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

This week's discussion was sparked by a question we received from a listener. AJ asked this question about commissions: “I am an up and coming artist with a handful of commission requests. I would love to learn about the professional way to handle commissions. How do you and Alice do this? How much do your charge? What do you do about edits? Should the client pay upfront or give a deposit?” The question led us into an interesting debate about how formalised a commission process should be. Alice sets clear parameters and her process has worked very well for her, while Louise has found that any kind of commitment feels heavy. She is therefore taking a much more informal approach (including refusing commissions unless they feel just right).  We discuss practicalities (pricing, process, deposits etc), share our successes (as well as those that didn't go so well), and debate the pluses and minuses of allowing client input during the creative process.  In the end, we both agree that there is no one-size-fits-all "professional" methodology and that the most important thing is for each artist to determine an approach that works for him or her (and make the parameters very clear to the buyer in advance).  This week we also share some exciting studio news, celebrate the success of a fellow artist, and (literally) get a little bit potty-mouthed (!) Mentioned: Zandra Stratford's show at https://afternynegallery.com   (Until Sept 21st) Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast 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

Do you feel the need for a “good” result every time you paint? Or hope for a painting that looks good at every stage? This can bring an added stress to making art and limit your ability to experiment. We discuss what might be at the bottom of this, quite natural, desire to feel satisfied and how we can work this into our process.  Also, one listener asks "Am I not going to move forward in my art if I keep using my phone?" and we have some ideas of the advantages and disadvantages of using your phone as a recorder and where it may be holding you back. Mentioned: Kyle Cease podcast interview - creativity and taking that one step (Warning; curse words!) https://podtail.com/en/podcast/you-made-it-weird-with-pete-holmes/kyle-cease/ Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast 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

Settle down, you are in for a treat in this discussion of the artist as problem solver!  Megan Woodard Johnson is a mixed media artist who layers vintage paper ephemera with paint, various drawing media and found objects to tell evocative stories within her work. Alice talks with Megan about that fact that an artist's growth is rarely linear and how we can only make sense of it all when we look backwards at everything that happened.  The wide-ranging discussion also covered building a creative practice alongside a family, how to find honest critiques  of your work, and how new classes and experiences can invigorate us as artists. Megan also offered practical tips for loading your car (!), teaching workshops, and how creative collaborations can allow you to blossom. Mentioned: See more of Megan’s work at: http://www.meganwoodardjohnson.com/ Find her on Instagram at: @meganwoodardjohnsonart https://www.instagram.com/meganwoodardjohnsonart/ Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast 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 

“If I had to describe my work, I would say that it is a blend of grunge, whimsy and outsider.” In our first breakout week, Louise is in discussion with artist Jacqui Fehl . Influenced by music, lyrics, feelings, stories, other artists, and the materials themselves, Jacqui’s art is as varied as her ever changing hair – sometimes light, humorous and colourful , while at other times serious with a touch of dark. In this podcast, Jacqui and Louise dive deeply into issues around the creative process, scaling up your work, your personal voice and and how we define success.  Part of the conversation centred on this quote: "It quite frequently happens that you’re just treading water for quite a long time. Nothing really dramatic seems to be happening. … And then suddenly everything seems to lock together in a different way. It’s like a crystallization point where you can’t detect any single element having changed. There’s a proverb that says that the fruit takes a long time to ripen, but it falls suddenly … And that seems to be the process." Brian Eno Mentioned: See more of Jacqui’s work at: https://www.jacquifehl.com Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast 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 

Things haven’t gone to plan chez Alice and Louise this week. Alice’s much anticipated summer break was swamped by rain, meaning a lot of wet walks and NONE of the planned sketchbook days out. To compound the situation, she also lost internet which meant she couldn’t catch up on important work. Louise worked for months on an online course, only to be let down by Zoom, YouTube and Mailchimp all on the same evening. The result was less than pretty! Given these mini-disasters, we discuss how we react when things go wrong. It’s easy to say ‘put things into perspective’ but do we need to feel that emotion first? And if so, is there a way to feel the emotion, but also keep things in perspective? We also answer a question about art degrees. One listener is considering whether to go for an MA.  We acknowledge that being an artist is about learning and stretching yourself, but we wonder whether taking an advanced degree is a safe option that simply postpones the inevitable time when you have to do this for yourself anyway. We would love to hear you views on this topic too, if you’ve taken an MA, what did you feel it gave you? Mentioned:  Louise's course - Find Your Joy Two Dots - you really don’t want to waste your time on this (unless you are only human!) Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   See fuller show notes on our websites: www.alicesheridan.com www.louisefletcerart.com Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License 

