The Create! Podcast

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.

In this episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat sits down with artist, author, and board-certified art therapist Leah Guzman to explore how creativity can serve as a sanctuary for healing, emotional expression, and personal evolution.

Together, they unpack the pressure artists put on themselves, navigating creative burnout, taking intentional breaks from exhibiting, and why the physical act of making art is proven to lower stress and regulate the nervous system. Leah shares practical, low-friction habits to help you reconnect with your art practice without judgment or attachment to the final result.

In this episode, we chat about:

How art functions as emotional expression and healing during major life transitions.

The neuroscience behind art therapy and lowering cortisol levels.

Letting go of high-pressure exhibition timelines and career perfectionism.

Simple studio hacks to eliminate friction and build a daily creative habit.

Leah's upcoming Creative Soul Retreat and using body mapping, animal guides, and focus wheels to clear mental fog.

Connect with Leah Guzman & Resources:

Join Leah's 3-Day Creative Soul Retreat ($7)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.therapy.online

https://www.leahguzmanstudio.com/creative-soul-society-membership
Stay Connected with Create! Magazine:

Subscribe to the Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com

Official Website: https://www.createmagazine.com