The Create! Podcast

In this episode, Kat addresses the familiar "January tension"—the conflict between feeling ambitious about new goals while simultaneously exhausted from the past year. She explores what "sustainability" actually means for artists, moving beyond the buzzword to examine what emotionally and financially supports a creative career.
Kat shares insights from Vadim Zeland's book Reality Transurfing, discussing the concept of "pendulums"—energy structures built on collective beliefs (like the pressure to post daily on social media) that feed off our energy. She explains why feeding these pendulums is a losing game and how true magic happens when you prioritize joy and flow over algorithms.
Finally, Kat breaks down the difference between the "glamour" of the art world (museum shows, viral posts) and the reality of what actually pays the bills, encouraging listeners to conduct a "Sustainable Studio Audit" to track income, time, and energy costs.
Key Takeaways:
The January Tension: Navigating the split between wanting to force your career forward and acknowledging deep exhaustion
Understanding Pendulums: How collective beliefs (like "real artists suffer" or "you must hustle 24/7") become energy vampires that distract us from our true desires
Reality Transurfing: Insights from Vadim Zeland's book on how energy flows naturally when you do what you truly want, rather than what you think you should do
Glamour vs. Reality: Why the things that look successful (fancy gallery representation, viral reels) are often not the things that pay the bills (print sales, teaching, direct sales)
Imposter Syndrome: Overcoming the feeling that you aren't "legitimate" if your business is scrappy or doesn't fit the traditional art world model
The Sustainable Studio Audit: A practical exercise to list your income sources, estimate time invested, and rate energy cost (low, medium, high) to eliminate what drains you
Resources Mentioned:
Reality Transurfing by Vadim Zeland
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Grapevine.
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Connect with Create! Magazine:
Website & Magazine: createmagazine.co
Education & Resources: createu.co
Newsletter: createmagazine.substack.com 
Instagram: @createmagazine

Welcome back to a brand new season! In this solo episode, Kat reflects on nearly a decade of navigating a full-time art career and the subtle traps that can stall creative growth.
If you have ever felt busy but unfulfilled, or found yourself saying "yes" to every group show and opportunity out of a fear of missing out, this episode is for you. Kat discusses the concept that "good is the enemy of great" and how filling our schedules with "good" opportunities often prevents us from doing the deep, legacy-building work our souls actually crave.
In this episode, we cover:
The "Short-Term Giggle": Why we chase immediate dopamine hits (like small group shows) instead of waiting for the "full meal" of a cohesive body of work.

Deep Work vs. Shallow Validation: Moving away from the pressure to look successful on Instagram and toward creating work that truly matters.

The Fear of the Empty Calendar: Overcoming the survival-brain instinct that tells us we are failing if we aren't constantly busy.

Career Reflection: Kat shares her personal decision to scale back on scattered commitments to focus on producing a body of work she is truly proud of.

 
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
We have officially opened the doors to our membership, The Create! Collective! This is our career membership for artists who want to grow together.
What's Inside: Twice-monthly Zoom calls, guest speakers, and support circles.

New Opportunity: Active members are invited to participate in our exclusive Artsy exhibition coming up this March.

Bonus: Join for the year and receive a special sweatshirt bonus gift.

 
Join The Create! Collective here: https://www.createmagazine.co/collective
 
CONNECT WITH KAT
Email: [email protected] Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend or leaving a review. Cheers to pursuing greatness together!

In this magical start to the new year, host Kat sits down with her dear friend—psychic medium, curator, and author Sarah Potter. As we step into 2026, Sarah shares wisdom from her life-changing new book, Sober Magic: Using the Tarot and Ritual in Your Journey Away from Drinking.
Together, they explore the deep intersection of art and spirituality, discussing how to navigate the "party culture" of the art world while honoring your boundaries. Sarah opens up about her transition from full-time art curator to professional witch, the power of "Glamour Magic" to armor yourself for difficult social situations, and why asking for help is a brave creative act.
Plus, we dive into a Tarot forecast for 2026! Sarah reveals why this is a "Magician Year," filled with manifestation power, and how you can harness this energy to create the life (and art) you desire. Whether you are sober, sober-curious, or simply seeking a spiritual reset, this episode is a nourishing guide for your soul.
 
Key Takeaways:
Sober Magic: How to replace the "ritual" of drinking with nourishing spiritual practices like Tarot and altar work.

The Art World & Alcohol: Navigating gallery openings and networking events without the crutch of a drink.

Glamour Magic: Using fashion and intentional adornment (like heirlooms or specific colors) as spiritual armor.

The 2026 Forecast: Why 2026 is the "Year of the Magician" and what that means for your creative potential.

Embracing Discomfort: Why sitting with uncomfortable feelings is actually a superpower for artists.