This week we’re discussing gender and how it influences the way we work. The high-end art world continues to be dominated by men and yet attend any workshop and most of the artists there will be women. Are female artists victims of a sexist society? Or are we actually holding ourselves back? We discuss how our parents influenced our attitudes, how women’s tendency to care for others can hinder us, and how we might make our way confidently in a man’s world without resorting to mimicking our male colleagues. We also wonder why some men take up two seats on a plane instead of just one!  (Damn! Should have scrolled further down the page… look at this article!!! By 40 women’s confidence grows to match men and post 60 is greater!!!!! There is hope :-) Alice has been taking and collecting selected work from exhibitions You can see three paintings as part of The Annual Exhibition Society of Women Artists at The Mall Galleries Tuesday 24th Sep at 4.00 to Sunday 29th September.  Mentioned: Alice’s mum’s book (for a great summer read) is called 'The Baby Box' by Jane Hayward Buy the hard copy direct:  https://janehayward.blog/book/ Or on Amazon HERE  Find the Olafur Eliasson documentary Alice mentioned  HERE The exhibition is on at Tate Modern until 20 January 2020 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield HERE 'Art and Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland HERE Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   See fuller show notes on our websites: www.alicesheridan.com www.louisefletcerart.com Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License 

We discuss our different approaches to summer - Louise doesn’t slow down in summer and in fact, her online course is about to start which means she is working even harder. Alice has children, which means her summers have always been a time for family. Even with the best will in the world, it’s almost impossible to work while caring for young children so she has always had to find ways of creating that could be squeezed into the gaps around family time. This has included other creative projects including home decor, gardening, cooking, and reading the art books that she has never got round to. We also discuss sketchbooks and the different ways we have both used them.  Oh, and also we started a hashtag for sharing how you are keeping in touch with your art practice over the summer!! Use #artjuicesummer on Instagram Our audience question is about charity donations: The listener wrote: “Had my fill this week. Would make an interesting podcast. The tactics they use to get free artwork. How to say no. How to not feel guilty. If I’m targeted then others artists must be too.” We have a slight reframe on this one … listen for ideas on how you can turn this around so it works for you AND for the charities you choose to support. Mentioned: Find your Joy FREE mini course runs Aug 2nd - 10th and you can sign up HERE Simple sketchbooks for the sketchbook in a day project HERE  Buy us a coffee and support the podcast here  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast Follow us on Instagram: @alicesheridanstudio  @louisefletcher_art   See fuller show notes on our websites: www.alicesheridan.com www.louisefletcerart.com Credits "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License 

This week we’re talking about transitions - those times when our work moves into a new phase. Perhaps it comes upon us almost without us noticing - perhaps we make a conscious decision, but either way, change can be both exciting and unsettling. Louise is preparing to start new work in a few weeks time, and feeling pulled in several directions which feel unrelated. Alice has started new work that could be seen as re-visiting an earlier interest. We talk about letting ideas go, and giving them time to develop, how you can recognise transition moments. And when you should be on alert that perhaps some new transition is needed to fire up your creative life again. We also discuss a listener question from someone feeling impatient and wondering "how long did things take to start gaining momentum in terms of sales and can you see what this was linked to?" Mentioned: Find your Joy FREE mini course runs Aug 2nd - 10th and you can sign up HERE  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 

This one is a biggie... What does it mean to find our voice as an artist? How do we discover what we want to create? Especially as that may change over time. After a week of admin Louise believes the answer lies in following what you love. To do that you need to learn to play, which is something many people struggle with.  Alice wonders what happens when you enjoy the process, but not the end result? She believes you may need to let go of some ‘rules’ so that you can  discover your own questions; questions that will guide your art as you develop your process. If this is something you would like to explore, then join Louise for her "Find your Joy" FREE mini course which kicks off on 2nd August  We also discuss a listener question about what size paintings work best for galleries.... can you guess what we have to say about that?! Mentioned: Find your Joy FREE mini course runs Aug 2nd - 10th and you can sign up HERE 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 

This week’s main topic was inspired by a listener who wrote: “I was hoping you could talk about colour mixing/ opposed to buying already mixed colours. I'm wanting to invest in new paint, I’d just like to hear your opinion on different paints & colour mixing etc.” This question led us into a discussion of colour and the way we use it in our work. For both of us, it is quite an important focus, but our preferred palettes are quite different. We discuss the emotional resonance of certain colours; the power of surprising ourselves; the freedom that can come (paradoxically) with a limited palette; and mixing colours versus using them straight from the tube. We also discuss the relativity of colour, and Alice shares her approach of choosing one hero colour for each painting. In the end, colour is an incredibly personal thing, and each artist approaches it in a different way. Some artists study colour theory, some spend hours mixing in a sketchbook, and some choose colours totally intuitively. And this is perhaps the most important point to come out of our discussion - we both believe that your use of colour should be guided not be rules or by what you think other artists would do, but by your own preferences and your goals for your work. Mentioned True Colors sign-up (featuring Alice's lessons)  Joseph Albers - Interaction of Colour Buy us a coffee  Submit a question at bit.ly/artjuicepodcast 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 

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