Episode 167: 10 Questions to Catch Up and Spark Creativity

Welcome back to the Adventures in Arting podcast! After a much-needed hiatus, we’re diving back in with an episode designed to help you reboot your creative engine—whether you’ve taken a break from art, podcasting, or anything else.

In this episode, we’re sharing 10 thoughtful questions that can guide you through a creative reset. The questions are arranged along the natural arc of the creative journey: Reflection → Inspiration → Action.

Listen in as we:

Whether you’re looking to get back into a daily arting habit or reignite your passion for your art practice, this episode offers a mix of practical strategies and personal stories to help you move forward creatively.

—-> My Art Practice Members: A downloadable PDF of the 10 Questions is available in the online classroom.

Want to go deeper in your art practice? Join our community at MyArtPractice.com, where we create, connect, and thrive together.

If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend, leave a review, or tag us on social media @balzerdesigns. Thanks for listening—and we’ll see you next time!

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Welcome back to Adventures in Arting! After a long break, we’re diving back into inspiring conversations about creativity, art practice, and the artistic journey. In this episode, Julie interviews award-winning mixed media artist and instructor, Mary Correa. Mary shares her journey from corporate trainer to full-time artist, her approach to building a creative business, and her insights into branding, teaching, and running artist retreats.

Mary Correa is a mixed media artist and instructor dedicated to helping others find their creativity.

Her work has been featured in Somerset Studio, Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine, and more.

She is the founder of Artish Creative Retreats, an immersive three-day art retreat experience based in Central Florida.

Mary has taught throughout Florida and in international online classes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review, sharing it on social media, or telling a friend. Your support helps us continue to bring inspiring conversations to you.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time on the Adventures in Arting podcast!

Episode Title: Organizing Small Spaces
Podcast: Adventures in Arting with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
Hosts: Julie Fei-Fan Balzer & Eileen Hsu-Balzer

Episode Summary:
In this episode, Julie and her mom, Eileen, dive into practical strategies for organizing small art spaces. They explore ways to maximize creative space, whether you’re working in a tiny apartment, a shared living area, or a dedicated studio. Julie shares her own experiences—from her NYC apartments to her current attic studio—and offers flexible storage solutions, organization tips, and advice on making the most of every inch of space.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Mindset shifts for working in a small space
Flexible and space-saving furniture ideas
Vertical storage, pegboards, rolling carts, and other smart solutions
How to choose and manage your art supplies efficiently
Why a “healthy” art space matters (lighting, ventilation, and ergonomics)
Creative ways to declutter and make room for more art-making

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Help the Podcast Grow!
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, share it on social media, or tell a friend!

On this podcast (recorded over three weeks), I share my highs and lows, break throughs and frustrations with a drawing class I’m taking at the Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, MA.

Overall, this experience reminded me that the creative process often involves pushing beyond simple exercises. It’s about synthesis — connecting ideas — and allowing for unexpected discoveries. The key is to continually experiment and to lean into the structure of your art practice for support.

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An Artwork Statement is a piece of writing that gives context to a specific artwork. It often explains the meaning, inspiration, techniques, and context behind a specific artwork or series. Your statement may address the materials used, the process, and the narrative or concept behind the piece.

The purpose is to provide deeper insight into a particular piece, helping viewers connect with and understand the specific artwork on a more intimate level. It often accompanies the artwork in exhibitions, galleries, or online platforms.

On the podcast, Mom and I give you lots of tips for how you can write amazing artwork statements!

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This episode covers the Adventures in Arting podcast’s origin story, technical challenges, evolution, ups and downs, and the significance of surpassing 21 episodes, and most importantly: a bit about Mom’s upbringing and relationship to art. ​

And as always, you get to enjoy the dynamic between us — our banter, shared experiences, and future plans for the podcast. ​ The podcast blends personal anecdotes, technical insights, and reflections on the growth and dedication that drive us both!

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From her home in northern British Columbia, Canada, through her video lessons on her website and YouTube, Angela Fehr has created a community of watercolor lovers that spans the globe.

She wants every painter to know the freedom of fearless self expression and she has made it her mission to share this empowering message through lessons in heart-prioritizing watercolour technique and loose intuitive painting.

More than anything she demonstrates that the most important thing you bring to your art is you.

On the podcast we discuss Angela’s art journey and why she does what she does.

Find Angela Online:

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Today on the podcast we’re chatting about Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset:

Growth Mindset:

Fixed Mindset:

Be sure to listen to the podcast where I share 10 Fixed Mindset Statements (such as “I can’t draw”) that you can easily transform to Growth Mindset Statements (such as “I don’t know how to draw yet, but I can improve my drawing skills with practice and dedication.”)

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Lydia Leonard left this comment on my YouTube channel:

“I’ve been following you for years and always marvel at your genius! Moving walls? So smart! I sort of have the same thing but I have a hard time putting everything back where it belongs! I’ve been trying to reorganize but I get distracted by all the cool things I find. Do you have any focusing ideas to keep me motivated?“

Specific to her magpie issue, which is also an issue I have, is the notion of “future me.”  I do things for future me.

“Tomorrow me will love that this is all put away. Tomorrow me will be glad that I did this today.”

But I thought we could wander into a larger conversation about focus.  One of the tenets of my art practice is “consistency.”  I think consistency and focus are deeply intertwined.

Consistency is running a steady 6 minute mile during a marathon.  Focus is thinking about your breathing, the finish line, how your body is moving.

All of that is to say that focus is part of consistency and consistency requires focus. On the podcast, we talk about why focus matters to an artist.

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I like to think of the podcast as a conversation — between me and Mom — between me and Mom and a guest — between me and Mom and YOU! Thank you so much to all of you who leave comments and send emails. We read them all and appreciate them all. This Listener Mail episode is packed with so many thoughtful comments from you guys! Thanks!

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