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

As artists we have unprecedented opportunities to market ourselves and our work. We no longer have to rely on galleries or agents - the internet allows us to connect directly with potential buyers. Sharing our creative process is a highly effective way to do this, and video can be a wonderful way to satisfy people’s interest.  This week, we discuss different ways to get started with video, including how to create a video without appearing in it, how you can use Facebook “lives,” and why Instagram stories might be a good way to get started. We also acknowledge the vulnerability that comes with sharing our creative practice and get the giggles about some of the not-so-nice comments we have received. But we both agree that the benefits far outweigh the (extremely rare) mean remarks. If we want people to see our art, we have to let them see us. This week’s inspirations are all about taking time out for ourselves, and we answer a listener question about how to look at Instagram without becoming demoralised. Finally, we say a huge thank you to everyone who donated by buying us a coffee - your contributions are greatly appreciated. Mentioned Louise’s videos on Facebook Curable app Lisa Bean video course Alice blooper reel Links Buy us a coffee  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License 

How do you do it? Open studios events vary widely across the UK and around the world. In this episode, we share our very different experiences, contrasting an event that spans over 3,000 square miles with one that covers an area of just 3 square miles. We discuss the things we got right, the lessons we learned, and what we’d like to change going forward.  We also dive into our sales and wonder how many of them were due to event publicity versus our own following online or past collectors. Despite the fact that our two events varied in almost every way, we agree that the experience was an extremely positive one - not only from the perspective of sales, but also because the events allowed us to meet people we have previously only known online, and to have lovely, encouraging conversations about our work. If there is an event in your area, we both agree it’s worth getting involved. A few thoughts and ideas:  People enjoy seeing work in progress, sketchbooks and anything you can do to show how you make your work It’s a plus to have things at all different price ranges so that people can choose the level of investment that suits them … this can include cards, prints or small works on paper.  It’s a good idea to offer an incentive for visitors to leave an email address - perhaps a raffle for a small painting? If someone likes a painting but doesn’t buy, get an email address and follow up with a photo. How it feels isn’t always how it actually is, so track your data (counting visitors, sales etc). Follow up after the event with an email thanking visitors and collectors. This week, we also introduce our new Ko-fi.com page.  This is an easy and inexpensive way to help support the podcast. We hope to offer more than just our weekly chat, but the demands of the podcast are making that challenging. Your support would enable us to hire some help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can "buy us a coffee" us at Ko-fi.com/artjuice In this packed episode we also discuss the surprise of finding you enjoy something you didn't want to do, and the importance of facing challenges - even if we would really rather have a duvet day. Mentioned:  Find out more about Alice's upcoming class: https://alicesheridan.com/artists/ Contribute at Ko-fi.com/artjuice Listen to the "Own It' podcast at https://ownitthepodcast.com/232-getting-out-of-your-own-way-louise-fletcher/ Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Many artists carry around ideas and beliefs that don’t serve us, and which actually often don’t even feel like beliefs. Instead, they feel like established facts. It’s only when we recognise the problem, that we can start to challenge the thoughts that are preventing our next move - and replace them with something more effective. We discuss some of the more common limiting beliefs held by artists - things like “there are too many artists,” “I’ll never be good enough,” “there’s no money in art,” or “the place I live is no good for selling art.” We also share some of our own limiting beliefs and discuss the strategies we have used to overcome them, including EFT, hypnosis, talking with friends, and learning new ways to approach our thoughts. Alice points out that a belief is just a thought that you keep thinking and suggests a step-by-step approach to shift through any unhelpful belief.  1. Identify a belief that is keeping you stuck or small. Observe it gently, become aware of it and how it is keeping you held back. Thank it for the opportunity to bust it open. 2. Acknowledge the truth within your belief and then ask yourself: "Is this belief ultimately true for me?" Gather all the evidence to prove why it doesn't have to be true (like pouring water on a fire).  3. Write a new story and adopt this as your new, more supportive belief. 