Not Real Art

Artists have always sought unconventional ways to express their creative principles, which means they’re often at the forefront of innovation. On the business side of the art world, however, artists have long been confined to stale institutions like museums, auction houses, and white cube galleries. While we've seen some transformation when it comes to digital commerce for artists, options for car...

The contemporary art establishment isn’t exactly known for its accessibility. In fact, the industry is far more notorious as a toxic purveyor of snobbery and pretentiousness than anything else. This exclusionary mindset discourages artists, art lovers, and buyers alike from ever venturing into the art world to discover their favorite works or develop their creative passions.  On today’s podca...

Welcome back to part two of our very special series on the Nepal Street Art Project, a collaborative endeavor between Nepali artists and Crewest Studio co-founder Man One . If you missed part one, head to last week’s episode to catch up on the project’s impact on historic Nepali cities Janakpur and Kathmandu. In today’s episode, NOT REAL ART founder and host Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with...

Late in 2022 street artist extraordinaire Man One traveled to Nepal to participate in a cultural exchange program designed to celebrate the voices of Nepali minorities. Over a two week period, the California-based muralist—who also serves as co-founder of NOT REAL ART parent company, Crewest Studio —collaborated with Nepali artists on a unique public mural project promoting diversity, inclusion, a...

Organization and management are important skills in a professional artist’s toolkit. In fact, organization is such an important part of being a successful artist that today’s guest has built an entire career around it.  On today’s podcast episode, NOT REAL ART founder and host Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with Artwork Archive co-founder Justin Anthony to discuss the platform’s mission to...

By most measures, time is priceless. But as mere mortals, we still need to take practical matters into consideration when it comes to selling our time, managing expectations, and paying bills. On today’s podcast, NOT REAL ART founder and host Scott “Sourdough” Power is back to weigh in on the value of time in an artist’s life. “From a spiritual perspective, time is priceless and it’s precious and...

Have you ever felt compelled to put your artistic calling on hold when there are bills to pay and mouths to feed? Sometimes life’s day-to-day responsibilities keep us from realizing our true creative potential. That was the case for Sherita Herring , an artist, philanthropist, and single mother who pushed her artistic dreams to the back burner in order to raise her two sons. Today, host and NOT RE...

Every year NOT REAL ART chooses six artists who push the boundaries of what’s possible in the art world. Those artists are awarded our annual grant for open-ended use. Established in 2019, the grant is designed to empower contemporary artists through financial backing and creative support. In today’s podcast episode, our host and founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with 2022 NOT REAL ART gra...

Happy New Year, creative brothers and sisters! To help you ease out of holiday mode, we have a very special guest joining us for the first episode of the NOT REAL ART podcast in 2023.  Today, host and founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with Renaissance man Zack Norman . Zack is a true creative legend, working not only as an actor, director, producer, writer, and comedian but also as a...

Love design in all its forms? Then you’ll want to join us for today’s episode, which features an in-depth look at DesignerCon (DCON), an annual art and design convention in Anaheim, California.  Combining collectible toys and designer goods with underground art, this year’s convention included over 700 vendors, custom art shows, and live demonstrations galore. At booth 1221, NOT REAL ART’s pa...

No matter where you turn these days, you’re likely to encounter some form of discourse about the impact of Web3, NFTs, and blockchain technology. Of course, art and tech comprise exciting new frontiers for making and selling art, but what do artists need to know about these new media? Do they represent a real and fundamental shift in the art market, or are they simply new tools for artists and art...

A longtime friend and creative collaborator with NOT REAL ART, today’s guest has a name that matches her unique style. As you’ll discover in this episode, Katie Love writes, performs, and creates from the heart. Based in Los Angeles, Katie is a comedian, writing coach, producer, and the author of three books. Her latest title, Two Tickets To Paradise: From Cult to Comedy , was recently published b...

Here’s something you may not know: artists and creative entrepreneurs form part of a nearly 2 billion dollar segment of the global economy. For those who want to negotiate their place in this complex financial ecosystem, understanding an artist’s true economic value is absolutely critical. In today’s podcast episode, brought to you by your ever-faithful host and founder, Scott “Sourdough” Power, y...

