slow inside

Mixed media artist, Nikki Cade, left her full-time job as a special education teacher in June of this year to pursue art full-time. Because she’d spent the last several years building an online following and customer base, she could quit her job when her art became more important than the teaching. It’s been six months since then and she loves it. Here Nikki talks about what it took to leave the full-time job, how she prepared herself mentally and financially for the transition, her path to freedom, and how she found her creative voice. Some things we talk about: knowing when to leap how to transition from a full-time job to being a full-time maker making do with what you have (and creating success from wherever you're at) how to keep your own voice while imitating what's working for others sharing, and selling, your work online and tricks for building a powerful, effective brand

Christa david left a six-figure earning career in public health for a full-time gig as an artist. She makes collages, paintings, and photographs that she sells online, through galleries, and in-person. Here Christa talks about what she learned as a mom at 14-years-old and how that’s informed her art business today, the ups and downs of being your own boss, and what it means to make art as a black woman in America today. Some things we talk about: • The three non-negotiables in art and business • How to deal with jealousy and envy (and avoid the comparison trap) • The most (and least) effective ways to market your thing • Transitioning from a six-figure career to life as a full-time artist and • The ups and downs of being your own boss

Director, photographer and filmmaker, Jethro Waters, is best known for a more avant-garde, magical realist approach to filmmaking. His work has been published in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Pitchfor, NPR, Spin, and Billboard. Here Jethro shares about the ebbs and flows of creativity, how he got started making films and his launch into the world of documentaries, what it’s like to film your real-life heros and why the work of an artist is never done. Some things we talk about: • The longevity of art – or what it takes to become a master • How to deal with the ebbs and flows of creativity • Knowing which ideas to pursue and which to drop • Why you must make your work and put it out there (even if you’re not ready) • How to choose between helpful feedback and feedback best ignored and • How to know when your work is done

L'Erin is a healer. And by healer I mean warrior. She's been to rock bottom and, like a phoenix, risen from the ashes. Now L'Erin makes her living as a "soul guide, shadow diver, and spiritual teacher." In this conversation we talk about: • making your way back from the depths of despair • the key to liberation (seriously) • how to start, and then restart, your business brick-by-virtual brick • lessons learned from depression, loss, and brain surgery

L'Erin is a healer. And by healer I mean warrior. She's been to rock bottom and, like a phoenix, risen from the ashes. Now L'Erin makes her living as a "soul guide, shadow diver, and spiritual teacher." In this conversation we talk about: • making your way back from the depths of despair • the key to liberation (seriously) • how to start, and then restart, your business brick-by-virtual brick • lessons learned from depression, loss, and brain surgery

Artist and Illustrator, Lisa Congdon, spends her life making art and teaching others about art. She speaks openly and honestly about things most people never talk about like how to navigate the murky waters of success, social media anxiety, burnout, aging, and money. Some things we talk about: the role of art in activism knowing what, and how, to share (and when it's best not to) the value of going beyond your comfort zone and the necessity, at times, of staying within it how to manage the inevitable fears and anxieties in the making of your thing and dealing with success, burnout, and the path back to sanity

We talk about the affect her mom’s cancer diagnosis had on her life, how she made her first film with just a go pro and a mediocre mic, what it’s like to face physical danger in one’s work, and how to go for your dreams no matter how big they are or how little you know.

Ashley and I talk about how Ashley went from "broke as shit" to selling to hedge-fund managers and billionaires, the formula for figuring out who you are and what you want to say, money, and how to never, ever give up. *warning: the language used in this interview is explicit

It's not an easy leap from employee to entrepreneur. In this conversation with photographer, Olivia Emmer, we talk about taking that leap. We talk about how to make the switch from creativity as a hobby to a full-time gig, charging for your work, the challenges and joys of working on your own, knowing when to leap, and claiming your space as an artist.

From a Ku Klux Klan rally to Poet-in Residence in Greenville, SC, Glenis Redmond has been changing live through poetry her entire adult life. In this interview we talk about how to get on the right path when you find yourself on the wrong one, the different faces of courage, what it means to make a vow to your creativity and, how to not only find your creative voice but stand in it and live from it.