Art Juice: A podcast for artists, creatives and art lovers

Alice is feeling a shift in direction and has been exploring the idea of intention for her work. This sparks a discussion about the role of intention in art-making. Do we need it? Do we have to decide it right from the start? Or can we find it as we go?  We explore the pros and cons of intention in a discussion that ranges from the compositions of an art-making chimpanzee to Steve Jobs’ wise...

In this special episode we discuss some of the books that have inspired us over the years. Our choices may seem surprising but we hope they are all enlightening. They include a collection of letters from one poet to another, a book on marketing (with a twist), two very different artist-written books, and two diverse guides to living an easier and more joyful life. We could not fit all our recommen...

Most of us spend our lives trying to fit in; to get it right; to avoid causing offence. If we have unusual personality traits or experiences, we tend to keep them hidden from all but our closest friends.  This episode was conceived after a personal conversation during which Alice shared a major event in her life. That event played a major role in the way her art has developed and yet she has...

This week we’re diving into the topic of email and newsletters. For many artists, the thought of sending a regular email is daunting (what do you say? How do you say it?) Others haven’t even collected email addresses in the past. We’re hoping today’s discussion will inspire you to get started and/or to crank up your current efforts. The truth is that email has an important role to play in your mar...

Today’s discussion was inspired by a book and TED talk by Simon Sinek, both entitled ‘Find Your Why.’  Sinek's main point is that when you know the purpose of what you are doing, it is so much easier to make the right decisions, achieve good results, and sell it to others. As artists, we can explore this on several levels - why do I make my art? Why am I making this particular series of paint...

This week's discussion was sparked by a question we received from a listener. AJ asked this question about commissions: “I am an up and coming artist with a handful of commission requests. I would love to learn about the professional way to handle commissions. How do you and Alice do this? How much do your charge? What do you do about edits? Should the client pay upfront or give a deposit?” The qu...

Do you feel the need for a “good” result every time you paint? Or hope for a painting that looks good at every stage? This can bring an added stress to making art and limit your ability to experiment. We discuss what might be at the bottom of this, quite natural, desire to feel satisfied and how we can work this into our process.  Also, one listener asks "Am I not going to move forward in my...

Settle down, you are in for a treat in this discussion of the artist as problem solver!  Megan Woodard Johnson is a mixed media artist who layers vintage paper ephemera with paint, various drawing media and found objects to tell evocative stories within her work. Alice talks with Megan about that fact that an artist's growth is rarely linear and how we can only make sense of it all when we lo...

“If I had to describe my work, I would say that it is a blend of grunge, whimsy and outsider.” In our first breakout week, Louise is in discussion with artist Jacqui Fehl . Influenced by music, lyrics, feelings, stories, other artists, and the materials themselves, Jacqui’s art is as varied as her ever changing hair – sometimes light, humorous and colourful , while at other times serious with a to...

Things haven’t gone to plan chez Alice and Louise this week. Alice’s much anticipated summer break was swamped by rain, meaning a lot of wet walks and NONE of the planned sketchbook days out. To compound the situation, she also lost internet which meant she couldn’t catch up on important work. Louise worked for months on an online course, only to be let down by Zoom, YouTube and Mailchimp all on t...

This week we’re discussing gender and how it influences the way we work. The high-end art world continues to be dominated by men and yet attend any workshop and most of the artists there will be women. Are female artists victims of a sexist society? Or are we actually holding ourselves back? We discuss how our parents influenced our attitudes, how women’s tendency to care for others can hinder us,...

We discuss our different approaches to summer - Louise doesn’t slow down in summer and in fact, her online course is about to start which means she is working even harder. Alice has children, which means her summers have always been a time for family. Even with the best will in the world, it’s almost impossible to work while caring for young children so she has always had to find ways of creating...

This week we’re talking about transitions - those times when our work moves into a new phase. Perhaps it comes upon us almost without us noticing - perhaps we make a conscious decision, but either way, change can be both exciting and unsettling. Louise is preparing to start new work in a few weeks time, and feeling pulled in several directions which feel unrelated. Alice has started new work that...

This one is a biggie... What does it mean to find our voice as an artist? How do we discover what we want to create? Especially as that may change over time. After a week of admin Louise believes the answer lies in following what you love. To do that you need to learn to play, which is something many people struggle with.  Alice wonders what happens when you enjoy the process, but not the end...

This week’s main topic was inspired by a listener who wrote: “I was hoping you could talk about colour mixing/ opposed to buying already mixed colours. I'm wanting to invest in new paint, I’d just like to hear your opinion on different paints & colour mixing etc.” This question led us into a discussion of colour and the way we use it in our work. For both of us, it is quite an important focus,...

As artists we have unprecedented opportunities to market ourselves and our work. We no longer have to rely on galleries or agents - the internet allows us to connect directly with potential buyers. Sharing our creative process is a highly effective way to do this, and video can be a wonderful way to satisfy people’s interest.  This week, we discuss different ways to get started with video, in...

How do you do it? Open studios events vary widely across the UK and around the world. In this episode, we share our very different experiences, contrasting an event that spans over 3,000 square miles with one that covers an area of just 3 square miles. We discuss the things we got right, the lessons we learned, and what we’d like to change going forward.  We also dive into our sales and wonde...

Many artists carry around ideas and beliefs that don’t serve us, and which actually often don’t even feel like beliefs. Instead, they feel like established facts. It’s only when we recognise the problem, that we can start to challenge the thoughts that are preventing our next move - and replace them with something more effective. We discuss some of the more common limiting beliefs held by artists...

Our main topic was inspired by a question from a listener, who asked ‘why on earth would you use oil pastel with acrylics!” He went on to say “Surely this will lead to problems later in the longevity of the paintings? Oil and water just do not mix after all!” This question launches a wide-ranging discussion into the way we use materials and the risks we are willing to take. We also ask whether mat...

Do you ever feel like a boiling frog? So busy that you don't  notice that "enjoyably in demand" has turned into "totally overwhelmed and frazzled?" As artists, it's often a challenge to ask for help - partly because some of our work HAS to be done by us, and partly because we can't accept that anyone could do things as well as we do! If you feel like you don't have enough time to get everythi...

This week, we discuss why so many artists are driven to continually change  … is this the natural state of all artists? Or do we vary in this? We consider the benefits of settling into a subject matter and a way of working (there are benefits that include easier branding and consistent audience growth) but ultimately we accept that it's a matter of personality type and that neither of us is a...

Open Studio season is coming up... whether you are an old hand or this is your first year showing in this way we have some ideas for promotion and things to do in advance,  during and after so that you make the best of your Open House events this year.  We are also discussing inspiration boards and reminders of what makes us tick in our work - whether that's recognition of a slowly devel...

This wide-ranging discussion was sparked by recent projects. These new challenges have required us to stretch ourselves - to learn new technologies, to develop new skills and to get comfortable with promotion. We discuss the blocks to developing the required skills - including fear of failure and worrying about negative reactions - and offer our own perspectives along with concrete tips and soluti...

Did you know that who you surround yourself with makes a huge difference to your life?  Does your family have a creative background? Is your creative streak viewed with suspicion or disbelief. It can be hard to make art if this is what surrounds us so we review our personal histories and how we've made changes to the things which influence our beliefs.  The quote “You’re the average of t...

This week, we’re considering event and exhibition submissions and asking what criteria should we use to decide if something is right for us. We consider both the financial and reputational benefits of events, identifying areas to consider including costs, location, audience match etc.  But we also go deeper. This topic unearthed a rare difference of opinion as a result of two different perspe...