Today’s podcast episode is about the misheld beliefs of being an artist. These are those strange perceptions that non-artists have about how an artist should look, act or be.

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Some of the things we discuss in the Podcast

How when you are older you may

• The perception that you have to be young to be an artist
• That you have to have gone to art college to be a successful artist
• You have to be able to draw brilliantly and have formal training in drawing
• Everything you paint/draw must be successful
• You can paint, draw or sketch anything, effortlessly and without reference
• You have to be represented by a gallery
• You have to have won an award
• You have to have a big following on Social Media
• You have to know art history
• You have to paint with oil paints
• You have to have big stories or meaning behind your work
• You have to be good at painting in any medium
• You have to be loose
• You have to know anatomy to draw people
• I am sure if you know anatomy it’s helpful if you want to create highly realist
• You are painting all day, every day
• You have to be selling your work and better still, selling art alone to make your living
• And then there’s the complete opposite belief that to be an artist you have to be ‘starving’ … Well, which is it?
• You have to use long words, say ‘yah’ instead of yes, be pretentious or pretend to be
• You have to ‘look like’ or ‘dress like’ an artist, constantly clutching a portfolio
• You have to live in London, New York or a major city
• You have to mix in a circle of other artists
• You have to be a bit odd/traumatised

The reality is, all you need to do, to be an Artist, is to make art!

Also mentioned in the podcast

The Kick in the Creative’s first course – How to Use Water Soluble Wax Pastels 

Support us on Kofi

This week’s creative question

Q. What is your dream creative project?

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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In Today’s podcast we’re talking about the biggest mistakes beginner artists often make. If we look back to when we first started creating art, with the benefit of hindsight we might have done some things differently. Even now with more experience we still make a lot of mistakes eg. does anyone else not want to start a new sketchbook for fear of “ruining it”?

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Some of the things we discuss in the Podcast

How when you are older you may

• Trying to run before you can walk and skipping art fundamentals
• Watching every tutorial on a topic before actually giving it a try
• Using too cheap materials that aren’t up to the job and hinder our progress
• Using thin cartridge paper for water-based media
• Skipping colour theory
• Using paint straight out of the tube (like greens and blacks) if you are trying to create natural colours
• Using a pencil and a rubber instead of a pen. 
• Not drawing often enough
• Putting quality over quantity to start with
• Worrying too much about the outcome instead of enjoying the process
• Not drawing from life 
• Seeing mistakes as failure
• Comparing yourself to more experienced artists
• Worrying what other people think
• Getting too attached to a drawing
• Moving on too quickly before mastering one technique or subject / And conversely rigidly sticking with something even though it may not be right for Worrying too soon about ‘finding a style’
• Drawing in a style you think you should, rather than developing what comes naturally
• Being afraid to ask for advice
• Giving up too soon

What are the biggest mistakes you made as a beginner artist?

Also mentioned in the podcast

The Kick in the Creative’s first course – How to Use Water Soluble Wax Pastels 

Support us on Kofi

This week’s creative question

Q. Continue the phrase: I would never paint…

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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In today’s podcast we are talking about the benefits of starting your art journey later in life. So if you’ve been thinking about creating art or know someone that is, remember it’s never too late, whatever your age.

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Some of the things we discuss in the Podcast

How when you are older you may

• Have more time…
  Children have left or can look after themselves
  Can sometimes afford more help with other things, such as cleaning
• Be more patient…
  You also might be more patient as you get older. This could be as you are more relaxed with less demands on you. Tara is not convinced she is more patient though
• Have more life experience…
  You might have more of a story to tell with some life experience behind you. So there may be more meaning behind your work, though not necessarily of course.
• Be less easily influenced
  Less likely to listen to people who try to tell you what you ‘should’ do
• Have less fear
  Things worry us less as we get older because we realise the insignificance of the small stuff, such as wasted paper or a bad drawing. You also might be less precious about the art you create.
• Be more open to trying new things
  Life is shorter, so we start to be more daring and less inhibited
• Be thicker skinned
  As we get older we get more comfortable with ourselves and less bothered by criticism.
• More interested in joining groups / social aspect / connections
  We have more time and confidence to meet and make new friends

We also talk about how art is good for our mental and physical health and can help give us purpose.

Also mentioned in the podcast

The Kick in the Creative’s first course – How to Use Water Soluble Wax Pastels 

This week’s creative question

 Q. What’s your own, personal most extreme example of procrastination?

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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Today’s podcast guest is Carrie Waller. Carrie is an award-winning watercolour artist working in a realistic, detailed style. Her studies in Interior Design and Graphic Design as well as her time spent living in Europe and Asia have influenced her as an artist. Her unique works are bold, vibrant and dramatic.

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As well as exhibiting and selling her art Carrie also teaches popular workshops and private classes. During the Pandemic her online watercolour workshops have been a huge success. Sandra was very excited about this interview. She first connected with Carrie over 10 years ago when they were both blogging about their art.

