Extraordinary Creatives

If you’ve been listening to this festive-season mini-series, you’ll know that in Episode 1 Ceri laid the foundations. The why. The what. The who. The purpose of staging your own event. And in Episode 2 we stepped into the how. The planning. The invitations. The rehearsal. The feedback. The choreography of the night itself. Today, we’re entering the part artists often ignore. The after. Because what happens after your event is often far more important than the event itself. The room empties. The fairy lights cool. The paint smell settles. The cushions slump. The adrenaline fades. And there you are, standing in your studio, wondering what it all meant. Did it work? Did it matter? Was it worth it? What comes next? This is the moment artists often mis-handle. They either spring into frantic action or retreat into silence. But the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Slow, steady, intentional follow up. Gentle momentum. Small moves done consistently. -- Most artists are guessing their way through and staying stuck far longer than they need to. Inside Ceri Hand´s Coaching Membership, you get straight answers and real support through live sessions, portfolio reviews, virtual studio visits, monthly art world experts, and community to help you cut through fast. Ceri covers everything. Right now, you can join or gift a full year for £99 - our only discount of the year, available until the first of January. Please join here - http://cerihand.com/membership/ KEY TAKEAWAYS The after is where 90% of the opportunity sits. The event is only the beginning. The reflection and follow up is the bridge to your future. Hosting your own event is not about grandeur, it's not about numbers. Is not about applause. It's about agency, clarity, community, practice, becoming the artist who leads rather than waits. Plan with intention. Invite with care, host with presence. Follow up with warmth, reflect with honesty, and build with steadiness, and in time, your work will move outward into the world with a stronger pulse. Use your event as a catalyst not a climax. BEST MOMENTS “The first hour after everyone leaves is emotional. Everything feels tender. Your self-worth is loud, your exhaustion is louder.” “She tracks which price points people reached for, she jots down which pieces felt alive in the space and which pieces she'd not show next time.” “This is the moment that artists begin to think like both makers and professionals, where they have agency, where they take control of their own creative careers.” HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected] **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Welcome to the second part in Ceri¨s three part miniseries on planning an artist led event. This one's called planning the how turning intention into a structured, soulful artist led event. If you listened to Episode 1, you will remember that everything begins with clarity. The why. The what. Who it is for. What you want to learn. What you want to feel. That foundation changes everything. Without it, an artist-led event becomes a swirl of worry and last-minute decisions. With it, the whole thing becomes a living part of your practice. Today, we are stepping into the how. How to plan. How to prepare. How to build momentum. How to invite people. How to rehearse the event. How to gather feedback. How to set yourself up for sales if that is part of your goal. How to hold the energy of the night. We will continue following our two artists, Maya and Eli, because between them they cover so many of the scenarios that artists face. Performance plus sculpture. Painting plus small works on paper. Feedback plus sales. Ambition plus nerves. Limited budgets. Shared studios. Bigger dreams. -- Most artists are guessing their way through and staying stuck far longer than they need to. Inside Ceri Hand´s Coaching Membership, you get straight answers and real support through live sessions, portfolio reviews, virtual studio visits, monthly art world experts, and community to help you cut through fast. Ceri covers everything. Right now, you can join or gift a full year for £99 - our only discount of the year, available until the first of January. Please join here - http://cerihand.com/membership/ KEY TAKEAWAYS You can´t roll straight from the studio into the event. Your work needs a staging environment, a context, a point of view. When planning and preparing an event you need to protect your energy. Block out time to relax as well as time for the event. These blocks create momentum. Holding a room is not about performance. It's about hospitality, and hospitality is an art in itself. BEST MOMENTS “Artists underestimate the mental load of planning. Something I teach all of my artist clients, to create a planning container.” “The order in which you invite people matters. So, step one, warm your warmest people. These are the people who are most likely to say yes.” “For Ellie, her feedback comes in the form of behaviour, which paintings people stand longest in front of which works on paper people touch which price points get interest.” PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, email us at [email protected] **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

