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 perspectives - but we should stress that the book really needs to be read in it's entirety. We recommend that you do that and then think about your own reaction to his words.  Here are the quotes we discussed: Number One “The goal is not to fit in. If anything it is to amplify the differences, what doesn’t fit, the special characteristics unique to how you see the world. As soon as a convention is established, the most interesting work would likely be the one that doesn’t follow it. The reason to make art is to innovate, to self-express, to show something new, share what’s inside, and communicate your singular perspective.” Number Two "If you have just one seed - a very specific vision you want to carry out - that’s fine. There is no right way. You might consider the possibility however that it could end up being a limitation because you are no longer taking advantage of all that you have in you. Being open to possibility gets you to a place that you want to go that you may not know you wanted to get to. If you know what you want to do and you do it, that is the work of a craftsman. If you begin with a question and use it to guide an adventure of discovery, that’s the work of an artist. The surprises along the way can expand your work and even the art form itself.” Number Three "You may sometimes wonder ‘why am I doing this? What is it for?... in the end those questions are of little importance. There doesn’t need to be a purpose guiding what we choose to make. When examined more closely we might find this grandiose idea useless. It implies we know more than we can know." Number Four “Art made by accident has no more or less weight than art created through sweat and struggle. Whether it took months or minutes does not matter. Quality isn’t based on the amount of time invested. So long as what emerges is pleasing to us, the work has fulfilled it’s purpose….. If you like a result, accept it graciously, whether it arrives in a sudden flash or after long bouts of difficult labour.” Mentioned Rick Rubin's book is called "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" Here is the Johnny Cash video Louise mentioned (tissues required) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI Rick Rubin interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_szemxPcTI See Alice Sheridan at: www.alicesheridan.com @alicesheridanstudio Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 different creative platforms (Damian has been an actor,  screenwriter and also still works with his hands creatively alongside the writing) and also touching on managing feedback and taking control of your own creative output.  It's always great to get an insight into how different creatives work, and where inspirational ideas come from, so I hope this conversation leaves you intrigued to find out more. Mentioned Find the book: The Colour Storm by Damian Dibben is published by Michael Joseph / Penguin and you can buy it at any book retailer where it is now out in paperback, or on Kindle here See the furniture collection here: www.damiandibbenfurniture.com/ Find Damian's author website here: www.damiandibben.com/ See Alice Sheridan at: www.alicesheridan.com @alicesheridanstudio Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 when things go wrong? What is the role of teaching in your artist development? And what does all this have to do with skiing?  Tune in to find out :) Mentioned Why Women Kill on Amazon Prime Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art See Alice Sheridan at: www.alicesheridan.com @alicesheridanstudio Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 willingness to learn, an open mind, and a desire to solve creative problems.  We hope this conversation provides some inspiration for anyone thinking about upleveling their art career or boosting their sales. Mentioned Bibby website https://www.bibbyart.com/ Bibby on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bibbygart/?hl=en Bibby's online course https://www.bibbyart.com/online-mixed-media-art-classes Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art See Alice Sheridan at: www.alicesheridan.com @alicesheridanstudio Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 your work? Oh, and quite a few funnies which we’ve also shared on our YouTube channels so you can share in all our behind-the-scenes glory! Mentioned Helen Perry #Justbloodypostit podcast HERE Crushed by Margaret Cabourn-Smith https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/crushed-by-margaret-cabourn-smith/id1615555767 The Chase Jarvis Live Show: How to Put your Voice into your Work episode HERE Self Care Club podcast Sexy Money Mindfulness HERE (and don’t forget the follow-up show!) See Alice Sheridan at: www.alicesheridan.com @alicesheridanstudio Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 you simply share what you love to share in a way that feels good for you? And could that be considered marketing? Join us as we dissect the idea of self-promotion and hopefully provide some inspiration and encouragement. Special Offer for podcast listeners: Alice's Time to Shine course with saving: Join Time to Shine and SAVE! Mentioned David Hockney Book https://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Hockney-40-Years-QUARANTE/dp/383658249X Faye Bridgewater on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/faye_bridgwater/ See Alice Sheridan at: www.alicesheridan.com  @alicesheridanstudio Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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. She's on a mission to change how we feel, think and talk about business, and about kicking the hustle and productivity culture to the curb. Astrid supports small business owners and freelancers through 1:1 mentoring, workshops and her writing. She loves big mugs of strong milky tea, always carries a book and takes care of 120+ houseplants. Find out more from Astrid: https://astridbracke.com/ Grab her series on "How to Move your Business away from Social Media (free 4-week email series) HERE: https://astridbracke.com/move-your-business-away-from-social-media/ Substack newsletter: https://astridbracke.substack.com/ Should you move your newsletter to Substack? (blog post): https://astridbracke.com/should-you-move-your-newsletter-to-substack/ Mentioned: Book recommendation: Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety Travel Man series with Richard Ayoade taster! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbB4l8ihK4k&t=7s Art Juice brings you honest, generous, and humorous conversations that will feed your creative soul and get you thinking with artists Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher. See Alice Sheridan at:  www.alicesheridan.com  @alicesheridanstudio Find more about Louise Fletcher: www.louisefletcherart.com @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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, mining your own history, energy boosters to be discovered in old sketchbooks - and generally managing the apprehension about beginning a new creative endeavour.  Have fun this week, if you share your new beginnings on Instagram, do tag us and mention this episode . You may also like:  Post on tidying and clearing your Studio: alicesheridan.com/how-to-kon-mari-your-studio/ How to Create a Mood Board for Your Art alicesheridan.com/how-to-create-a-mood-board-for-your-art/ Mentioned Cheryl Taves 30 Day Sketchbook challenge course (join anytime): Insight coaching/the-30-day-sketchbook-challenge Karen Stamper concertina sketchbook course (opens again Feb 2023)  https://karenstampercollage.com/workshops/online-concertina-sketchbook-course/ Find Alice and Louise at: www.alicesheridan.com  www.louisefletcherart.com Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 Alice is making more space. But we've both decided that intentions are more useful than goals, and we hope this idea inspires you to think about your 2023. What would you like to move towards? What might you leave behind? And do you have an overarching intention that can help guide your plans and decisions?  Mentioned Happy Valley Season 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBaaeeETR9o Shakti mats https://www.shaktimat.co.uk/ Diary of a CEO podcast https://www.youtube.com/@TheDiaryOfACEO Find Alice and Louise at: www.alicesheridan.com  www.louisefletcherart.com Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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 Christmas party games, what would we take to a desert island and which episode has been our most memorable. We have really enjoyed spending some of 2022 with all of you and it was lovely to hear some of your voices - a real Christmas blessing :) Have a lovely holiday and we will see you next year! Mentioned: Find Alice and Louise at: www.alicesheridan.com  www.louisefletcherart.com Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio @louisefletcher_art Credits: "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License