Art Podcasts: Reflections and Lessons Learned

I still can’t believe that it’s been five years since I started the Savvy Painter podcast. Back when I first started, there were hardly any podcasts about, by, or for artists. Today, there are a ton of options out there, and I’m happy to call many of them friends! In this episode – I decided to do something different – I sat down with a handful of fellow podcasters to answer three questions.

What is one common thread you noticed from speaking to so many artists?
What advice would you give to an emerging artist who sometimes questions their resolve?
What is the worst advice you hear given to artists?

Not surprisingly, each of my guests had varied answers that kept me engaged and curious. I can’t wait for artists like you to dig in and hear from their unique and fascinating perspectives!

A common thread

What would you say is the common thread that ties artists together? As I asked this question to my guests, I was encouraged by their answers. Again and again, the common thread that binds many artists’ seems to be freedom and autonomy. Each person that chooses the path of an artist will follow the call to creativity by creating their own path. I love the boldness that each of my guests tapped into when they answered this question – they weren’t afraid to get it wrong! I hope you get a lot of helpful insights from their unique perspectives and make sure to check out their podcasts.

Advice for emerging artists

There are so many things that I wish I would have heard when I first started out as an artist. What are some of the tips and insights you wish you could have heard? Many of my guests stressed the value of putting in the work – and hard work at that! Too often artists get portrayed as struggling and starving or esoteric and whimsical – but what about the hard-working artist? At the end of the day – if you aren’t working hard and creating – do you really want to be an artist? Another one of my guests encouraged their peers to give yourself permission to call yourself an artist – yes, you can wear that title.

Advice to avoid

Sometimes the best advice is to avoid bad advice. What are some terrible pieces of advice that people have given you over the course of your career? I can think of one person who decided that it was their calling to make sure I knew how unbelievably hard it would be to make it as an artist. Yes, it is hard to succeed as an artist, but it’s also hard to succeed as a doctor or a business leader, but we don’t go out of the way to highlight the difficulties of those professions! My guests have a ton of bad advice that you should avoid – let me know which ones resonated with you.