This week, we’ve been thinking about measuring – specifically about choosing what we measure, and how that can (and should) change over time. The truth is that what gets measured tends to get done – by tracking things, we place our focus on them, and when we place our focus on something, we are more likely to do it. Over the years, we have chosen to focus on studio time, social media results, sales, expenses and much more. But we are now noticing how much our focus has changed as our priorities have shifted.

Perhaps it’s wise to continually revisit the things we measure, so that we can ensure we’re heading in the direction we want. After all, if we don’t set our priorities, life will set them for us.

Come and share your thoughts on this Instagram post!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzV0ipvIN60/

Mentioned

⁠Search Engine Podcast, Internet episode

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Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with writer Christine Coulson, whose background as a writer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art has inspired her to create a unique book. “One Woman Show” is a novel that uses the structure of museum wall labels to weave together the captivating life story of Kitty.

This is a discussion about using restrictions in your work and how you can find the freedom to take liberties when you explore within different constraints. Lots of ideas to take: word shopping and using catalysts in your work. We also talk about patterns of habit, even when it may not be the most efficient, and finding the fuel in the enjoyment of your own work.

We hope this encourages you to take risks to explore a more unexpected route, and trust your audience is more than capable of filling the gaps.

And of course, we invite you to go and discover the book for yourself.

Mentioned

“One Woman Show” by Christine Coulson is available now in all good bookshops or online retailers.

⁠https://www.christinecoulson.com/⁠ 

⁠Follow Christine on Instagram @nyccoulson⁠

Writer’s wall as the book grows photo credit: Jackie Neale

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If you are enjoying the podcast this is an easy and inexpensive way to help support it and ensure it continues. The demands of making it each week can be challenging. Your support is allowing us to hire some editing help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can “buy us a coffee” us at Ko-fi.com

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Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

After a week in which Alice’s Facebook account was hacked, we discuss the negative sides to social media, emails and online life in general. Is there a way to build community and market our work without having to constantly guard against people who don’t deserve our attention? Whether it is scammers trying to take your money, hackers trying to take your accounts, or trolls trying to take your happiness, it seems the online world is fraught with potential pitfalls. But maybe there are ways to mitigate the effects of all this – after all – they can’t upset us unless we let them 🙂

You can read the poem on ⁠this Instagram post

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If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

If you are enjoying the podcast this is an easy and inexpensive way to help support it and ensure it continues. The demands of making it each week can be challenging. Your support is allowing us to hire some editing help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can “buy us a coffee” us at Ko-fi.com

Contribute to the podcast here:

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

How do you feel about emails? Do you like receiving them? Do you use them effectively to market your artwork? Or do you find the whole idea a giant turn-off? This week we discuss the ins and outs of email marketing, share our own experiences, and even learn a few things along the way. If you find yourself wondering how to sell more art, or struggling to come up with a regular email newsletter, this the episode for you.

Get more involved…

If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

If you are enjoying the podcast this is an easy and inexpensive way to help support it and ensure it continues. The demands of making it each week can be challenging. Your support is allowing us to hire some editing help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can “buy us a coffee” us at Ko-fi.com

Contribute to the podcast here:

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Recently we have both been reevaluating parts of our life – both work and home. Perhaps this has to do with chronological age, but perhaps it also relates to the stages we’ve reached in our careers. All creatives are inherently driven by the desire to make new things, but success can sometimes lead us to settle into comfortable repetition. Personally, we both feel the need to make changes in order to keep things interesting and this week, we explore where that might lead. If you are feeling the need to step back and reevaluate your art goals, this is the episode for you.

Mentioned

Steve Jobs speech about connecting the dots ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

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If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

If you are enjoying the podcast this is an easy and inexpensive way to help support it and ensure it continues. The demands of making it each week can be challenging. Your support is allowing us to hire some editing help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can “buy us a coffee” us at Ko-fi.com

Contribute to the podcast here:

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

This week’s solo episode finds Louise musing on a quote from the writer Cheryl Strayed, who describes how she found her way with her writing. Instead of trying to write an amazing book, she says she simply “surrendered to the idea of my mediocrity” and then started writing anyway. This phrase seems to capture so much of what it means to be an artist. If we stop striving to be better than we currently are, we are free to experiment and play and find our way. In the process, we may create something better than we ever thought possible.

Louise’s free Find Your Joy taster course runs from September 1st to September 8th 2023 and you can sign up ⁠HERE

Mentioned

Cheryl Strayed⁠

⁠Cheryl Strayed quote in full

Get more involved…

If you have a question you’d like us to discuss, click here to send it to us

If you are enjoying the podcast this is an easy and inexpensive way to help support it and ensure it continues. The demands of making it each week can be challenging. Your support is allowing us to hire some editing help. If you’d like to help out with a one-time or a monthly donation, you can “buy us a coffee” us at Ko-fi.com

Contribute to the podcast here:

Follow Alice on Instagram @alicesheridanstudio
or Louise @louisefletcher_art

Credits
“Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License