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

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, might need more practical help and advice as they take things to the next level. We hope this episode has you nodding along as you recognise yourself in some of the descriptions, but we also hope it encourages you to feel reassured that you are on the right track. Alice's Connected Artist Club is open until Saturday December 10th and you can learn more here: https://www.soulrocketstudio.com/connected-open-22 Mentioned Leave us a message HERE: https://anchor.fm/art-juice Mammals: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mammals-Season-1/dp/B0B8T4K6ZY 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

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 want to achieve.  So how do we get past this? And is a little bit of impatience perhaps necessary? Our discussion leads us to realise that we can be patient when we forget the end result. If we relax and enjoy our own unique process, we will make paintings as a by-product. This may mean we need to slow down a little bit, and stop trying to produce new things all the time, so we can notice what's working for us. Once we understand our own natural pace, we can work with it rather than battling ourselves. (and if you want an example of our (im)patience, wait until the end!) We'd love you to leave us a message!   1 minute ONLY... click the link here: https://anchor.fm/art-juice Look for the +message button - and you get a pop-up with a big red button! Mentioned Springsteen on Broadway trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1xDzgob1JI Springsteen on Broadway on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80232329  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 week, Louise is joined by abstract painter Sally-Anne Ashley, who helps artists to find and develop their own unique approach to their work. We begin our conversation by asking 'what does it mean to have a process?' and then go on to explore the framework Sally-Anne has created. Although we are both painters, this conversation is relevant for any medium and any style, because it's all about helping you to navigate your own way forward. We both believe that once you understand what you want to say, you can make decisions about individual paintings. From that starting point, you can decide the subject, the colours, the marks, the textures, the materials, the tools and so much more. But we also believe it's important to follow a process that allows for discovery - you may start out with one intention and then go in a completely different direction. I call it following the joy, Sally-Anne calls it following the nudges - but whatever you call it, we both believe that is the key to everything. If you need encouragement to listen to your own desires and trust your own inner wisdom, this episode is for you. Mentioned Join the waiting list for Sally-Anne's next course here: https://www.sally-anneashley.com/creative-shift-online-course Find Sally-Anne's website at: https://www.sally-anneashley.com 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

If you have unsold work adding up, then today’s podcast is for you because we are discussing how to hold a studio sale. What work to include, how to decide on discounts, what different types of sale you can consider and why simply creating a coupon code is NOT the best way! Today Alice is joined by Fee Dickson Reid, a member of the Connected Artist membership and this is an excerpt of a recent call we had within the Club. Fee’s sales have evolved over last 5 years, so if the idea of selling 34 paintings/sketches in 48 hours is tempting, we hope sharing our experience will help you. This is one to take notes on, and hopefully gives you a taste of just one element you may find in the Connected Artist Club. See below for how to join! Mentioned Find Fee's website here: https://www.feedicksonreid.com/ And on Instagram @feedicksonreidartist Go direct to the waitlist for The Connected Artist Club here:   https://www.soulrocketstudio.com/connected-interest 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 a bit of a catch-up episode. Reality is nibbling as Louise is home again after her retreat time to admin and domestics. Alice is arriving back after a busy art fair and feeling guilty she may have mansplained someone’s work to them among other conversations. While not every week is a productive or creative studio time, but we all have ideas still bubbling and we talk about how to move from a fantasy version (which may stay in your head) to moving towards making them a reality while they are still hazy. Mentioned The Adam Buxton Show https://www.adam-buxton.co.uk/podcasts Ben Baker Wire Art https://benbakerart.com/ Join the waitlist for Alice's The Connected Artist Club here:   https://www.soulrocketstudio.com/connected-interest Find out about Art Tribe with Louise here: https://www.louisefletcherart.com/art-tribe 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 week Alice takes a break and Louise is joined by Rachel Davis for a chat about changes in both our art and our life, the courage required to make those changes, and the effect of gender on how we approach growth. In addition to her art career, Rachel has spent 30 years as a practicing psychologist . Now her pending retirement has thrown up questions about what to do next. Suddenly there is space and the opportunity for choice, and while these things are wonderful opportunities, they can also make us freeze. We share our personal experiences of change and choice and we talk about the idea of taking up space, something that can be particularly challenging for women. This free flowing discussion perhaps throws up more questions than answers, but we hope it is interesting, thought-provoking, and maybe even a little inspirational.  Mentioned Find Rachel at https://www.racheldavisstudio.com/  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 week, we're prompting you to pause and think about what you want. So many online courses promise success through tag lines like "Sell more art" or "Build a Six-Figure Art Business," and it's natural to assume that should be the goal for everyone. Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to earn a good living from our work, but it isn't the only way to go. It's too easy to get sucked into pursuing things that others value without truly understanding if they are important to us. Perhaps you don't want to sell your art... or maybe you want to supplement your income in some other way.  Maybe you want a gallery ... or perhaps you just want to sell online. In this episode, we discuss the importance of admitting our desires to ourselves. If we don't acknowledge and accept them, no-one else will! Alice then shares 5 key questions that can help you get to the root of your own desires and preferences. Mentioned Self Care Club podcast: How to Have a Difficult Conversation https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-have-a-difficult-conversation/id1505703522?i=1000578355383 Gary Vee on choosing what you want: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB_6brOEEgM Ken Spooner https://www.cornwallcontemporary.com/exhibition/ken-spooner-exhibition/ Joan Eardley Painting at Tate St Ives https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/eardley-salmon-net-posts-t04133 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