Montreal-based urban sketcher and educator Shari Blaukopf shares her journey to becoming a full-time artist, with practical tips, advice, and ideas for anyone on a similar path.

In this conversation, Nishant asks Shari about the various decisions that led to her becoming a full-time, independent artist, many years after she had given up on the idea of having an artistic career. Shari explains how the first job of the artist is to ‘see’ things differently. They discuss how seeing is also a function of the art-tools one decides to use, and the personal inclinations of the artist. How does Shari bring incremental progress to her work? What are the motivations behind her daily painting practice?

In the Second Conversation (beginning from 1:06:38), Nishant and Shari catch up after 1.5 years, to reconnect with each other’s lives and art practice. With the experience of 30+ conversations since their previous recording, Nishant asks for Shari’s thoughts on a set of ideas he has accumulated about surviving and thriving as an independent artist in the creator economy.

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🖌 Find Shari’s work on IG or subscribe to her blog.

🖌 Find Nishant’s work on IG or visit here for more links.

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📭 Every week, Nishant shares the best insights from the podcast, and ideas from his own journey of self-education to be an artist, on the SneakyArt Post. Add it to your inbox: https://sneakyart.substack.com.

🖋 Read Nishant's 4 Big Ideas for Creative Entrepreneurs, 3 Kinds of Permission Every Artist Needs, and Notes from the Second Conversation with Paul Heaston.