Some of the things we discuss in the podcast

• How Carrie’s art journey began and how she learned to paint in watercolours.
• How Carrie fitted time for painting in with having young children
• How being married to a military man affected her art
• Where she finds her inspiration and the subjects she is drawn to
• How the Art Pandemic has affected her art business, but in many ways for the good. Such as teaching online workshops
• How she photographs her still life setups
• What is was that drew her to watercolour over other mediums
• How her current life in Japan has influenced her art
• Her watercolour process, and it’s very different from a traditional watercolour process.

Find out more about Carrie Waller

• Carrie’s website www.carriewallerfineart.com
• Watercolour Workshops
• Instagram @carriewallerart

 

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If you enjoy the podcast you can support us by buying us a coffee. We want to make a coffee froth moustache. Thank you!

 

Today’s guest is Dan Whiteson, a portrait/figurative painter from London. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins, his work has since been shown in numerous group and solo shows across the UK. It can also be found in private collections all over the world.

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As well as his own painting, Dan also teaches. He created his life drawing classes in response to his own, negative experiences of life classes & creative education. He offers an informal approach with an emphasis on experimental techniques and exercises. He aims to create an environment in which students can feel relaxed and inspired, regardless of ability.

Through the Pandemic Dan took his teaching online to create The Sunday Sessions. These sessions focus on a different artist each week with a mash-up of art history with a drawing/creative exercise at the end. Past Sunday Sessions are also available as recordings and I would thoroughly recommend them.

Some of the things we discuss in the podcast

• Dan’s background and how his journey into art began
• How Dan felt about art school, and how it didn’t meet his expectations
• How he developed his style and some of his influences
• Why he has different approaches to creating art from stark black and white, to bright, vivid colours. From graphic and abstract to more realistic.
• How he deals with a painting that isn’t working
• How becoming a parent changed his life as an artist
• How the Pandemic affected his art and business
• Why he created his life drawing classes in response to your negative experiences of life classes & creative education in general.
• Tips for novice artists wanting to improve and develop their art

Find out more about Dan Whiteson

• http://www.danwhiteson.com/
• Dan’s in-person life drawing lessons and online Sunday Sessions can be found here http://www.danwhiteson.com/teaching-1
• Follow Dan on Instagram at @freeformlifedrawing

 

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If you enjoy the podcast you can support us by buying us a coffee. We want to make a coffee froth moustache. Thank you!

 

Today’s guest is Andrea Ehrhardt. Andrea is a professional mural artist based in Springfield, Missouri, but she has created murals all over the world. Many of her murals allow passer-bys a photo opportunity, such as standing in front of Angel Wings. These get shared on social media and help publicise her work. She has also grown her business through video, which she shares more about in the podcast.

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Some of the things we discuss

• How she got started painting murals and learned a lot quickly
• Where she finds her inspiration
• How she presents mural ideas and concepts to her clients
• Combining travelling with creating murals
• Growing her customer base using video, and the type of video that works for her
• Tips for artists that want to turn their hobby into a career

Find out more about Andrea Ehrhardt

• You can find Andrea at https://artbyandreae.com/
• Andrea also has an Artist Academy where she teaches artists how to become professional muralists

Some of Andreas Murals

 

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If you enjoy the podcast you can support us by buying us a coffee. We want to make a coffee froth moustache. Thank you!

 

Today’s podcast is all about ten skills that every artist needs. That’s from the creative side of things to admin or business skills.

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The Ten Artist Skills We Talk About in the Podcast

1. Manage time

• This might mean being selfish at times
• Treating art like an appointment
• Prioritising
• Realising how long your art takes with everything that come with it

2. Focus

• Ignoring social media
• Ignoring housework
• Commit to a project
• Challenges

3. See

• Draw what you actually see and don’t make assumptions
• Take notice of everything
• Try to look at your subject more than your paper.
• See tones of light and dark in what you are working on,
• See subtle changes in colour hues

4. Imagine

• Do what’s right for the art
• Generate ideas. This can be as simple as deciding what to paint and in what style, to generating weird and wonderful imaginative ideas
• Think a little differently

5. Get over failure

• We can’t learn without failing
• See if you can use that failure in any way.

6. Take criticism

• You will never please everyone
• They may not even be right
• If the person is right you can use it to learn from.
• If you try to please everyone your work might be bland or unnoticeable and in the end will not please anyone.

7. Self Promote

• Talk about your art
• Share it
• Learn a bit of techie stuff
• Don’t be afraid to say ‘I’m an Artist.

8. Accept rejection

• You won’t always be the right fit for galleries, podcast interviews etc

9. Say No

• Don’t say yes to other projects for fear of missing out FOMO
• Also say no to friends and family for free stuff unless its something you really want to
• To commissions if they are not the right fit or if you already have too many

10. Be Brave

• Experiment and try things out
• Don’t be afraid to get out there and sketch in public
• Be confident (or pretend to be)
• Be open to new opportunities

Also mentioned in the podcast

The Kick in the Creative’s first course – How to Use Water Soluble Wax Pastels 

This week’s creative question

 Q. Has a real-life situation ever inspired your work?

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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In today’s podcast we’re going to talk about using your imagination in your art, even if you don’t think you have any. The idea for this episode came from a conversation between Eva Falk-Wall Simpson and Sanna Siira, who posted in the facebook group.