For those of you who are new to the podcast, and for those of you who’ve been listening for a while, thank you for being here. As we reach the edge of the festive season, I wanted to offer you something special. A small gift to carry into the new year. A mini-series on hosting your own events as an artist. Not because the world is begging you to. Not because someone has given you the green light. But because your practice deserves oxygen. Visibility. Conversation. Agency. And because too many artists are waiting for someone else to make the first move. If you’ve worked with me, you’ll know I’m a firm believer in not waiting for permission. And I’ve seen too many artists twist themselves into knots wondering whether it’s worth doing something self-initiated. Whether it looks desperate. Whether it’s allowed. Whether someone else might quietly judge them. Whether it’s pointless unless it’s blessed by an institution. But in reality, artists at every stage host their own events. The big names do it with teams and budgets. The early career artists do it with hustle, charm and borrowed gear. Everyone else sits somewhere in the middle. Today’s episode is all about the foundation. The why and the what. Why host your own event. What to show. What you’re trying to learn. What you’re trying to provoke. What you’re building toward. -- Most artists are guessing their way through and staying stuck far longer than they need to. Inside Ceri Hand´s Coaching Membership, you get straight answers and real support through live sessions, portfolio reviews, virtual studio visits, monthly art world experts and community to help you cut through fast. Ceri covers everything. Right now, you can join or gift a full year for £99 - our only discount of the year, available until the first of January. Please join here - http://cerihand.com/membership/ KEY TAKEAWAYS Start planning ideally, six months out, at minimum. Why six months? - because momentum in the art world drips rather than gushes. Every decision you make when building your event must flow from a high level of clarity. Otherwise, the event becomes a blur. Too much labour, not enough purpose. Too many hopes, not enough design. When you’re clear on why you’re holding your event, you’re not just “putting on something,” you’re designing an experience that has a job to do. BEST MOMENTS “I’ve seen too many artists twist themselves into knots, wondering whether it's worth doing something self-initiated.” “The three-month window is your sweet spot. Enough time for people to make space in their diaries, but not so far in advance that they forget.” “Both events are small, both events are intentional, and both events are entirely designed around their aims.” HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network ** Book a Discovery Call To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, email us at [email protected] This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

This is the time of year when the studio hopefully gets a little quieter, inboxes slow down, and we start to take stock. For many artists, that pause comes with a mix of reflection and panic. The question that hangs in the air is: what will next year look like? How will I make it work — not just creatively, but financially? If that thought makes your stomach tighten, you’re not alone. Most artists were never taught how to plan income. We were taught to plan projects. But the truth is, when you take charge of your numbers, you take charge of your freedom. So, today I want to walk you through a simple way to design your own £40K year — not as a fantasy figure, but as a structure you can actually build towards. It’s not about making 40K exactly, if you need to earn more or less; it’s about giving yourself a clear base to make informed choices and stop relying on luck or last-minute opportunities. KEY TAKEAWAYS You can design your own £40K year by mapping your current income streams, sketching your "ideal" income wheel, and using the gap between them as your roadmap for the year ahead. Ceri shares exactly how to do this. Clarity beats hustle. When you identify and break your goals into quarterly, monthly, and even daily targets, and choose one 90-day focus with specific actions, you create momentum without burning out. When Ceri's student Jenny stopped trying to do everything and instead doubled down on two key levers—direct collector sales and small group workshops—she didn’t double her workload, she doubled her clarity, and that’s what took her from £22K to £40K in a year. BEST MOMENTS “We're working on compounding your actions over time, not going all in, then having to lie down for a month because you've exhausted yourself.” “This isn't just an exercise. It's an act of self-leadership, because the truth is, no one is coming to plan your career for you.” “£40k might sound big, but when you break it into four quarters or 10 collectors or 15 commissions, it's suddenly human sized.” For support with creating and delivering your own £40k+ year, get on the waitlist for Ceri Hand´s Artist Mastermind Circle. Join here - https://cerihand.com/artist-mastermind-circle/ HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel cand achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network ** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected] ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

It's that time of year again when we start reflecting on what we've achieved in the year and start thinking and planning for the year ahead. So, I wanted to record something for you on how to set goals that actually work for you. Most artists I know aren’t short on ideas — they’re short on direction. It’s not about working harder; it’s about knowing where your effort will actually count. Every January, or halfway through the year when things start to slide, I hear the same refrain: “I just need to be more disciplined.” But discipline isn’t the issue. The problem is that most of us set goals that belong to someone else’s version of success. We look at what others are achieving — the residencies, the launches, the awards — and think, I should be doing that too. But if your goals don’t match your values, energy, and current reality, they’ll drain you before they ever develop you. Today, I want to help you create goals that work for you — goals that are practical, measurable, and motivating, not punishing, that won´t slip away. KEY TAKEAWAYS Make your goals specific, time-bound and identify the benefits of achieving those goals. Establish where you are now, work out what could derail you and how you will handle that. Visualise success - Picture the outcome. What does the room look like when those works hang together? The overview of the Seven Essential Steps to Achieving Your Goals framework shared here is the same one Ceri teaches in her Artist Mastermind Circle - a tried, tested and highly effective way to turn vague hopes into a clear creative plan. BEST MOMENTS “Goal setting isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most.” “Chaos says, “I must do everything.,” Momentum says, “I’ll focus on what creates real movement.” “Commit to the process. Not perfection — persistence. Progress happens through consistent, imperfect action.” PODCAST HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. **** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? Join today! https://cerihand.com/membership **** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network **** Book a Discovery Call Today To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at [email protected] **** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/