The Create! Podcast

If you have been feeling hopeless or down about your art career, you are not alone. This episode comes straight from the heart, and it is an invitation to rekindle even the tiniest spark of hope that incredible things are ahead, no matter where you are right now.
As I reflect on 10 years of Create! Magazine and 10 years of working for myself, I keep coming back to basics. Expecting support before I know how it will arrive. Noticing the opportunities I do have, even when things are not perfect. And paying attention to the whole picture, because just like in nature, something is always growing even when other things look like they are dying.
I share my own recent season of negativity, the moment a friend lovingly told me I give up too quickly, and the small, unglamorous example of a HYROX race that reminded me how cause and effect really works. When you show up, even imperfectly, even for 10 minutes, results follow.
This one includes a little tough love. If you are ready to come out of a fearful cycle and start showing up for yourself again, I hope it helps.
In this episode
Why our brains have a negative bias, and how the news and art market reports feed it
Delete, generalize, distort: why "no one is buying art" is never the whole truth
The law of cause and effect and taking responsibility for your success
What a HYROX race taught me about showing up when it is not your top priority
The friend who told me to stop giving up so quickly
What follow-through looks like in a real art practice: the sketchbook, the newsletter, the pitch, the reel
How catastrophizing keeps you from ever giving your work a fair chance
Why micro habits beat marathons
Allowing opportunities to find you, even in a slower economy
Stopping three feet from gold, and honoring the months left in 2026
Why art is abundance: wellness, connection, self-trust, and income
Daisy Fancourt's research on art and health (check out her book, Art Cure, and her episode on the show)
Emotional regulation as the foundation of any selling strategy
An introduction to my new program, Art Is Abundance
Join Art Is Abundance
Art Is Abundance is my new six-week live program for visual artists who want more abundance in their lives, both financially and in confidence. We cover the mindset and emotional regulation that make showing up possible, plus practical strategy for monetizing your work and getting seen by the right people, whether you want to work with galleries, run an independent practice, or build a hybrid career like mine.
Six live Zoom calls, Fridays at 12pm ET, October 2 to November 6, 2026, with lifetime access to the recordings. Join this month and save $300.
Join here: https://espopova.com/art-is-abundance-course
Questions? Email me at info@createmagazine.com

How do you find the courage to step off the "practical" path and fully commit to your creative calling?
In this episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat talks with painter and coach Lacie Martinez about coming back to her creative voice. Lacie shares how her background in apparel design and kinesiology shapes her vibrant, richly textured figurative paintings.
We talk about the vulnerability behind her debut exhibition, which celebrated the unfiltered, deeply connective realities of motherhood, and how she turned personal loss into a calling to hold space for other women. Lacie opens up about taking the leap into full-time art and how she now helps others move past limiting beliefs and live in full alignment.
Key Topics Discussed:
Reclaiming her identity as a painter after years on a "practical" career path
Finding her way back to the canvas and working through the fear of not being "good enough"
The story behind her debut exhibition and the connective threads of motherhood
Turning grief into purpose by hosting retreats and creating safe, uplifting spaces for women
Navigating the transition into full-time art and helping others build their dream lives through coaching
Programs & Community
Art Is Abundance Live Coaching Program

If you love what you make and you're ready for your work to support your life, this six-week live program is for you. Together we'll work through money mindset, preparing your work for sale, selling your originals, getting seen by the right people, and building multiple income streams, then turn it all into a clear action plan. Founding pricing is open through September 30.
Join us this October: https://espopova.com/art-is-abundance-course
Create! Substack
Subscribe for more interviews, artist stories, and reflections:
https://createmagazine.substack.com/
Connect with Lacie Martinez
Website: https://www.laciemartinez.com/
Camp Conqueror Summer 2027 Retreat: https://www.laciemartinez.com/campconquerorawomensretreat
Conquer & Crush 3 Month Challenge: https://www.laciemartinez.com/conquer-crush-3-month-challenge
Substack: https://substack.com/@laciemartinez
She Who Conquers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-who-conquers/id1805457551
Art Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laciemartinez.art
Main Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_laciemartinez_
Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacie_shewhoconquers/

