The Create! Podcast

Season Finale and a Gentle Pause
Winter doesn't have to be a complete pause button. It can be the season where your next chapter takes root in a warm, cozy cocoon filled with hope, trust, and a slower pace.
We're honoring 10 years of Create! Magazine, and I'm stepping back from the podcast for the rest of 2026 to rest, paint, write, and spend time with my family. The magazine and the podcast are not going anywhere. In this episode, I share how I audit my creative business to decide what to keep, what to simplify, and what to let go of, so there's room for what's next.
If you're a few years (or a decade) into your creative career and craving space, consider this your permission slip.
In this episode
Celebrating 10 years of Create! Magazine and meeting our writers in person in Philadelphia
Why slowing down is how I plan to keep showing up for the next 20, 30, 40 years
Letting go like the leaves: making room for fresh growth
Choosing what your garden is for, because there's only so much energy in a day
Why I'm moving more of my thinking to Substack
Why handmade work is becoming more valuable in the age of AI
The audit questions I use: What do I want to be known for?
If I had $10 million today, would I still want to do this?
How much time am I really spending on each activity?

Why breaks aren't forever, even when stepping away feels scary
Making time for thinking: walks, notebooks and unplugging
Try this week: Pick one project to pause, simplify or let go of. Ask yourself the three audit questions above and notice which answer comes fastest.
Read more from us on Substack
Create! Magazine: https://createmagazine.substack.com
Ekaterina Popova (my art and my writing): https://ekaterinapopova.substack.com
I'll be writing there over the holidays!
Keep in touch
Create! Magazine: https://createmagazine.com
Instagram: @katerinaspopova
Thank you for being in my world. I'll see you in the new year!

Toy or tool? How artists can use Instagram to build real community, meet collectors and find opportunities, without the hacks.
Alex Mitow, founder of Superfair, is back on The Create! Podcast, and this time we're talking about the app we all claim to be tired of and still open every day: Instagram. Alex has been on it since 2012 (his handle still carries the ghost of a Lower East Side hot dog restaurant), and I've been on it since 2014, back when it was photos with filters. Between us, it has brought collectors, galleries, jury opportunities and most of the friendships that built our careers.
So is it a toy or a tool? Alex says both, and that you get out of it what you put in. We share how to use Instagram as a front porch to your world, why your 2,000 real followers can matter more than someone else's 70,000, and the simple things that build trust faster than any trend.
In this episode
Toy or tool: reframing the frustration and remembering what Instagram has actually given us
Why the platform is favoring authenticity again, and why that's good news if you've never "gotten" the tricks
"For what purpose?" The one question to ask before you chase views
Followers versus prestige: the artist with 2,000 followers and a museum show
Alex's in-person funnel: trade Instagrams at fairs, openings and coffee shops, and let your community snowball
What to share beyond your art: what genuinely fascinates you, what you're proud of, advice you've lived, and opportunities for your peers
Mixing personal and professional on one account, and why nobody has ever cancelled an art sale over a mindset post
Instagram as the front door, or front porch, to your newsletter, studio, book, course and booth
Best practices: fill the frame, use the back camera, pick one orientation and stick with it, keep text simple, and never post a flyer
What's next for Superfair: Houston in February, Boston in September 2027, and Philadelphia, where I'll be showing with Alicia
Alex's list of what to share
Your art, your process, your inspiration
The things that genuinely fascinate you, even if they don't fit the grid (stories are perfect for this)
Achievements, big and small, including the study you're proud of
Real advice from your own experience: how you set up your booth, how you found your gallery, how you got published
Opportunities for your community, shared as you come across them
 
Links
Superfair: https://www.thesuperfair.com
Interested in a Superfair booth? Book a 15-minute discovery call with the Superfair team and mention Create! Magazine to save on your booth: https://calendly.com/d/cqt2-fkf-54v/15-minute-discovery-meeting
Call for art, Create! Magazine: https://www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art
The Create! Magazine Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com
Alex on Instagram: @alexmitow4real

