A Mighty Practice

This week I talk to artist, entrepreneur, and business coach Natalie Davis. In this episode, we talk about the multi-faceted creative life Natalie's built for herself - from her creative practice in leather, to being a creative director and co-owner of several restaurants in Austin, to coaching creatives through the ups-and-downs of their businesses. We talk about how to trust your gut, the importance of creating a vision, and how it's OK to have a lot of creative interests! Natalie talks about how to identify your creative strengths and how that's helped her carve her own path. Hear more about Natalie's work and journey below: Natalie Davis is a creative director, entrepreneur, and business coach that finds poetry in the small moments. She has collaborated with diverse clients, from museums and architecture firms to hotels and non-profits, along with being a co-owner of several restaurants in Austin. Natalie coaches on maximizing emotional intelligence to create greater impact and bring joy to managing teams. She guides clients through career transitions, starting with the initial spark of change, through interviews, negotiating, and being successful in their new role. From strategic planning to building brand narratives, Natalie helps others expand and clarify their vision and connect their story to the broader world. Natalie is a certified Co-Active Professional Coach and Associate Certified Coach, along with holding a BA from UCLA and MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. For more info: www.nataliedaviscoaching.com of on IG: @canoegoods ++++++ Interested in getting some coaching? Sign up for our fall coaching program here.

In today's episode we'll talk about the feeling "time is running out." Many artists feel this way - like they're running out of time to do the work they want to do, or accomplish the things they set out to do earlier in their lives. In this episode, we'll look at the emotions behind this statement (the fear + the urgency) and understand how to process them and move forward. We'll look at a past experience in your life where urgency was a positive force vs. a crippling force and how to channel that to take action. Want help with these challenges in your practice? Join our membership! And sign up for our next school-wide coaching call.

In this episode, we talk about the creative archetype of the STRIVER. Strivers are artists that over-invest in the generate stage of the creative process, and as a result, get stuck. They experience a feeling of scarcity - the idea that there will "never be enough" - around their creative production or output. This mindset can lead to burnout. In this episode, we'll talk about the strengths and challenges of this creative archetype, what motivates them, where they experience stuckness, and how they can move past it.

In this episode, we'll talk about how to take charge of your creative life (i.e. how to stop being a PASSENGER and start being the DRIVER of your life!). We'll talk about the concept of reacting vs. responding to the world around us, particularly when it comes to creative opportunities for our work. We'll talk about our baggage around asking for what we want and our challenges with valuing our labor and ideas. This episode will help you understand where these blocks come from for you and offer you an exercise for working through them. ++++ Sign up for our newsletter to learn more about our MAKING ART AND MAKING MONEY workshop. Or if you're in Austin, join me for my money workshop at Future Front Texas on February 18th. Tickets here.

In this episode we talk about VANITY GOALS. It's the start of a new year and you might be in a goal-setting mindset. While planning for the year ahead is important, there are many goal-setting pitfalls. One of these is setting vanity goals. A vanity goal is a goal that is led by a focus on surface level metrics. It is centered around status and appearances vs. the results you actually want. In this episode, I'll talk about vanity metrics that artists often use and why they are not helpful indicators that you're moving closer toward your goal. I'll talk about how we can avoid setting vanity goals, and what metrics to focus on when trying to create change in your life. +++++ JOIN OUR JANUARY COACHING PROGRAM - Deadline January 20th.

In this discussion, artist and educator Stephanie de Couto Costa shares her insights on creative blocks faced in your 30s versus your 20s. She highlights how time and energy become significant challenges, contrasting them with earlier concerns about societal approval. The conversation delves into the evolution of artistic identity and the importance of embracing personal growth. Stephanie encourages listeners to navigate their unique journeys and find fulfillment amidst adult responsibilities, emphasizing creativity's role in achieving self-acceptance.

In this podcast, they discuss common fears and perceptions surrounding having too many creative interests, and they offer strategies to overcome them. They also explore the importance of being a non-expert in creativity and provide tips for managing roadblocks that artists face.

In this episode, we talk about how to leverage John Cleese's concept of the Open Mode and the Closed Mode in our creative practices. The Open Mode is when you're experimenting, exploring, creating, and saying "yes" to possibilities. The Closed Mode is when you're being critical, strategic, time-sensitive, and outcomes-driven. We need both modes to thrive as creative people, but often times we depend too much on the Closed Mode as a way of operating. In this episode, I'll talk about what these two modes are, how to use them, and how to organize your day so you have more creative energy for the projects you really care about.  Mentioned in this podcast: Sign up for our newsletter here. For in-person art workshops: Arrowmont School of Art, Gatlinburg, TN. John Cleese's talk, Creativity in Management.

The podcast discusses the 6th stage of the creative process: sharing your work. It explores the fear of being visible and destructive sharing practices. The motivations behind sharing work on Instagram and the disappointment that can arise are also discussed. The importance of reflecting on why and how to share your work is emphasized.

In this episode we talk about making money and making art with Canadian Painter, Lesley Anderson! Topics we cover in this conversation: The transition out of art school, using various creative skills to make a living, the possibility of satisfying day jobs, and why Lesley did not choose "the teaching path." Listen in to this episode to hear how Lesley makes her living as an artist and how she leans into the ebb and flow of her creative life.  +++ OUR COACHING PROGRAM IS ENROLLING UNTIL SEPT 23RD! Got questions about the program?   Sign up for a free 15 minute coaching call. ++++ Lesley Anderson is a Canadian artist currently based in Austin, TX. Originally from the west coast, she studied at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver, 2009), and completed her Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University (Montreal, 2015). Her work is informed by materials and process, the formal properties of painting and the relationship between colour, mark making and form. She uses a variety of media and methods such as brushwork, drawing, cut outs, masking, airbrushing, projection, digital drawing and more, to create an inventory of compositional material. Her visual language continues to explore the organic nature of painterly materials, hard-edge and the subtleties of colour. Learn more about her work at: lesley-anderson.com or on IG: @lesley.anderson ++++