Whether we realize it or not, most of us have experienced some level of trauma over the past few years as we learned to navigate the fallout of COVID-19. As a result, we are changed people (and artists)—but what have we learned? How do we begin to process the impact of the pandemic? And where do we go from here?  By now, you’ve probably heard us mention smARTtalks , a series of intimate learn...

Creativity is rarely a “lightbulb moment.” In fact it usually arrives through a winding and non-linear process that involves self-understanding, improvisation, and a whole lot of uncertainty.  That’s the belief of today’s guest, Lorne Buchman , president emeritus of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. ArtCenter is known as a world-class leader in art and design education,...

While there are a number of e-commerce platforms available to artists, there are very few—if any—that seek to integrate art and community and enable engagement between artists, buyers, art lovers, and critics too. Today, we’re joined by Michael Facchinello , who is the founder and CEO of Altamira , a unique community-oriented marketplace for artists.  Prior to Altamira, Michael spent eig...

Art has the power to make people think twice, change their perspectives, and heighten their consciousness around important issues. For Puerto Rican artist NiNo Alicea , the destruction caused by climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. In today’s podcast episode, NiNo chats with host Scott “Sourdough” Power about his mission to raise climate awareness through art. “A lot of my art ha...

Halloween is right around the corner, which means we’re back with our infamous Art World Horror Stories series. We’re not talking about ghosts, ghouls, and goblins though—in today’s podcast episode, you’ll hear some truly terrifying tales from artists who brave the ugly side of the art world. You’ll hear about malicious gallery owners, neglectful shipping companies, and one graffiti artist’s very...

Victor " Marka27 " Quiñonez is a phenomenal street artist working at the intersection of graffiti, contemporary art, and design. Blending elements of pop culture with Mexican and Indigenous aesthetics—a style he calls “Neo-Indigenous”— Marka27 creates vinyl toys, large-scale murals, and private commissions for major brands. His award-winning creative agency, Street Theory , activates communities a...

World-building is the practice of bringing imagined environments to life, and it’s become a major part of artmaking today. With rapid advancements in emerging technology, artists are now able to create fully immersive artworks that transport viewers to another place.  Enter BLINK , the nation’s largest light, art, and projection mapping experience, which returns to do...

As many of you know, your faithful host of the NOT REAL ART podcast, Scott “Sourdough,” Power, has just returned from the Nevada desert, where he and tens of thousands of others experienced all the weird, wild, and wonderful happenings that made Burning Man 2022.  After an event of this scale and magnitude, it’s important to decompress. There are all sorts of decompression parties and events...

Today, after a week’s hiatus, our founder and podcast host Scott “Sourdough” Power is back from Black Rock with a special treat.  That’s right, today’s episode is all about Burning Man : the landscape, the people, the stories, and of course, the art. Scott hops on the mic to talk about his annual trek into the desert and this year’s party on the Playa. You’ll hear about the incredible interac...

Today, we look at one of the art-world’s most fundamental questions: why is art important? It’s not such an easy question to answer, which is why we’re mixing things up this week with a very special episode. In today’s podcast episode, you’ll hear from artists, experts, and art lovers who sound off on why art matters to them.  Podcast host Scott “Sourdough” Power shares his perspective on the...

Storytelling—whether visual, verbal, or written—is an essential part of the artist’s toolkit. Stories forge connections, evoke emotions, and help people understand different ideas and perspectives.  In this week’s podcast episode, NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power introduces a new member to the crew: Editor-in-Chief Morgan Laurens . With a background in printmaking, pop culture, an...

Have you ever been asked to “work for exposure?” We’re betting the answer is a resounding (and irritated) “yes!” If this sounds like you, we’ve got a real treat on deck today. NOT REAL ART founder and publisher Scott “Sourdough” Power hosts this timely podcast episode on “exposure bucks,” or unpaid creative labor, as it’s known to everyone who’s dipped their toes in the freebies pool. Many creativ...