If you've put your artist dream on the back burner and it's time to come back, this episode is for you.
Painter Jacqueline Bermudez joins Kat to share how she returned to oil painting after 17 years in the corporate world, how she protects her vision from outside opinions, and the weekly art sessions she leads with children at a Miami hospital.
In this episode:
How a childhood love of coloring and one high school painting class led Jacqueline back to oil painting in 2016
Why portraits are her way of exploring the human mind and the inner world
Her ongoing series, her own interpretation of the chakras, with animals and plants as symbols
How to protect your inner voice while a new creative direction is still fragile
What changed when she began treating her painting practice like a job
How she painted her solo show in about 35 days, and why planning made it possible
Her weekly art sessions with children going through bone marrow transplants
About Jacqueline Bermudez:
Jacqueline is a self-taught portrait painter and photographer based in Miami. Born in Orlando and raised in Caracas, she returned to oil painting in 2016. Her work has been accepted into exhibitions including Woman Made Gallery in Chicago and the Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition at Blue Line Arts, and she is a resident artist at Miami International Fine Arts. Her paintings use vibrant color, bold patterns, and animals and plants to symbolize personal growth.
See Jacqueline's work: https://www.jacquelinebermudez.com
Join me for the free Coffee House, every Wednesday at 12 pm Eastern. Bring your questions about your creative goals and get a look inside the Create! Collective membership.
Sign up: https://espopova.com/free-coffeehouse
More from Create!
Free resources for artists: https://www.createu.co/free-resources
Submit your work to our open call for art: https://www.createmagazine.co/call-for-art
Create! Magazine Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com

Running a creative business can feel like the whole world is on your shoulders. The studio time, the bills, the marketing, the social media. In this episode, Kat shares why she is softening her own "do it all yourself" message and what she is doing to receive more support.
You will hear about the people who lifted her along the way, from her high school art teacher to friends who gave her a place to stay in college. She also opens up about a big loss in her business a few years ago and what she sees differently now.
In this episode:
Why every career and business is built with a team behind it
How hyper-independence speeds up burnout, and how to invite help in
Kat's honest take on social media after two months of learning, a call with Meta, and plenty of viral challenges
Why Substack feels so calm, and how it led to a painting sale to a collector who is also an author
Simple ways to build your own community, like sharing an art fair booth, recommending another artist to your gallery, meeting for coffee, or painting together on Zoom
Why writing down your dreams and then letting them go keeps your vision clear
Trusting that an artwork will find its home at the right time
Join the Create! Coffee House
Starting October 7, Kat hosts a free weekly Zoom room every Wednesday at noon Eastern. Bring your coffee and your questions about your art career, business, practice, or mindset, and come be seen and heard. Kat will also share a quick tour of the ways she can support you.
Join here: https://espopova.com/free-coffeehouse
Create! Magazine Turns 10
Join us in Philadelphia on October 16 for our 10 year anniversary party and pop-up show.
Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/create-magazine-turns-10-pop-up-show-meet-up-tickets-2001784728008
Read Our Substack
https://createmagazine.com/substack
Share your ideas
Which topics and guests would you like to hear this fall? Email info@createmagazine.com.
If you enjoyed this episode, tag Kat in your Instagram stories. She loves seeing who is listening! @katerinaspopova or @createmagazine

Thinking about showing your work at an art fair but not sure where to start? In Part 1 of this two-part series, Kat sits down with Alex Mitow of Superfair to go back to the basics of selling your art in person.
Alex has helped more than 5,000 artists show their work across 40+ fairs. He shares how to choose your first art fair, why your hometown is often the best place to begin, and how to price your artwork so new collectors can say yes. You will also learn how Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) give artists clear, doable goals that lead to sales, like meaningful conversations and new email subscribers.
In this episode, you will learn:
How to choose your first art fair with confidence
Why a local, low-stress first show sets you up for success
What KPIs are and how artists can use them to grow sales
How to price your booth with a mix of small, medium, and large original works
Why accessible entry points help you build a loyal collector base over time
Get $250 off your Superfair booth
Superfair is expanding to Philadelphia and Boston and now offers multi-fair bundles to help you plan your year. Book a call with the Superfair team to find the right fair for your practice, and mention Create! Magazine on your survey and discovery call to receive $250 off your booth.
Book your call: https://calendly.com/d/cqt2-fkf-54v/15-minute-discovery-meeting
Keep learning on Substack
Pricing inspired one of our most popular Substack posts, and we continue the conversation there. Subscribe to join our creative community and get more resources for your art career: https://createmagazine.substack.com
Coming up in Part 2: Alex returns to talk about curating your booth, starting meaningful conversations with buyers, and more insider tips for art fair success.