4 Art Podcasts to Inspire Your Creative Practice
Only when I started painting did I realize how there is a Podcast for everything. You want to help solve a murder? There is a podcast for that. You want to manage your money? There is a podcast for that. News, pop culture, entrepreneurship, mental health, fitness, books, you name it, there is a podcast for it.
Discovering art podcasts was a big thing for me. Before then, my podcast diet was almost exclusively news and politics. Through podcasts I discovered not only artists but that art could actually be a career and a profitable business without having to go to art school. There were artists who painted custom work, created collections, offered prints, products, online courses and so much more.
It was fascinating and inspiring to tune in each week as podcast hosts told their own stories and interviewed other artists. There were even free resources, challenges, and ideas to start experimenting with. These are the four podcasts that made the biggest impression on me when I first started painting. I hope you’ll give them a listen and let me know what you think.
Laura Horn’s podcast was the first art podcast I started listening to after a basic search on Apple podcasts. According to her website, she is “an abstract artist from Adelaide who had a dream and kept chasing it.” She is self taught and has these amazing online courses. Her podcast kept me sane when Covid was at its worst. Listening to this podcast was also the first time I heard the idea of mixed media, or the idea of mixing different types of materials from watercolor, to gouache (a more opaque watercolor), acrylics, pastels, and collage. If you are looking for a way to play artistically, her Creative Elements Challenge is fun. I did it in February 2021 and while I’m not sure abstracts are really my thing, it was fun to learn to create color palettes, use non-traditional painting tools (hello rubber spatula), and try to loosen up.
Notable Episodes:
#143 Living a Well Rounded Creative Life
#117 Getting Started is the Hardest Part
I found Susan Nethercote’s podcast around the same time as Laura’s. Another Australian artist, she is an abstract botanical and landscape painting and her large canvases are just stunning. What I have enjoyed most about Susan’s podcast is how she talks about fitting your art practice and art business into a balanced life, or at least trying to. Her interviews also feature different kinds of artists including authors, designers, and photographers. Even when the artists’ work might not appeal to me, their diverse paths are really interesting. She also offers online courses as well as a free Painting as a Practice challenge each February complete with prompts to inspire and encourage you.
Notable Episodes:
#92 The Art of Self-Publishing and Valuing Your Voice with Jules Ostara
#68 How to Trust in Your Creative Force with Myree Morsi
This podcast is hosted by Ekaterina Popova and Alicia Puig. What I love about this podcast is that it presents what I think/ thought was the traditional path of an artist: art school and then presenting in galleries. While they do talk to a lot of artists that work in galleries, there is a lot of variety. There are artists that work in big galleries and small galleries. Sometimes they are painters, but also sculptors, mixed media, and digital media. It also has a very contemporary art vibe, which is very different from what I am usually drawn to. If reading is more your jam, I also have a copy of their book: The Complete Smartist Guide: Essential Business and Career Tips for Emerging Artists. Their new book: The Creative Business Handbook: Follow Your Passions and Be Your Own Boss comes out in May.
Notable Episodes:
Beau B. Frank: Designing A Lifestyle Around Creativity (May 2022)
Blooming in Every Season with Sara Glupker (Dec. 2021)
I saved the best for last. ArtJuice is hosted by Alice Sheridan and Louise Fletcher and this podcast is still one of the highlights of my week. I especially love to listen to it while I am painting. Even when life gets busy and I start to pile up episodes, it is one of my favorite art podcasts to binge. Both Alice and Lousie are abstract painters based in the UK. They paint very differently than I do, but each episode feels like a glimpse inside the daily life of an artist, including what they are working on that week, how they run their businesses, how they deal with the ups and downs of being an artist, and how to balance life and art. They both run art memberships and often have free mini courses or challenges to participate in. Highly recommend.
Notable Episodes:
#192 Marketing without Social Media with Astrid Bracke
#179 Holding Your Nerve: How to Get Through the Not-so-Good Times
What are you currently listening to?
Let me know in the comments.
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