 
About the Guest: Sarah Potter is a psychic medium, Tarot reader, and professional witch based in New York City. A former art curator, she now uses her intuitive gifts to help clients craft their dream lives through color magic, ritual, and Tarot. She is the author of Sober Magic and the creator of the Cosmo Tarot deck for Cosmopolitan. Her work has been featured in Refinery29, InStyle, and Teen Vogue.
 
Connect with Sarah:
Book: Sober Magic

Instagram: @iamsarahpotter

Website: iamsarahpotter.com

Substack: iamsarahpotter.substack.com

 
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Witch Wave Podcast with Pam Grossman

Create! Magazine's Winter Solstice Issue (Curated by Sarah Potter)

 
Supported by Create! Magazine:
Join the Community: createmagazine.co/collective

Submit Your Work (Women's Issue): createmagazine.co/call-for-art

Subscribe to our Substack: createmagazine.substack.com

In this special bonus episode of the Create! Podcast, Kat (Ekaterina Popova) sits down with artist and curator Victoria Fry, founder of The New Visionary Art Collective, for a grounded and nourishing conversation about creativity, intuition, and building a sustainable creative practice and career.
Together, they explore the importance of making art for pleasure separate from career expectations, balancing multiple creative roles, and staying connected to intuition and inner joy. Kat also shares insights from her 100-Day Painting Challenge and reflects on how daily practice can transform both studio work and mindset.
This episode is an invitation to slow down, reconnect with why you make art, and create from a place of trust rather than pressure.
Topics Covered: • Making art for pleasure, not performance • Balancing creative business with studio practice • Letting go of perfectionism and expectations • Daily practice as devotion and self-trust • The role of intuition and the inner child in artmaking • Creating sustainable momentum as an artist
Links & Resources: Create! Magazine https://createmagazine.co
Paint With Kat https://paintwithkat.com
100-Day Painting Challenge https://www.paintwithkat.com/challenge
Visionary Art Collective https://www.visionaryartcollective.com
Connect with the Podcast: Subscribe to the Create! Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen. Leave a review to support the show and help more artists discover these conversations.
About the Host: Ekaterina Popova is an artist, educator, and founder of Create! Magazine, an international platform supporting contemporary artists through publishing, education, and community.

In this solo episode of the Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova explores why maintaining a personal art practice is essential not only for artistic growth, but for mental and nervous system regulation, resilience, and overall well-being. Whether you are a professional artist navigating deadlines or a creative seeking to reconnect with your practice, this episode breaks down the neuroscience behind why our brains need art. Kat shares research-backed insights, practical studio strategies, and mindset shifts to help you build a sustainable creative routine, even with a busy life. This episode is both grounding and actionable, offering permission to create imperfectly and consistently, without pressure or performance.
 
Join the 100 Day Painting Challenge: https://www.paintwithkat.com/challenge
 
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why art-making is a powerful tool for nervous system regulation.

How creative flow quiets the inner critic and reduces anxiety.

Why habit and process matter more than finished results.

Simple ways to lower friction in your studio and make starting easier.

How to separate the creator from the editor to protect your daily practice.

 
Key Takeaways:
The Science of Art Research from Drexel University found that just 45 minutes of art-making led to a significant drop in cortisol levels for 75 percent of participants, regardless of skill or experience.

Silencing the Inner Critic Entering a creative flow state—a concept popularized by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—quiets the Default Mode Network (DMN), the part of the brain linked to rumination and self-judgment.

The "Bad Art" Rule Strong bodies of work are built by allowing yourself to make "bad art" and prioritizing consistency over perfection. The focus should be on habit formation rather than a final product.

Mise en Place for the Studio Borrowing from the culinary world, preparing your materials and workspace in advance (even if just a simple setup) reduces friction and makes it easier to begin your next session.

Creator vs. Editor When you are in the studio, you are the creator; judgment and editing come later. Separating these roles prevents the pressure to produce "portfolio-ready" work from paralyzing your practice.

 
Memorable Quotes:
"When I say come home to your art, I mean physically altering your brain chemistry to reduce stress, silence your inner critic."

"The nervous system does not give a crap... it cares about the process, it cares about the meditative act of art making."

"The key isn't necessarily finding more time is protecting the time that you have and prioritizing your own work over everyone else's."

"At its core, [art] is a survival mechanism for sensitive people. It's the way we process life."

"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." — Andy Warhol (referenced in episode)

 
Mentioned in This Episode:
Your Brain on Art (Book)

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Drexel University Cortisol Study

 
Connect & Resources:
Join the 100 Day Painting Challenge: https://www.paintwithkat.com/challenge

Website: https://www.createmagazine.co

Substack: https://createmagazine.substack.com