4. Use affirmations to reinforce the story (although Alice points out that you need to believe them!) Even if you replace all your current limiting beliefs, new ones may arise to take their place, but we both feel that having a process to deal with them is the key to ongoing success.  We also answer a listener question about whether it's appropriate to announce sales with social media posts or red dots. We both agree on this one - communicating our success is a key part of presenting ourselves effectively to the outside world and there is nothing to be ashamed or feel icky about. But we also agree that humility is important to balance the success stories …. There’s nothing more annoying that someone who presents a relentlessly perfect image! Finally, we've both been inspired by meeting people . A visit from a Canadian artist friend got Alice's creative juices flowing, and Louise was energised by meeting blog readers and podcast listeners in person.  Mentioned The Work of Byron Katie Susan Sakamoto Follow us on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Our main topic was inspired by a question from a listener, who asked ‘why on earth would you use oil pastel with acrylics!” He went on to say “Surely this will lead to problems later in the longevity of the paintings? Oil and water just do not mix after all!” This question launches a wide-ranging discussion into the way we use materials and the risks we are willing to take. We also ask whether materials experimentation should be reserved for certain times, or is it OK to experiment mid-painting. We share some of the mistakes we’ve made with various media, and we debunk some common concerns. At the root of it all, we agree that oil and water don't mix - and we think that's the fun of using them together! We both believe that risk-taking has been a key factor in our artistic development and we share a belief that you can’t know in advance which media or technique will be a catalyst for new adventures - the chance element is surely part of the journey? But we also make no claim to technical expertise and cannot promise that our paintings will last hundreds of years. In the end, we feel the trade-off between utmost creativity and guaranteed longevity is worth it - you may not agree and that is totally fine. We all make these decisions for ourselves. Other topics include "a-ha" moments with technology, coping with busy open events as an introvert, and venturing into outsourcing. Mentioned: Artists at Home Open Studios in West London 14-16th June Find all the details here See fuller show notes on our websites: www.alicesheridan.com www.louisefletcherart.com

Do you ever feel like a boiling frog? So busy that you don't  notice that "enjoyably in demand" has turned into "totally overwhelmed and frazzled?" As artists, it's often a challenge to ask for help - partly because some of our work HAS to be done by us, and partly because we can't accept that anyone could do things as well as we do! If you feel like you don't have enough time to get everything done, you're not alone. We ask if systems and tools can help you plan your time, how being honest with your choices makes all the difference, and when it is really time to delegate tasks. (And if it IS time, how on earth do you decide which ones and who to trust?!) We also discuss overwhelm in the context of preparing for exhibitions - we have some ideas of how to display unfinished work and wonder if perhaps someone will fall in love with the raw unfinished state of a work in progress. (and then what do you do?) So many questions! And even if we don't have all the answers, we're happy to share how we each manage hectic schedules and packed 'to do' lists.  Mentioned:  Louise showing at North Yorkshire Open Studios final weekend 8th & 9th June Louise is enjoying using some lustrous paint from Art2Life  Alice has been to the Central St Martins degree show with mixed feelings, but struck by large scale paintings by Troy Rosewell Follow us on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   See fuller show notes on our websites: www.alicesheridan.com www.louisefletcherart.com Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

This week, we discuss why so many artists are driven to continually change  … is this the natural state of all artists? Or do we vary in this? We consider the benefits of settling into a subject matter and a way of working (there are benefits that include easier branding and consistent audience growth) but ultimately we accept that it's a matter of personality type and that neither of us is able to stay in one place with our work for too long.  There are of course, pluses and minuses to this … and we explore some of them in a wide-ranging conversation that covers studio size, ways of working, Ted Hughes, running, and even Eastenders! This one is sure to get you thinking... Mentioned:  Louise's new work Ted Hughes' poem "Wind" Couch to 5K app Follow us on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   www.alicesheridan.com Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Open Studio season is coming up... whether you are an old hand or this is your first year showing in this way we have some ideas for promotion and things to do in advance,  during and after so that you make the best of your Open House events this year.  