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Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you’re working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist.
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Now displaying: July, 2021

Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you’re working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist. https://ArtBizSuccess.com/podcasts/

Jul 29, 2021
Failure. We all fear it, especially in our art businesses.

But failure is necessary for growth. If you are succeeding at everything, there is no way you're learning and growing.

My guest today is ambitious and knows what she wants, and she is not afraid to fail.

In our interview, you'll hear about Laura Petrovich-Cheney’s philosophy that failure is the result of not listening to your instinct and not doing your best. Laura talks about a few failures she has learned from, why it's helpful to have a little bit of time and space between examining failures, and the shame that gets in the way of sharing failures with other artists. We also discuss the inevitable comparisons with other artists that arise when you fail and see only their successes.

Highlights

  • Laura Petrovich-Cheney shares the artist journey that led her to embrace failure. (1:40)

  • Defining failure as a lack of listening to your intuition and not trying your best. (4:30)

  • The difference between failures and mistakes. (6:14)

  • The most productive timeline for examining your failures so you can learn from them. (11:45)

  • Success comes from learning to do something better. (15:05)

  • Compare rejection and failure — which one comes from within? (16:49)

  • At what point should you define an experience as a failure? (19:47)

  • Throw yourself a pity party, then let go and move on. (22:23)

  • Should you share your failures with other artists? (25:42)

  • Trying again, and again, and again, and knowing what to do better next time. (29:17)

  • Laura shares the lessons she has learned from failing so successfully. (32:43)

  • The benefit of asking others for help. (37:58)

  • What is currently holding Laura’s attention in her studio? (39:05)

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • "Failure is primarily a lack of listening to your intuition.” — Laura Petrovich-Cheney

  • “If you really tried your best and you were only capable of a mediocre performance, that’s still your best.” — Laura Petrovich-Cheney

  • “Failing to learn from an experience is another failure.” — Alyson Stanfield

  • “In the failure, you learn how to do something better. And that sometimes is a bigger success.” — Laura Petrovich-Cheney

  • “Listening to your intuition and honoring who you are is so important to being successful.” — Laura Petrovich-Cheney



About My Guest

Laura Petrovich-Cheney’s work is a profound assessment of contemporary issues merging with traditional folk art practices, quilting, woodworking and her repurposed materials with environmental issues of climate change. In all of the artist’s recent sculpture, a dialogue exists between environmental and individual concerns. Much of Laura’s work is feminist in nature, incorporating traditional women’s arts such as needlework and quilting, which are then transformed through found materials. Laura’s work has been published in several national and international publications including television, books, magazines, podcasts and NPR.

Laura was born in Philadelphia and raised in Haddonfield, New Jersey. For twenty years, she has lived in Asbury Park, New Jersey. She earned her BA in Fine Arts and English Literature at Dickinson College. Laura also has an MS degree in Fashion Design from Drexel University and an MFA in Studio Arts from Moore College of Art and Design.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/failure-cheney-podcast

Build your well-greased art biz machine: https://artbizsystem.com

Music by https://wildermiss.com

Jul 22, 2021
There is no such thing as the artist's path. Look at the careers of 50 artists side-by-side and you'll see 50 different paths. And probably none of them happened exactly as planned.

In this episode I talk with Leah Smithson about her path, which kicked into gear after her father suffered a massive stroke and she began researching how creativity works in the brain. Leah's interest in learning has led to her untraditional portrait paintings, line of jewelry, public art, and murals. You'll also hear about how she embraces technology and has been teaching herself augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR).

Leah and I discuss how she decides which risks to take on and which projects to get involved with, how she schedules her week, and how her well-meaning husband cajoled her into co-hosting a podcast with him. Leah has taken many risks in her art career, and I love her point of view — you'll never know until you try. You can decide to take a risk because even if it doesn't turn out as you'd hope — even if it's a disaster — you'll be glad you did it anyway, it's something that fits with your goals.

If you’ve ever considered which step to take next or which opportunities are right for your art business, you need to listen to this advice from an artist who has failed and continues to experience success.

Highlights

  • Leah Smithson shares her art and the family experience that led her to focus more on her own creativity. (1:19)

  • Unpacking the effects of art and creativity on the brain. (5:05)

  • The evolution of Leah’s art in the face of emotion and self-expression. (6:46)

  • Income streams and impact that Covid-19 had on Leah’s work. (10:55)

  • Taking calculated risks in art and tuning in to what you want for your art business. (14:52)

  • Learning from Leah’s failures. (17:10)

  • How to identify the right opportunities for your art business. (22:08)

  • The role of research in Leah’s art. (27:55)

  • Creating digital art experiences with AR and VR. (31:43)

  • Leah’s typical work week balances studio work, social media, podcasting and community projects. (36:37)

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • "The faster you get it out there, the quicker you can make progress." — Leah Smithson

  • “I try to balance an educated decision with being tuned in to what I really want to do, so even if it doesn’t go well at least it was because it was something I wanted to do.” — Leah Smithson

  • “Even when I fail I can still be happy with the decision I made.” — Leah Smithson

  • “I’ve learned that the next time I take a risk, it needs to be something that I really want to do. And even if it’s a disaster, I’m happy I did it anyway.” — Leah Smithson

About My Guest

Having moved around as a kid, Leah Smithson's style comes from a patchwork of influences from classical painting to cyberpunk. Through her murals, painting, NFT CryptoArt, and sculpture she often uses nature and portraiture to express the complexities of being human. She’s not afraid to take up new technology.