A lot of us went to art school and never actually learned how to paint. We were told to go make something and figure it out, which is great, but it often leaves us limited by our ability to bring our ideas to life. If that's you, you're not alone, and this episode is a permission slip to learn something new if you feel stuck.
My guest today is Alonsa Guevara, a Chilean American artist whose work has been exhibited internationally and featured in Forbes, Time Out New York, and VICE. I had the privilege of working with Alonsa and learning more organized ways to mix paint, organize color temperature, and more.
On this episode, we talk about her evolution from conceptual work to more realism in her paintings, and she also announces her new course, Alive Nature, here for the first time. Focusing on florals, botanicals, and fruit, it spans seven modules and is built so a complete beginner can follow along.
The waitlist gets first access and a discount. Doors open September 16 and close September 20. Links to join are below, and yes, I'm on that waitlist myself!
Come find us on the Create! Magazine Substack too. That's where I share essays on galleries, pricing, and building a creative career you love. createmagazine.substack.com
🔗 Links & Mentions
Join the Alive Nature Course Waitlist: waitlistcourse.com/alonsaguevara
Follow Alonsa Guevara: @alonsaguevara on Instagram
Visit Alonsa's Website: https://www.alonsaguevara.com
💡 Episode Highlights
The Reality of Art School: Why many traditional and contemporary programs focus heavily on conceptual thinking rather than the technical craft of painting.
The Power of Observation: How practicing through careful study and copying helps build an internal visual library for future original work.
Decoding Color Temperature: Understanding how subtle shifts in temperature can make a painting feel alive rather than flat.
Intuition as Knowledge: Redefining intuition not as random luck, but as accumulated technical knowledge and experience.
Inside Alive Nature: A breakdown of Alonsa's brand new online course designed for all skill levels, with step by step guidance on botanical and fruit painting.

How do you translate the memory of a landscape into a rich, tactile painting? And how do you sustain a meaningful studio practice when life and work get demanding?
In this episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat sits down with Lansing, Michigan-based visual artist and educator Laurén Gerig. Laurén shares her thoughts on place attachment, building expressive paint surfaces, and using poetry to set the stage for intuitive studio sessions. We also dive into the realities of balancing a demanding day job in academia with an active exhibition schedule, and how small micro-moments in the studio can help you overcome creative fatigue and keep momentum alive.
In this episode, we talk about:
Capturing the psychological bonds we create with landscapes and nature
The tactile joy of thick mark-making, paint accumulation, and surface texture
Using poetry as a studio ritual to transition into making work
Navigating life as both a practicing artist and a university gallery director
Making room for low-pressure, small-scale work like 20-minute charcoal drawings
How running and stepping away from the easel can serve as the ultimate creative reset
Connect with Laurén Gerig:
Website: www.laurengerigart.com
Instagram: @laurengerigart
Stay connected with Create! Magazine:
Subscribe to the Create! Substack for more artist stories and reflections: www.createmagazine.substack.com
Submit your work for an upcoming issue of Create! Magazine: www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art

Imagine pouring your heart into a massive sculpture, only to watch it crash to the floor. What if that disaster was exactly what your practice needed?
In this episode of The Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova talks with multimedia visual artist, curator, and educator Rebecca Casement. Based in Michigan, Rebecca creates affective, abstract sculptures and installations using ceramics, mixed media, sound, and textiles. This conversation explores her practice of pushing materials to their breaking point and why building instability into artwork mirrors life's unpredictability.
Episode Highlights:
The Beauty of Instability — why Rebecca intentionally builds heavy, precarious clay sculpture with a high likelihood of breaking in the kiln
A Shift in Perspective — the story of a shattered personal sculpture that changed her entire artistic mindset
Art as a Lifestyle — how to ditch the burned-out artist trope, protect your physical energy, and bring joy back into a daily studio practice
Carried Together — inside her new collaborative project featuring 14 women artists exploring community and care
About Rebecca Casement: Rebecca Casement is a multimedia visual artist, curator, and educator who creates affective abstract sculptures and installations. Raised in rural Michigan, she developed a habit of creative experimentation with materials that carries into her studio practice today. Focused on material language and history, her work is both emotive and honest. Rebecca holds an MFA in Studio Art and a Certification in College Teaching from Michigan State University.
Connect with Rebecca: https://www.rebeccacasement.com/
Community & Opportunities: Join our Substack for fresh articles, longer-form insights, and community conversation. Submit your work to our current open call, The Artist's World, juried by Marina Press Granger, at createmagazine.com/call-for-art.