Marketing without Social Media and ask 'what if you could market without marketing?" Too often artists see marketing as an intimidating idea - something to be endured rather than enjoyed. In fact, many artists question whether it's even necessary, wondering why they should be enslaved to this or that algorithm.  But what if you didn't have to look at it that way? What if marketing your art was so much easier and simpler than that?  Could...

If you've been frustrated with social media recently, you may have found yourself wondering "Is there another way?" In this episode Alice speaks with guest Astrid Bracke about ways to move your business away from social media... but what instead? We talk about making space to create in a way you enjoy, using your "content calories" wisely and being playful with alternatives. Astrid is a mentor for small businesses, supporting them to build a slower, gentler and more profitable business....

How are you doing with getting going again on your creative work? Maybe you didn't take a break over the Christmas period, but at some point you will know the rusty feeling of facing a blank canvas or feeling like you've lost touch with what you wanted to do. Today we're discussing all the approaches - from a drastic slash and burn (!) to having a good old clear out. At some point you have to make that leap in to the work itself so we explore approaches to regaining contact with your work,...

The new year is always a time for well-meaning advice about how to improve your life. We're not going to add to all that noise because, well, we don't have a clue what's best for you! But we have been doing a lot of thinking about what works for us, and this week we're sharing our thoughts.  This means no goal setting advice or "top 10 tips for success" - just a gentle exploration of what it means to grow in a way that feels fun and exciting. Louise is keen to pack more in this year, while...

This is our last episode of the year and we thought it would be nice to hear from you. We're answering listener questions and we received calls from all over the world asking questions both fun and serious. In this episode, we play those messages and provide our answers. For example, we discuss developing a process of your own, offer advice to newer artists, and talk about the importance of finding your preferred media. But we also answer more light-hearted questions such as what are our...

In this episode, we're talking art journeys. As part of her Connected Artist Club, Alice has developed a system for understanding ourselves. She breaks the artist's path into four clear stages and today we're looking at these stages and examining the challenges faced during each one. For example, Curious Explorers tend to worry a lot about getting things right and can often feel overwhelmed by all they have to do. For them gentle support can be crucial. Ambitious Artists, on the other hand,...

We get it... we're all in a hurry! We want more - and we'd like it now please! This week we're talking about patience - something we both sometimes lack. As artists, we often place pressure on ourselves; to make a painting, or a series of paintings. Or we pressure ourselves to build a "successful" art business; or to get in the right galleries; or to win a prize. And yet this pressure is a delusion .... we will never reach the finish line because there will always be something else that we...