 

Leah was born in Tennessee. She has lived in Atlanta, the Bay Area of Northern California, and now calls L.A. home. She co-hosts the Vessel: Art as a Doorway podcast with her husband.

Jul 15, 2021
Many artists take risks in their businesses and in their art without even thinking about it. They are hard-wired to experiment and stretch the boundaries of what is possible.

Artists are innate problem solvers.

My guest for this episode is one of those artists. The list of what Michael Gadlin has done (legally) to earn a living as a working artist for more than 20 years is impressive. He sells originals, consults, teaches, designs, builds websites, and even hosted a show on public television. He has also sat on boards and committees in his local Denver art community.

Michael was gifted with what seems to be an endless supply of energy. I came at him with one topic and his mind connects it to numerous other experiences. The result is a wide-ranging interview. Michael waxes philosophically about the life of an artist, and you won’t want to miss his take on the lessons he learned from other working artists, the artist's collaboration with viewers, gallery representation, why it's important to be part of a community, and much more.

Highlights

  • Michael Gadlin reflects on his journey as an artist and the key role of mentors along the way. (1:32)

  • The lessons Michael learned from reaching his first major studio goal. (6:28)

  • The payoff that comes with showing interest in every opportunity that crosses your path. (9:34)

  • Michael describes his approach to both figurative and non-representational art. (12:23)

  • Experimenting, problem solving creatively, and collaborating with the art community. (18:55)

  • You cannot be a one-person band and succeed in your art business. (27:00)

  • Figuring out who you are as an artist (beyond the art that you make). (29:20)

  • What does it mean to be an integral part of the art community? (31:24)

  • Positioning yourself in the places that will allow you to shape the decisions that are being made in your community. (37:28)

  • When can you truly consider yourself an artist? (43:18)

  • Creating a legacy with your art and with your life. (46:01)

  • Constant hustling — Micheal shares his multiple income streams. (47:36)

  • Staying organized and getting things done starts with finding the right tools. (52:13)

Mentioned

Resources

About My Guest

Michael Gadlin began his art education at the Art Students League of Denver, followed by Metropolitan State University, Denver, and New York’s prestigious Pratt Institute of Art & Design in Brooklyn. He was awarded a residency at La Napoule Art Foundation in France. Gadlin sits on the board of directors at both Denver’s MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and PlatteForum, an artist’s residency in the city. He has won numerous awards throughout his career as an artist, including the youngest artist ever to win Best of Show at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Gadlin’s work now hangs in the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art’s permanent collection among other city and government collections.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/problem-solver-gadlin-podcast

Let’s do this together: https://artbizsuccess.com/community

Music by https://wildermiss.com

Jul 8, 2021
Are you afraid to take risks in your art business? Do you spend your time playing it safe and sticking with what is comfortable and familiar in order to avoid facing the fear of the unknown?

If so, you’re not alone. We are hard-wired for the protection that will keep us safe, but avoiding risks can also keep you small when you give up the power of decision-making. Avoiding risks can hold you back from becoming the artist you are meant to be in the world. In this solo episode, I will introduce our theme for the month — taking risks — and explore why taking risks is a critical step to growing your art business. Listen as I highlight the indicators that you are limiting yourself in your art business, the questions you need to ask yourself when facing new (and potentially risky) opportunities, and the simple steps you can take today to start moving toward the risk that just might bring the next level of success that you’ve been dreaming about.

Highlights

  • Transition from managing your mindset to taking risks in your art business. (00:07)

  • Are you allowing your built-in sensor to impede your growth? (1:24)

  • Challenge yourself to grow by getting a little more uncomfortable. (3:58)

  • Growth demands risks, especially in your art business. (6:12)

  • Simple first steps that will knock you out of your comfort zone. (7:48)

  • Questions to ask yourself when facing a tough risk-taking decision. (10:22)

  • Upcoming podcast episodes that will inspire you to take meaningful risks. (11:56)

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • “You’re not likely to take risks without the proper mindset.” — Alyson Stanfield

  • “I challenge you to get a little uncomfortable with your art, with your marketing and in your life.” — Alyson Stanfield

  • “Growth demands risks. Don’t even think about moving up a level without being prepared to face the little risks.” — Alyson Stanfield

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