We are also discussing inspiration boards and reminders of what makes us tick in our work - whether that's recognition of a slowly developing series, and what happens when you try to make a painting because you feel you "should". For full listings of ideas for Open Studio please check through to our full podcast notes at: https://alicesheridan.com/artjuice18 OR https://www.louisefletcherart.com/open-studios/ Mentioned: CyTwombly at Bastian (until 15th June 2019) https://www.galleriesnow.net/shows/cy-twombly-natural-history/ Gerhard Richter at Gagosian “Overpainted Photographs” (until 8th June 2019) https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2019/gerhard-richter-overpainted-photographs/ How to make a mood board https://alicesheridan.com/how-to-create-a-mood-board-for-your-art/ 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 wide-ranging discussion was sparked by recent projects. These new challenges have required us to stretch ourselves - to learn new technologies, to develop new skills and to get comfortable with promotion. We discuss the blocks to developing the required skills - including fear of failure and worrying about negative reactions - and offer our own perspectives along with concrete tips and solutions. We also explore the difference between working on promotion for someone else, and versus doing it for ourselves, and discuss procrastination - when is it simply our need to slow down and move step by step?  In addition, we share our perspectives on approaching galleries. Should you really be nervous about this, or can you re-frame the issue and think about new galleries as potential business partners? Ways to let people know about what you have to offer! Instagram: bio text, link page, post, post shared to your story, story talking, story as a fixed image Facebook: as well as within posts in multiple ways, you can create an event, share to a relevant group, update your FB Page header Website: add a section to your home page and then link with more details to a blog post, or a new page, add that to your Menu so people can find it easily. Give people the information or links they need. Emails: Send an email to your list (more than once!) Add a link within your personal email footer Mentioned Station Eleven by Emily John Mandel Stand Out Online  by Natasha Courtenay-Smith The White Hotel by D.M. Thomas Follow us on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio @louisefletcher_art Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Did you know that who you surround yourself with makes a huge difference to your life?  Does your family have a creative background? Is your creative streak viewed with suspicion or disbelief. It can be hard to make art if this is what surrounds us so we review our personal histories and how we've made changes to the things which influence our beliefs.  The quote “You’re the average of the five people spend the most time with,” is most often attributed to motivational speaker Jim Rohn, but science backs him up. What this means is that if your friends are obese, you are much more likely to also be obese. If your friends drink too much, chances are you will too. But how does this impact our art-making? We discuss the importance of having supportive people in our lives and we share some of the ways we have done this for ourselves. We also share our thoughts on minimizing the psychological impact of negative comments as these can derail us if we are not careful. In the end, it comes down to choosing who or what will influence our mindset and making conscious moves to ensure we stay in a good place. We also talk studio clear-outs and what we have learned about launching a course online (even though it's not our course!) Mentioned Tara Leaver Gary Vaynerchuck Maz Hawes blog post Nicholas Wilton CVP Study on social influence Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast Find show notes on  www.alicesheridan.com/podcast  www.louisefletcherart.com/podcast 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 considering event and exhibition submissions and asking what criteria should we use to decide if something is right for us. We consider both the financial and reputational benefits of events, identifying areas to consider including costs, location, audience match etc.  But we also go deeper. This topic unearthed a rare difference of opinion as a result of two different perspectives. In the end, we both agree that submission decisions shouldn’t be made in a vacuum - but rather as an element of your wider strategy. We also discuss fear of sharing work-in-progress, the simple joys of returning to art after some time away, and the power of self-belief in determining the level of our success. Mentioned You can sign up for the free Art2Life workshop at: louisefletcherart.com/art2life alicesheridan.com/art2life Listings of open exhibitions and events: https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/call-for-entries https://www.artquest.org.uk/opportunities/ https://www.artrabbit.com/artist-opportunities https://www.artshub.co.uk/callouts/list/-/call-for-artists/ https://www.a-n.co.uk/tag/open-call/ Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast Find show notes on  www.alicesheridan.com/podcast  www.louisefletcherart.com/podcast Follow us on Instagram  @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License