Art Juice: A podcast for artists, creatives and art lovers

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

Have you ever convinced yourself that being disorganised is an essential part of the creative process - but get constantly frustrated by looking for images or planning projects? "If I'm tidy I'm not a true artist" is one belief Anna Macdonald had. Today Anna and Alice talk about accepting the way you are and how to find the mental space to support your route to becoming the artist you want to be.  We talk about choosing your words carefully, and the curse of being 'busy'. There's a difference between being busy and productive and as a teacher, artist and mum, Anna shares her approach which has allowed her to develop her art and life. We discuss the different ways we use a bullet journal, and also the overwhelm when it comes into organising our digital life.  Find more on Anna's website annafmacdonald.com where you can sign up for a free class this October and find out more about her Artist Laptop course and the Bullet Journal course for artists HERE Find Anna on Instagram at @annafmacdonaldart Also Mentioned Alice and Anna both use Leuchtturm notebooks for bullet journals @gommie_poem on Instagram 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

Are you perfectly confident about yourself and your art? Do you sail through life with no self-criticism? In most cases, the answer to this question is a resounding no. As artists we are all alone - making things that just seemed like a good idea, even though no-one asked us to. There is no roadmap and there are no instructions. So it's natural to be filled with self-doubt. Am I doing this right? Is anyone going to like this? Is this even art? This week, Louise is musing about the importance of self-acceptance. This is more than making ourselves feel good - without self-acceptance, we can't make the work that lives inside us - the unique, compelling, personal work of which we are capable. And if we don't trust ourselves, how can we expect buyers to have faith in us? 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

Being an artist is an up and down business. One minute you're making things you love, the next minute everything has turned to rubbish. One month you sell lots of paintings, the next month you can't give them away. So what do you do? How do you navigate this unpredictable career without going mad or giving up? Not sure we have all the answers, but we have learned some lessons over the last few years and we've both become better at rolling with the punches. We hope this conversation serves as a reminder that we all struggle and we can all come out the other side if we just keep going. Mentioned: Jenny Fermor https://www.jennyfermorart.com/ Sara Breinlinger https://www.sarabreinlinger.com/ The Sensationalists on iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001cbst/sensationalists-the-bad-girls-and-boys-of-british-art Crossfire on iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001c9gh/crossfire 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 best-selling novelist (and good friend) Jonathan Hall, who writes under the name JM Hall. Louise is making a start on a new series of abstract paintings and Jonathan is beginning his third novel. In this conversation, we explore the challenges of starting again, or perhaps it's more a case of building on what went before? After all, Jonathan is writing about the same characters and Louise is bringing in elements of previous work, so are we ever really starting with a blank canvas? As we chat, we uncover many similarities between writing and painting, share our thoughts on imposter syndrome, discuss the value of taking creative detours, and agree on the importance of an underlying message or theme to our work. Sometimes it helps to step back and see our situation in a whole new light and we hope this comparison with writing makes that possible for you.  Mentioned Find Jonathan on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jm_hall_writer/ Jonathan's first novel: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09F5N8FR8/ Jonathan's Radio 4 Play 'Trust:' https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mb2k 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