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Sanna said…

– I’ve been admiring Eva Falck-Wall Simpson’s wonderful paintings, where stories just emerge from different lines. Yesterday I saw another version of this technique somewhere. They had painted spots of watercolour and drawn faces on the spots with pencils. I had to try! I don’t know where all these dogs came from though, but this looks fabulous too! It’s great to know more versions to try. I haven’t felt comfortable drawing from imagination before, but this way, when I have something, shapes or lines, to start with, feels easier and fun 😊

And then Eva Falck-Wall Simpson replied to her comment and said…

That’s exactly how I feel. I used to think I didn’t have any imagination, but all I needed was a spark to unlock it. I think we just have to find our own way to access it. Enjoy your journey

Thank you Eva and Sanna for letting us use your words and inspiring this podcast

Funnily enough when I suggested this episode to Sandra she said I would have to take the lead on the episode as she didn’t really use imagination in her art. I then pointed out lots of ways she did. And that’s the key to it… finding a way of unlocking that part of your brain. We all have it, it’s just a matter of finding out how to access it.

Ways of using Imagination in Your Art

• We need to go back to the mindset we used to have as kids.
• Sandra talks about Carla Sonheim who creates art from pavement cracks.
• Tara didn’t think she could draw from imagination before she went to college, but it was all a matter of being taught how to think differently
• You can  create prompts to get yourself to think in different ways.
• You can put things together in unexpected ways
• Stories are a way to get your imagination working, imagine how the characters might look
• One way to get the imagination flowing is to watch (not listen) to people from a distance in conversation and imagine what they are saying.
• Even if you interpret a scene in front of you if you use a bit of artistic license or stylize things that’s imagination.
• When you’re coming up with an idea, just ask yourself, how can I make this: Different? Abstracted? Funny? Creepy? Ridiculous? And other questions like that.

Also mentioned in the podcast

The Kick in the Creative’s first course – How to Use Water Soluble Wax Pastels 

Dan Whiteson’s (Freeform Lifedrawing) Sunday Sessions 

This week’s creative question

Q. Do you have a secret talent, other than creating? If so, what is it?

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

We hope they are better than the “talents” Sandra and I said we have

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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In today’s podcast, we’re going to talk about the curse of perfectionism for artists. And one of the first things to consider is why you are striving for perfection. Are you striving for perfection because you enjoy the process of getting there? (That’s not a bad thing) Or are you just striving for perfection to prove to others, or yourself that you are ‘good enough?’

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Some of the things that we discuss

• One of the causes of perfectionism is that you compare yourself to other people and feel you don’t measure up.
• Another problem with comparing ourselves to others is we can lose aspects of what we do that makes us original
• Being a perfectionist can make you wait until you feel the situation is perfect to start.
• Perfectionism can make you hesitant and scared to put down a mark with confidence, so you lose spontaneity
• Try to bring that feeling of play from your sketchbook into your more finished work
• Perfectionism can make you scared to try something new for fear of failure
• When You get annoyed about your drawing not being as good as you want it might stop you from creating for a while or hinder your progress.
• Perfectionism can lead to an overworked and sterile piece or art

Do you suffer from perfectionism?

This week’s creative question

Q. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done with an art tool, that doesn’t involve what it was meant for?

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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Today we are talking about the pros and cons of social media for artists, of which there are many. I think at some point we will all have had some great experiences on social media, whether that is making new friends and contacts or a great comment. But of course it also has its downsides too.

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Some of the Pros and Cons of social media that we discuss

(starting with the cons and ending on a high note)

• Feeling pressured to post every day.
• The pressure to produce art that is ‘post-worthy’
• Worry about how many follows, unfollows and likes you get.
• Feeling like you need to ‘like and follow’ everyone who does it for you
• The time suck element of social media
• Feeling the need to make everything seem perfect
• Being intimidated by other people’s work
• Being open to criticism from others, even if you don’t ask for it
• Feeling pigeonholed – We mention a post by @RonnieWalter on Instagram
• Build a network of creative friends
• You can find groups to join where people have similar interests to you
• Finding people to collaborate with
• Plenty of inspiration
• You might also discover opportunities/ courses etc that you might like.
• The ability to reach a much wider audience
• Being able to send traffic to your website/blog or online shop
• You are likely to sell more
• It allows your followers to get to know and hopefully like you, because they can see more of your personality
• Being able to get advice from others on social media when needed
• Getting nice feedback about your work

You can have a lot of fun showing the sillier, imperfect side of yourself too. It can be fun to share that side of yourself and encourage others to do the same and be more comfortable with themselves too.

What are your pros and cons of Social Media for you as a creative?

This week’s creative question

Q. What’s the weirdest or funniest thing that has happened to you while creating?

The best answers will be read out on a future podcast.

You can Tweet us your answers @KickCreatives or let us know in the Facebook Group, which by the way if you haven’t already joined, I highly recommend that you do! We will put the question up there and also on the facebook page… and of course, on our Instagram page @kickinthecreatives.

If you have any suggestions for the podcast or our challenges please feel free to get in touch.

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