The Create! Podcast

In this episode, I'm (host Ekaterina Popova) joined by Bonnie Christine, fabric designer, artist, and founder of a multi-seven-figure surface pattern design education business. We talk about what it actually takes to turn a creative gift into real income, how to get started in pattern design even with zero experience, why she believes we have a responsibility to pass on what we know to others, and how she's built her life around her passion rather than the other way around. Bonnie shares the full story, starting in her mom's quilt shop, teaching herself Adobe Illustrator with no design background, and working up the courage to cold call art directors until a company offered her a contract.
In this episode:
Turning a creative gift into real, sustainable income
How to get started in surface pattern design, even with no prior experience
Why passing on what you know is part of the creative journey, not separate from it
Designing a life around your passion instead of the other way around
Why she believes it only takes 10 seconds of courage to change everything
Her "one thing a day" philosophy and the power of daily consistency
What she's building now with Pattern+, Pattern Magazine, and Flowerie
 
Connect with Bonnie Christine:
Website: https://www.bonniechristine.com
Podcast: The Professional Creative
Stay connected with Create!:
Join our Substack for weekly stories, resources, and behind the scenes updates: https://createmagazine.substack.com
Visit https://www.createmagazine.co for artist opportunities, open calls, and more

What does it mean to feel seen? Five years ago, the Tracy Piper asked that question and turned it into SEEN, an ongoing portrait and storytelling project rooted in community and connection.
In this episode, we talk about how the project began, how she has used her practice to serve the people around her, and what it takes to keep a personal project like this going year after year. Now in its fifth year, SEEN includes over 250 participants and five published volumes, with a new book and exhibition launching this July at Art Tower in Portland.
In this episode:
How motherhood led Tracy to start asking people what it means to feel seen
The ritual behind SEEN, from open call to painting to exhibition
Why the project is free to participate in
What she's learned from five years and 250 stories
Her new show and book launch in Portland this July
Advice for artists building a sustainable creative practice
Connect with the Tracy Piper:

Website: www.thetracypiper.com
Instagram: @thetracypiper
 
Call For Art
We're currently accepting submissions for Issue No. 59, guest curated by Indira Cesarine of The Untitled Space, deadline July 31st. We're also celebrating our 10th anniversary with an art prize, deadline also July 31st. Learn more at www.createmagazine.co.
We share regularly on Substack at Create! Magazine, www.createmagazine.substack.com

Getting a gallery to say yes can feel like the end goal, but it's really where the real work begins. In this episode, Kat breaks down what makes a gallery partnership actually work for both parties, from the signs a gallery is genuinely invested in your career to the economics artists rarely get straight answers on. She also shares the questions worth asking before you sign anything, and how to evaluate a partnership you're already in.
In this episode:
The signs a gallery partner is genuinely looking out for your best interest
What to watch for early in a gallery relationship
How commission splits, payment terms, and exclusivity actually work
The questions worth asking before you sign
How to evaluate a gallery relationship you're already in
Mentioned in this episode: Follow Create! Magazine on Substack: createmagazine.substack.com Submit to the Create! Magazine 10th Anniversary Art Prize: www.createmagazine.co/prize
This episode is sponsored by Hecho Lovely. Monica Mejia Davenport is a private painter, and Hecho Lovely is where that art becomes something you wear. Every piece is handcrafted from carefully chosen materials, carrying the same intention as her studio work. Discover the collection at www.hecholovely.com and follow the studio on Instagram at @hecholovely.
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In this solo episode, Kat gets honest about a lesson she's still relearning 15 years in: protecting her own art practice. An inspiring gallery visit and a painful past experience resurfacing reminded her of what matters, how to protect it, and understand the value of our art and personal relationship to it.
What You'll Hear
The artist's date that reminded Kat to get back to the pure joy of art
Her past solo show cancellation, and what resurfacing it taught her
Why not every gallery experience is a bad one, and how to find the right partners
How her first sloppy 100-day challenge changed her relationship to painting
Chasing validation vs. finding satisfaction in showing up
 
Join the Challenge
Kat's Spend More Time With Your Art Challenge starts July 15, 2026. It's a 21-day commitment to showing up for your own practice, open to any medium. It is not a painting course (though three of Kat's own painting examples are included), it's about reclaiming your relationship with your art, one small commitment at a time.
Join Spend More Time With Your Art →
Loved this episode? Send Kat a DM on Instagram or email info@createmagazine.com, she'd love to hear from you.

If you have ever felt like you are running a marketing agency instead of an art practice, you are not alone. In this episode, I sit down with Alex Mitow and Sharone Halevy, the dynamic duo behind Superfair, now in their 11th year as one of the most artist-forward art fairs in the country. We talk about what they are witnessing in real time across the artist community, why burnout is at an all-time high, and what actually works when you strip away the noise.
We cover:
Why social media has aged and what that means for your practice
The concept of force multipliers and how to find yours
What artists are doing that is getting in their own way
Why in-person connection is the ultimate leverage point
How to come back to life creatively when you are running on empty
What it actually looks like to exhibit at an artist-forward art fair
LINKS AND RESOURCES
Book a free 15-minute discovery call with the Superfair team (mention Create! Magazine for exclusive listener discounts):
https://calendly.com/d/cqt2-fkf-54v/15-minute-discovery-meeting
Learn more about Superfair:
https://www.thesuperfair.com
Celebrate ten years of Create! Magazine with our first ever Annual Art Prize, open now through July 31:
https://www.createmagazine.co/prize
Submit to our current open calls and stay up to date on everything Create!:
https://www.createmagazine.co
Join us on Substack. Articles are free for your first seven days, and your support keeps us sharing artists, career tips, and resources with the community:
https://createmagazine.substack.com
CONNECT WITH SUPERFAIR
Website: https://www.thesuperfair.com